Headphone device

• US 9,578,408 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tymphany HK Ltd. (Primax Electronics Limited)
• Original Assignee: Primax Electronics Limited
• Inventors: Pan, Yung-Tai
• Primary Examiner(s): Saunders, Jr., Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/639,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20160198251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/105 Earpiece supports, e.g. ear hooks for stereophonic headphones H04R5/0335
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/0335 Earpiece support, e.g. headbands or neckrests for monophonic headphones H04R1/105

Abstract

A headphone device includes a sound outputting part and a sensor. The sound outputting part includes a case, a main board, a driving unit, a baffle plate and an ear pad. The sensor is installed on the baffle plate, uncovered by the ear pad and connected with the main board. If the human ear is sensed by the sensor, the main board judges that the headphone device is worn by the user. If the human ear is not sensed by the sensor, the main board judges that the headphone device is not worn by the user. According to the result of judging whether the headphone device is worn by the user, the playback of the audio content of an electronic device connected with the headphone device is correspondingly controlled.

Claims

1. A headphone device, comprising:

at least one sound outputting part, wherein each sound outputting part comprises a case, a main board, a driving unit, a baffle plate and an ear pad, wherein the main board is accommodated within the case, the driving unit is accommodated within the case and connected with the main board and allows the headphone device to generate sound, the baffle plate covers the driving unit and avoids sound field interference, and the ear pad covers the baffle plate and has a ring-shaped structure, wherein when the headphone device is worn by a user, the ear pad is in contact with a corresponding human ear; and

a sensor installed on the baffle plate, uncovered by the ear pad and connected with the main board, wherein if the human ear is sensed by the sensor, the main board judges that the headphone device is worn by the user, wherein if the human ear is not sensed by the sensor, the main board judges that the headphone device is not worn by the user;

wherein the headphone device further comprising a covering plate, wherein the covering plate is arranged between the baffle plate and the ear pad, and the covering plate comprises a perforation, wherein the sensor is exposed through the perforation, and wherein a sensing distance of the sensor is smaller than a thickness of the ear pad.

2. The headphone device according to claim 1, wherein if the human ear is not sensed by the sensor for a time period shorter than a first threshold time value, the main board judges that the headphone device is temporarily not worn by the user, so that the main board issues a corresponding control signal to an electronic device, wherein according to the control signal, the electronic device temporarily ceases playing an audio content or stops playing the audio content.

3. The headphone device according to claim 2, wherein if the human ear is not sensed by the sensor for a time period longer than the first threshold time value and shorter than a second threshold time value, the main board judges that the headphone device is not worn by the user for a long time, and the main board disables a wireless communication module or a power module of the headphone device.

4. The headphone device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is located at a front side of a center point of the baffle plate, and separated from the center point of the baffle plate by a fixed distance, and wherein the at least one sound outputting part comprises two sound outputting parts, and the two sound outputting parts are connected with each other through a head band, wherein when the two ear pads of the two sound outputting parts are respectively sheathed around the two human ears and the head band is mounted on a head of the user, a forward direction that the head faces is defined as the front side.

5. The headphone device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sound outputting part comprises two sound outputting parts, and the two sound outputting parts are connected with each other through a head band, wherein the headphone device further comprises a strain gage, and the strain gage is installed in the head band, wherein if the strain gage senses that the headband is stretched, the main board judges that the headphone device is worn by the user.

6. The headphone device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is an optical sensor.

7. The headphone device according to claim 1, wherein the covering plate is black, so that light reflectivity is reduced.

8. The headphone device according to claim 1, wherein an inner periphery of the ear pad is black, so that light reflectivity is reduced.

9. The headphone device according to claim 1, wherein the headphone device further comprises a wireless communication module and a power module, which are disposed within the case and connected with the main board.

10. The headphone device according to claim 1, wherein the baffle plate comprises plural openings that allow the sound to pass through.

11. The headphone device according to claim 1, wherein an inner portion of the ear pad is stuffed with a sponge material, and an outer surface of the ear pad is made of leather or cloth.