This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-095152 filed on Jun. 13, 2022, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to earphones, an acoustic control method, and a program.
Patent Literature 1 discloses earphones that can be connected to a device such as a mobile phone. The earphones include a housing that is shaped and configured so as to substantially cover an external auditory canal, that accommodates a speaker element which emits a sound to the external auditory canal, and that includes a channel extending from an inner end facing an external auditory canal side to an outer end facing a peripheral side, and a closing unit that switches between a closed state in which the channel is substantially closed and an opened state in which the channel transmits a sound from the periphery. The earphones are automatically switched to the opened state when the device is in a phone operation mode, and is automatically switched to the closed state when the device is in an audio player operation mode.
Patent Literature 1: JP2009-525629A
In recent years, an earphone is often equipped with a noise cancellation technique for making it difficult for a wearer to hear a sound outside the earphone as much as possible. In addition, an earphone equipped with a microphone for collecting an uttered voice of a wearer has also appeared. This is considered to allow a wearer to easily participate, for example, in a remote conference performed at the time of teleworking or the like which is widely used nowadays in a state of wearing an earphone.
However, many earphones still close the ear of the wearer in order to block an ambient sound as much as possible. For this reason, when the earphone is worn in a form of closing the ear in the above remote conference or the like, a voice (uttered voice) when the wearer utters by himself/herself does not enter from the outside of the ear of the wearer, the uttered voice arriving at the eardrum along the body of the wearer is in a state of being reverberated in the ear of the wearer, and the wearer has an uncomfortable feeling that the voice uttered by himself/herself drones. Even during music playback, which is not during utterance, it may be considered to be preferable to selectively use a state in which an ambient sound is captured and a state in which an ambient sound is blocked conversely depending on an environment in which the wearer uses the earphone or the preference of the wearer.
The present disclosure has been made in view of the above situation in the related art, and an object thereof is to adaptively adjust the ease of listening to a sound in accordance with a usage situation of a wearer, and to prevent the wearer from feeling uncomfortable.
The present disclosure provides an earphone including a housing having a space therein and having a path capable of ventilation from one end side on an external auditory canal side of a wearer to another end side on an ambient environment side; a valve accommodated in the housing and configured to switch the path between an open state and a close state; a microphone disposed on one end side of the housing and configured to collect uttered voice of the wearer; and a control unit configured to control the open state and the close state. The control unit is configured to switch the path to the open state during a first operation in a call including an operation in which the uttered voice of the wearer is collected by the microphone, and switch the path either the open state or the close state during a second operation different from the first operation.
Further, the present disclosure provides an acoustic control method for an earphone which includes a housing having a space therein and having a path capable of ventilation from one end side on an external auditory canal side of a wearer to the other end side on an ambient environment side, and a valve accommodated in the housing and configured to switch the path between an open state and a close state. The acoustic control method includes switching the path to the open state during a first operation in a call including an operation in which an uttered voice of the wearer is collected by a microphone disposed on one end side of the housing and configured to collect the uttered voice of the wearer, and switching the path either the open state or the close state during a second operation different from the first operation.
Furthermore, the present disclosure provides a computer readable storage medium on which a computer program that causes an earphone which includes a housing having a space therein and having a path capable of ventilation from one end side on an external auditory canal side of a wearer to the other end side on an ambient environment side, and a valve accommodated in the housing and configured to switch the path between an open state and a close state to execute the following steps is stored. The steps includes switching the path to the open state during a first operation in a call including an operation in which an uttered voice of the wearer is collected by a microphone disposed on one end side of the housing and configured to collect the uttered voice of the wearer; and switching the path either the open state or the close state during a second operation different from the first operation.
These comprehensive or specific aspects may be implemented by a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium, or any combination of the system, the apparatus, the method, the integrated circuit, the computer program, and the recording medium.
According to the present disclosure, it is possible to adaptively adjust the ease of listening to a sound in accordance with a usage situation of a wearer, and to prevent the wearer from feeling uncomfortable.
An embodiment specifically disclosing an earphone, an acoustic control method, and a program according to the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, unnecessarily detailed description may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of well-known matters and redundant descriptions of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy of the following descriptions and to facilitate understanding of those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings and the following descriptions are provided for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.
First, a hardware configuration example of an earphone will be described with reference to
For convenience of explanation, as shown in
In the present embodiment, the earphone 1L for a left ear and the earphone 1R for a right ear of the pair of left and right earphones 1L and 1R have the same configuration. The reference numerals of the same components are expressed with “L” at the end of the earphone 1L for a left ear and with “R” at the end of the earphone 1R for a right ear. In the following description, only the left earphone 1L is described, and the description of the right earphone 1R is not described.
