JP2012109663A - Bone conduction transmitting/receiving apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a bone conduction receiver that includes a voice speaker and a bone conduction speaker, and can switch a voice output destination in a natural manner.
The speaker includes a bone conduction speaker for transmitting an audio signal by bone conduction, an audio speaker for transmitting an audio signal by air conduction, a pressure-sensitive sensor for detecting pressure, and a speaker control unit. The control unit determines whether to supply an audio signal to the bone conduction speaker or an audio signal to the audio speaker according to the pressure detected by the pressure sensor.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a bone conduction receiver.

Bone conduction speakers have been used in addition to general audio speakers in portable telephone and landline telephone receivers, audio players, and the like. For general audio speakers,
Sound waves generated by the sound speaker vibrate the eardrum via the external auditory canal and transmit the sound to the inner ear via the ear ossicles. On the other hand, in the bone conduction speaker, the vibrator transmits the vibration to the inner ear by vibrating the bone. When vibration is transmitted to the inner ear, the lymph fluid inside the cochlea is vibrated and replaced with an electrical signal that is sent to the auditory nerve, which the brain senses and recognizes as sound.

  Bone-conducting speakers are mainly used to bring a vibrator into contact with a hard bone such as the skull, and generally give vibration near the temple. Some bone conduction speakers utilize cartilage conduction that vibrates the cartilage and transmits sound to the inner ear. In such a cartilage conduction speaker, generally, a vibrator is pressed against the tragus.

  In general, such a bone conduction speaker does not generate sound waves and thus does not leak sound in principle, and since sound signals are transmitted through a route different from sound waves, it is easy to hear clearly even in a noisy environment. On the other hand, if the force pressing the vibrator against the tragus is weak, the vibration will not be transmitted well to the cochlea, so it is necessary to press the vibrator firmly against the tragus, and in principle the output level in the low range is There is also a problem such as low.

  In Patent Document 1, sound is simultaneously output from the bone conduction speaker and the sound speaker, and by suppressing the output in a high frequency above a specific frequency in the sound speaker, while preventing sound leakage from the sound speaker, A receiving apparatus is disclosed in which a natural sound can be heard by compensating for a lack of a low sound range in a bone conduction speaker with an audio speaker.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for selecting a speaker to be used and outputting sound depending on whether the sound to be output is a call or a call other than that in a mobile phone having a plurality of speakers.

JP 2008-270879 A JP 2007-49358 A

  The receiving device described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that sound output is always performed from both the bone conduction speaker and the sound speaker, and the sound output destination cannot be switched to the bone conduction speaker or the sound speaker. .

  Although it is conceivable to switch the audio output destination between the bone conduction speaker and the audio speaker by applying the technology of Patent Document 2, in the portable terminal device described in Patent Document 2, whether the audio output is a call or other than a call Since the output destination is automatically switched depending on whether or not it is based on, the voice output destination cannot be switched naturally in accordance with the user's intention according to the surrounding situation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a bone conduction receiver that includes a voice speaker and a bone conduction speaker and can switch a voice output destination in a natural manner.

  The bone conduction receiving device according to the present invention is characterized by switching between a bone conduction speaker and a voice speaker by controlling a sound output destination according to a pressure pressing the bone conduction speaker against the tragus.

  The bone conduction receiver of the present invention includes a bone conduction speaker that transmits an audio signal by bone conduction, an audio speaker that transmits an audio signal by air conduction, a pressure-sensitive sensor that detects pressure, and a speaker control unit, The speaker control unit controls supply of an audio signal to the bone conduction speaker and supply of an audio signal to the audio speaker according to the pressure detected by the pressure sensor.

  The speaker control unit may determine whether to supply an audio signal to the bone conduction speaker or an audio signal to the audio speaker according to the pressure detected by the pressure sensor.

  The speaker control unit supplies an audio signal to the bone conduction speaker when the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value, and the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is a first predetermined value. If the value is less than the value, an audio signal may be supplied to the audio speaker.

  When the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than a second predetermined value and within a range equal to or smaller than a third predetermined value, the speaker control unit An audio signal is supplied to both speakers, and if the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor is greater than the third predetermined value, an audio signal is supplied to the bone conduction speaker, and the pressure sensor If the detected pressure value is less than the second predetermined value, an audio signal may be supplied to the audio speaker.

