JP2009088607A - Headphone - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a headphone which can be reduced in weight while maintaining functionality such as the rigidity and elasticity of a headband, and reduce a manufacturing cost. <P>SOLUTION: The headphone 1 is provided with a pair of right and left ear cups 5 and the headband 2 for connecting the ear cups 5. The headband 2 is provided with a core material 26 configured to be long over the right and left directions, and a covering material 23 for covering the core material 26, wherein one or more convex stripes 27 are formed along the longitudinal direction of the core material 26. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to headphones.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, headphones are used for a user to wear and listen to sound. This headphone has two left and right earcups that house speakers. Both ear cups are connected by a headband.

  This headband is configured to include a core material that has elasticity in order to expand the space between both ear pads so that it can be attached to the head, and the conventional core material is made of stainless steel or patented. As shown in Documents 1 and 2, it is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

JP-A-2005-311630 No. 7-15265

  However, portability is important for headphones. When the core material is made of stainless steel, stainless steel is cheap, easy to obtain, and easy to manufacture, but the weight of stainless steel was an issue that should be improved when improving the portability of headphones. . In addition, if the core material is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, the headband of the headphones can be reduced in weight. However, since carbon fiber reinforced plastic is very expensive, there is a drawback that the manufacturing cost of the headphones increases. It was.

  Also, when other metal materials are used for the headphone core material, it is difficult to form a core material with elasticity while maintaining the rigidity (strength) of the headband. It was difficult to ensure functionality such as rigidity and elasticity. Therefore, there is a current situation that conventional headphones have to use iron-based materials such as stainless steel or carbon fiber reinforced plastic as the core material.

  Furthermore, the core material of the headphones needs to be adjusted in rigidity and elasticity in order to achieve desired rigidity and elasticity. However, in order to adjust the rigidity and elasticity, not only when using other metal-based materials, but also when using iron-based materials or carbon fiber reinforced plastics, the rigidity and elasticity can be adjusted according to the desired rigidity and elasticity. It was necessary to prepare many kinds of materials. Therefore, the manufacturing cost has increased due to an increase in the stock of the core material.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to reduce the weight and maintain the manufacturing cost while maintaining the functionality such as the rigidity and elasticity of the headband. It is an object to provide a new and improved headphone that can be reduced.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, a headphone including a pair of left and right earcups and a headband connecting the earcups, the headband is configured to be long in the left-right direction. A headphone is provided, comprising: a core material; and a covering material covering the core material, wherein one or two or more ridges are formed along the longitudinal direction of the core material.

  According to this structure, the core material with which the headband is provided is formed with one or more ridges along its longitudinal direction. This ridge can adjust the rigidity and elasticity of the core material. That is, it is possible to adjust the rigidity and elasticity of the core material by forming the core material by adjusting the number, length, thickness, and the like of the ridges. Therefore, even if a material other than iron-based materials or carbon fiber reinforced plastics is used as the core material, a headband having desired rigidity and elasticity can be formed.

Moreover, 30% or less of the thickness of a core material may be sufficient as the thickness of the convex part of a protruding item | line.
According to this configuration, the protrusion can be formed on the core by adjusting the thickness of the protrusion of the protrusion to 30% or less of the thickness of the core. Therefore, by forming the ridges on the core material, it is possible to prevent the core material from buckling when the core material is bent and stretched.

Moreover, the back surface of a protruding item | line may be comprised as a recessed item | line corresponding to a protruding item | line.
According to this configuration, the concave line corresponding to the convex line is formed on the back surface of the convex line. Therefore, the rigidity and elasticity of the core material can be further adjusted by the recess. Moreover, since a convex strip and a concave strip can be formed by performing a half blanking process on the flat core material, the manufacturing process can be facilitated.

The core material may be aluminum or an aluminum alloy.
According to this structure, a core material can be reduced in weight rather than forming with an iron-type material, and a core material can be formed cheaply rather than forming with a carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the weight and reduce the manufacturing cost while maintaining the rigidity and elasticity of the headband.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

<Headphone>
First, an overview of headphones according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and then a headband included in the headphones according to each embodiment will be described in detail.

  1 and 2 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the headphones according to the embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the headphone 1 includes a headband 2, left and right sliders 3, hangers 4, an ear cup 5, and a cord 8.

  Note that the positive x-axis direction in FIG. 1 represents the right direction for the user, and the positive y-axis direction represents the upward direction for the user. The z-axis positive direction in FIG. 2 represents the forward direction for the user. That is, the slider 3, the hanger 4, and the ear cup 5 in the positive x-axis direction are for the user's right ear, and the slider 3, the hanger 4, and the ear cup 5 in the negative x-axis direction are for the user's left ear. It is for.