An earphone 1 includes the earphones 1L and 1R which are worn on a left ear and a right ear of a user, respectively, and in which a plurality of earpieces having different sizes are interchangeably worn on one end sides of the respective earphones. Specifically, the earphone 1 may include two independently operable earphones (that is, the earphone 1L and the earphone 1R) of the earphone 1L worn on the left ear of the user and the earphone 1R worn on the right ear of the user. In this case, the earphone 1L and the earphone 1R can communicate with each other wirelessly (for example, short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark)). The earphone 1 may include a pair of earphones in which the earphone 1L and the earphone 1R are connected by wire (in other words, a cable such as a wire).
As shown in
The earphone 1L includes a housing HOL as a structural member thereof. The housing HOL is made of a composite of materials such as synthetic resin, metal, and ceramic, and an accommodation space that accommodates various members constituting the earphone 1L is formed therein. The housing HOL is provided with an attachment cylindrical portion FCL1 (see
The earphone 1L includes an earpiece IPL attached to a main body of the earphone 1L. For example, the earphone 1L is held in a state of being inserted into an external auditory canal through the earpiece IPL with respect to the ear of the user, and this held state is a used state of the earphone 1L.
The earpiece IPL is made of a flexible member such as silicon, and is injection-molded with an inner tubular portion (not shown) and an outer tubular portion (not shown). The earpiece IPL is fixed by being inserted into the attachment cylindrical portion FCL1 of the housing HOL at the inner tubular portion thereof, and is provided to be replaceable (detachable) with respect to the attachment cylindrical portion FCL1 of the housing HOL. The earpiece IPL is worn in the external auditory canal of the user at the outer tubular portion thereof, and is elastically deformed depending on a shape of the external auditory canal to be worn. By this elastic deformation, the earpiece IPL is held in the external auditory canal of the user. The earpiece IPL has a plurality of different sizes. The earpiece IPL is worn on the left ear of the user by attaching an earpiece having any size among the earpieces having a plurality of sizes to the earphone 1L.
As an example of an operation input unit, the touch sensor TCL is provided on the other end side of the housing HOL opposite to one end side where the earpiece IPL is arranged as shown in
As the touch operation on the touch sensor TCL by a finger of the user or the like, for example, the following operation is exemplified. When the touch operation is performed for a short period of time, the earphone 1L may instruct the external device to perform playback, stop, next track, or previous track. When the touch operation is performed for a long time (so-called long press touch), the earphone 1L may perform a pairing operation or the like for performing wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) with an external device such as a smartphone. When the surface of the touch sensor TCL is traced with a finger (so-called “swiping operation”), the earphone 1L may perform volume adjustment or the like on playing music.
An opening 60L is a hole that is formed to be exposed on the surface of the housing HOL, and leads to a path capable of ventilation from one end side on an external auditory canal side of the user to the other end side on an outside air side (ambient environment side) when being inserted and held in the external auditory canal of the user. A cross section example of a detailed structure of the opening 60L will be described later with reference to
The earphone 1L includes a plurality of microphones (microphone MC1L, microphone MC2L, and microphone MC3L) as electric and electronic members. The plurality of microphones are accommodated in the accommodation space (not shown) of the housing HOL.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
A wearing sensor SEL is implemented by a device that detects whether or not an earphone is worn on the left ear of the user, and is implemented using, for example, an infrared sensor or an electrostatic sensor. In the case of an infrared sensor, when the earphone 1L is worn on the left ear of the user, the wearing sensor SEL can detect wearing on the left ear of the user by receiving an infrared light obtained by reflecting an infrared light emitted from the wearing sensor SEL in the left ear. When the earphone 1L is not worn on the left ear of the user, the wearing sensor SEL can detect non-wearing on the left ear of the user by not reflecting an infrared light emitted from the wearing sensor SEL and not receiving the infrared light. On the other hand, in the case of an electrostatic sensor, when the earphone 1L is worn on the left ear of the user, the wearing sensor SEL can detect wearing on the left ear of the user by determining that a change value of an electrostatic capacitance corresponding to a distance to the inside of the left ear of the user is larger than a threshold held by the wearing sensor SEL. When the earphone 1L is not worn on the left ear of the user, the wearing sensor SEL can detect non-wearing on the left ear of the user by determining that the change value of the electrostatic capacitance value is smaller than the threshold held by the wearing sensor SEL. The wearing sensor SEL is provided at a position facing the external auditory canal and on a back surface side of the touch sensor TCL when the earphone 1L is inserted into the left ear of the user.
Next, an opened state and a closed state of a valve will be described with reference to
The sectional view shown in
The valve 70R can be brought into the close state by blocking the path 71 by moving back and forth along a direction DR1 (see
A state shown in
Next, a hardware configuration example of the earphone will be described with reference to
A wireless acoustic system 100 shown in
The touch sensor TCL as an example of the operation input unit is communicably connected to the earphone control unit S2L. The touch sensor TCL generates a signal related to a touch operation performed by a user who is a wearer, and outputs the signal to the earphone control unit S2L.