  The speaker control unit may decrease the audio signal supplied to the audio speaker and increase the audio signal supplied to the bone conduction speaker as the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor increases. Good.

  The speaker control unit may switch the supply destination of the audio signal when the pressure detected by the pressure-sensitive sensor is greater than or less than a first predetermined value for a certain period of time.

  The pressure-sensitive sensor may be arranged in the vicinity of the bone conduction speaker at the end in the short side direction or the long side direction of the housing.

  It has a clamshell type shape composed of a main body side case and a lid side case, and the pressure sensitive sensor may be disposed on a shaft portion that connects the main body side case and the lid side case. .

The bone conduction speaker may be disposed at a corner of the casing with the audio speaker interposed therebetween.
The speaker control unit may not change the supply destination of the audio signal even if the pressure detected by the pressure sensor changes during the supply of the audio signal.

  The speaker control unit may switch a supply destination of the audio signal according to a change in pressure detected by the pressure sensor during supply of the audio signal.

  The speaker control unit detects the pressure sensor while supplying the audio signal when the audio signal is supplied to the bone conduction speaker or the audio speaker. The supply destination of the audio signal may not be changed even if the pressure changes.

  The pressure value for switching the audio signal supply destination from the audio speaker to the bone conduction speaker is a fourth predetermined value, and the pressure value for switching the audio signal supply destination from the bone conduction speaker to the audio speaker is fifth. The fifth predetermined value may be smaller than the fourth predetermined value.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the audio | voice speaker and the bone conduction speaker are provided, and the output destination of an audio | voice can be switched in a natural form.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the structure which applied this invention to the mobile telephone. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of a receiving part. It is a figure explaining switching of the output destination of the sound by a speaker control part. It is a figure explaining switching of the output destination of the sound by a speaker control part. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the suitable positional relationship of the bone conduction speaker in a mobile telephone, the speaker for audio | voices, and a contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of an audio | voice speaker and a bone conduction speaker, and an ear. It is a figure which shows a mode that the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor was provided in the rotating shaft of the clamshell type mobile telephone. It is a flowchart explaining switching of the speaker during reception. It is a flowchart explaining switching of the speaker during reception when a hold mode is provided. It is a figure explaining the control which makes the output of a speaker for sound gradually small as the value of the pressure which a contact (pressure sensor) detected becomes large, and makes the output of a bone conduction speaker gradually large at the same time.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration in which the present invention is applied to a mobile phone. The mobile phone according to the present invention includes a receiver unit 1, an audio microphone 2, a microphone control unit 3, a control unit 4, an operation unit 5, a communication control unit 6, an antenna 7, a display control unit 8, A display unit 9, a power management unit 10, and a battery 11 are provided.

  The receiver 1 converts voice data supplied from the controller 4 into sound. This will be described in detail later. The voice microphone 2 converts the user's voice into an electrical signal. The microphone control unit 3 performs processing such as amplification on the electrical signal converted by the audio microphone 2 and then supplies the processed signal to the control unit 4. The control unit 4 controls the operation of each unit of the mobile phone. The operation unit 5 is a part that receives a user operation, and includes a numeric keypad for inputting a telephone number, character input for an e-mail, a direction key, a function key for activating various functions, and the like. The communication control unit 6 communicates with other mobile phones and fixed phones via the antenna 7 via the base station. The display control unit 8 displays an operation interface, input telephone number, incoming call information, e-mail, and the like on a display unit 9 including a liquid crystal display. The power management unit 10 distributes the power from the battery 11 to each unit and controls the charging of the battery 11.

  The mobile phone of the present invention may have the same configuration as that of a conventional mobile phone except for the configuration of the reception unit 1.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the reception unit 1 of FIG. The receiving unit 1 includes an audio speaker 12, a bone conduction speaker 13, a contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor 14, and a speaker control unit 15.

  The audio speaker 12 is an electromagnetic speaker, for example, and converts an electric signal into a sound wave. The sound wave emitted by the sound speaker 12 vibrates the eardrum via the external auditory canal and transmits the sound to the inner ear via the ear ossicles. When sound is transmitted to the inner ear, the lymph fluid inside the cochlea is vibrated and replaced with an electrical signal that is sent to the auditory nerve, which the brain senses and recognizes as sound.