  The headband 2 is a connecting member that connects the left and right sliders 3. When the user wears the headphones 1, the headband 2 is usually in contact with the head of the user to support the headphones 1. To do. Further, the headband 2 has predetermined rigidity and elasticity, and the headphone 1 has a space between both ear pads 7 expanded by extending the curved shape of the headband 2, so that the user It becomes possible to attach to the head. The headband 2 according to this embodiment is lighter than a conventional headband, and the configuration of the headband 2 will be described later in detail.

  The slider 3 is a sliding member that connects the headband 2 and the hanger 4 and supports the hanger 4 so as to be slidable in the axial direction with respect to the headband 2. That is, the slider 3 can expand and contract, and the members below the hanger 4 can move downward with respect to the headband 2 by the expansion and contraction of the slider 3. Therefore, when worn, the headphone 1 is worn with the ear cup 5 facing the user's ear by adjusting the expansion and contraction of the slider 3 according to the size of the user's head and the distance between the ear and the top of the head. . On the other hand, when the headphone 1 is not used, the headphone 1 can be stored with the slider 3 contracted, so that the storage space can be saved.

  The hanger 4 is a rotating member that connects the slider 3 and the ear cup 5 and supports the ear cup 5 so as to be rotatable about a substantially front-rear direction (z-axis) as a rotation axis. The hanger 4 is supported by the slider 3 so as to be rotatable about a substantially vertical direction (y-axis) as a rotation axis. Because of the hanger 4, the hanger 4 itself rotates about the y-axis and the earcup 5 rotates about the z-axis, so that the headphones 1 can be attached to the earcup 5 according to the shape around the user's ear when worn. The direction can be changed and the ear cup 5 can be made to face the ear.

  The ear cup 5 is a member that abuts on the user's ear and provides sound to the user, and roughly includes a housing 6 and an ear pad 7.

  The housing 6 is a housing portion that houses a small speaker (not shown) therein. The housing 6 also has a predetermined acoustic electric circuit ("acoustic circuit") that performs signal processing such as sound image localization processing, noise canceling processing, and signal amplification processing on an audio signal that drives the speaker. Etc.) may be arranged. The right or left housing 6 is connected to an input signal cord 8 having an input terminal (not shown) connected to one end. The other end of the cord 8 is connected to a speaker or the like housed in the housing 6. Connected to the acoustic circuit. In order to drive the speaker in the housing 6 to which the cord 8 is not connected, a connecting cord (not shown) is provided between the housing 6 to which the cord 8 is connected and the housing 6 to which the cord 8 is not connected. Is placed. The connecting cord is disposed inside the hanger 4, the slider 3, and the headband 2. In other words, the audio signal input to one housing 6 via the cord 8 is also input to the other housing 6 via the connection cord, and both the left and right speakers are driven. The sound signal is converted into sound when the speaker is driven and provided to the user's ear.

  The ear pad 7 is attached to a surface of the housing 6 that faces the user's ear, and plays a role of cushioning between the housing 6 and the user's head. That is, if the housing 6 formed of a hard material that is difficult to deform directly touches the user's head, the comfort when the user is worn is remarkably impaired. However, the earpad 7 has elasticity and the housing 6 is directly connected to the user. To prevent contact with the two and play a buffering role between them.

<First Embodiment>
Next, the configuration of the headband 2 included in the headphone 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the configuration of the headband according to the present embodiment. 3A shows a state in which both sliders 3 are removed from the headband 2, and FIG. 3B shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the headband 2 in FIG. 3A. . FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the structure of the headband according to the present embodiment in an exploded manner.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 4, a through hole 21 penetrating in the vertical direction and a groove 22 provided on both the front and rear sides are formed at the left and right ends of the headband 2. The through hole 21 and the groove 22 form a connection portion with the slider 3. That is, an insertion portion (not shown) inserted into the through hole 21 and an engagement portion (not shown) engaged with the groove 22 are formed at the upper end of the slider 3. The slider 3 is fixed to the headband 2 by inserting the portion into the through hole 21 and engaging the engaging portion with the groove 22.

  As shown in FIGS. 3B and 4, the headband 2 is formed of a cover 23 that has a three-layer structure inside and covers this three-layer structure. That is, the headband 2 includes the cover 23, the upper cushion member 24 and the lower cushion member 25, and the core member 26.

  The cover 23 is an example of a covering material and covers an internal three-layer structure. The cover 23 is preferably formed of a material having a good touch such as leather or synthetic fiber.

  The upper cushion member 24 and the lower cushion member 25 give elasticity to portions that come into contact with the user's hand or head when the user grips the headband 2 or the user wears the headphones 1. Therefore, the upper cushion member 24 and the lower cushion member 25 are cushioning material members that prevent the hardness of the structural member from causing discomfort to the user. The upper cushion member 24 and the lower cushion member 25 are made of an elastic material such as foamed urethane, cotton, or chemical fiber. The material of the upper cushion member 24 and the lower cushion member 25 is not limited to this example, and any material may be used as long as it has appropriate elasticity.