The wearing sensor SEL is connected to the earphone control unit S2L so as to enable data input and output, generates a signal relating to whether the left ear of the user is in contact with the earphone 1L, and outputs the signal to the earphone control unit S2L.
The power monitoring unit 13L is implemented using, for example, a semiconductor chip. The power monitoring unit 13L includes the battery B1L and measures a remaining charge capacity of the battery B1L. The battery B1L is a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery. The power monitoring unit 13L outputs information related to the measured remaining charge capacity of the battery B1L to the earphone control unit S2L.
The wireless communication unit 14L is wirelessly connected to the smartphone F1 so as to enable data communication, and transmits a sound signal processed by the sound signal input/output control unit S1L or the earphone control unit S2L to the smartphone F1. The wireless communication unit 14L includes an antenna ATL and performs short-range wireless communication according to, for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication standard. The wireless communication unit 14L may be connected to a communication line such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), a mobile communication line, or the like. The earphones 1L and 1R can individually perform wireless communication with the smartphone F1 using the wireless communication unit 14L and the wireless communication unit 14R, respectively. Therefore, each of the earphones 1L and 1R can receive data, a sound signal, or information transmitted from the smartphone F1.
The sound signal input/output control unit S1L is implemented using a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The sound signal input/output control unit SIL is connected to the earphone control unit S2L so as to enable data input and output, and exchanges a sound signal with a digital signal converted into a digital format by a pulse code modulation (PCM) system. The sound signal input/output control unit S1L adjusts a volume level of a digital signal relating to the sound signal acquired from the smartphone F1 and outputs the digital signal to the speaker SP1L.
The sound signal input/output control unit S1L is connected to the microphone MC1L, the microphone MC2L, and the microphone MC3L, and receives, from the microphones, sound signals collected by the microphones. The sound signal input/output control unit S1L may be capable of performing a process such as amplifying the sound signal received from each microphone, and converting an analog signal into a digital signal. The sound signal input/output control unit S1L transmits data of the sound signal received from each microphone to the earphone control unit S2L.
The earphone control unit S2L as an example of the control unit is implemented using a processor such as a CPU, an MPU, a DSP, or an FPGA, is connected to the sound signal input/output control unit S1L, the ROM 11L, the RAM 12L, the power monitoring unit 13L, and the wireless communication unit 14L so as to enable data input and output, and exchanges a sound signal as a digital signal converted into a digital form by the PCM system. The earphone control unit S2L functions as a controller that controls an overall operation of the earphone 1L, and performs a control process for controlling an overall operation of each unit of the earphone 1L, and a data input/output process, a data arithmetic process, and a data storage process with each unit of the earphone 1L.
The sound signal input/output control unit S1L and the earphone control unit S2L implement respective functions by using a program and control data stored in the ROM 11L. The sound signal input/output control unit S1L and the earphone control unit S2L may use the RAM 12L during operation and temporarily store generated or acquired data or information in the RAM 12L.
The valve 70L is connected to the earphone control unit S2L so as to enable data input and output. The valve 70L operates (that is, opens and closes) based on a signal from the earphone control unit S2L. The valve 70L is controlled to be in the open state or the close state by the earphone control unit S2L based on contents set on a setting screen displayed on the smartphone F1. In the present embodiment, for example, the valve 70L is controlled based on an operation of the earphone 1L or an acoustic mode (described later) of the earphone 1L. Details of a method for controlling the valve 70L will be described later.
The smartphone F1 is a wireless terminal carried by a user.
Next, a hardware configuration example of the smartphone will be described with reference to
The display/operation unit 30 as an example of a display unit or an operation unit is implemented using a touch panel that receives an operation by the user and displays data generated by the control unit 33, and forms a so-called user interface. The display/operation unit 30 may display various screens generated by the control unit 33. The display/operation unit 30 receives an operation by the user on the displayed various screens, generates an input signal, and sends the input signal to the control unit 33.
The public line communication I/F unit 31 is connected to an antenna AT3 included in the smartphone F1 and performs wireless communication (for example, wireless communication conforming to a fourth generation mobile communication system (4G) such as a long term evolution (LTE) or a fifth generation mobile communication system (5G) with a public base station (not shown) using a public line. The public line communication I/F unit may be omitted from the configuration of the smartphone F1.
The public line protocol control unit 32 executes control relating to data input and output between the sound signal bus 36 and the public line communication I/F unit 31. The public line protocol control unit 32 may be omitted from the configuration of the smartphone F1.
