Mobile telephone cartilage conduction unit for making contact with the ear cartilage

• US 9,313,306 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2014
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2010
• 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): Gonzalez, Amancio
• Application Number:
  US14/547,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20150141088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 381326-380, 455/575.1, 455/63, 455/90.1, 455/569.1, 455/66.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0281 for providing single handed use or left/right hand conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/035 Improving the acoustic characteristics by means of constructional features of the housing, e.g. ribs, walls, resonating chambers or cavities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users

Abstract

A mobile telephone includes a cartilage conduction unit for making contact with the ear cartilage. The cartilage conduction unit is provided to at least one of two corner parts at an upper side of the mobile telephone. The mobile telephone can include a surface of an outer wall and a cartilage conduction vibration source arranged inward from the surface of the outer wall, the vibration of the cartilage conduction vibration source being transmitted to the surface of the outer wall, wherein when the surface of the outer wall is brought into contact with at least a part of the ear cartilage around the entrance part to the external auditory meatus without making contact with the auricular helix, the sound pressure inside the external auditory meatus at about 1 cm from the entrance part of the external auditory meatus has an at least 10 dB increase compared to the non-contact state.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone having a display unit to be watched by a user of the mobile telephone and two corner parts in an upper side of the mobile telephone, comprising:

a pair of cartilage conduction units for making contact with ear cartilage to transmit vibration, the cartilage conduction units being provided to the two corner parts, respectively; and

a cartilage conduction vibration source located between the two corner parts to transmit vibration to both the pair of cartilage conduction units.

2. The mobile telephone according to claim 1, wherein one of the cartilage conduction units is for right ear hearing, while the other of the cartilage conduction units is for left ear hearing.

3. The mobile telephone according to claim 1, wherein a pair of corners of a chassis of the mobile telephone are the cartilage conduction units, respectively, and the cartilage conduction vibration source is located within the chassis at the center of the upper side of the mobile telephone to transmitted vibration to both the corners.

4. The mobile telephone according to claim 3, wherein the cartilage conduction vibration source is supported by inside of the chassis so that a primary vibration direction of the cartilage conduction vibration source is perpendicular to a front surface of the chassis of the mobile telephone where the display unit in located.

5. The mobile telephone according to claim 1, wherein the upper side of the mobile telephone includes a vibration conductor extending to the pair of cartilage conduction units, and wherein the cartilage conduction vibration source is located in the center of the upper side of the mobile telephone to transmit vibration thereof to the vibration conductor.

6. The mobile telephone according to claim 5, wherein the cartilage conduction vibration source is located inside of the mobile telephone to contact with inside of the vibration conductor at the central portion thereof.

7. The mobile telephone according to claim 1, wherein the cartilage conduction vibration source is further arranged to transmit vibration to a front surface of the mobile telephone where the display unit in located.

8. The mobile telephone according to claim 7, wherein the cartilage conduction vibration source is supported within a chassis in the center of upper side of the mobile phone so that a primary vibration direction of the cartilage conduction vibration source is perpendicular to a front surface of the chassis of the mobile telephone where the display unit in located to which the vibration of the cartilage conduction vibration source is transmitted.

9. A vibration conduction structure for a mobile telephone having a display unit to be watched by a user of the mobile telephone and two corner parts in an upper side of the mobile telephone, comprising:

a pair of vibration units for making contact with ear cartilage to transmit vibration, the vibration units being provided to the two corner parts, respectively; and

a vibration source located between the two corner parts to transmit vibration to both the pair of vibration units.

10. The vibration conduction structure according to claim 9, wherein a pair of corners of a chassis of the mobile telephone are the vibration units, respectively, and the vibration source is located within the chassis at the center of the upper side of the mobile telephone to transmitted vibration to both the corners.

11. The vibration conduction structure according to claim 10, wherein the vibration source is supported by inside of the chassis so that a primary vibration direction of the vibration source is perpendicular to a front surface of the chassis of the mobile telephone where the display unit in located.

12. The vibration conduction structure according to claim 9, wherein the upper side of the mobile telephone includes a vibration conductor extending to the pair of vibration units, and wherein the vibration source is located in the center of the upper side of the mobile telephone to transmit vibration thereof to the vibration conductor.

13. The vibration conduction structure according to claim 12, wherein the vibration source is located inside of the mobile telephone to contact with inside of the vibration conductor at the central portion thereof.

14. The vibration conduction structure according to claim 9, wherein the vibration source is further arranged to transmit vibration to a front surface of the mobile telephone where the display unit in located.

15. The vibration conduction structure according to claim 14, wherein the vibration source is further arranged to transmit vibration to entire surface of the mobile telephone.

16. The vibration conduction structure according to claim 14, wherein the vibration source is supported within a chassis in the center of upper side of the mobile phone so that a primary vibration direction of the vibration source is perpendicular to a front surface of the chassis of the mobile telephone where the display unit in located to which the vibration of the vibration source is transmitted.

17. A vibration conduction structure for a mobile telephone having a display unit to be watched by a user of the mobile telephone and two corner parts in an upper side of the mobile telephone, comprising:

a chassis of the mobile telephone, the chassis including a front surface where the display unit in located; and

a vibration source located within the mobile telephone and arranged to transmit vibration to the front surface,

wherein the vibration source is supported within the mobile telephone so that a primary vibration direction of the vibration source is perpendicular to the front surface.

18. The vibration conduction structure according to claim 17, wherein the chassis further includes a pair of corners to be the two corner parts in an upper side of the mobile telephone, and wherein the vibration of the vibration source is further transmitted to both the corners.

19. The vibration conduction structure according to claim 17, wherein the vibration of the vibration source is transmitted to the entire front surface.

20. The vibration conduction structure according to claim 19, wherein the vibration of the vibration source is transmitted to the entire surface of the chassis of the mobile telephone.