ELECTRONIC DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD, AND CONTROL PROGRAM

• US 20150043758A1
• Filed: 04/30/2013
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Yamada, Hidekatsu, Kondou, Junichi, Yano, Junya, Tokuyama, Yoshitaka, Watanabe, Takaaki, Kutsuzawa, Shuichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,998,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/151
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/1783 handling or detecting of non-standard events or conditions, e.g. changing operating modes under specific operating conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17857 Geometric disposition, e.g. placement of microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/1787 General system configurations
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1081 Earphones, e.g. for telephones, ear protectors or headsets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/46 Special adaptations for use as contact microphones, e.g. on musical instrument, on stethoscope throat mountings H04R1/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/00 Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2400/03 Transducers capable of generating both sound as well as tactile vibration, e.g. as used in cellular phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/045 using the distributed mode principle, i.e. whereby the acoustic radiation is emanated from uniformly distributed free bending wave vibration induced in a stiff panel and not from pistonic motion

Abstract

According to an aspect, an electronic device includes: a piezoelectric element; a first sound generating unit that is vibrated by the piezoelectric element and generates a vibration sound transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body; and a second sound generating unit that generates an air conduction sound.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a piezoelectric element;

a first sound generating unit that is vibrated by the piezoelectric element and generates a vibration sound transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body; and

a second sound generating unit that generates an air conduction sound.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first sound generating unit is vibrated by the piezoelectric element and generates an air conduction sound and the vibration sound.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first sound generating unit and the second sound generating unit generate a sound based on a certain condition.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a sound input unit that receives an external sound, wherein

the first sound generating unit and the second sound generating unit generate the sound based on sound pressure of the external sound.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein

the first sound generating unit generates the sound when the sound pressure of the external sound is not lower than a threshold, and

the second sound generating unit generates the sound when the sound pressure of the external sound is lower than the threshold.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the second sound generating unit generates the sound when a certain time has elapsed in a state where the first sound generating unit is generating the sound and the sound pressure of the external sound is lower than the threshold.

7. The electronic device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a voice input unit that receives a voice uttered by a user in a telephone conversation, wherein

at least one of the first sound generating unit and the second sound generating unit generates the sound based on a result of comparison between the sound pressure of the external sound and the threshold before start of the telephone conversation, and

the first sound generating unit or the second sound generating unit generates the sound based on a result of an analysis on the voice received by the voice input unit after the start of the telephone conversation.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first sound generating unit and the second sound generating unit generate a sound based on positional information obtained by position measurement processing.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first sound generating unit is a panel.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the panel vibrates in a larger area than an area having a length corresponding to a distance from a lower crus of an antihelix to an antitragus of a human ear and a width corresponding to a distance from a tragus to an antihelix.

11. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the panel is a part or all of any one of a display panel, an operation panel, a cover panel, and a lid panel that makes a rechargeable battery detachable.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein,

the panel is the display panel, and

the piezoelectric element is arranged outside of a display area for a display function of the display panel.

13. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the panel deforms to transmit an air conduction sound and a human body vibration sound at any point of the panel.

14. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein

the panel has a plurality of points that vibrate in a direction intersecting with a principal surface of the panel in a vibration area, and

the vibration has a value of amplitude changing from plus to minus or minus to plus with time in each of the points.

15-16. -16. (canceled)

17. An electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a piezoelectric element;

a first sound generating unit that is vibrated by the piezoelectric element and generates a vibration sound transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body;

a second sound generating unit; and

an attitude detection unit, wherein

the first sound generating unit or the second sound generating unit generates a sound based on a detection result of the attitude detection unit.

18. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the first sound generating unit is vibrated by the piezoelectric element and generates an air conduction sound and the vibration sound.

19. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the first sound generating unit generates the sound when the piezoelectric element is positioned above the second sound generating unit in the vertical direction.

20. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the second sound generating unit generates the sound when the second sound generating unit is positioned above the piezoelectric element in the vertical direction.

21. The electronic device according to claim 17, further comprising:

a communication unit that performs communications for a voice call, wherein

one of the first sound generating unit and the second sound generating unit generates the sound in a telephone conversation using the communication unit.

22. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein

the piezoelectric element is arranged near a first end in a long-side direction of the housing, and

the second sound generating unit is arranged near a second end in the long-side direction of the housing.

23. The electronic device according to claim 22, further comprising:

a first microphone arranged near the second end in the long-side direction of the housing; and

a second microphone arranged near the first end in the long-side direction of the housing, wherein

the first microphone is used as a microphone for the voice call and the second microphone is used as a microphone for noise cancellation when the first sound generating unit generates the sound, and

the second microphone is used as a microphone for the voice call and the first microphone is used as a microphone for noise cancellation when the second sound generating unit generates the sound.

24. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the first sound generating unit is a panel.

25. The electronic device according to claim 24, wherein

the panel is arranged on a principal surface of the housing,

the first microphone and the second microphone each include, in the housing, a microphone main body that detects a sound, and

the housing has a microphone hole that communicates a space in which the first microphone or the second microphone is arranged and a space outside of the housing, the microphone hole being on a surface different from the principal surface.

26. The electronic device according to claim 24, wherein the panel vibrates in a larger area than an area having a length corresponding to a distance from a lower crus of an antihelix to an antitragus of a human ear and a width corresponding to a distance from a tragus to an antihelix.

27. The electronic device according to claim 24, wherein the panel is a part or all of any one of a display panel, an operation panel, a cover panel, and a lid panel that makes a rechargeable battery detachable.

28. The electronic device according to claim 27, wherein,

the panel is the display panel, and

the piezoelectric element is arranged outside of a display area for a display function of the display panel.

29. The electronic device according to claim 24, wherein the panel deforms to transmit an air conduction sound and a human body vibration sound at any point of the panel.

30-50. -50. (canceled)