The control unit 33 is implemented using a processor such as a CPU, an MPU, or a DSP. A smartphone OS processing unit 33A and a smartphone application processing unit 33B are functionally included, and the smartphone OS processing unit 33A and the smartphone application processing unit 33B perform various processes and controls in cooperation with the ROM 34.
A program that defines an operation of the control unit 33 and data used during execution of the program are written in the ROM 34. The ROM 34 stores identification information of the smartphone F1 and identification information of the earphone 1 registered in advance as a destination to which a sound signal is transmitted.
The RAM 35 is a RAM as a work memory used when each process of the control unit 33 is executed. The RAM 35 temporarily stores data or information generated or acquired by the control unit 33.
The sound signal bus 36 inputs and outputs sound signal data to and from the control unit 33, sound signal data to and from the public line protocol control unit 32, sound signal data to and from the sound signal input/output control unit 37, and sound signal data to and from the short-range wireless control unit 38.
The sound signal input/output control unit 37 transmits the sound signal data collected by a microphone MC4 to the control unit 33 via the sound signal bus 36 and outputs the sound signal received via the sound signal bus 36 from a speaker SP2 based on a command output from the control unit 33.
The microphone MC4 collects a voice based on an utterance of a user using the smartphone F1, converts the voice into a sound signal, and transmits the converted sound signal to the sound signal input/output control unit 37. The sound signal collected by the microphone MC4 is input to the control unit 33 via the sound signal input/output control unit 37 and the sound signal bus 36.
The speaker SP2 acoustically outputs the sound signal data from the sound signal input/output control unit 37.
The short-range wireless control unit 38 executes control related to data input and output between the sound signal bus 36 and the wireless LAN communication I/F unit 39 as well as between the sound signal bus 36 and the earphone communication I/F unit 40. The short-range wireless control unit 38 transmits the command output from the control unit 33 and data of a sound signal received via the sound signal bus 36 to the wireless LAN communication I/F unit 39 or the earphone communication I/F unit 40. The short-range wireless control unit 38 may transmit data of a sound signal received from the wireless LAN communication I/F unit 39 or the earphone communication I/F unit 40 to the control unit 33.
The wireless LAN communication I/F unit 39 is connected to an antenna AT2 included in the smartphone F1 and performs wireless communication (for example, data transmission from the short-range wireless control unit 38) with the earphone 1 using a wireless LAN. The wireless LAN communication I/F unit 39 is implemented using a communication circuit that can be connected to the Internet via a wireless LAN router (not shown). The wireless LAN communication I/F unit 39 may perform wireless communication (for example, wireless LAN such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) with the earphones 1L and 1R via the above wireless LAN router (not shown).
The earphone communication I/F unit 40 is connected to an antenna AT1 included in the smartphone F1, and performs short-range wireless communication (for example, data transmission from the short-range wireless control unit 38) with the earphone 1 according to Bluetooth (registered trademark).
The USB communication I/F unit 41 is an interface for communicating with the smartphone F1 and an external device (for example, a personal computer (PC)) via a cable or the like. The USB communication I/F unit 41 is connected to the control unit 33 to enable data communication, and can transmit data from the external device to the control unit 33. The USB communication I/F unit 41 may supply electric charge from an external commercial power supply to the battery B2.
The battery B2 is a secondary battery (for example, a lithium ion battery) capable of accumulating the electric charge supplied from the external commercial power supply, and supplies necessary power to each unit of the smartphone F1. The battery B2 may be implemented to be detachable from a housing of the smartphone F1. The battery B2 may directly supply power from the external commercial power supply, and may supply power to the smartphone F1 in a state of being disconnected from the external commercial power supply.
Next, various types of operation examples for controlling opening and closing of a valve according to the operations or the acoustic modes of the earphones 1L and 1R will be described. In the present embodiment, for example, three types of operation examples will be described.
The first operation example is the most basic form of the three types of operation examples, and for example, when the user is in a call or participating in a remote conference (online conference), each of the valves 70L and 70R is switched to the open state regardless of the acoustic mode, and in a case of music playback where the user is listening to music, the states of the valves 70L and 70R are switched to be different depending on the acoustic modes.
Here, the acoustic mode of the earphone is an operation mode for designating acoustic characteristics of a sound signal (for example, a music signal) that is acoustically output from the earphones 1L and 1R, and for example, there are a noise cancellation mode MD1, an ambient sound capture mode MD2, and an OFF mode MD0.
The noise cancellation mode MD1 is an operation mode for executing a known noise cancellation process. In the noise cancellation process, for example, an opposite phase signal of an ambient noise component is generated using a sound signal collected by each of the earphone 1L (specifically, the microphones MC1L and MC3L) and the earphone 1R (specifically, the microphones MC1R and MC3R), and the opposite phase signal is synthesized with a sound signal as a target to be acoustically output, whereby the ambient noise component can be further prevented or removed.