  The bone conduction speaker 13 uses cartilage conduction and is, for example, an electromagnetic type or a piezoelectric type. The bone conduction speaker 13 converts an electrical signal into vibration. When the bone conduction speaker 13 is pressed against the tragus, the vibration generated by the bone conduction speaker 13 is transmitted to the inner ear via the tragus or other cartilage. When vibration is transmitted to the inner ear, the lymph fluid inside the cochlea is vibrated and replaced with an electrical signal that is sent to the auditory nerve, which the brain senses and recognizes as sound.

  The contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor 14 detects how much the receiver 1 is pressed against the ear, that is, how much pressure the bone conduction speaker 13 and the tragus are in contact with. The contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor 14 may be of any type as long as such a pressure can be detected.

  The speaker control unit 15 controls the audio output destination according to the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor 14 and switches between the audio speaker 12 and the bone conduction speaker 13.

  FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are diagrams for explaining switching of the audio output destination by the speaker control unit 15. If the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor 14 is less than a predetermined value, it is determined that the bone conduction speaker 13 is not strongly pressed against the tragus, and the effect of cartilage conduction cannot be expected. 12 is switched to become an audio output destination.

  When the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor 14 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, it is determined that the bone conduction speaker 13 is strongly pressed against the tragus, and an effect of cartilage conduction can be expected. Switch so that 13 is the audio output destination. When the tragus is pressed to a certain degree, the tragus blocks the airway, thus blocking the external sound. Therefore, in a noisy environment, if the earpiece is strongly pressed so that the bone conduction speaker 13 hits the tragus, the audio output destination is switched to the bone conduction speaker, the tragus blocks the airway, and external sound is generated. It is blocked and the effect that only the sound by cartilage conduction is heard clearly is obtained.

  Generally, the pressure for pressing the bone conduction speaker against the tragus is appropriately about 100 g to 300 g, so that the pressure value for switching between the audio speaker 12 and the bone conduction speaker 13 may be about 100 g.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of an appropriate positional relationship among a bone conduction speaker, a voice speaker, and a contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor in a mobile phone. In this example, a general clamshell type mobile phone in which an operation unit and a voice microphone are arranged in a main body side housing and a voice output unit and a display unit are arranged in a lid side housing is shown. The audio speaker is disposed approximately at the center above the display unit in the lid-side housing. This arrangement is the same as that of a speaker of a general clamshell type mobile phone. It is desirable to provide at least one bone conduction speaker at the corner of the lid-side housing so that it can be easily applied to the tragus. At this time, it is desirable that the distance between the audio speaker and the bone conduction speaker be an average distance from the tragus to the ear hole. In this way, when the bone conduction speaker is applied to the tragus, the sound speaker is located at the position of the ear hole, and both the sound speaker and the bone conduction speaker are in optimum positions. FIG. 6 shows the positional relationship between such an audio speaker and bone conduction speaker and the ear.

  The bone conduction speaker is preferably provided at the corners on both sides of the lid side housing. In this way, regardless of whether the right ear or the left ear is used, if the bone conduction speaker is applied to the tragus, the sound speaker will come to the position of the ear hole.

  The contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor is provided in the vicinity of a single bone conduction speaker in the short side direction or the long side direction of the housing, and when the bone conduction speaker is applied to the tragus, how much is the bone conduction speaker and the tragus? Make it possible to detect contact with pressure.

  In the above description, a clamshell type mobile phone is used as an example. However, other types of mobile phones such as a straight type and a slide type can be similarly arranged.

  In the case of a clamshell type mobile phone, a contact (pressure sensitive) sensor may be provided on the rotating shaft. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor is provided on the rotation shaft of the clamshell type mobile phone as described above. When the user holds the main body side housing and presses the bone conduction speaker provided on the lid side housing against the ear while the main body side housing and the lid side housing are opened, pressure is applied to the rotating shaft, A contact (pressure sensitive) sensor detects this pressure. Therefore, as in the case where a contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor is provided in the vicinity of the bone conduction speaker, it is possible to detect how much pressure the bone conduction speaker and the tragus are in contact with.

  The operation of the mobile phone of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1 will be described below with reference to the flowchart. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining switching of a speaker during reception. When the reception in the reception unit starts, in step S101, it is determined how much the bone conduction speaker is pressed against the tragus based on the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor. When the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor is zero, it is determined that the bone conduction speaker is not pressed against the tragus at all, and the process proceeds to step S102. If the pressure detected by the contact (pressure sensitive) sensor is less than the predetermined value, it is determined that the bone conduction speaker is weakly pressed against the tragus, and the process proceeds to step S102. If the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, it is determined that the bone conduction speaker is strongly pressed against the tragus, and the process proceeds to step S103.

