JP2013172373A - Hearing assist device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To assist hearing with good wearing comfort while avoiding adherence of dirt in ear holes.SOLUTION: A hearing assist device includes: speakers 2; an attachment part 3 that is attached to a head 100 of a listener and enables each speaker 2 to be disposed at a predetermined position separated from an ear hole 101 of the listener in a lateral direction of the head 100; microphones 4 collecting ambient sounds and outputting acoustic signals; and an amplifier 5a amplifying the acoustic signals and supplying the signals to each speaker 2. The attachment part 3 includes: an arch shaped elastic band part 31; a pair of pressed parts 32 coupled to tips of the band part 31 and pressed against temporal regions of the head 100 by an elastic force of the band part 31 when the band part 31 is attached to the head 100; and support arms 33, each of which has one end connected with the pressed part 32 and the other end connected to the speaker 2 and supporting the speaker 2 at the predetermined position. The microphones 4 are respectively attached to the pair of pressed parts 32.

Description

  The present invention relates to a head-mounted listening assistance device that assists listening (hearing) of an elderly person whose hearing ability has deteriorated or a person with a hearing impairment.

  As this type of listening assistance device, listening assistance devices (hearing aids and sound amplification devices) disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below are known. Each of these apparatuses is configured to include a microphone, an earphone, and an amplifier that amplifies an audio signal received by the microphone and supplies the amplified sound signal to the earphone. In these devices, the earphone is used by being inserted into the ear hole.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-61996 (page 3-4, Fig. 1) JP 2000-50381A (page 2-3, FIG. 1)

  However, the following listening assistance device has the following problems to be solved. That is, this listening assistance device adopts a configuration in which the earphone is inserted into the ear hole. Therefore, in this listening assistance device, the ear hurts when the earphone is worn due to the problem that dirt in the ear hole adheres to the surface of the earphone and the shape of the ear hole is different for each user. There is a problem that there may be a problem with the feeling of wearing such that the earphone is easily detached.

  The present invention has been made to improve such a problem, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a listening assistance device capable of assisting listening with a good wearing feeling while avoiding adhesion of dirt in the ear hole.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the listening assistance device according to claim 1 is mounted on a speaker and a listener's head, and the speaker is disposed at a predetermined position spaced from the ear hole of the listener to the side of the head. A mounting portion that collects ambient sound and outputs the sound as an acoustic signal, and an amplification portion that amplifies the acoustic signal and supplies the amplified acoustic signal to the speaker, and the mounting portion includes an elastic arch-shaped band portion; A pair of pressing parts that are connected to the respective front end parts of the band part and are pressed against the side of the head by the elastic force of the band part when the band part is attached to the head; A support arm connected to the pressing portion and connected to the speaker at the other end to support the speaker at the predetermined position, and the microphone is attached to at least one of the pair of pressing portions. .

  The listening assistance device according to claim 2 is the listening assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing portion is centered on a first axis perpendicular to a contact surface with the temporal region of the pressing portion. The support arm is configured to be rotatable.

  The listening assistance device according to claim 3 is the listening assistance device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the speaker includes a speaker unit, the speaker unit is attached to a front surface, and a back side is formed in a semi-cup shape. An enclosure connected to the other end of the arm, and a sound reflecting material and a sound absorbing material are laminated inside the enclosure from the back side of the enclosure toward the speaker unit in this order, and the sound absorbing material Is formed with a hole for exposing the surface of the sound reflecting material to the speaker unit side.

  The listening assistance device according to claim 4 is the listening assistance device according to claim 3, wherein the sound absorbing material absorbs a sound on a lower frequency side than the first sound absorbing material and the first sound absorbing material. A two-sound absorber is laminated from the back side of the enclosure toward the speaker unit.

  The listening assistance device according to claim 5 is the listening assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pressing portion has a first through hole formed in the center and a first engagement portion formed on the upper surface. A flat disc body, a second through hole is formed at the center of the disc body and opposed to the upper surface of the disc body, and the second surface is opposed to the upper surface of the disc body. A disk-shaped first support wall formed with a second meshing portion that can mesh with the first meshing portion, a surface facing the bottom surface of the disk body and facing the bottom surface of the disk body A disc-shaped second support wall having a circular recess formed at the center thereof, a main body having a peripheral wall for connecting a peripheral portion of each of the support walls leaving a part thereof, the first through-hole and the second through-hole One end is inserted into the circular recess while penetrating the hole, and the other end extends from the first support wall. A pin body disposed in an extended state, a mounting pin having a pin head formed at the other end of the pin body, the disk body and the second support wall on the outer peripheral surface of the pin body And a retaining ring that is attached to a portion located between the second supporting wall and the retaining ring, and prevents the mounting pin from being pulled out, and the second supporting wall is disposed between the second supporting wall and the retaining ring. And a spring member that constantly biases the retaining ring together with the mounting pin to which the retaining ring is attached and the disc body that is in contact with the retaining ring toward the first support wall. The distal end portion of the band portion is connected to one of the main body portion and the disk body in the pressing portion, and the one end of the support arm is connected to the main body portion and the disk body in the pressing portion. Any other It is connected to.

  The listening assistance device according to claim 6 is the listening assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the speaker is rotatable about a second axis along a length direction of the support arm. It is connected to the other end of the support arm.

  The listening assistance device according to claim 7 is the listening assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the microphone is attached to each of the pair of pressing portions, and the amplification portion is connected to each of the microphones. Each of the output acoustic signals is amplified and supplied to the speaker attached to the same pressing unit as the microphone.

  The listening assistance device according to claim 8 is the listening assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the microphone has a directivity for mainly collecting the ambient sound from the front of the listener's head. doing.

  The listening assistance device according to claim 9 is the listening assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the microphone is formed in a cylindrical shape with an end portion located on a front side of the head opening. And a microphone body disposed on an inner surface of an end portion located on a rear side of the head in the housing, and configured to convert the input ambient sound into the acoustic signal. The end on the side is formed in a state in which the lip away from the pressing portion with respect to the lip near the pressing portion is retracted to the rear side of the head.

  In the listening assistance device according to claim 1, in a mounting state of the mounting portion on the head, each speaker is connected to each pressing portion that sandwiches the temporal portion of the head from the ear hole to the head side. It is arranged at a predetermined position spaced apart in the direction. Therefore, according to this listening assistance device, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of a situation in which dirt in the ear hole adheres to the surface of the speaker and makes it unsightly and a situation in which the ear becomes painful due to the wearing of the mounting portion. A good wearing feeling can be given to the listener.

  According to the listening assistance device of the second aspect, since each pressing portion is configured to be able to rotate the support arm about the first axis, the speaker attached to the support arm is attached to the pressing portion. Since it can be rotated and reliably moved to a predetermined position, it is possible to efficiently listen to the sound output from the speaker (listen to sufficient sound).

  4. The listening assistance device according to claim 3, wherein a sound reflecting material and a sound absorbing material are laminated in an enclosure formed in a semi-cup shape from the back side of the enclosure toward the speaker unit. Is formed with a hole for exposing the surface of the sound reflecting material to the speaker unit side.