The ambient sound capture mode MD2 is an operation mode in which ambient ambient sounds of the earphones 1L and 1R are actively collected and captured. In the ambient sound capture mode, sound signals of ambient sounds collected by the microphone MC1L of the earphone 1L and the microphone MC1R of the earphone 1R are input to the earphone control units S2L and S2R, respectively.
The OFF mode MD0 is a so-called normal operation mode, and neither a noise cancellation process nor an ambient sound capture process is performed.
The noise cancellation mode MD1, the ambient sound capture mode MD2, and the OFF mode MD0 can be easily switched to one another by a predetermined user operation. The predetermined user operation may be, for example, a long press operation for the touch sensors TCL and TCR of the respective earphones 1L and 1R, or an operation for designating an acoustic mode from a dedicated application (not shown) installed in the smartphone F1. Accordingly, the acoustic modes of the earphones 1L and 1R can be changed by a simple operation of the user.
A correspondence table TBL1 shown in
As described above, in the first operation example, when the user is in a call (for example, while the microphones MC2L and MC2R are collecting the uttered voice of the user, or while the user is not uttering but listening to the voice uttered by another person who is the other party of the call), the earphone control units S2L and S2R switch the valves 70L and 70R to the open state regardless of the acoustic modes, respectively. That is, the valves 70L and 70R are keptin the open state in the noise cancellation mode MID1, the ambient sound capture mode MD2, or the OFF mode MD0. Accordingly, when the user is in a call, both the valves 70L and 70R are kept in the open state, and thus the paths 71 in the respective housings HOL and HOR communicate with the outside air, whereby a user is prevented from feeling that the voice uttered by himself/herself is muffled even while the earphones 1L and 1R are being worn.
On the other hand, while the user is playing music (that is, when music signals are acoustically output from the speakers SP1L and SP1R), the earphone control units S2L and S2R switch the valves 70L and 70R to the close state, respectively, if the acoustic mode is the noise cancellation mode MD1 or the OFF mode MD0. When the acoustic mode is the ambient sound capture mode MD2, the earphone control units S2L and S2R switch the valves 70L and 70R to the open state, respectively. Accordingly, for example, when the user wants to listen to music in a concentrated manner, the user can switch the mode to the noise cancellation mode MD1 or the OFF mode MD0 to bring the valves 70L and 70R into the close state, whereby deterioration of a sound quality of music can be prevented and the user can comfortably enjoy music listening. In addition, even when the user is not in a call (for example, during music playback), the user can listen to the ambient sound by switching the mode to the ambient sound capture mode MD2 to bring the valves 70L and 70R into the open state, thereby improving convenience. Accordingly, when the user is talked to by another person while listening to music, the user can hear the voice of that person well, and furthermore, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling that the voice uttered by the user is muffled when the user is uttering.
In
When it is determined that the user is not in a call at present (NO in step St1), the earphone control units S2L and S2R refer to, for example, the respective RAMs 12L and 12R to determine whether the current acoustic mode is the ambient sound capture mode MD2 (step St3). The case where the user is not in a call corresponds to, for example, a case where the user playing music transferred from the smartphone F1 on the earphones 1L and 1R.
When it is determined that the current acoustic mode is the ambient sound capture mode MD2 (YES in step St3), the earphone control units S2L and S2R bring the respective valves 70L and 70R to the open state, respectively, to open the respective paths 71 so as to communicate with the outside air (step St2). Accordingly, even when the user is not in a call, the ambient sound is collected by the microphones MC1L and MC1R during the ambient sound capture mode MD2 and is acoustically output from the speakers SP1L and SP1R so that the user can hear the sound, and thus even when the user is listening to music, the user not only can be talked to, but also can easily grasp what is occurring around the user by the path 71 communicating with the outside air.
When it is determined that the current acoustic mode is not the ambient sound capture mode MD2 (NO in step St3), the earphone control units S2L and S2R bring the respective valves 70L and 70R to the close state to block (close) the respective paths 71 from the outside air (step St4). Accordingly, when the user is not in a call or when the acoustic mode is not the ambient sound capture mode MD2 (for example, when the user is playing music transferred from the smartphone F1), the user can concentrate on the music without paying attention to the ambient sound.
The second operation example is a development form of the first operation example, and for example, when the user is in a call or participating in a remote conference (online conference), each of the valves 70L and 70R is switched to the open state regardless of the acoustic mode similar to the first operation example, and in a case of music playback where the user is listening to music, the states of the valves 70L and 70R are switched to be different depending on a closed mode or an opened mode of the ambient sound capture mode.