  The core member 26 is a structural member of the headband 2 that has rigidity and elasticity and supports the configuration below the slider 3. The core material 26 according to the present embodiment realizes the weight reduction of the headband 2. The core material 26 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

(About core material)
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the configuration of the core member according to the present embodiment. 5A shows a view of the core material 26 as viewed from above (the positive y-axis direction), and FIG. 5B shows the core material 26 from the rear (in the negative z-axis direction). A view is shown. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional shape of the core member 26 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the core member 26 is configured to be long in the left-right direction (substantially x-axis direction) of the user. Further, the through hole 21 and the groove 22 are formed at the end of the core member 26 in the left-right direction. The core material 26 according to the present embodiment is formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Since the core material 26 is required to have appropriate rigidity and elasticity (spring property), for example, it is particularly preferable to use, for example, A7075 duralumin, but other aluminum or aluminum alloy can be used. Needless to say.

  Thus, by using aluminum or an aluminum alloy for the core member 26, the headband 2 according to the present embodiment can be reduced in weight as compared with a conventional headband in which an iron-based material is used. Moreover, compared with the conventional headband which uses a carbon fiber reinforced plastic, aluminum or aluminum alloy is cheap, and the headband 2 which concerns on this embodiment can reduce manufacturing cost.

  On the other hand, the core material 26 formed of an aluminum alloy can increase the rigidity as compared with the case of using aluminum, but even such an aluminum alloy can be bent and stretched like the headband 2. Higher rigidity is required under repeated environments. Therefore, the core material 26 of the headband 2 according to the present embodiment has the ridges 27 and the ridges 28 as shown in FIG. By having the ridges 27 and the ridges 28, it is possible to maintain sufficient rigidity and elasticity even when aluminum is used for the core material 26 as well as an aluminum alloy. Hereinafter, the ridges 27 and the ridges 28 of the core material 26 will be described.

  The ridges 27 and the ridges 28 in the present embodiment are beads formed by subjecting the flat core material 26 to half-punch pressing. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the protrusions 27 and the recesses 28 are formed in a strip shape at a substantially central portion along the longitudinal direction of the core material 26 in the left-right direction. It is formed on the back surface of the strip 27. The developed length L in the longitudinal direction of the ridges 27 and the ridges 28 is shown in FIG. The ridges 27 and the ridges 28 are preferably formed on the core member 26 other than the portion to which the slider 3 is connected. By forming the ridges 27 and the ridges 28 in this portion, the deformation of the core member 26 accompanying the expansion and contraction of the headband 2 can be absorbed by the processed portion, and the deformation is joined to the slider 3. It is possible to prevent distortion at the joint with the slider 3.

  The thickness a of the convex portion 27 of the convex strip 27 shown in FIG. By adjusting the thickness a, the rigidity and elasticity of the core member 26 can be adjusted. In addition, this thickness a is calculated | required by experiment etc. so that desired rigidity and elasticity may be implement | achieved. If the thickness a exceeds about 30% of the thickness t of the core material 26, the possibility of the core material 26 buckling due to bending and stretching of the headband 2 increases. It is preferably about 30 percent or less of the thickness t.

  Note that the rigidity and elasticity of the core member 26 can be adjusted by changing the development length L of the ridges 27 and the ridges 28. For example, the elasticity of the core member 26 can be increased by increasing the development length L of the protrusions 27 and the recesses 28. Similarly to the thickness a, the developed length is also determined by experiments or the like so that desired rigidity and elasticity can be realized.

  Further, the ridges 27 and the ridges 28 according to the present embodiment are formed by half punching press processing. The ridges 27 and the ridges 28 may be formed by other processing methods such as etching, drawing, and polishing. May be formed. However, when creating by half punching press as in this embodiment, the ridges 27 and the ridges 28 can be easily created, and the thickness a can be adjusted after the creation. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the headband 2 can be reduced.

  Furthermore, since the core material 26 according to the present embodiment can adjust the rigidity and elasticity (spring constant) by adjusting the thickness a and the unfolded length L of the ridges 27 and the ridges 28, the core material 26 can have a desired value. There is no need to prepare many kinds of materials according to rigidity and elasticity. Therefore, surplus inventory at the time of manufacturing can be reduced, and manufacturing costs can be further reduced. In addition, it is possible to unify the materials, and it is possible to shorten the lead time for material procurement.