  Therefore, according to this listening assistance device, of the sound output from the speaker unit to the back side thereof, the sound traveling in the direction along the axis of the enclosure is caused to reach the sound reflecting material through the hole of the sound absorbing material. At the same time, it is reflected by the sound reflecting material to the speaker unit side, and the sound traveling in a direction other than the direction along the axis can be absorbed by the sound absorbing material. Of the sound reflected by the sound reflecting material to the speaker unit side, the sound that goes in the direction along the axis of the enclosure is output from the front side of the enclosure, and the sound that goes in the direction other than the direction along the axis Can be absorbed by sound absorbing material. Thereby, according to this listening assistance device, the sound can be efficiently output to the ear hole in a state where the directivity in the direction of the axis of the speaker is sufficiently enhanced and the sound leakage from the enclosure is small. The sound output from the unit can be heard more efficiently. In addition, according to this listening assistance device, since the back side of the speaker enclosure is formed in a semi-cup shape, resonance with respect to the sound output from the enclosure hardly occurs, and thereby the frequency characteristics of the speaker are more flat. Therefore, it is possible to output sound with excellent sound quality.

  According to the listening assistance device of the fourth aspect, the first sound absorbing material and the second sound absorbing material that absorbs the sound on the lower frequency side than the first sound absorbing material are directed from the back side of the enclosure toward the speaker unit. Since it is configured to be laminated, it is possible to sufficiently suppress leakage of unnecessary sound from the enclosure from the low sound range to the high sound range.

  In the listening assistance device according to claim 5, since the pressing portion includes a disc body, a main body portion, a mounting pin, a retaining ring, and a spring member, the speaker for the band portion has a simple structure. Since the degree of freedom of the mounting position of the head portion of the band portion with the pair of pressing portions sandwiching the temporal portion of the head portion is increased, each speaker is placed in a predetermined position. It can be reliably arranged.

  In the listening assistance device according to claim 6, since the speaker is connected to the support arm so as to be rotatable about the second axis along the length direction of the support arm, the direction of the speaker can be finely adjusted. Therefore, the speaker can be reliably arranged at a predetermined position where the speaker faces the direction of the ear hole. Thereby, the sound output from the speaker can be heard even more efficiently.

  In the listening assistance device according to claim 7, a microphone is attached to each of the pair of pressing parts, and an amplification part amplifies an acoustic signal output from each microphone, and a speaker attached to the same pressing part as the microphone. Supply. Therefore, according to this listening assistance device, the listener can receive ambient sounds individually collected by the left and right microphones arranged at substantially the same positions as the left and right ears of the listener from the left and right speakers corresponding to the microphones. Since the sound can be heard in stereo in an amplified state, it is possible to listen to ambient sounds with very little discomfort.

  According to the listening assistance device according to claim 8, since the microphone has a directivity for mainly collecting ambient sounds from the front of the listener's head, the vicinity of the listener who can hear with his / her own ear While listening directly to the surrounding sound, it is possible to amplify the surrounding sound from a remote position that is difficult to hear.

  In the listening assistance device according to claim 9, the microphone is disposed on a casing formed in a cylindrical shape with an opening located at the front side of the head, and an inner surface of the casing on the rear side of the head. The front end of the housing is formed with the lip away from the pressing portion with respect to the lip closer to the pressing portion and retracted to the rear side of the head. Therefore, according to this listening assistance device, since the opening portion of the housing is configured to be further opened to the side of the head, while ensuring the directivity for the ambient sound from the front of the listener's head, It is possible to make it easier to hear ambient sounds from the side of the head.

It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the structure of the listening assistance apparatus 1, and the mounting state to the head 100 of the headset HS. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the structure of headset HS. It is an enlarged view of the band part 31, the pressing part 32, the support arm 33, and the speaker 2 of the headset HS. 4 is an exploded cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of the speaker 2. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line W2-W2 in FIG. 2 for explaining the internal structure of the speaker 2; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line W3-W3 in FIG. 5 for explaining the internal structure of the cylindrical connecting portion 21 of the speaker 2; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line W4-W4 in FIG. 5 for explaining the internal structure of the cylindrical connecting portion 21 of the speaker 2 and the structure of the connecting pin 14; It is the figure which looked at the connecting pin 14 from the 2nd flange part 14c side. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a pressing part 32. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line W1-W1 in FIG. 3 for explaining the internal structure of the pressing portion 32 when the first meshing portion 41c and the second meshing portion 51c are meshed (cross-sectional view with the microphone 4 omitted). It is. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line W1-W1 in FIG. 3 for explaining the internal structure of the pressing portion 32 when the meshing state of the first meshing portion 41c and the second meshing portion 51c is released (the state where the microphone 4 is not shown) FIG. It is a fragmentary top view of headset HS for explaining other composition of microphone 4.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the listening assistance device will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, the configuration of the listening assistance device 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the listening assistance device 1 includes a headset HS including a speaker 2 (in this example, a pair of speakers 2 and 2), a mounting portion 3 and a microphone 4, and a head via a cable CA. A controller 5 connected to the set HS is provided. In the listening assistance device 1, in a state where the headset HS is mounted on the listener's head 100, the microphone 4 collects ambient sounds and outputs them as acoustic signals to the controller 5 via the cable CA. (Specifically, an amplifying unit 5b described later incorporated in the controller 5 amplifies this acoustic signal and supplies (outputs) the amplified acoustic signal to each speaker 2 via the cable CA. As a result, the ambient sound of the listener collected by the microphone 4 is increased in volume and output from each speaker 2 to the ear hole 101 of the listener, so that listening assistance is performed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5, each speaker 2 includes an enclosure 11, a speaker unit 12, a speaker cover 13, a connecting pin 14, a sound reflecting material 15, one or more sound absorbing materials (in this example, Two sound absorbing materials of the first sound absorbing material 16 and the second sound absorbing material 17), which are configured in the same manner and connected to the corresponding support arm 33 of a pair of support arms 33 described later constituting the mounting portion 3. The pins 14 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable about the second axis L2 (see FIGS. 1, 3 and 5).

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the enclosure 11 has a front surface (the right side surface in the figure) opened in a circular shape, and the back side (the left surface side in the figure) has a semi-cup shape (for example, a hemisphere). Or a semi-elliptical sphere (in this example, a semi-elliptical sphere as an example). In addition, the outer surface of the enclosure 11 is coupled to a later-described semi-cylindrical portion 13d formed on the outer surface of the speaker cover 13, so that a cylindrical connecting portion 21 (see FIGS. ) Is formed.

  In this case, when the axis of the enclosure 11 formed in a semi-elliptical spherical shape is L3, in this example, as an example, the central axis of the cylindrical connecting portion 21 (an axis that coincides with the second axis L2). Hereinafter, the semi-cylindrical portion 11a is formed upright on the outer surface of the enclosure 11 so that the central axis L2) is orthogonal to the axis L3. Further, on the inner surface of the semi-cylindrical portion 11a, as shown in FIG. 4, there are a first rib portion 11b (see FIG. 7) and a semi-annular second rib portion 11c (see FIG. 6) having a rectangular shape in plan view. These are formed in this order in a direction away from the center (axis line L3) side of the enclosure 11 and in a state where they are located in different planes orthogonal to the central axis L2. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the second rib portion 11c has a plurality of engagement holes (in this example, as an example, three engagement holes 11d, 11e, and 11f as shown in FIG. 6). ) Are formed at equiangular intervals (for example, at intervals of about 15 degrees) on concentric circles centered on the central axis L2.

