Headphone

A headphone includes a headphone assembly which includes a head band, two joining structures and two in-ear components pivoted to two ends of the head band by the joining structures, and a sensor module which is disposed in the headphone assembly and includes an upper part, a lower part and a press sensor disposed between the upper part and the lower part and having a sensing face. The upper part and the lower part are designated with inner structures of the head band or the in-ear components. The press sensor detects states of the headphone by judging whether the sensing face is pressed by the upper or lower part by virtue of elastic deformation or movement of the upper part and the lower part at the head band and the joining structure while wearing and removing the headphone. The headphone uses signals from the press sensor to control actions thereof.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is based on, and claims priority form, Taiwan Patent Application No. 103200631, filed Jan. 10, 2014, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a headphone, and more particularly to a headphone capable of proving intelligent services.

2. The Related Art

For users who are demanding at music quality, headphones are an optical choice to listen to music, because of good sound field and sound insulation effects thereof. However, the headphone needs to be temporarily removed when the user is affected by surrounding environment in the process of listening to music, while the music still keeps running in the meantime. As a result, the music played up situation has changed and the feeling of user for music is inevitably influenced after the headphone is worn by the user again.

Therefore, some users will take off the headphones after pausing the music. So although the music is still interrupted, but after the headphone is worn again, the user can also recall the anterior period of the feeling of the music and keep up with the mood before pausing the music, and then continue to enjoy the music down the mood. However, the user has not always remembered to pause the music before every time removing the headphone. As a result, the feeling of user for music will be still influenced after the headphone is worn by the user again if the user forgets pausing the music.

With the development of electronic technology, electronic products having intelligent services are more and more popular, such as smart phones and smart appliances. They can automatically provide convenient services for the users depending on the demands of the users. In view of this, for solving the foregoing problems, an improved headphone capable of providing intelligent services is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a headphone capable of providing intelligent services. The headphone includes a headphone assembly and a sensor module disposed in the headphone assembly and coupled with the headphone assembly. The headphone assembly includes a head band, a pair of in-ear components and a pair of joining structures. The in-ear components are pivoted to two distal ends of the head band by the joining structures respectively. The sensor module includes an upper part, a lower part disposed apart opposite the upper part and a press sensor disposed between the upper part and the lower part. The press sensor has a sensing face. The upper part and the lower part are designated with inner structures of the head band or the in-ear components of the headphone assembly. The press sensor detects using states of the headphone by judging whether the sensing face thereof is pressed by the upper part or the lower part by virtue of elastic deformation or movement of the upper part and the lower part at the head band and the joining structure of the headphone assembly while wearing and taking off the headphone. Then the headphone uses signals from the press sensor to control actions thereof.

As described above, the headphone of the present invention utilizes the sensor module to detect whether the headphone is worn by the user, and then controls the actions of the headphone, such as music pause/start or power on/off. So the headphone of the present invention could provide the intelligent services for the users.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring toFIG. 1, a headphone100according to the present invention is shown and can provide intelligent services for users. The principle of the headphone100providing the intelligent services is by sensing structure changes of the headphone100to detect whether the headphone100is used. In detail, the headphone100has an elastic expansion for conforming to the head of the user during it is worn by the user. So elastic deformation will occur at a head band1and a joining structure3of the headphone100while wear and take off the headphone100. The headphone100of the present invention detects using states thereof by sensing the foregoing elastic deformation, and then automatically switches the headphone100according to the using states.

Referring toFIG. 1andFIG. 2, the headphone100includes a headphone assembly and a sensor module which is disposed in the headphone assembly and coupled with the headphone assembly, wherein the sensor module is used to sense the foregoing elastic deformation of the headphone100. The headphone assembly includes a head band1, a pair of in-ear components2and a pair of joining structures3, wherein the in-ear components2are pivoted to two distal ends of the head band1by the joining structures3respectively.

