WO2008077981A1 - Multifunction headphones - Google Patents

Abstract

Specially designed to enable the user to listen simultaneously to the audio signal coming from a reproduction device (2), and to ambient sound, the headphones are formed from standard speakers (1-1') associated with a control circuit (5) which includes an audio signals mixer (6), the input of which is associated with the audio line (3) coming from the reproduction equipment (2) and at least one microphone suitably placed to capture the ambient sound, including the corresponding amplification stage (8), in such a way that both signals are simultaneously reproduced through said speakers (1-1'). The control circuit is programmed to auto-level the audio signals, and has activation/disablement means (11-12) for the same. The improvements consist in providing the headphones with an internal supply source (16) which converts the device into an autonomous element, which can be used independently of the reproduction equipment (2-2'), for example as an audiphone. Another improvement consists in integrating in the control circuit (5) a wireless communications module (17), which can replace the cable of connection (3) to the reproduction equipment (2) or form an additional element, which extends the connection options for the device, although in this case the headphones have been designed to simultaneously receive several audio signals from different devices (2-2') which may be activated or disabled by means of the respective connection switches (11-11').

Description

 MULTIFUNCTION HEADPHONES

D E S C R I P C I Ó N

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to headphones, intended to allow the listening of audio signals from audio signal reproduction equipment such as computers, radios, mp3's, "walkman". and the like

The object of the invention is to provide headphones that allow its user to listen in parallel to both the audio signal from the player equipment in question, as well as the surrounding ambient sound where the user is located.

It is also the object of the invention that the device allows to regulate the input volume of both signals at will, to the point of momentarily inhibiting any of the two.

The invention is of special application in the field of video calls or video conferences, however, different devices can be applied as mentioned above.

The improvements of the invention are intended for the device to amplify the audio signals corresponding to the ambient sound without relying on the audio player device to which it is normally connected.

REPLACEMENT SHEET (Rogta 26) It is also the object of the improvements to provide the headphones with a wireless communication system with the aforementioned audio player, in order to provide a more comfortable device for carrying, avoiding the inconvenience of cable dependence, or in its case, allowing to control the audio input of a wireless device and a device to which it is connected through the corresponding cable, simultaneously.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is common to use headphones when listening to the radio, music, etc. through both fixed and portable players, such as CD players, MP3 players. radios, mini-discs, computers, music channels, etc.

The problem with these types of devices is that they have a configuration that isolates the user's ear from the external sound, a property that may not be desirable in many cases, such as in the case of meetings in which multiple people participate, and in which some of them use headphones to make video conferences, listen to translations of a participant, etc. what forces to be continuously taking off and putting on the mentioned headphones, so that when the user has them on, he is not able to follow the conversations that are being kept around him.

On the other hand, and in the field of listening to acoustic signals from portable reproductive devices, the said isolation of the user against the sounds of their environment can sometimes be dangerous, since the latter does not warn of any alarm or nature warning

HCJΛ DΞ REPLACEMENT (Rule £ Vj sound

Trying to obviate this problem, in certain types of headphones in which the left earphone is physically independent of the right earphone, it is possible that its user adapts only one of the two earphones to be able to be attentive to the surrounding ambient sound, but this solution prevents it from listening to the audio signal of the player in stereo, significantly reducing the quality of it, so it is an unsatisfactory solution.

In the P20G603276 Invention Patent, headphones specially designed to allow its user to simultaneously listen to the audio signal from a reproductive device, as well as the surrounding ambient sound, are described, so that the headphones are constituted from the classics speakers, associated with a control circuit in which an audio signal mixer is established, a mixer whose input is associated with the audio line coming from the playback equipment and at least one microphone conveniently arranged to capture the ambient sound, including the corresponding one amplification stage, so that both signals are simultaneously reproduced through the said speakers.

Said control circuit is programmed to self-level the audio signals, although its user through the corresponding cut-off switches can manually enable / disable one or the other signal.

The problem with this device is that it depends electrically on the reproductive device in question, so that it cannot be used independently, such as by way of

REPLACEMENT SHEET (Rule 20) 'of hearing aid, to amplify the audio signals of the environment.

Similarly, the headphones are related to the player device. that is treated through a cable, which can sometimes be annoying, limiting user movements.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

10

The headphones proposed by the invention fully and satisfactorily solve the above-mentioned problem, allowing simultaneous listening of an audio signal from a player parallel to the audio signal corresponding to the environment of

15 the surroundings of the device.

