Bifunctional earphone set

• US 5,430,803 A
• Filed: 03/19/1993
• Issued: 07/04/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marunaka Engineering Corporation
• Original Assignee: Soei Electricco, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ohsako, Masakiyo, Kimura, Hirofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Huyen D.
• Application Number:
  US03/033,031
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 381/187, 381/183, 381/25, 381/173, 381/190, 381/194, 381/195, 381/68.6, 181/128, 181/129
• US Class Current: 381/380
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/46 Special adaptations for use as contact microphones, e.g. on musical instrument, on stethoscope throat mountings H04R1/14

Abstract

In construction of an earphone set incorporating a vibratory membrane accompanied with a ceramic wafer, a coactive magnetic electroacoustic conversion is arranged facing the vibratory membrane in a manner such that the vibratory membrane reproduces human voices on receipt of corresponding electric acoustic signals whereas the conversion unit issues electric acoustic signals on collection of corresponding human voices at the vibratory membrane.

Claims

1. A bifunctional earphone set comprising:

a) a housing provided with an ear socket adapted to be inserted into the ear canal of a user thereof;

b) a vibratory membrane disposed within said housing generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said ear socket having a first planar side facing said ear socket and electrically connected to a signal output terminal;

c) a ceramic wafer attached face to face to said vibratory membrane on said first planar side and electrically connected to said signal output terminal; and

d) a magnetic electroacoustic conversion means arranged within said housing facing a second planar side of said vibratory membrane opposite to said first planar side including at least one coil electrically connected to a signal input terminal;

whereby said vibratory membrane reproduces human voices on receipt of corresponding electric acoustic signals to said signal output terminal and said ceramic wafer simultaneously issues electric acoustic signals on collection of corresponding human voices at said vibrating membrane.

2. A bifunctional earphone set as claimed in claim 1 in which

said ceramic wafer is connected to an outside sound generating system via first conductive leads, and

said magnetic electroacoustic conversion unit includes a permanent magnet, an iron core coupled to said permanent magnet, and a coil mounted to said iron core and connected to an outside electric signal reception system via second conductive leads.

3. A bifunctional earphone set as claimed in claim 1 in which

said magnetic electroacoustic conversion unit includes a permanent magnet, an iron core coupled to said permanent magnet, first and second coils coaxially mounted to said iron core,

said first coil is connected to an outside sound generating system via first conductive leads, and

said second coil is connected to an outside electric signal reception system via second conductive leads.