Mobile telephone

• US 9,479,624 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Finewell Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Finewell Co., Ltd., ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Hosoi, Hiroshi, Hosoi, Yoji, Morimoto, Masashi, Tanaka, Masahide
• Primary Examiner(s): HSIEH, PING Y
• Application Number:
  US14/334,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20140378191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 455/343.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0258 for a headset device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/605 involving control of the receiver volume to provide a dual operational mode at close or far distance from the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/026 Supports for loudspeaker casings
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/005 using a piezoelectric polymer
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2440/05 Aspects relating to the positioning and way or means of mounting of exciters to resonant bending wave panels
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• 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 3/04 : for correcting frequency response
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 31/006 : Interconnection of transducer parts of diaphragm and outer suspension by moulding H04R31/003
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 : detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The mobile telephone disclosed in the present specification has a mobile telephone upper edge unit including a right-ear cartilage conduction unit, a left-ear cartilage conduction unit, and a linking unit linking the right-ear cartilage conduction unit and the left-ear cartilage conduction unit, the units being exposed at the mobile telephone surface; and a cartilage-conduction vibration source for transmitting vibration to the mobile telephone upper edge unit.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone comprising:

a telephone function unit;

a cartilage conduction unit for transmitting vibration to ear cartilage by contact therewith to cause cartilage conduction in which the transmitted vibration generates, from an external auditory meatus surface, an air conduction sound which reaches a tympanic membrane;

an cartilage-conduction vibration source of the cartilage conduction unit;

a driving unit configured to drive the cartilage-conduction vibration source;

a power supply control unit for supplying power to the driving unit for the cartilage conduction; and

a videoconferencing function speaker and a display unit,

wherein the power supply control unit is configured to halt the supply of power to the driving unit for the cartilage conduction with the videoconferencing function speaker and the display unit in operation for a videoconference, and

wherein the power supply control unit is configured to determine whether or not to supply power to the driving unit for the cartilage conduction in accordance with an incoming call from another mobile telephone so as to supply power to the driving unit with the incoming call not for videoconference, and to halt the supply of power to the driving unit with the incoming call for videoconference.

2. The mobile telephone according to claim 1, wherein the power supply control unit is for supplying power to the driving unit during a state in which cartilage conduction unit is able to contact ear cartilage, and halting the supply of power to the driving unit, during a state in which the cartilage conduction unit is not contacting ear cartilage.

3. The mobile telephone according to claim 2, the state in which the cartilage conduction unit is not contacting ear cartilage being one of a state immediately following power-up of the mobile telephone, a videoconferencing state, and a non-call state;

the non-call state being brought about by a call termination signal, and a talk state being brought about by a call initiation signal.

4. The mobile telephone according to claim 3 further comprising:

an amplifier for presenting a call signal to the cartilage conduction vibration source;

a muting circuit inserted between the cartilage conduction vibration source and the amplifier, and adapted for muting for a predetermined time interval; and

a muting control unit for initiating muting by the muting circuit, in response to the call initiation signal and the call termination signal.

5. The mobile telephone according to claim 4, the call initiation signal being either an incoming call signal or a call request signal, and the call termination signal being a call disconnect signal.

6. The mobile telephone according to claim 1, further comprising:

a muting circuit inserted between the cartilage conduction vibration source and the driving unit, and configured to mute for a predetermined time interval; and

a muting control unit configured to initiate the predetermine time interval of muting by the muting circuit, prior to at least one of an initiation or termination of the power supply from the power supply control unit to the driving unit.

7. The mobile telephone according to claim 6, wherein the muting control unit is configured to initiate the predetermine time interval of muting in response to at least one of a call termination signal and a call initiation signal.

8. The mobile telephone according to claim 7, wherein the muting control unit is configured to initiate the predetermine time interval of muting in response to one of a call answer signal to an incoming call or a call request signal to another mobile telephone.

9. A mobile telephone comprising:

a telephone function unit;

a cartilage conduction unit for transmitting vibration to ear cartilage by contact therewith to cause cartilage conduction in which the transmitted vibration generates, from an external auditory meatus surface, an air conduction sound which reaches a tympanic membrane;

an cartilage-conduction vibration source of the cartilage conduction unit

a driving unit configured to drive the cartilage-conduction vibration source;

a power supply control unit for supplying power to the driving unit for the cartilage conduction; and

a videoconferencing function speaker and a display unit,

wherein the power supply control unit is configured to halt the supply of power to the driving unit for the cartilage conduction with the videoconferencing function speaker and the display unit in operation for a videoconference, and

wherein the power supply control unit is configured to determine whether or not to supply power to the driving unit for the cartilage conduction in accordance with a call request to another mobile telephone so as to supply power to the driving unit with the call request not for videoconference, and to halt the supply of power to the driving unit with the call request for videoconference.

10. The according to claim 9, wherein the power supply control unit is for supplying power to the driving unit during a state in which cartilage conduction unit is able to contact ear cartilage, and halting the supply of power to the driving unit, during a state in which the cartilage conduction unit is not contacting ear cartilage.

11. The mobile telephone according to claim 10, the state in which the cartilage conduction unit is not contacting ear cartilage being one of a state immediately following power-up of the mobile telephone, a videoconferencing state, and a non-call state;

the non-call state being brought about by a call termination signal, and a talk state being brought about by a call initiation signal.

12. The mobile telephone according to claim 11 further comprising:

an amplifier for presenting a call signal to the cartilage conduction vibration source;

a muting circuit inserted between the cartilage conduction vibration source and the amplifier, and adapted for muting for a predetermined time interval; and

a muting control unit for initiating muting by the muting circuit, in response to the call initiation signal and the call termination signal.

13. The mobile telephone according to claim 12, the call initiation signal being either an incoming call signal or a call request signal, and the call termination signal being a call disconnect signal.

14. The mobile telephone according to claim 9, further comprising:

a muting circuit inserted between the cartilage conduction vibration source and the driving unit, and configured to mute for a predetermined time interval; and

a muting control unit configured to initiate the predetermine time interval of muting by the muting circuit, prior to at least one of an initiation or termination of the power supply from the power supply control unit to the driving unit.

15. The mobile telephone according to claim 14, wherein the muting control unit is configured to initiate the predetermine time interval of muting in response to at least one of a call termination signal and a call initiation signal.

16. The mobile telephone according to claim 15, wherein the muting control unit is configured to initiate the predetermine time interval of muting in response to one of a call answer signal to an incoming call or a call request signal to another mobile telephone.