JP2002058083A - Communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wearing type communication device which uses a bone conduction actuator. SOLUTION: A communication device using a bone conduction actuator as a voice outputting means is worn at operator's wrist, palm, or back of the hand. The operator's palm is pressed against the ear, or the ear concha is covered with the palm for voice reception.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication device such as a telephone or a radio communication device, and more particularly to a wearable communication device such as a wearable portable telephone.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Most conventional communication devices use a handset by hand. For this reason, there is a problem that the handset is dropped and damaged, and when the handset is carried around in a pocket or the like, an abnormal force is applied to the device depending on the action of the user, and the handset may be damaged. There is a problem to do.

In particular, when a mobile phone or the like is carried around in a bag or the like, it is necessary to take it out of the bag every time a transmission / reception operation is performed. In addition, the problem of misplacement of the portable communication device is inevitable. In recent years, accidents caused by the use of mobile phones while driving have also frequently occurred.

[0004] As described above, there are various problems with the communication device that is used by holding it by hand. As a countermeasure, there has been proposed an earphone microphone for hands-free transmission / reception by attaching to a communication device to be used by holding it with a hand, and a communication device worn by a user for use.

[0005] However, the earphone microphone has a problem that the appearance in which the operator is talking is misunderstood as listening to music or the radio. I feel like I'm talking and I'm having trouble.

On the other hand, a vibration transmission device called a bone conduction actuator for directly transmitting a voice signal to a living tissue has been put into practical use, and it is difficult to hear a sound due to air propagation in a noise or an eardrum. It is used for hearing aids for severe hearing impaired persons with impairment. This is to transmit vibration to a bone exhibiting characteristics relatively similar to an elastic body in a living body.

[0007] As a device to which this is applied, an operator's finger,
The bone conduction actuator is placed on the back of the hand or on the wrist, and the operator inserts a finger into the ear canal, presses the finger near the ear canal, or places the finger in the ear so that the fingertip or nail closes the ear canal. There has been proposed a wearable communication device that performs transmission and reception in a state where the communication device is pressed against the communication device. However, this device has a problem that some operators may feel uncomfortable with the act of inserting a finger into the ear canal.

In particular, in the case of a configuration in which a bone conduction actuator is arranged on the wrist, the transmission path is relatively long from the wrist to the fingertip. Because it is covered with highly viscous tissue, in order to perform effective transmission / reception communication, it is necessary to transmit the vibration efficiently even to the body part where the viscoelasticity is not uniform as described above. There is a problem that a devised vibration actuator is required.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the technical problem of the present invention is to make it possible to efficiently transmit vibration to an object having a non-uniform viscoelasticity, specifically, a living body. Without using a specially designed vibration actuator,
An object of the present invention is to provide a wearable communication device using a general bone conduction actuator.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has been made as a result of studying a method of mounting a bone conduction actuator and an arrangement thereof.

That is, the present invention relates to a communication device capable of receiving voice while pressing the palm of the operator against the ear or covering the ear canal with the palm. A communication device having a bone conduction actuator to be mounted on a wrist, palm, or back of a person.

[0012]

According to the present invention, since a wearable communication device can be obtained, the problem of the conventional communication device which is held and operated by hand can be solved. In addition, since it is not necessary to use an earphone microphone, it is possible to avoid the above-mentioned trouble that may occur by using an earphone microphone. Further, since the operator can use the finger without inserting the finger into the ear canal, discomfort given to the operator can be reduced.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings by taking specific examples.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the present invention. The communication device shown in FIG.
The communication terminal device 11 and the bone conduction actuator 12 are fixed to the wrist of the operator by a band, the communication terminal device 11 is disposed on the back of the hand, and the bone conduction actuator 12 is disposed on the palm side. You.

The communication terminal device 11 and the bone conduction actuator 12 are connected by wire or wirelessly. At least a voice output signal is transmitted from the communication terminal device 11 to the bone conduction actuator 12, and the voice output signal is transmitted by the bone conduction actuator 12. Vibration is transmitted to the biological contact surface.

The output signal may be one or a combination of a buzzer signal, a melody signal, and a vibration signal used for incoming call and the like, in addition to the voice output signal. If a device capable of applying not only a vibration output in a voice frequency band but also a proper vibration of 300 Hz or less is used, the bone conduction actuator 12
Can be used as a vibration calling device by not only outputting voice signals as vibrations but also outputting vibrations that can be sensed by human touch.