  The headband 2 included in the headphone 1 according to the first embodiment has been described above. In the first embodiment, as described above, the rigidity and elasticity of the core material 26 are set such that the thickness a of the projection of the projection 27 (the thickness a of the recess 28 of the recess 28) and the projection 27 and the projection 28 Adjustment was made by adjusting the development length L. However, according to the present invention, the rigidity and elasticity of the core material can be adjusted by other methods. Therefore, in the following, an embodiment in which the stiffness and elasticity of the core material are adjusted by other methods will be described.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional shape of a core member included in a headband according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The core material 26-1 according to the present embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 is different from the core material 26 according to the first embodiment in the number of beads formed by ridges and grooves. Since the other structure of the core material 26-1 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the core material 26 according to the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  More specifically, the core material 26-1 according to the present embodiment has two ridges 27 corresponding to the ridges 27 and 28 formed on the core material 26 according to the first embodiment. −1, 27-2 and concave stripes 28-1, 28-2. The convex stripes 27-1 and the concave stripes 28-1 are formed by the same half blanking press process, and the convex stripes 27-2 and the concave stripes 28-2 are also formed by another identical half blanking press process. That is, the concave strip 28-1 is formed on the back surface of the convex strip 27-1 in the core material 26-1, and the concave strip 28-2 is formed on the back surface of the convex strip 27-2 in the core material 26-1. . And the protruding item | line 27-1 and the recessed item | line 28-1, and the protruding item | line 27-2 and the recessed item | line 28-2 are extended along the longitudinal direction of the core material 26-1, and are mutually substantially parallel. Formed. The thickness a and the unfolded length L (not shown) of the ridges 27-1, 27-2 and the recesses 28-1, 28-2 are the ridge 27 and the ridge according to the first embodiment. 28.

  The rigidity and elasticity of the headband 2 can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of ridges and ridges as in this embodiment. More specifically, when the number of beads (projections and recesses) is increased, the rigidity and spring constant (elastic force) of the core members 26 and 26-1 are increased. Therefore, the rigidity and elasticity of the headband 2 can be easily adjusted by adjusting the number of beads, the bead thickness a, and the developed length L.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described in detail, referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to this example. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, since the core material 26 is half-punched, the upper surface and the lower surface of the core material 26 are formed with a pair of convex stripes 27 and concave grooves 28, but the present invention is applied. It is not limited to examples. For example, as shown in a cross-sectional shape in FIG. 8, the core material 26-2 may include only the convex portion 27. The ridges 27 can be formed by other processing methods such as etching, drawing, and polishing. Under the present circumstances, the thickness a of the protruding item | line 27, the expansion | deployment length L (not shown), and another structure are the same as that of 1st Embodiment.

  Further, FIG. 8 shows the case where one ridge 27 is formed, but it is also possible to adjust the rigidity and the elastic force by forming a plurality of these ridges as in the second embodiment. It is. That is, for example, as shown in a cross-sectional shape in FIG. 9, the core material 26-3 can be formed with protrusions 27-3 and 27-4 at both ends in the width direction (front-rear direction and z-axis direction). is there. The ridges 27-3 and 27-4 can also be formed by other processing methods such as etching, drawing, and polishing. At this time, the thickness a of the ridges 27-3 and 27-4, the unfolded length L (not shown), and other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment. FIG. 8 shows the case where two ridges 27-3 and 27-4 are formed. Similar to the second embodiment, by forming three or more ridges, rigidity and elasticity can be obtained. It is also possible to adjust the force.

It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the headphones which concern on each embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the headphones which concern on each embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the structure of the headband which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which decomposes | disassembles and demonstrates the structure of the headband which concerns on the same embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the structure of the core material which concerns on the same embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the cross-sectional shape in the BB line of the core material shown to FIG. 5 (A). It is sectional drawing which shows the cross-sectional shape of the core material which the headband which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention has. It is sectional drawing which shows the cross-sectional shape of the example of a change of the core material which the headband which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention has. It is sectional drawing which shows the cross-sectional shape of the example of a change of the core material which the headband which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention has.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Headphone 2 Headband 3 Slider 4 Hanger 5 Ear cup 6 Housing 7 Ear pad 8 Cord 21 Through-hole 22 Groove 23 Cover 24 Upper cushion member 25 Lower cushion member 26, 26-1, 26-3 Core material 27, 27-1, 27 -2, 27-3, 27-4 Convex strips 28, 28-1, 28-2, 28-3 Convex strips L Expanded length a Thickness of convex strips and strips t Thickness of core material

Claims (4)

A headphone comprising a pair of left and right earcups and a headband connecting the earcups,
The headband includes a core material that is elongated in the left-right direction, and a covering material that covers the core material,
The headphone is characterized in that one or more ridges are formed along the longitudinal direction of the core member.   The headphone according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the convex portion of the ridge is 30% or less of a thickness of the core material.   The headphone according to claim 1, wherein the back surface of the ridge is configured as a ridge corresponding to the ridge.   The headphone according to claim 1, wherein the core material is aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

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