In the second operation example, the ambient sound capture mode MD2 includes a closed mode MD2a and an opened mode MD2b as sub-modes. The opened mode MD2b of the ambient sound capture mode MD2 is an operation mode in which ambient sounds around the earphones 1L and 1R are actively collected and captured similar to the ambient sound capture mode MD2 according to the first operation example. The opened mode MD2b is used, for example, when it is desired to actively listen to the utterance of another person uttering around. On the other hand, the closed mode MD2a of the ambient sound capture mode MD2 is used when it is not required to actively capture the ambient sound but capturing an ambient sound intends to assist the operation of the user. For example, in a case where the user is not making a call and wants to listen to an ambient sound such as a case where the user is walking or wants to listen to an announcement of a train, it is expected that the sound quality of music that is acoustically output from the earphones 1L and 1R is improved by setting the closed mode.
A correspondence table TBL2 shown in
In the second operation example, when the user is in a call (for example, while the microphones MC2L and MC2R are collecting the uttered voice of the user, or while the user is not uttering but listening to the voice uttered by another person who is the other party of the call), the earphone control units S2L and S2R switch the respective valves 70L and 70R to the open state regardless of the acoustic mode, similar to the first operation example. That is, the valves 70L and 70R are kept in the open state in the noise cancellation mode MD1, the closed mode MD2a of the ambient sound capture mode MD2, the opened mode MD2b of the ambient sound capture mode MD2, or the OFF mode MD0. Accordingly, when the user is in a call, both the valves 70L and 70R are kept in the open state, and thus the paths 71 in the respective housings HOL and HOR communicate with the outside air, whereby a user is prevented from feeling that the voice uttered by himself/herself is muffled even while the earphones 1L and 1R are being worn.
On the other hand, while the user is playing music (that is, when music signals are acoustically output from the speakers SP1L and SP1R), the earphone control units S2L and S2R switch the respective valves 70L and 70R to the close state when the acoustic mode is the noise cancellation mode MD1, the OFF mode MD0, and the closed mode MD2a of the ambient sound capture mode MD2. When the acoustic mode is the opened mode MD2b of the ambient sound capture mode MD2, the earphone control units S2L and S2R switch the respective valves 70L and 70R to the open state. Accordingly, for example, when the user wants to listen to music in a concentrated manner or when the user wants to listen to an ambient sound even during music playback, the operation mode is switched to the noise cancellation mode MID1, the closed mode MD2a of the ambient sound capture mode MD2, or the OFF mode MD0 to bring the valves 70L and 70R into the close state, whereby the sound quality of music can be improved and the user can comfortably enjoy music listening. In addition, even when the user is not in a call (for example, during music playback), the user can listen to the ambient sound by switching to the opened mode MD2b of the ambient sound capture mode MD2 to bring the valves 70L and 70R to the open state, thereby improving convenience. Accordingly, when the user is talked to by another person while listening to music, the user can hear the voice of that person well, and furthermore, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling that the voice uttered by the user is muffled when the user is uttering.
In
When it is determined that the current sub-mode is the closed mode MD2a (closed mode in step St11), the earphone control units S2L and S2R bring the respective valves 70L and 70R to the close state to block (close) the respective paths 71 from the outside air (step St4). Accordingly, it is possible not only to listen when the user wants to listen to any ambient sound if not uttering because the user is not in a call but also to improve the sound quality of the music being played and to comfortably enjoy the music.
The third operation example is a development form of the first operation example, and for example, when the user is in a call or participating in a remote conference (online conference), the valves 70L and 70R are switched to the open state regardless of the acoustic modes similar to the first operation example, and in the ambient sound capture mode, the user individually sets two sub-modes based on his/her preference, and the opened/closed states of the valves 70L and 70R are switched to be different in the respective sub-modes.
The ambient sound capture mode MD2 in the third operation example includes two sub-modes A and B that can be freely determined by the user as the sub-modes. The sub-mode A of the ambient sound capture mode MD2 is, for example, an operation mode in which sound signals in all the frequency bands are captured, and the same applies to the following description. The sub-mode B of the ambient sound capture mode MD2 is, for example, an operation mode in which a sound signal of a frequency band (for example, a 100 Hz to 1,000 Hz band of human voice) is captured, and the same applies to the following description. The contents of the sub-modes A and B are not limited thereto, and may be freely selected or specified by, for example, a user operation on a dedicated application installed in the smartphone F1. According to the sub-mode A, the earphones 1L and 1R are capable of capturing not only human voice but also sound generated in the surroundings without omission. On the other hand, according to the sub-mode B, the earphones 1L and 1R are capable of capturing only human voice generated in the surroundings.