In the case where the bone conduction actuator is specially designed to efficiently transmit vibrations to the bones and tendons of the wrist, the vibrations propagate to the fingertips using the bones and tendons as a medium. In the case of other general bone conduction actuators, the vibration spreads to the entire hand mainly using the whole subcutaneous tissue as a medium. In general, subcutaneous tissue is more viscous than tissues such as bones and tendons, and the vibration is diffused in all directions. Therefore, in order to perform a good transmission / reception operation, the vibration of the palm should be transmitted to the head as much as possible. There is a need.

[0018] In transmitting and receiving operations, when the operator presses the palm against the ear, the palm and the head come into contact with a larger area, and a larger vibration is transmitted to the head. Can be directly sensed by the operator, and a good transmission / reception operation can be performed.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a state in which the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is actually used. In FIG. 2, the operator covers the ear hole 21 with his / her hand 22 and wears the communication device 23 shown in the above embodiment on the wrist. Communication device 23
Has a bone conduction actuator as described above, and applies sound as vibration to a contact surface with a living body. The vibration applied to the living body spreads through the subcutaneous tissue as a medium.

As shown in FIG. 2, when a space is formed between the hand and the ear so that the ear hole 21 is covered with the hand 22, the vibration radiated from the subcutaneous tissue of the hand resonates in the space, and passes through the air. To the eardrum of the operator. At this time, the operator can adjust the size of the space and the gap by adjusting the shape of the hand and the arrangement of the fingers, and by changing the characteristics of the resonance, the sound quality suitable for the transmission and reception of the operator can be obtained. Can be adjusted.

Further, the communication device 23 can efficiently transmit vibration not only to the subcutaneous tissue but also to a relatively viscous tissue, such as a tendon or a bone, which is wrapped in the subcutaneous tissue. 2, when a receiving operation is performed in a state where the ear hole 21 is covered with the hand 22 as shown in FIG. 2, as described above, the sound output is caused by the vibration radiated from the subcutaneous tissue of the hand resonating in space. In addition to the air being transmitted to the eardrum of the operator via air, the vibration is directly transmitted to the head from the part where the hand and head are in contact, such as the fingertips and the lower part of the palm, so the sound is transmitted from the eardrum , And at the same time, by the vibration of the skull, it is possible to perform a more reliable and favorable transmission / reception operation. Also in this case, the operator can adjust the shape of the hand and the arrangement of the fingers, so that the sound quality can be adjusted to be suitable for transmission and reception.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, a wearable communication device using a bone vibration actuator can be provided. As a result, there are problems with conventional communication devices that are held and operated with hands, such as damage due to the handset or body falling, and excessive force due to acts such as sitting in a chair with the back pocket of pants. It is possible to prevent damage due to addition and loss due to misplacement.

Further, when the handset or the main body is carried in a bag or the like, the trouble of removing the handset from the bag can be saved, and a traffic accident caused by the reception operation of the communication device can be reduced.

The appearance of the receiving method, in which the palm is pressed against the ear or the ear canal is covered with the palm of the hand, is compared with the appearance of the hands-free listening method using an earphone microphone or the like. Is easy to understand, and troubles caused by a misunderstanding that a nearby person is talking to oneself can be avoided.

A communication device that performs a receiving operation by inserting a fingertip into an ear canal may cause some users to feel uncomfortable. However, the palm may be pressed against the ear or the ear canal may be opened with the palm of the hand. The act of covering, compared to the act of inserting a fingertip into the ear canal, has less resistance to the operator and can reduce discomfort, so it is possible to reduce the fatigue of the operator even during long continuous transmission and reception operations. it can.

A communication device that performs a receiving operation by inserting a fingertip into an ear canal needs to efficiently transmit vibrations to bones and tendons. However, when a bone conduction actuator is arranged on the wrist, the wrist is connected to the bone. And the subcutaneous tissue surrounding the tendon is thicker than the fingers, so a special bone conduction actuator with increased contact pressure is needed to efficiently transmit vibration to the bones and tendons under the thick subcutaneous tissue. Will be needed.

However, the communication device provided by the present invention can efficiently utilize the vibration that spreads over the subcutaneous tissue for transmitting and receiving. Therefore, the communication device for efficiently transmitting the vibration to the bones and tendons under the thick subcutaneous tissue can be used. No special bone conduction actuator is required, and a general bone conduction actuator can be used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a usage example of the communication device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Communication Terminal Device 12 Bone Conduction Actuator 21 Ear Hole 22 Hand 23 Communication Device

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A communication device capable of receiving voice while pressing an operator's palm against an ear or covering an ear canal with a palm, wherein the voice output means includes an operator's wrist, A communication device comprising a bone conduction actuator mounted on a palm or the back of a hand.