  The speaker unit 12 is attached to the front surface of the enclosure 11 so that the front side from which sound is output is located on the front side of the enclosure 11. That is, it is attached so that sound is output from the speaker unit 12 toward the speaker cover 13. In this case, the speaker unit 12 is attached to the enclosure 11 with the central axis of the speaker unit 12 coinciding with the axis L3. The speaker unit 12 is a speaker unit having high directivity toward the central axis direction.

  As an example, the speaker cover 13 is formed so as to cover the cylindrical body 13a formed to have the same diameter as the diameter of the opening in the enclosure 11, and the opening on the front surface (right side surface in the figure) of the cylindrical body 13a. And a cover portion 13b in which a large number of through-holes A are formed, and a hood portion 13c formed so as to extend over the entire periphery at the peripheral portion of the front surface of the cylindrical body 13a. In this case, the hood portion 13c can adopt a configuration (not shown) that extends from the front surface of the cylindrical body 13a with a uniform length, but in this example, the sound output from the speaker unit 12 is received by the listener. The side farther from the head 100 (in FIGS. 4 and 5) than the side closer to the head 100 (upper side in FIGS. 4 and 5, the semi-cylindrical part 13 d side described later) so as to be directed toward the head 100 side. The lower side is extended longer. Further, the outer surface of the speaker cover 13 is formed with a semi-cylindrical portion 13d constituting the above-described cylindrical connecting portion 21 by being coupled to the semi-cylindrical portion 11a.

  In this case, the semi-cylindrical portion 13d stands on the outer surface of the cylindrical body 13a so that the central axis L2 of the cylindrical connecting portion 21 is orthogonal to the axis of the cylindrical body 13a (coaxial with the axial line L3 of the enclosure 11). Is formed. Further, on the inner surface of the semi-cylindrical portion 13d, a third rib portion 13e having a rectangular shape in plan view and a fourth rib portion 13f having a semi-annular shape are directed in a direction away from the center (axis) side of the cylindrical body 13a. In this order, they are located in different planes orthogonal to the central axis L2 (the third rib portion 13e is the same plane as the first rib portion 11b, and the fourth rib portion 13f is the same plane as the second rib portion 11c). It is formed in a state. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the fourth rib portion 13 f has a plurality of engagement holes (in this example, as an example, as shown in FIG. 6, three engagement holes 13 g, 13 h, 13i) are formed on the concentric circle centering on the central axis L2 at the same angular intervals as the engagement holes 11d, 11e, 11f. In this case, the engagement hole 13g and the engagement hole 11f are arranged at a point-symmetrical position around the central axis L2, and the engagement hole 13h and the engagement hole 11e are arranged at a point-symmetrical position to engage with each other. The hole 13i and the engagement hole 11d are arranged at point-symmetric positions.

  With the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, when the speaker cover 13 is attached to the enclosure 11, the semicylindrical portion 11 a of the enclosure 11 and the semicylindrical portion 13 d of the speaker cover 13 are joined to each other as a whole. The cylindrical connecting portion 21 is configured. In this state, the semicircular second rib portion 11c formed in the semicylindrical portion 11a and the semicircular fourth rib portion 13f formed in the semicylindrical portion 13d are also shown in FIG. They are joined together to form one annular rib portion 22 as a whole.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the connecting pin 14 has a cylindrical pin body portion 14a having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the circular hole 22a, and one end portion of the pin body portion 14a (the upper end in the figure). An annular first flange portion 14b formed on the outer peripheral surface of the pin, an annular second flange portion 14c formed on the outer peripheral surface of the other end portion (lower end in the figure) of the pin main body portion 14a, and a pin main body portion. The central axis (the pin main body portion 14a of the pin main body portion 14a) on the surface of the annular third flange portion 14d formed on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion along the length direction of 14a and the third flange portion 14d of the second flange portion 14c. On a concentric circle centered on the central axis (a circle having the same diameter as the circle in which the engagement hole 11d and the engagement hole 13g are formed) and projecting at a point-symmetrical position with respect to the central axis A pair of engaging projections 14e, as shown in FIGS. A pair of arcuate slit portions 14f formed in a state of being concentrically centered about the central axis and each engagement projection 14e of the second flange portion 14c are formed inside each engagement projection 14e in the flange portion 14c. Four stopper pins 14g are provided on the back surface of the opposite surface (the above-mentioned opposing surface) and are provided upright at both mouth edge portions along the circumferential direction of each arcuate slit portion 14f. Further, an insertion hole 14h penetrating along the center line direction is formed in the center of the pin main body portion 14a. A cable (not shown) for transmitting an acoustic signal input from the earphone jack to the speaker unit 12 is inserted into the insertion hole 14h.

  Moreover, in this connection pin 14, the plate | board thickness (thickness along the central-axis direction of the pin main-body part 14a) of the 2nd flange part 14c is the rib part 22 formed in the cylindrical connection part 21, and a 1st rib. It is formed slightly thinner than the distance between the portion 11b (and the third rib portion 13e). Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the distance between the pair of stopper pins 14g formed at both ends of one arcuate slit portion 14f is greater than the width of the first rib portion 11b (same as the width of the third rib portion 13e). Is also formed wide.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting pin 14 having the above configuration has a pin body portion 14 a that passes through a circular hole 22 a formed at the center of the rib portion 22, and the first rib portion 11 b (and the third rib). Portion 13e) and rib portion 22 (second rib portion 11c and fourth rib portion 13f), second flange portion 14c is accommodated, and upper region (half-cylinder) of second rib portion 11c in semi-cylindrical portion 11a The third flange portion 14d is accommodated in the upper portion of the fourth rib portion 13f in the portion 13d) and, as shown in FIG. 7, a pair formed on both edge portions of one arcuate slit portion 14f. The first rib portion 11b is disposed between the stopper pins 14g, and the third rib portion 13e is formed between the pair of stopper pins 14g formed at both edge portions of the other arcuate slit portion 14f. Cylindrical connection in the installed state 21, the central axis of the pin body portion 14a is mounted in a state that matches the central axis L2 of the cylindrical connecting portion 21.

  Further, the connecting pin 14 is rotatable around the central axis L2 in the cylindrical connecting portion 21, and one of the two engaging protrusions 14e formed on the second flange portion 14c is the engaging protrusion 14e. Enters the engagement hole 11d formed in the second rib portion 11c of the semi-cylindrical portion 11a, and the other engagement protrusion 14e is formed in the fourth rib portion 13f of the semi-cylindrical portion 13d. The first position that enters and engages in the engagement hole 13i, and one engagement protrusion 14e enters and engages in the engagement hole 11e formed in the second rib portion 11c, and the other engagement. A second position where the mating protrusion 14e enters and engages in an engagement hole 13h formed in the fourth rib portion 13f, and an engagement hole 11f in which one engagement protrusion 14e is formed in the second rib portion 11c. The other engaging projection 14e is formed in the fourth rib portion 13f. In three positions of the third position engaging enters the been engaging hole 13g in, is positioned.