The sensor module includes an upper part (not labeled), a lower part (not labeled) disposed apart opposite the upper part, and a press sensor P disposed between the upper part and the lower part, wherein the upper part and the lower part can be designated with parts structure of the headphone assembly. The press sensor P has a sensing face T. For using the press sensor P to detect the using states of the headphone100, the sensing face T of the press sensor P apart faces the upper part or the lower part when the headphone100is not in use (namely the headphone100is not worn on the user's head). After the headphone100has the elastic expansion for being worn by the user, the upper part and the lower part stay close to each other to contact the sensing face T and press the press sensor P.

Referring toFIG. 3, it shows one embodiment of the headphone100, wherein the sensor module is located in the head band1. In this embodiment, the headphone100uses the elasticity of the head band1to produce the desired displacement of the upper part and the lower part of the sensor module so as to contact the sensing face T and press the press sensor P. The head band1is substantially of U shape, and has a flexible headband10acted as the upper part of the sensor module, and a headband cushion11acted as the lower part of the sensor module. The flexible headband10is located above the headband cushion11, and there is an interval12between the flexible headband10and the headband cushion11. The press sensor P is disposed on the inner side of the flexible headband10in the interval12, and the sensing face T thereof faces the headband cushion11. The inner side of the headband cushion11is equipped with a contact part13located in the interval12and facing the press sensor P. When the headphone100is not worn by the user, a distance is between the contact part13and the sensing face T of the headband cushion11. The headband cushion11is made from soft material such as rubber, and the contact part13is but not limited to a domed embossment or a plane structure.

In other embodiments, the press sensor P is also able to be disposed on the inner side of the headband cushion11in the interval12, and the contact part13is correspondingly disposed on the inner side of the flexible headband10and faces the sensing face T of the sensor module P.

It is known that if two different lengths of strip-shaped parts want to be connected end-to-end, the longer part will be bent to realize the same distance between the two distal ends thereof as between the two distal ends of the shorter part. After the two parts are connected together, an interval appears between the two parts and the size of the interval could be changed by regulating bending of the two parts. Therefore, the headphone100could use the elasticity of the head band1to change the size of the interval12between the flexible headband10and the headband cushion11so as to touch or disconnect from the sensing face T of the press sensor P.

After the flexible headband10is elastically expanded, the headband cushion11is stretched by traction force of the two distal ends of the flexible headband10so as to make the contact part13touch the sensing face T, so that a contact signal is gotten. Or after the headphone100is worn by the user, the headband cushion11abuts against the user's head and the contact part13is directly pressed to touch the sensing face T so as to get the contact signal.

Referring toFIGS. 4-7, they show another embodiment of the headphone100, wherein the sensor module is located in the joining structure3. The joining structure3is pivoted between the head band1and the in-ear component2to achieve a relative movement between the in-ear component2and the head band1. In this embodiment, the headphone100uses the relative movement at the joining structure3to touch the sensing face T so as to get the contact signal from the press sensor P. A cover assembly at the connection of the head band1and the in-ear component2includes a front cover4and a rear cover5which are acted as the upper part and the lower part of the sensor module respectively. The front cover4and the rear cover5are coupled with each other and are pivoted together by the joining structure3, and the relative movement is realized between the front cover4and the rear cover5. The front cover4and the rear cover5have two face-to-face faces thereof designated as a first face40and a third face50respectively, and two opposite faces thereof designated as a second face41and a fourth face51respectively.

The front cover4has a rectangular positioning portion42located in the middle thereof and protruded beyond the first face40. The joining structure3includes a press plate30and a joint substrate31. The press plate30has a rotor301, at least one cantilever302extending from an outside of the rotor301along a direction perpendicular to the movement axis of the rotor301, and a wing plate303extending from a distal end of the cantilever302. A pair of guide holes304is apart opened in the wing plate303.

The joint substrate31is assembled in the positioning portion42of the front cover4through the second face41. The joint substrate31and the front cover4together define a receiving chamber421penetrating through the middles of the joint substrate31and the positioning portion42. At least one side of the receiving chamber421is further spread outward along a direction perpendicular to the movement axis of the rotor301to form a receiving groove422corresponding to the cantilever302of the press plate30. The receiving groove422is opened in the top of the joint substrate31and penetrates upward through the first face40and sideward through two sides of the joint substrate31and the positioning portion42along the extending direction thereof.