  In step S102, since the bone conduction speaker is not pressed against the tragus at all or not so much, the effect of cartilage conduction by the bone conduction speaker cannot be expected.

  In step S103, since the bone conduction speaker is strongly pressed against the tragus, since the cartilage conduction by the bone conduction speaker is effective, sound is output from the bone conduction speaker.

  Even after determining the speaker for outputting sound in steps S102 and S103, it is determined whether or not the reception is completed in step S104. Until the reception is completed, the process returns to step S101 and the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor. If the pressure changes, the speaker that performs audio output is switched according to the amount of change.

  After the speaker that performs voice output during reception is determined once, the speaker that performs voice output may not be switched regardless of the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor. If it does in this way, when the force which pushes a bone conduction speaker to a tragus unintentionally changes, it can prevent that an audio output is not performed from the speaker which is not desired. For example, even if you want to continue sound output from the bone conduction speaker but unintentionally press the bone conduction speaker against the tragus, it prevents switching to the sound output from the sound speaker. be able to. Also, even if you want to continue outputting sound from the speaker for sound but unintentionally press the bone conduction speaker against the tragus, it prevents switching to sound output from the bone conduction speaker. be able to. Furthermore, even when the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor fluctuates in the vicinity of a predetermined value for determining whether the sound output is performed by the sound speaker or the bone conduction speaker, the speaker that performs the sound output It is possible to prevent frequent switching.

  In addition, a mode is provided in which a voice signal supply destination is fixed to either the bone conduction speaker or the voice speaker by an operation such as pressing a predetermined key, and the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor is large. Regardless, the speaker that performs audio output may be fixed. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining switching of a speaker during reception when such a hold mode is provided.

  When the reception in the reception unit starts, in step S201, it is determined how much the bone conduction speaker is pressed against the tragus based on the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor. When the pressure detected by the contact (pressure sensitive) sensor is zero, it is determined that the bone conduction speaker is not pressed against the tragus at all, and the process proceeds to step S202. When the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor is less than the predetermined value, it is determined that the bone conduction speaker is weakly pressed against the tragus, and the process proceeds to step S202. If the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that the bone conduction speaker is strongly pressed against the tragus, and the process proceeds to step S203.

  In step S202, since the bone conduction speaker is not pressed against the tragus at all or not so much, the effect of cartilage conduction by the bone conduction speaker cannot be expected, so that sound is output from the sound speaker.

  In step S203, since the bone conduction speaker is strongly pressed against the tragus, since the cartilage conduction by the bone conduction speaker is effective, sound is output from the bone conduction speaker.

  Whether or not the hold mode is set is determined in step S204 in a state where sound is output from any of the speakers determined in steps S202 and S203. When the hold mode is set, in step S205, regardless of the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor, the speaker that performs audio output is fixed as it is, and the process returns to step S204. This state is maintained until it is released.

  If the hold mode is not set in step S204, it is determined in step S206 whether or not the reception is completed, and until reception is completed, the process returns to step S201 to determine the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor, When a change occurs in pressure, the speaker that outputs sound is switched according to the amount of change.

  A hysteresis value may be given to a pressure value for switching a speaker that performs audio output. That is, the pressure at which the bone conduction speaker is switched to the voice speaker is set to a smaller value than the pressure at which the voice speaker is switched to the bone conduction speaker. In this way, once the audio output is switched to one of the speakers, it can be easily prevented from being switched again.

  In addition, when the speaker control unit has a timer function and switches the speaker that outputs sound, the switching is performed only when the pressure detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor is greater than or less than a predetermined pressure for a certain period of time. You may make it perform. In this way, if the force that pushes the bone conduction speaker against the tragus has changed due to unintentionally applying force to the hand or loosening the force, the speaker that performs audio output can be switched. It can be prevented from occurring. In particular, when outputting sound from a bone conduction speaker, it is likely that the pressure pressing the bone conduction speaker against the tragus will loosen and the pressure will often fall below a predetermined value in a short time. Therefore, when switching from the bone conduction speaker to the audio speaker, it is preferable to perform the switching when a predetermined pressure is detected for a longer time than when switching from the audio speaker to the bone conduction speaker.