  As described above, as shown in FIG. 7, the distance between the pair of stopper pins 14g formed at both ends of one arcuate slit portion 14f is the width of the first rib portion 11b (of the third rib portion 13e). The connecting pin 14 has one stopper pin 14g on the first rib portion 11b side (for example, the upper pin in the figure) that is one end of the first rib portion 11b. The other stopper pin 14g on the third rib portion 13e side (for example, the lower one in the drawing) is in contact with the other end portion of the third rib portion 13e (for example, the upper end portion in the drawing). The position where the rotation is restricted by abutting on the end portion (for example, the lower end portion in the figure) and the stopper pin 14g (the lower side in the figure) on the first rib portion 11b side are the first ribs. Abuts against the other end (the lower end in the figure) of the portion 11b and the third rib portion 13e side One stopper pin 14g (the upper one in the figure) contacts only one end (the upper end in the figure) of the third rib portion 13e and rotates only between the position where the rotation is restricted. Move.

  In the connecting pin 14, as described above, the one engaging protrusion 14e that engages with any one of the engaging holes 11d, 11e, and 11f and the above-described one that engages with any of the engaging holes 13g, 13h, and 13i. The other engaging protrusion 14e is formed in a narrow arch shape by forming the arc-shaped slit portion 14f, and is positioned at the outer peripheral side portion of the second flange portion 14c having enhanced flexibility. . Therefore, when the connecting pin 14 is rotated and positioned from any one of the first position to the third position to another position, the outer peripheral portion is deformed with an appropriate elastic force. Since each engagement protrusion 14e can be moved along the axial direction of the pin main body 14a, the stress applied to each engagement protrusion 14e and each engagement hole can be reduced. For this reason, it is possible to give an appropriate click feeling to the positioning of the connecting pin 14 while greatly reducing wear of each engaging protrusion 14e and each engaging hole.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the sound reflecting material 15, the first sound absorbing material 16, and the second sound absorbing material 17 are arranged inside the enclosure 11 from the back side of the enclosure 11 (left side in the figure) toward the speaker unit 12. Laminated and arranged in this order. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the sound reflecting material 15, the first sound absorbing material 16, and the second sound absorbing material 17 have the respective outer shapes of the enclosure 11 at the respective arrangement positions inside the enclosure 11. By being formed in advance in a shape that matches the shape of the peripheral surface, it is disposed in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the enclosure 11. In addition, the 1st sound absorption material 16 and the 2nd sound absorption material 17 can also be laminated | stacked on the reverse order to said order.

  In addition, the first sound absorbing material 16 and the second sound absorbing material 17 are circular holes 16a and 17a (an example of holes, which expose the surface of the sound reflecting material 15 to the speaker unit 12 side. Each central axis is coaxial with the axis L3. Hole) is formed at the center of each. In this example, as an example, the inner surface shape of the circular holes 16a and 17a is gradually increased from the sound reflecting material 15 side toward the speaker unit 12 side as shown in FIGS. It is formed to be like a horn.

  As described above, the rear surface side of the enclosure 11 is formed into a semi-elliptical sphere (or hemispherical shape), and the axis L3 of the enclosure 11 is included in the sound output from the speaker unit 12 to the rear surface side in the enclosure 11. A first sound absorbing material 16 and a second sound absorbing material 17 are arranged on the speaker unit 12 side, which absorbs sound moving in a direction greatly deviating from the enclosure and reduces leakage to the outside of the enclosure 11, and from the speaker unit 12 to the back surface thereof. Of the sound output to the side, the sound directed in the direction along the axis L3 of the enclosure 11 is circular holes 16a and 17a formed in the shape of a horn as described above on the side of the speaker unit 12 along the direction of the axis L3. In combination with the use of the loudspeaker unit 12 having a high directivity, the sound reflecting material 15 to be reflected through the speaker is disposed. , Speaker 2, the directivity of the axial line L3 direction of the sound is improved.

  In addition, since the second sound absorbing material 17 is configured using a sound absorbing material (for example, soft urethane foam) that absorbs more of the sound on the lower frequency side than the first sound absorbing material 16, unnecessary sound from the enclosure 11 is reduced. Leakage can be sufficiently suppressed from the low sound range to the high sound range.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mounting unit 3 includes a band unit 31, a pair of pressing units 32, and a pair of support arms 33, and is mounted on the listener's head 100 and supports the speaker 2. Then, the speaker 2 is placed at a predetermined position away from the listener's ear hole 101 to the side of the head 100. In this case, the predetermined position is a range in which the speaker unit 12 in the speaker 2 faces the direction of the ear hole 101 and the speaker unit 12 is, for example, 0.3 cm to 2 cm from the side of the head 100 to the side. And a position separated from the ear hole 101 in front of the head 100 within a range of, for example, 0.3 cm or more and 2 cm or less (as a result, a position separated from the ear hole 101 by about 1 cm).

  As an example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the band portion 31 is formed in an arch shape as a whole, and each end portion side is curved and configured as an ear hook portion 31 a. Specifically, the band portion 31 is formed using a material such as a flexible and lightweight resin material having elasticity. Moreover, the band part 31 is formed so that the space | interval of each ear hook part 31a may become narrower than the width | variety of the head 100 in a normal state. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each pressing portion 32 is connected to each end portion of the band portion 31 (an end portion and also a tip end portion of each ear hook portion 31 a).

  With this configuration, the mounting portion 3 changes the interval between the ear hook portions 31a in the band portion 31 (that is, the interval between the pressing portions 32) to the width of the head 100 or more by the elastic deformation force of the band portion 31 (widening). ) So that it can be freely attached to and detached from the head 100. Further, when the band portion 31 is attached to the head 100, the pair of pressing portions 32 urges the pair of pressing portions 32 in a direction approaching each other by the elastic force thereof. Specifically, the mounting of the mounting portion 3 is maintained by sandwiching a portion (a temple) between the orbit and the ear hole in the temporal region.