To do this, and more specifically, it is planned that, starting from the classical structuring of conventional headphones, whatever type they are, the speaker or speakers are associated with an electronic circuit, equipped with a signal mixer, a circuit which accesses on the one hand the sound signal from the reproductive system in question through the corresponding line, and on the other the signal from at least one microphone

'intended to receive the sounds that are emitted in the vicinity of the device.

25

According to another of the characteristics of the invention, said control circuit will have means for regulating the volume as well as activating / deactivating each of the signals.

^' íθ Likewise, the control circuit will be programmed to perform the

REPLACEMENT SHEET (Rule 20) auto-leveling the volume of the headphones, so that circuit is responsible for eliminating external sounds that do not exceed a preset decibel value as an activation level of the external signal and auto leveling, also regulating the level of the volume of the signal audio from the 5 reproductive device, gradually restoring the original level at the end of the external audio signal from the microphone.

Finally, it should be noted that the microphone or microphones can be integrated into the housing in which each speaker is integrated, or independently and in a way, so that said microphone can be used for use in video conferences, video calls and similar, so that the control circuit incorporates an input line for transmission of the signal to the equipment in question. 5 In this way, a device is achieved that allows the joint sound of an audio player to be heard together, as well as the exterior, comfortable, simple to use and fully automatic.

The improvements' that the invention proposes solve in a fully satisfactory way Q the above-mentioned problem, being able to constitute a physical and energy independent element of the reproductive device in question, so that it can be used exclusively as a hearing aid, or be associated with more of a reproductive device, through wireless and / or wired connections, whose signals may also be enabled / disabled manually through the corresponding cut-off switches.

For this purpose, it is provided that, based on the basic structure described in the invention patent P200603276. The control circuit incorporates an internal power supply that allows the headphones to operate

REPLACEMENT SHEET (Rule 26) regardless of the reproductive device, so that, as previously noted, the headphones can be used simply to amplify the audio signals corresponding to the ambient sound that surrounds the user, as a hearing aid.

In accordance with another of the improvements envisaged for the invention, it is provided that said control circuit incorporates a wireless data transmission module, either by radio frequencies or by infrared, replacing the connection cable between the headphones and the device player, although the headphones could have both options, in order to be compatible with a greater number of devices as well as to allow simultaneous audio signal transfer with two or more devices.

In this way, the control or mixer circuit could combine more than two audio signals. including the corresponding cutting switches. so that, for example, it could be used simultaneously to listen to an audio signal coming from a conventional player, connected to the headphones, for example through the cable, the ambient sound through the microphone associated with the headphones, and the signal coming from a third reproductive device, such as a wireless element provided with a microphone, such as those used for installation in rooms where babies are housed, in order to allow listening to what is happening in said cabin.

As is evident, the functions provided in the patent P200603276- between the headphones and the player can also be performed through the wireless communications module, such as for example the recording of the audio signal captured by the microphone associated with said headphones, or its Reception for the use of the device in devices that allow video calls. as well as any other application.

REPLACEMENT SHEET (Rule 26) - In this way an enormously versatile device is achieved, which allows mixing and regulating multiple audio signals. It can also constitute a physically independent and autonomous element _.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the features of the invention. In accordance with a preferred example of practical realization thereof, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description, where, as an illustration and not limitation, the following has been represented:

Figure L- Shows a schematic representation of the different components involved in multi-function headphones made in accordance with the object of the invention.

Figure 2.- Shows a perspective view of a possible practical embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of two different practical embodiments of the invention, in which the device is embodied in a single headset.

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to an example of practical realization of the same, a single sheet of plans is attached as an integral part of said description. that with an illustrative and non-limiting nature and in its only figure, it has been represented as

REPLACEMENT SHEET (Rule 26) schematic form a block diagram of the headphones in which the different improvements object of the invention can be observed

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In view of the figures outlined and especially of Figure 1, it can be seen how a pair of speakers (1-1 ') participate in the headphones of the invention, as is conventional. which are integrated into the housing of the corresponding headset, speakers associated with an audio player equipment (2), through an audio cable or line (3) with the complementary connector (4).

Well, from the conventional structuring described above, the invention focuses its characteristics on the fact that a conτrol circuit (5) is established between the speakers (1-1 ^" ) and the audio line (3) in the that an audio signal mixer (6) is integrated.

To the mentioned mixer the signals of the audio line (3) of the player (2) converge. as well as the signal from at least one microphone (7) after amplification (8) of the signal.

Thus, the circuit at the output (9) mixes both signals according to the internal programming parameters, so that the user would listen to both signals if he did not have headphones and was listening to said audio signal through one or more speakers conventional.