  Further, when the pressure value detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor is within a predetermined range, sound is output from both the bone conduction speaker and the sound speaker, and when the pressure value is larger than the predetermined range, the bone conduction speaker. The sound may be output from only the sound, and if the value is less than the predetermined range, the sound may be output only from the sound speaker. In this way, even if there is a fluctuation in the force pressing the bone conduction speaker against the tragus, the audio output of only the bone conduction speaker and the audio output of only the speaker for audio do not switch suddenly, so you can listen to the voice. Can be done naturally.

  Further, as the pressure value detected by the contact (pressure-sensitive) sensor increases, the output of the audio speaker may be gradually reduced, and at the same time, the output of the bone conduction speaker may be gradually increased. Such control is shown in FIG. In this way, the sound output from the bone conduction speaker and the sound output from the sound speaker are gradually switched according to the force applied to the bone conduction speaker against the tragus. It can be carried out.

  The case where the bone conduction receiver of the present invention is applied to a mobile phone has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to various uses using a bone conduction speaker. For example, the present invention can be applied to a fixed telephone receiver, an audio player, a transceiver, and the like.

  The present invention can be used for a bone conduction receiver.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reception part 2 Voice microphone 3 Microphone control part 4 Control part 5 Operation part 6 Communication control part 7 Antenna 8 Display control part 9 Display part 10 Power supply management part 11 Battery 12 Voice speaker 13 Bone conduction speaker 14 Contact (pressure sensitive) Sensor 15 Speaker controller

Claims (13)

A bone conduction speaker for transmitting audio signals by bone conduction;
An audio speaker for transmitting audio signals by air conduction;
A pressure sensor for detecting pressure;
A speaker control unit,
The bone control receiver controls the supply of an audio signal to the bone conduction speaker and the supply of an audio signal to the audio speaker according to the pressure detected by the pressure sensor. apparatus.   The speaker control unit determines whether to supply an audio signal to the bone conduction speaker or an audio signal to the audio speaker according to the pressure detected by the pressure sensor. The bone conduction receiver according to 1.   The speaker control unit supplies an audio signal to the bone conduction speaker when the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value, and the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is a first predetermined value. The bone conduction receiver according to claim 1, wherein when the value is less than the value, an audio signal is supplied to the audio speaker.   When the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than a second predetermined value and within a range equal to or smaller than a third predetermined value, the speaker control unit An audio signal is supplied to both speakers, and if the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor is greater than the third predetermined value, an audio signal is supplied to the bone conduction speaker, and the pressure sensor 2. The bone conduction receiver according to claim 1, wherein when the detected pressure value is less than the second predetermined value, an audio signal is supplied to the audio speaker.   The speaker control unit reduces the audio signal supplied to the audio speaker and increases the audio signal supplied to the bone conduction speaker as the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor increases. The bone conduction receiver according to claim 1.   The said speaker control part switches the supply destination of an audio | voice signal, when the pressure which the said pressure sensor detected is more than or less than a 1st predetermined value for a fixed time or more. Bone conduction receiver.   The bone conduction receiver according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pressure-sensitive sensor is disposed in the vicinity of the bone conduction speaker at an end in a short side direction or a long side direction of the housing. . It has a clamshell shape consisting of a main body side case and a lid side case,
The bone conduction receiver according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pressure-sensitive sensor is disposed on a shaft portion that connects the body-side housing and the lid-side housing.   The bone conduction receiver according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the bone conduction speaker is disposed at a corner of the casing with the voice speaker interposed therebetween.   The said speaker control part does not change the supply destination of an audio | voice signal, even if the pressure detected by the said pressure sensor changes during the supply of an audio | voice signal. Bone conduction receiver.   The said speaker control part switches the supply destination of an audio | voice signal according to the change of the pressure which the said pressure sensor detected during the supply of an audio | voice signal, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Bone conduction receiver.   The speaker control unit detects the pressure sensor while supplying the audio signal when the audio signal is supplied to the bone conduction speaker or the audio speaker. The bone conduction receiver according to claim 11, wherein the supply destination of the audio signal is not changed even if the pressure changes.   The pressure value for switching the audio signal supply destination from the audio speaker to the bone conduction speaker is a fourth predetermined value, and the pressure value for switching the audio signal supply destination from the bone conduction speaker to the audio speaker is fifth. The bone conduction receiver according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the fifth predetermined value is smaller than the fourth predetermined value.

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