  The configuration of the pressing unit 32 will be specifically described. As shown in FIG. 9, the pressing portion 32 includes a disc body 41, a main body portion 42, a mounting pin 43, a retaining ring 44, and a spring member 45 as an example. The disc body 41 is formed in a flat disc shape with a constant thickness, a first through hole 41a is formed at the center, and a first engagement portion 41c is formed on the upper surface 41b. In this example, as an example, the first engagement portion 41c is configured by forming a plurality of protrusions extending along the radial direction of the disc body 41 around the first through hole 41a at equal angular intervals. Further, the first through hole 41 a is formed so that its inner diameter is slightly larger than the outer diameter of a columnar pin body 43 a (described later) of the mounting pin 43.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the main body 42 has a disk-shaped first support wall 51, a disk-shaped second support wall 52, and a peripheral wall that connects the peripheral portions of the support walls 51, 52 leaving a part. 53 and a pad 54.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the first support wall 51 is disposed so as to face the upper surface 41b of the disc body 41, and a second through hole 51a having the same diameter as the first through hole 41a is formed at the center. Yes. Further, the first support wall 51 has a second meshing portion 51c that can mesh with the first meshing portion 41c on a surface 51b (the lower surface in the figure) facing the upper surface 41b of the disc body 41. In this example, as an example, in the second engagement portion 51c, a plurality of recesses extending along the radial direction of the first support wall 51 with the second through hole 51a as the center constitutes an equiangular interval (the first engagement portion 41c is configured. The same angular interval as the protrusions). In this case, the 2nd meshing part 51c meshes with the 1st meshing part 41c, when each projection of the 1st meshing part 41c fits into each recessed part. Further, in this example, in the first support wall 51, a concave portion 51e having a circular shape in plan view is formed in the central portion of the back surface 51d (upper surface in the drawing) of the facing surface 51b, and the second bottom is formed in the center of the bottom surface of the concave portion 51e. The through hole 51a is opened. The inner diameter of the recess 51e is slightly larger than the outer diameter of a disk-shaped pin head 43b, which will be described later, of the mounting pin 43, so that the pin head 43b can be accommodated.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the second support wall 52 is disposed to face the bottom surface 41d of the disc body 41, and has the same diameter as the first through hole 41a at the center of the facing surface 52a with the bottom surface 41d. A circular recess 52b is formed. Further, in this example, as an example, an annular circumferential groove 52c in plan view is formed on the facing surface 52a of the second support wall 52 so as to surround the circular recess 52b. In this case, the diameter of the circumferential groove 52c is defined to be the same as the diameter of the coil spring as the spring member 45, and the lower end side of the spring member 45 is configured to be mountable. A pad 54 is attached to the back surface 52d (the lower surface in the figure) of the facing surface 52a of the second support wall 52 (see FIGS. 2, 9, and 10). Since the back surface 52d of the second support wall 52 serves as a contact surface with the temporal region of the head 100 in the pressing portion 32, by attaching a pad 54 made of a material that is flexible and has little pressure to the back surface 52d, It is possible to wear the listening assistance device 1 comfortably. Further, since the mounting portion 3 is configured to be mounted on the head 100 while holding the temporal region between the pair of pressing portions 32 as described above, as the material of the pad 54, the mounting portion 3 slips when contacting the temporal region. Difficult materials (for example, soft rubber and sponge) are used.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the peripheral wall 53 includes a first peripheral wall 53 a erected on a part of the peripheral portion of the opposing surface 51 b of the first support wall 51 and a peripheral portion of the opposing surface 52 a of the second support wall 52. It is comprised by the 2nd surrounding wall 53b standingly arranged in a part (part corresponding to the standing part of the 1st surrounding wall 53a in the peripheral part of the opposing surface 51b). The peripheral wall 53 is formed by joining the first peripheral wall 53a and the second peripheral wall 53b. In this case, the length of the peripheral wall 53, that is, the distance X1 between the facing surface 51b of the first support wall 51 and the facing surface 52a of the second support wall 52 is, as shown in FIG. It is formed slightly wider than the entire thickness of the disc body 41 including the protruding length of the protrusion of the portion 41c.

  Thus, the surrounding wall 53 employ | adopted the structure which connects the peripheral part of the 1st support wall 51 and the 2nd support wall 52, leaving a part of the peripheral part, Therefore The 1st support wall 51 and the 2nd support In a state where the wall 52 is integrally connected by the peripheral wall 53, the main body 42 has an inner region (the disc body 41 is surrounded by the inner surfaces of the first support wall 51, the second support wall 52, and the peripheral wall 53. A communication hole B is formed to allow communication between the internal region and the outside of the main body portion 42.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the mounting pin 43 includes a cylindrical pin body 43a and a disk having a larger diameter than the pin body 43a formed at the other end (the upper end in the figure) of the pin body 43a. And a pin-shaped pin head 43b. The retaining ring 44 is an E-ring as an example, and is attached to the pin main body 43a to prevent the mounting pin 43 from being detached. As an example, the spring member 45 is configured by a coil spring.

  In the pressing part 32 having the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 9, first, the pin main body 43 a of the mounting pin 43 is inserted into the second through hole 51 a of the first support wall 51, and It is inserted into the first through hole 41a. Next, the retaining ring 44 is attached to the lower end side of the pin body 43a protruding from the first through hole 41a. Accordingly, the retaining ring 44 prevents the mounting pin 43 from being pulled out, and the first support wall 51 and the disc body 41 are integrated via the mounting pin 43. Subsequently, the spring member 45 is fitted on the distal end side of the pin main body 43a with respect to the attachment portion of the retaining ring 44.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the first support wall 43a is inserted into the circular recess 52b of the second support wall 52 and the lower end side of the spring member 45 is attached to the circumferential groove 52c. The second support wall 52 is joined to 51. Thereby, the assembly of the pressing part 32 is completed. In this state, the end of the spring member 45 on the second support wall 52 side is attached to the circumferential groove 52c formed in the second support wall 52, so that the central axis thereof is the axis of the pin main body 43a ( The first axis L1), which will be described later, is maintained so as to be substantially coincident.

  In this pressing portion 32, when no external force is applied to the mounting pin 43, the retaining ring 44 that comes into contact with the upper end of the spring member 45 by the urging force of the spring member 45 is, as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the mounting pin 43 to which the retaining ring 44 is attached and the disc body 41 that contacts the retaining ring 44 are also moved to the first supporting wall 51 side. It is pushed (the mounting pin 43 is pushed to the meshing position). For this reason, the 1st meshing part 41c formed in the disc body 41 transfers to the state (meshing state) which meshes with the 2nd meshing part 51c formed in the 1st support wall 51. FIG. In this meshing state, the rotation of the disc body 41 around the pin main body 43a in the main body 42 is restricted.

  On the other hand, an external force is applied to the mounting pin 43 so as to push it toward the first support wall 51, and the mounting pin 43 pushes against the second support wall 52 side against the biasing force of the spring member 45 as shown in FIG. When being moved (moving to the release position), the pushing of the disc body 41 toward the first support wall 51 by the retaining ring 44 is released, so the first meshing portion 41c and It shifts to a state where the meshing state with the second meshing part 51c is released. In the disengaged state, the disc body 41 can be rotated around the pin main body 43a in the main body 42.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, one end of the support arm 33 is connected to the pressing portion 32 and the other end is connected to the speaker 2, and the speaker 2 is brought into a predetermined position with respect to the position of the pressing portion 32. To support. In this example, as an example, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 9, one end of the support arm 33 is connected to the main body portion 42 that constitutes the pressing portion 32. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the other end of the support arm 33 is fixed to the first flange portion 14b constituting the connecting pin 14, so that the speaker 2 is connected via the connecting pin 14 as shown in FIG. Are connected to the cylindrical connecting portion 21. On the other hand, each end portion of the band portion 31 (the tip portion of each ear hook portion 31a) is connected to the main body portion via a connecting member 61 inserted into the communication hole B as shown in FIGS. It is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the disc body 41 in 42. With this configuration, the pressing portion 32 moves the support arm 33 in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3 around the first axis L1 orthogonal to the back surface 52d of the second support wall 52 that is a contact surface with the temporal region. It is supported so that it can rotate.