A setting screen WD1 shown in
A correspondence table TBL3 shown in
In the third operation example, when the user is in a call (for example, while the microphones MC2L and MC2R are collecting the uttered voice of the user, or while the user is not uttering but listening to the voice uttered by another person who is the other party of the call), the earphone control units S2L and S2R switch the respective valves 70L and 70R to the open state regardless of the acoustic modes, respectively, similar to the first operation example and the second operation example. That is, the valves 70L and 70R are kept in the open state in the noise cancellation mode MD1, the sub-mode A of the ambient sound capture mode MD2, the sub-mode B of the ambient sound capture mode MD2, or the OFF mode MD0. Accordingly, when the user is in a call, both the valves 70L and 70R are kept in the open state, and thus the paths 71 in the respective housings HOL and HOR communicate with the outside air, whereby a user is prevented from feeling that the voice uttered by himself/herself is muffled even while the earphones 1L and 1R are being worn.
On the other hand, while the user is playing music (that is, when music signals are acoustically output from the speakers SP1L and SP1R), the earphone control units S2L and S2R switch the respective valves 70L and 70R to the close state if the acoustic mode is the noise cancellation mode MD1, the OFF mode MD0, and the setting “CLOSE” of the sub-modes A and B of the ambient sound capture mode MD2. The earphone control units S2L and S2R switch the respective valves 70L and 70R to the open state if the acoustic mode is “OPEN” of the sub-modes A and B of the ambient sound capture mode MD2. Accordingly, for example, in a case where the user wants to listen to the ambient sound of a frequency band (sub-modes A and B) desired to be captured in accordance with the way of use of the user, the user can listen to the ambient sound by bringing the valves 70L and 70R into the open state, thereby improving convenience. In addition, for example, when the user wants to listen to music in a concentrated manner by blocking ambient sounds of a frequency (sub-modes A and B) desired to be captured in accordance with the way of use, the user can comfortably enjoy music listening by bringing the valves 70L and 70R into the close state.
In
When it is determined that the current setting of the sub-mode A or the sub-mode B is “CLOSE” (CLOSE in step St21), the earphone control units S2L and S2R bring the respective valves 70L and 70R to the close state to block (close) the respective paths 71 from the outside air (step St4). Accordingly, it is possible not only to listen when the user wants to listen to any ambient sound in the sub-mode A or the sub-mode B of the ambient sound capture mode MD2 if not uttering because the user is not in a call but also to improve the sound quality of the music being played and to comfortably enjoy the music.
As described above, the earphone 1L, 1R according to the present embodiment includes the housing HOL, HOR having a space therein and having a path capable of ventilation from one end side on an external auditory canal side of a wearer (user) to the other end side on an ambient environment side (outside air side); the valve 70L, 70R accommodated in the housing HOL, HOR and configured to switch the path 71 between an open state and a close state; the microphone MC2L, MC2R disposed on one end side of the housing HOL, HOR and configured to collect an uttered voice of the wearer; and the control unit (for example, the earphone control unit S2L, S2R) configured to control the open state and the close state. The control unit switches the path 71 to the open state during a first operation in a call including an operation in which an uttered voice of the wearer is collected by the microphone MC2L, MC2R, and switches the path 71 either the open state or the close state during a second operation (for example, during music playback) different from the first operation. Accordingly, the earphone 1L, 1R can adaptively adjust the ease of listening to a sound in accordance with a usage situation of a wearer (for example, during a first operation or a second operation), and can prevent the wearer from feeling uncomfortable.
The control unit (for example, the earphone control unit S2L, S2R) can control the acoustic mode of the earphone 1L, 1R, switches the path 71 to the close state during the second operation when the acoustic mode is a noise cancellation mode, and switches the path 71 to the open state during the second operation when the acoustic mode is an ambient sound capture mode. Accordingly, the earphone 1L, 1R brings the valve 70L, 70R to the close state in a case of the noise cancellation mode MD1 in which a user can reduce a noise component included in an ambient sound, whereby it is possible to easily provide an environment in which the user can concentrate to music. The earphone 1L, 1R brings the valve 70L, 70R to the open state in a case of the ambient sound capture mode MD2 in which the user wants to capture an ambient sound, whereby it is possible to easily provide an environment in which the user can easily notice the surroundings.
The control unit (for example, the earphone control unit S2L, S2R) can switch the path 71 to the close state during the second operation when the acoustic mode is neither the noise cancellation mode nor the ambient sound capture mode. Accordingly, similar to an earphone in the related art, the earphone 1L, 1R brings the valve 70L, 70R to the close state when the acoustic mode is the OFF mode MD0, whereby it is possible to easily provide an environment in which the user can concentrate to music.