In addition, and as stated previously, the control circuit (4) will be programmed to automatically perform the auto-leveling of the signals, incorporating internal filters that eliminate what

REPLACEMENT SHEET (Rule 26) could be considered as ambient noise, consisting of sounds below a pre-established minimum level,

The control circuit also has means for regulating (10) the volume of the audio signal coming from the playback equipment, as well as cut-off switches (11) and (12) for disabling one or the other incoming signal to the mixer (6 ) as deemed convenient.

The microphone (7) can be integrated into the housing (7-7 ') of the headset, as shown in the embodiments shown in Figure 3, or be established in any other area of the headphones, such as neck height of the user, as shown in Figure 2, said microphone being able to be used to capture the user's voice signal, in which case the control circuit (5) will have an input line (14) with its corresponding connector ( 15) for signal processing in the equipment (2) in question.

In view of the above-mentioned figure, it can be seen how the improvements that are proposed are based on the basic structuring of the P200603276 patent in which they participate, a pair of speakers (1-T). which are integrated in the housing of the corresponding headset, associated with a control circuit (5), equipped with volume level control knobs (10). circuit in which an audio signal mixer (or) is integrated, one of which comes from a microphone (7) associated with an amplifier (8) and the corresponding cut-off switch (12).

Well, from the previous structuring described above, one of the improvements consists in the incorporation of a power supply (16) associated to the control circuit (5). such as a battery, battery or similar, in order to give the device an autonomous character, independent of the player or

REPLACEMENT SHEET (Reala 9K \ players ^(2-2:) that can be associated.

As previously mentioned, and according to another improvement of the invention, the control circuit may incorporate a wireless data transmission module (17), for communication with a reproductive device (2 ^' ) - of simi! ares ^~ features. module (17) associated with a volume regulator (10 ') and a cut-off switch (1 1'). so that this special structuring can replace the volume regulator (10) and the cut-off switch (11) that were associated with the cable (3) connecting to the player (2). or the headphones can incorporate both elements, in order to extend the possibilities of connecting the device to different equipment, as well as allow simultaneous listening of signals from different devices (2-2 ') as well as the microphone (7) . As already noted, it can be used for multiple applications.

Said wireless communication module (17) will also be associated with the microphone input signal (7), via a connection l4 '), in order that it can be sent wirelessly to the device (2') for processing

REPLACEMENT SHEET (Rule 26)

Claims

 R E I V I N D I C A C I O N E S Headphones .- I ^to multiñinción which being of the type incorporating at least one loudspeaker (1-1 ') associated with an audio signal output from , a player (2) via the computer corresponding audio line ( 3). It is characterized in that it includes a control circuit (5) in which a mixer (6) of audio signals is established. mixer (6) whose input is associated with the aforementioned audio line (3) from the playback equipment (2) and at least one microphone (7) conveniently arranged to capture the ambient sound, with its corresponding amplification stage (8), Audio mixer (6) at whose output the said speaker or speakers (1-T) players of both signals are established. 2 .- Headphones multifunction. according ^to claim I, wherein the control circuit (5) has cutout switches (11-12) for disabling the signal coming from the microphone (7) and the team player (2). a volume regulator (10), as well as a software for programming the auto-leveling of the volume of both signals. 3 .- muitifimción Headphones according to previous claims, characterized in that the control circuit (5) has a line (14) connecting the auxiliary audio signal amplified microphone (7) with the player (2) equipment. 4s.- Improvements introduced in the invention patent P200603276, consisting of multi-function headphones. in which at least one speaker (1-1 ') participates. which is integrated into the housing of the corresponding headset, associated with a control circuit (5), equipped with volume level control knobs (10). circuit in which an audio signal mixer (6) is integrated. one of which comes from a microphone (7) associated with an amplifier REPLACEMENT SHEET (Regia 26) (8) ^and] corresponding cutoff switch (12), characterized in that the control circuit (5) incorporates a separate power supply (16), such as a battery, battery or the like. 5, - Improvements to patent of invention P200603276, according -reivindicación Ia, characterized in that the control circuit (5) further incorporates or replacing the connection cable (3) of the headset to an audio equipment ( 2). a wireless communications module (17) for receiving audio signals from equipment (T) compatible with this technology. 6 ^« .- Improvements introduced in the invention patent P2Ü0603276, according to previous indications, characterized in that in the case that the headphones incorporate both the connection cable (3) and the wireless communications module (17) associated with the mixer ( 6), each of these elements will have its corresponding cut-off switch (1 1-11 ^' ). ₇ s. - Improvements introduced in the invention patent P200603276. according to previous claims, characterized in that the audio signal from the microphone (7) is transmitted through the communications module (17) via a connection (14 ^" ). REPLACEMENT SHEET (Rule 26)