  The microphone 4 is attached to at least one of the pair of pressing portions 32. In this example, as an example, the microphone 4 is disposed in each of the pair of pressing portions 32 as shown in FIG. 2 and on the first support wall 51 in each pressing portion 32 as shown in FIG. It is attached. The microphone 4 has directivity for mainly collecting ambient sounds from the front of the listener's head 100.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, the microphone 4 is a casing formed in a cylindrical shape (in this example, a cylindrical shape as an example) with an end located on the front side of the head 100 opened. 4a, the sound absorbing material 4b disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 4a so as to cover the entire inner peripheral surface, and the inner surface of the end portion of the housing 4a located on the rear side of the head 100. A microphone main body 4c that converts the input ambient sound into an acoustic signal and outputs the sound signal to the controller 5 via the cable CA is provided. Moreover, in this example, the edge part by the side of the opening in the housing | casing 4a is comprised by the shape cut by the plane orthogonal to the axis line of the housing | casing 4a. In this case, the ambient sound that is input into the housing 4a along the axis of the housing 4a from the front side of the housing 4a is input to the microphone body 4c as it is and from an oblique direction with respect to the axis of the housing 4a. Ambient sound input into the housing 4a is input to the microphone body 4c in a state where the ambient sound is weakened by being absorbed by the sound absorbing material 4b disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 4a. With this configuration, in this microphone 4, the casing 4 a mainly has a function of guiding sound from the front side to the microphone body 4 c, and thus the above directivity is sufficiently enhanced. In addition, about the structure which improves directivity, other various well-known structures are also employable.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 5 is connected to the headset HS via a cable CA. The controller 5 includes, for example, a case 5a, a battery (not illustrated) disposed in the case 5a, an amplifier (amplifier) 5b disposed in the case 5a, and an ON (not illustrated) disposed on the surface of the case 5a. An off switch and a volume (not shown) disposed on the surface of the case 5a are provided. In the controller 5, when the on / off switch is operated to the on side, the operating power is supplied from the battery to the amplifying unit 5b. Thereby, the amplifying unit 5b inputs the two acoustic signals output from each microphone 4 of the headset HS via the cable CA, and individually amplifies each of them with an amplification factor defined by the volume, It outputs to the speaker 2 (speaker 2 attached to the same pressing part 32) corresponding to each microphone 4 via the cable CA. In the state where the on / off switch is operated to the off side, the supply of the operating power from the battery to the amplifying unit 5b is stopped, so that the acoustic signal from the controller 5 to each speaker 2 is stopped. Output is stopped.

  Next, the operation procedure of the listening assistance device 1 will be described together with the operation of the listening assistance device 1.

  First, a procedure for mounting the headset HS on the head 100 will be described.

  First, each ear hooking portion 31a and each pressing portion 32 of the band portion 31 are held by hand, and the band portion 31 is elastically deformed to widen the interval between the pressing portions 32. In this state, between the ear hooking portions 31a and The mounting portion 3 is mounted such that the head 100 is sandwiched between the ear hook portions 31a. At this time, each ear hook 31 a is hooked on the pinna 102. Thereby, the headset HS is attached to the head 100 by holding the temporal portion of the head 100 by the pressing portions 32 by the elastic force of the band portion 31 and hooking the ear hook portions 31a to the auricle 102. Is done.

  In this mounted state, the pad 54 is attached to the contact surface (the back surface 52d of the second support wall 52) of each pressing portion 32 that mainly contacts the head 100, so that there is little feeling of pressure. The headset HS can be worn comfortably in the state.

  Next, each speaker 2 is arranged at a predetermined position separated from the listener's ear hole 101 to the side of the head 100. At this time, by pushing the pin head portion 43b of the mounting pin 43 of each pressing portion 32 into the main body portion 42, the second meshing portion 51c formed on the first support wall 51 and the disc body 41 as described above. Since the meshing state with the first meshing part 41 c formed on the first part is released, the support arm 33 is rotatable with respect to the band part 31 around the first axis L1 (attachment pin 43) of the pressing part 32. It becomes a state. Thereby, in the temporal region of the head 100, each speaker 2 is rotated within a rotation range of the support arm 33 around the first axis L1 and moved to a preferred position. In this case, as the support arm 33 rotates about the first axis L1, the first support wall 51 of the pressing portion 32 to which the support arm 33 is attached also rotates and is attached to the first support wall 51. The microphone 4 is also rotated. However, although the shape of the human head 100 is various, the basic positional relationship between the abutting portion of the pressing portion 32 in the temporal region and the ear hole 101, that is, the pressing portion 32 as shown in FIG. Since the positional relationship that the ear hole 101 is located behind and obliquely below the contact part of the speaker 2 is the same, the basics of the speaker 2 and the pressing unit 32 when the speaker 2 is moved to a preferred position with respect to the ear hole 101 The general positional relationship is also almost common. Therefore, by fixing the microphone 4 to the first support wall 51 of the pressing portion 32 in advance so that the microphone 4 faces the front of the head 100 at this position, the speaker 2 is moved to a preferred position with respect to the ear hole 101. Sometimes, the front side of the microphone 4 (the opening side of the housing 4a of the microphone 4) is also automatically (simultaneously) positioned at a position facing the front side of the head 100.

  In addition, after moving each speaker 2 to a preferred position, pushing of the mounting pin 43 into the main body 42 is released. As a result, the mounting pin 43 and the disc body 41 are moved in the direction of the first support wall 51 by the biasing force of the spring member 45 in the main body portion 42, and the second meshing portion 51 c of the first support wall 51 and the circular shape are moved. The first meshing portion 41c of the plate body 41 shifts to the meshing state. Accordingly, the rotation of the support arm 33 with respect to the band portion 31 is restricted, and the support arm 33 is positioned. In addition, after the positioning of the support arm 33 is completed, the pair of pressing portions 32 sandwich the temporal portion (in this example, the pad 54 made of a material that is more difficult to slip is in contact with the temporal region). Therefore, even if a slight external force is applied to the headset HS, the positions of the support arm 33, the pressing portion 32, and the band portion 31 are greatly shifted. Occurrence of the situation is prevented, and the occurrence of the situation where the headset HS is detached from the head 100 is reliably prevented.

  Subsequently, the speaker 2 is rotated about the second axis L2 with respect to the support arm 33, and moved to a preferred position among the first position, the second position, and the third position described above, thereby causing the speaker 2 to move. Is placed at a predetermined position. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 1, mounting of the headset HS to the head 100 is completed. Thus, in a state where the headset HS is mounted on the head 100 with each speaker 2 positioned at a predetermined position, the speaker unit 12 of each speaker 2 is connected to the head 100 side from the corresponding ear hole 101. The situation where the dirt in the ear hole 101 adheres to the surface of the speaker 2 and it becomes unsightly due to being attached to the surface of the speaker 2 or the ear becomes sore by wearing the headset HS. Is reliably prevented, and a good wearing feeling can be given to the listener.

