EARPHONE HAVING SOUND INSULATION MEANS

• US 20120033822A1
• Filed: 04/13/2011
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jun-Ichi Kakumoto
• Original Assignee: Jun-Ichi Kakumoto
• Inventors: KAKUMOTO, JUN-ICHI
• Application Number:
  US13/086,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20120033822A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/71.6
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/08 internal, e.g. earplugs
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1058 Manufacture or assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response

Abstract

The present invention relates to an inexpensive environmental noise reduction type inner earphone which allows a user to listen music with high quality of sound and with a small volume under noisy environments making noise of 86 dB or more such as in aircraft seats, subways, trains and so on, and particularly which is capable of blocking a high level of environmental noise and regeneration sound passing through the inner earphone by filling a space formed between an ear and the inner earphone with a sound insulation element made of porous soft plastic. The earphone includes a frequency characteristic correction circuit which serves to correct a sound insulation characteristic of the sound insulation element between a voice coil of the earphone and a plug of the earphone and includes a resistor and a capacitor.

Claims

1. An earphone in which:

an inner earphone is defined as an earphone,

{environmental noise reaching an auditory sense via an earphone structure} is defined as entrance noise A,

{environmental noise reaching the auditory sense via a gap formed between the earphone and a {wall of an {external ear}} is defined as entrance noise B,

{sound reaching the auditory sense} of regeneration sound of the earphone is defines as entrance regeneration sound,

{deformable sound insulation porous plastic} to {fill a space formed near an entrance of the earphone and an external auditory canal} is defined as a sound insulation element,

a hole {through which a {hollow tube to be described later is inserted in the sound insulation element}} is defined as a hollow tube insertion hole,

the hollow tube insertion hole has a cup shape with one side closed and the other side opened,

an {opened side} of a {hole of the sound insulation element} is defined as an earphone mounting section,

a {closed side} of the {hole of the sound insulation element} is defined as a sound insulation section,

a {side along an axis} of the {hole of the sound insulation element} is defined as a sound insulation side,

an {empty tube having both} of a {function of being mounting on radiating holes of sound of the earphone} and a {function of combining the earphone and the sound insulation element by being inserted in the hole of the sound insulation element} is defined as a hollow tube;

the hollow tube has;

a {function as an aggregate of a {deformable soft sound insulation element}};

a {function of compressing {the sound insulation side and the sound insulation section} of the {sound insulation element filling a gap} between {the wall of the external ear} and the {hollow tube};

a {{function of attenuating the entrance noise B} by compressing a portion contacting the sound insulation side of the sound insulation element, i.e., the {wall of the external ear near the entrance of the external auditory canal}}; and

a function of attenuating {the entrance noise A, the entrance noise B, and the entrance regeneration sound} altogether by compressing the sound insulation section of the sound insulation element, i.e., {the vicinity of a space at the entrance of the external ear},

a combination of the sound insulation element and the hollow tube is defined as a composite sound insulation element,

an {{attenuation characteristic} or {dependency of the attenuation characteristic on frequency}} of a {{transmission characteristic of the entrance regeneration sound} of the {sound insulation element or composite sound insulation element}} is defined as an entrance regeneration sound attenuation characteristic,

a function of compensating the entrance regeneration sound attenuation characteristic is defined as a high sound range attenuation compensation function,

an earphone having a {regeneration characteristic of the high sound range attenuation compensation function} is defined as a high sound range attenuation compensation type earphone,

an {electronic circuit or electrical circuit} having a characteristic of the high sound range attenuation compensation function is defined as a high sound range attenuation compensation circuit,

an earphone {mounted with the composite sound insulation element} is defined as a first characteristic,

an {earphone having the high sound range attenuation compensation circuit at any place} between the {voice coil of the earphone} and the {earphone plug} is defined as a second characteristic, and

a high sound range attenuation compensation type earphone {mounted with the composite sound insulation element} is defined as a third characteristic,

wherein the earphone is the {earphone having the first and second characteristics} or the {earphone having the third characteristic},

2. An earphone comprising the composite sound insulation element according to claim 1.

3. An earphone comprising the composite sound insulation element according to claim 1, wherein a sound insulation element separation prevention structure formed in any place on the circumference of the hollow tube is defined as a fourth characteristic.

4. The earphone according to claim 1, wherein the high sound range attenuation compensation type earphone has a ninth characteristic that high sound range regeneration sensitivity of the earphone is set to be higher than middle and low sound range regeneration sensitivity of the earphone by any one of:

a method of lowering low sound range sensitivity by decreasing a diameter of a diaphragm of the earphone;

a method of lowering low sound range sensitivity by increasing a strength of the diaphragm of the earphone;

a method of lowering low sound range sensitivity by decreasing a rear volume with a boundary of the diaphragm of the earphone; and

a method of lowering low sound range sensitivity by forming through holes in a rear portion and a front portion with a boundary of the diaphragm of the earphone.

5. An earphone in which:

{the high sound range attenuation compensation circuit according to claim 1} including a {parallel connection of a resistor and a capacitor} is defined as a CR type high sound attenuation compensation circuit,

insertion of the CR type high sound range attenuation compensation circuit between a {terminal of a voice coil of the earphone} and a {terminal of a lead drawn out of the earphone} is defined as a fifth characteristic,

insertion of the CR type high sound range attenuation compensation circuit in any place of the lead of the earphone is defined as a sixth characteristic, and

insertion of the CR type high sound range attenuation compensation circuit between the {lead of the earphone} and an {insertion plug of the earphone} is defined as a seventh characteristic,

wherein the earphone has the {fifth, sixth, or seventh} characteristic.

6. A {relay cord or a relay plug jack} comprising one terminal having an earphone plug and the other terminal having an earphone jack,

wherein insertion of a CR type high sound range attenuation compensation circuit between the earphone plug and the earphone jack is defined as an eighth characteristic.

7. An earphone comprising:

an earphone body which includes a voice coil and outputs a regeneration sound through radiating holes;

a sound insulation element which is made of deformable sound insulating porous plastic, covers the radiating holes of the earphone body, and fills a space formed between the earphone body and an entrance of an external auditory canal; and

a hollow tube which is mounted on the radiating holes of the earphone body and forms an aggregate such that the sound insulation element is combined to the earphone body.

8. The earphone according to claim 7, wherein the hollow tube includes an engagement projection formed on the circumference of the hollow tube and by which the sound insulation element is fixed to the hollow tube.

9. The earphone according to claim 7, wherein the earphone includes a high sound range attenuation correction circuit including a capacitor and a resistor connected in parallel between the voice coil of the earphone and a plug of the earphone.