The control unit (for example, the earphone control unit S2L, S2R) can control the acoustic mode of the earphone, switches the path 71 to the close state during the second operation when the acoustic mode is the closed mode MD2a of the ambient sound capture mode MD2, and switches the path 71 to the open state during the second operation when the acoustic mode is the opened mode MD2b of the ambient sound capture mode MD2. Accordingly, for example, when the user wants to listen to music in a concentrated manner or when the user wants to listen to an ambient sound even during music playback, the operation mode is switched to the noise cancellation mode MD1, the closed mode MD2a of the ambient sound capture mode MD2, or the OFF mode MD0 to bring the valves 70L and 70R into the close state, whereby the sound quality of music can be improved and the user can comfortably enjoy music listening. In addition, even when the user is not in a call (for example, during music playback), the user can listen to the ambient sound by switching to the opened mode MD2b of the ambient sound capture mode MD2 to bring the valves 70L and 70R to the open state, thereby improving convenience.
The control unit (for example, the earphone control unit S2L, S2R) switches the path 71 to the close state during the second operation when the acoustic mode is the noise cancellation mode MID1, and switches the path 71 to the close state during the second operation when the acoustic mode is neither the noise cancellation mode MD1 nor the ambient sound capture mode MD2. Accordingly, the user can enjoy and listen to music with high sound quality in a concentrated manner while playing music in the noise cancellation mode MD1. Accordingly, similar to an earphone in the related art, the valve 70L, 70R are brought into the close state when the acoustic mode is neither the noise cancellation mode MD1 nor the ambient sound capture mode MD2, whereby it is possible for the user to easily obtain an environment in which the user can concentrate to music.
The control unit (for example, the earphone control unit S2L, S2R) can control the acoustic mode of the earphone 1L, 1R, switches the path 71 to the close state during the second operation based on designation by the wearer when the acoustic mode is a first sub-mode (for example, the sub-mode A) of the ambient sound capture mode MD2, switches the path 71 to the open state during the second operation based on designation by the wearer when the acoustic mode is the first sub-mode of the ambient sound capture mode MD2, switch the path 71 to the close state during the second operation based on designation by the wearer when the acoustic mode is a second sub-mode (for example, the sub-mode B) of the ambient sound capture mode MD2, and switches the path 71 to the open state during the second operation based on designation by the wearer when the acoustic mode is the second sub-mode of the ambient sound capture mode MD2. Accordingly, for example, in a case where the user wants to listen to the ambient sound of a frequency band (sub-modes A and B) desired to be captured in accordance with the way of use of the user, the user can listen to the ambient sound by bringing the valves 70L and 70R into the open state, thereby improving convenience. In addition, for example, when the user wants to listen to music in a concentrated manner by blocking ambient sounds of a frequency (sub-modes A and B) desired to be captured in accordance with the way of use, the user can comfortably enjoy music listening by bringing the valves 70L and 70R into the close state.
The control unit (for example, the earphone control unit S2L, S2R) switches the path 71 to the close state during the second operation when the acoustic mode is the noise cancellation mode MID1, and switches the path 71 to the close state during the second operation when the acoustic mode is neither the noise cancellation mode MD1 nor the ambient sound capture mode MD2. Accordingly, the user can enjoy and listen to music with high sound quality in a concentrated manner while playing music in the noise cancellation mode MD1. Accordingly, similar to an earphone in the related art, the valve 70L, 70R are brought into the close state when the acoustic mode is neither the noise cancellation mode MD1 nor the ambient sound capture mode MD2, whereby it is possible for the user to easily obtain an environment in which the user can concentrate to music.
The earphone 1L, 1R further includes the touch sensor TCL, TCR arranged on one end side of the housing HOL, HOR and configured to detect a touch operation by the wearer. The control unit (for example, the earphone control unit S2L, S2R) detects a change in the acoustic mode based on detection of a touch operation on the touch sensor TCL, TCR. Accordingly, the user can easily change the acoustic mode by performing a simple touch operation on the touch sensor TCL, TCR having a flat shape and a large area with respect to the housing HOL, HOR even when wearing the earphone 1L, 1R.
The earphone 1L, 1R further includes a communication unit (for example, the wireless communication unit 14L connected to the antenna ATL, the wireless communication unit 14R connected to the antenna ATR) that performs data communication with an external terminal (for example, the smartphone F1). The control unit (for example, the earphone control unit S2L, S2R) detects a change in the acoustic mode based on acquisition of a mode change instruction from an external terminal from the communication unit. Accordingly, the user can easily change the acoustic mode by a simple operation on the smartphone F1 held by a hand without a touch operation on the earphones 1L and 1R.
Although the embodiment has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such an example. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, replacements, additions, deletions, and equivalents can be conceived within the scope described in the claims, and it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the constituent elements in the above embodiment may be freely combined without departing from the spirit of the invention.
The present disclosure is useful as an earphone, an acoustic control method, and a program for adaptively adjusting the ease of listening to a sound in accordance with a usage situation of a wearer, and preventing the wearer from feeling uncomfortable.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2022-095152 | Jun 2022 | JP | national |