The rear cover5defines a through hole52opened in a middle thereof through the third face50and the fourth face51and corresponding to the positioning portion42of the front cover4. A pair of receiving fillisters53is opened at two sides of the through hole52through the fourth face51and corresponds to the wing plates303of the press plate30, and a pair of guide pillars54is protruded on an inner sidewall of each receiving fillister53and corresponds to the guide holes304of the wing plate303.

The press plate30is assembled in the through hole52of the rear cover5via the fourth face51. The wing plate303is located in the receiving fillister53and the guide pillars54are inserted in the guide holes304. The rear cover5is covered with the front cover4with the first face40being against the third face50. The positioning portion42stretches in the through hole52to receive the rotor301of the press plate30in the receiving chamber421and locate the cantilever302in the receiving groove422. Particularly, between the cantilever302and the receiving groove422and between the wing plate303and the receiving fillister53a space must be retained for the press plate30activity. The rotor301of the press plate30is locked to the joint substrate31and the wing plate303is restricted by the receiving fillister53, so as to cover the front cover4onto the rear cover5. An elastic part S is disposed between the front cover4and the rear cover5for regulating relative angle and providing recoil stress between the front cover4and the rear cover5. The elastic part S can be a spring, a gum-elastic, an elastic slice or other similar elements having elasticity along the movement axis of the front cover4with respect to the rear cover5.

The cooperation of the rotor301of the press plate30and the receiving chamber421of the joint substrate31is for realizing the steady relative movement of the front cover4and the rear cover5. The joint substrate31can be of spheroidal shape, of hemispheroidal shape, or other shapes capable of realizing the pivotal movement between the front cover4and the rear cover5. In other embodiments, the joint substrate31and the positioning portion42of the front cover4can be molded in one.

The press sensor P is disposed, but not limited to, on the front cover4, as long as the sensing face T stretches between the front cover4and the rear cover5and faces the press plate30.

According to the foregoing embodiment, it is known that the contact signal from the press sensor P is gotten by the relative movement of the front cover4and the rear cover5at the joining structure3.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, the contact signals are sent to a transmitter-receiver device (not shown) by a control device (not shown) so as to control actions of the headphone100, such as music pause/start or power on/off.

Referring toFIG. 8, it shows the headphone100of the present invention is applied to a wireless headphone. In this embodiment, the headphone100further includes a wireless transmitter-receiver device6for wirelessly receiving and transmitting the signals from the press sensor P. The wireless transmitter-receiver device6includes a control module60, an antenna module61and a power module62. The control module60is coupled with the press sensor P, the antenna module61and the power module62, and utilizes power supply from the power module62and signals from the antenna module61to control the headphone assembly of the headphone100. The control module60further controls the actions of the headphone100, such as music pause/start or power on/off, after receiving the signals from the press sensor P. In this embodiment, the antenna module61is preferentially a Bluetooth antenna module.

In this invention, the press sensor P can be a piezoresistive press sensor, a ceramic press sensor, a diffused silicon press sensor, a sapphire press sensor or a sensor capable of producing digital signals through contact action.

In other embodiments, the press sensor P can also work to detect the using states of the headphone100as follows. When the headphone100is not in use (namely the headphone100is not worn on the user's head), the sensing face T of the press sensor P is pressed by the inner parts structure of the headphone assembly. After the headphone100has the elastic expansion for being worn by the user, the inner parts structure of the headphone assembly generates deformation or movement to make the sensing face T of the press sensor P apart from the inner parts structure of the headphone assembly.

As described above, the headphone100of the present invention utilizes the sensor module to detect whether the headphone100is worn by the user, and then controls the actions of the headphone100, such as music pause/start or power on/off. So the headphone100of the present invention could provide the intelligent services for the users.