  In the above example, the headset HS is mounted in a state where the band unit 31 of the mounting unit 3 is located on the back of the head 100. For example, the band unit 31 is hung on the top of the head 100, Moreover, it is possible to wear the headset HS in a state where the pair of pressing portions 32 are in contact with the temporal region. Even in this wearing state, the band portion can be obtained by operating the mounting pins 43 as described above. Since each speaker 2 can be moved to an arbitrary position by rotating each support arm 33 with respect to 31, each speaker 2 can be arranged at the predetermined position and the microphone 4 can be It is possible to arrange so that the front faces the front side of the head 100.

  Subsequently, in the wearing state of the headset HS, the on / off switch of the controller 5 is operated to the on side. As a result, the amplifying unit 5b of the controller 5 starts operating, and the two acoustic signals output from the microphones 4 of the headset HS are input via the cable CA, and at an amplification factor defined by the volume. Each acoustic signal is amplified individually and output to the speaker 2 corresponding to each microphone 4 via the cable CA. As a result, the ambient sound collected by the microphone 4 attached to the right pressing unit 32 is amplified and output from the speaker 2 attached to the right pressing unit 32 and is attached to the left pressing unit 32. The ambient sound collected by the microphone 4 is amplified and output from the speaker 2 attached to the left pressing portion 32. Therefore, the listener amplifies the ambient sounds individually collected by the left and right microphones 4 arranged at substantially the same positions as the left and right ears of the listener, from the left and right speakers 2 corresponding to the microphone 4, In addition, since the sound can be heard in stereo, it is possible to listen to the surrounding sound with extremely little discomfort.

  Moreover, in this listening assistance apparatus 1, since each microphone 4 has the directivity which mainly collects the ambient sound from the front of a listener's head 100, the vicinity of the listener who can hear with his / her own ear It is possible to amplify and listen to ambient sounds that are difficult to hear from a remote location while listening directly to the surrounding sounds.

  As described above, in the listening assistance device 1, the support arms 33 connected to the pressing portions 32 that sandwich the temporal heads of the head 100 when the speakers 2 are attached to the head 100 of the headset HS. Therefore, it is arranged at a predetermined position separated from the ear hole 101 to the side of the head 100. Therefore, according to this listening assistance device 1, it is possible to reliably prevent the situation in which the dirt in the ear hole 101 adheres to the surface of the speaker 2 and becomes unsightly and the situation in which the ear becomes painful due to the wearing of the headset HS. Therefore, a good wearing feeling can be given to the listener.

  Moreover, in this listening assistance apparatus 1, each pressing part 32 is comprised so that rotation of the support arm 33 centering on the 1st axis line L1 orthogonal to the contact surface with the temporal region in the pressing part 32 is possible. Yes. Therefore, according to this listening assistance device 1, since the speaker 2 attached to the support arm 33 can be rotated with respect to the pressing portion 32, the speaker 2 can be reliably moved to a predetermined position. It is possible to efficiently listen to sound output from the speaker 2 (specifically, the speaker unit 12) (listen to sufficient sound).

  Further, in this listening assistance device 1, each speaker 2 includes an enclosure 11 whose back side is formed into a semi-elliptical sphere (or a hemisphere), and the sound reflecting material 15 and the sound absorbing materials 16, 17 are provided inside the enclosure 11. Are stacked in this order from the back side of the enclosure 11 toward the speaker unit 12, and the circular holes 16 a that expose the surface of the sound reflecting material 15 to the speaker unit 12 side at the centers of the sound absorbing materials 16 and 17. 17a is formed.

Therefore, according to the speaker 2 of the listening assistance device 1,
Of the sounds output from the speaker unit 12 to the back side thereof, the sound that goes in the direction along the axis L3 of the enclosure 11 is made to reach the sound reflecting material 15 through the circular holes 16a and 17a and the sound reflecting material. The sound that is reflected to the speaker unit 12 side by 15 and goes in a direction other than the direction along the axis L3 can be absorbed by the respective sound absorbing materials 16 and 17. Of the sound reflected by the sound reflecting material 15 to the speaker unit 12 side, the sound that goes in the direction along the axis L3 of the enclosure 11 is output from the front side of the enclosure 11 and is not in the direction along the axis L3. Sound traveling in the direction can be absorbed by the sound absorbing materials 16 and 17. Thereby, according to this listening assistance device 1, sound is efficiently output to the ear canal 101 in a state where the directivity of the speaker 2 in the direction of the axis L3 is sufficiently enhanced and sound leakage from the enclosure 11 is small. Therefore, the sound output from the speaker unit 12 can be heard more efficiently.

  Moreover, according to this listening assistance apparatus 1, since the back side of the enclosure 11 of the speaker 2 is formed in a semi-cup shape (semi-elliptical sphere or semi-spherical shape), resonance with sound output from the enclosure 11 is unlikely to occur. As a result, the frequency characteristic of the speaker 2 becomes closer to a flat state, so that sound can be output with excellent sound quality.

  Further, in this listening assistance device 1, the first sound absorbing material 16 and the second sound absorbing material 17 that absorbs the sound on the lower frequency side than the first sound absorbing material 16 are directed from the back side of the enclosure 11 toward the speaker unit 12. It is laminated and oriented. Therefore, according to the listening assistance device 1, leakage of unnecessary sound from the enclosure 11 can be sufficiently suppressed from the low sound range to the high sound range.

  Further, according to the listening assistance device 1, each pressing portion 32 includes the disc body 41, the main body portion 42, the mounting pin 43, the retaining ring 44 and the spring member 45 configured as described above. Therefore, since the speaker 2 can be rotated with respect to the band portion 31 with a simple structure, the band portion in a state in which the side of the head 100 is sandwiched between the pair of pressing portions 32. Each speaker 2 can be reliably arranged at a predetermined position while increasing the degree of freedom of the position where 31 is mounted on the head 100.

  Further, according to the listening assistance device 1, each speaker 2 is supported by the support arm 33 so as to be rotatable about the second axis L2 along the length direction of the corresponding support arm 33 (substantially parallel to the length direction). Since the direction of the speaker unit 12 can be finely adjusted because it is connected to the other end of 33, the speaker 2 can be reliably arranged at a predetermined position where the speaker unit 12 faces the direction of the ear hole 101. Thereby, the sound output from the speaker unit 12 can be heard more efficiently.

  In the listening assistance device 1, the microphone 4 is attached to each of the pair of pressing units 32, and the amplification unit 5 b in the controller 5 amplifies the acoustic signal output from each microphone 4 and Output (supply) to the speaker 2 attached to the same pressing unit 32. Therefore, according to the listening assistance device 1, the listener can use the left and right microphones 4 that are individually collected by the left and right microphones 4 arranged at substantially the same positions as the left and right ears of the listener. Therefore, it is possible to listen to the surrounding sound with very little discomfort.

  Moreover, according to this listening assistance apparatus 1, since each microphone 4 has the directivity which mainly collects the surrounding sound from the front of a listener's head 100, the listener who can hear with his / her ear Ambient sounds in the vicinity of can be heard directly with their own ears, while amplifying ambient sounds from remote positions that are difficult to hear.

