HEADPHONES

• US 20090103762A1
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishida, Hiroyuki, Tsunoda, Naotaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,325,962 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/378
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/0335 Earpiece support, e.g. headbands or neckrests for monophonic headphones H04R1/105

Abstract

There is provided headphones that include a pair of left and right earcups, an audio signal processing unit contained in the earcups, a headband connecting the left and right earcups respectively through a hanger, and a cord to supply a signal to the audio signal processing unit. In the headphones, a connection portion between the hanger and the headband is configured as an extension and contraction unit having a multistage structure including a small-diameter hollow member able to be taken in and out of a large-diameter hollow member, a part of the cord contained in the extension and contraction unit is spirally wound so as to be extended and contracted, nodes are placed respectively between the headband and the extension and contraction unit and between the hanger and the extension and contraction unit, and the respective nodes have a through-hole allowing penetration of the cord.

Claims

1. Headphones comprising:

a pair of left and right earcups;

an audio signal processing unit contained in the earcups;

a headband connecting the left and right earcups respectively through a hanger; and

a cord to supply a signal to the audio signal processing unit, wherein

a connection portion between the hanger and the headband is configured as an extension and contraction unit having a multistage structure including a small-diameter hollow member able to be taken in and out of a large-diameter hollow member,

a part of the cord contained in the extension and contraction unit is spirally wound so as to be extended and contracted,

nodes are placed respectively between the headband and the extension and contraction unit and between the hanger and the extension and contraction unit, and

the respective nodes have a through-hole allowing penetration of the cord.

2. The headphones according to claim 1, wherein

the cord has a multi-conductor structure including at least four signal wires.

3. The headphones according to claim 2, wherein

the cord has a multi-layer structure with an external coating partitioned into a plurality of parts in a direction intersecting with an axis line direction, each part including a plurality of signal wires.

4. The headphones according to claim 2, wherein

the cord has an external coating in a shape of a wide flat cable.

5. The headphones according to claim 3, wherein

the part of the cord contained in the extension and contraction unit is wound so that a short-axis direction in a cross section of the cord corresponds to a diameter direction of a spiral.