  In addition, it is not limited to said structure. For example, in the above example, a configuration in which the support arm 33 is connected to the main body portion 42 of the pressing portion 32 and the ear hooking portion 31a of the band portion 31 is connected to the disc body 41 is not illustrated. Alternatively, a configuration in which the ear hooking portion 31 a is connected to the main body portion 42 of the pressing portion 32 and the support arm 33 is connected to the disc body 41 may be employed. When this configuration is adopted, depending on the mounting position of the band portion 31 on the head 100, the first support wall 51 constituting the main body portion 42 connected to the band portion 31, and further to the first support wall 51 The attached microphone 4 also rotates about the first axis L1. For this reason, although not shown in the drawing, the configuration in which the microphone 4 is attached to the first support wall 51 so as to be rotatable about another axis parallel to the first axis L1 is used to adjust the vertical direction of the microphone 4 It can also be configured to be able to.

  Further, in the above-described listening assistance device 1, each pressing portion 32 is configured to be able to rotate the support arm 33 around the first axis L <b> 1, but position adjustment with respect to the ear hole 101 of each speaker 2 is unnecessary. In this case, each pressing portion 32 can be configured such that the support arm 33 cannot be turned around the first axis L1.

  Further, in the above-described listening assistance device 1, a configuration is adopted in which a microphone 4 is attached to each pressing portion 32 so that ambient sounds can be heard in stereo. However, the microphone 4 is only provided to one of the pressing portions 32. It is also possible to employ a configuration in which the ambient sound collected by this single microphone 4 is output from the left and right speakers 2 (a configuration in which the ambient sound is monaurally listened). Further, it is possible to employ a configuration in which sounds collected by the two microphones 4 are mixed and output from the left and right speakers 2 (another configuration for listening to ambient sounds in monaural).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the edge on the front side of the head 100 in the housing 4 a of the microphone 4 has a lip away from the pressing portion 32 with respect to the lip near the pressing portion 32. A state of being retracted rearward (for example, in the right microphone 4 in the figure, the lip (right lip) away from the pressing portion 32 with respect to the lip (left lip) near the pressing portion 32). The structure formed in the back side (upward side) of the head 100 can also be employed. In this example, as shown in the figure, as an example, the front (opening side) end of the casing 4a of the microphone 4 attached to each pressing portion 32 is cut obliquely along the planes PL1 and PL2. Thus, the lip away from the pressing portion 32 with respect to the lip near the pressing portion 32 is formed in a state of being retracted to the rear side of the head 100.

  In the microphone 4 having this configuration, the opening portion of the housing 4a is compared with the configuration shown in FIGS. 3 and 9 in which the opening portion of the housing 4a is cut by a plane orthogonal to the axis of the housing 4a. Since the structure is further opened to the side of the head 100 to which the headset HS is attached, the directivity for the ambient sound from the front of the listener's head 100 is ensured while the head 100 is viewed from the side. It is possible to make it easier to hear ambient sounds.

1 Listening aid
2 Speaker
3 wearing part
4 Microphone
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Controller 5b Amplification part 11 Enclosure 12 Speaker unit 15 Sound reflection material 16 1st sound absorption material 16a Circular hole 17 2nd sound absorption material 17a Circular hole 31 Band part 32 Pushing part 33 Support arm 41 Disc body 41a 1st through-hole 41c 1st 1 engagement portion 42 body portion 43 mounting pin 44 retaining ring 45 spring member 51 first support wall 51a second through hole 51c second engagement portion 52 second support wall 52b circular recess 100 head portion 101 ear hole L1 first axis

Claims (9)

A speaker is mounted on the listener's head and the speaker is placed at a predetermined position spaced from the listener's ear hole to the side of the head. Ambient sounds are collected and output as an acoustic signal. A microphone, and an amplification unit that amplifies the acoustic signal and supplies the amplified acoustic signal to the speaker;
The mounting portion includes an elastic arch-shaped band portion and an elastic force of the band portion when the band portion is attached to the head portion. A pair of pressing portions pressed against the temporal region, and a support arm that is connected to the pressing portion at one end and the speaker is connected to the other end to support the speaker in the predetermined position;
The microphone is a listening assistance device attached to at least one of the pair of pressing portions.   The listening support device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing portion is configured to be capable of rotating the support arm about a first axis perpendicular to a contact surface of the pressing portion with the temporal region. .   The speaker includes a speaker unit and an enclosure in which the speaker unit is attached to the front surface and the back side is formed in a semi-cup shape and is connected to the other end of the support arm. A sound absorbing material is laminated in this order from the back side of the enclosure toward the speaker unit, and a hole is formed in the center of the sound absorbing material to expose the surface of the sound reflecting material to the speaker unit side. The listening assistance device according to claim 1 or 2.   The sound absorbing material is formed by laminating a first sound absorbing material and a second sound absorbing material that absorbs sound on a lower frequency side than the first sound absorbing material from the back side of the enclosure toward the speaker unit. The listening assistance device according to claim 3, which is configured as described above. The pressing portion is
A flat disk body in which a first through hole is formed at the center and a first meshing portion is formed on the upper surface;
A second through hole is formed opposite to the upper surface of the disc body and has a second through-hole formed at the center thereof, and can be engaged with the first engagement portion on a surface facing the upper surface of the disc body. A disk-shaped first support wall formed with a meshing portion is disposed to face the bottom surface of the disk body, and a circular recess is formed at the center of the surface of the disk body facing the bottom surface. A main body having a disk-shaped second support wall and a peripheral wall connecting the peripheral portions of the respective support walls leaving a part thereof;
A pin body that passes through the first through hole and the second through hole, and has one end inserted into the circular recess and the other end protruding from the first support wall. A mounting pin having a pin head formed at the other end of the pin body;
A retaining ring that is attached to a portion located between the disk body and the second support wall on the outer peripheral surface of the pin body, and prevents the mounting pin from being pulled out;
The retaining pin is disposed between the second support wall and the retaining ring, and the retaining ring is attached to the second supporting wall and the retaining ring. A spring member that constantly urges toward the first support wall together with the disk body in contact with the disk body;
The tip of the band part is connected to either the main body part or the disc body in the pressing part,
The listening assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the one end of the support arm is connected to one of the main body and the disc body in the pressing portion.   The listening assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the speaker is coupled to the other end of the support arm so as to be rotatable about a second axis along the length direction of the support arm. . The microphone is attached to each of the pair of pressing portions,
The listening assistance according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the amplifying unit amplifies the acoustic signal output from each microphone and supplies the amplified acoustic signal to the speaker attached to the same pressing unit as the microphone. apparatus.   The listening assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the microphone has directivity for mainly collecting the ambient sound from the front of the listener's head.   The microphone is disposed on an inner surface of a casing formed in a cylindrical shape with an opening at an end located on the front side of the head, and an end located on the rear side of the head in the casing. A microphone main body that converts the input ambient sound into the acoustic signal, and the front end of the housing has a lip away from the pressing portion with respect to a lip closer to the pressing portion. The listening assistance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the listening assistance apparatus is formed in a state of being retracted to a rear side of the head.

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