(19)
(11) EP 2 690 888 A2

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(43) Date of publication:
29.01.2014 Bulletin 2014/05

(21) Application number: 13178014.0

(22) Date of filing: 25.07.2013
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC): 
H04R 5/02(2006.01)
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR
Designated Extension States:
BA ME

(30) Priority: 25.07.2012 JP 2012165155

(71) Applicant: Shima System Co., Ltd.
Ueda-shi, Nagano 386-1102 (JP)

(72) Inventor:
  • Shima, Yoshiharu
    Ueda-shi, Nagano 386-1102 (JP)

(74) Representative: Piésold, Alexander James 
Dehns St Bride's House 10 Salisbury Square
London EC4Y 8JD
London EC4Y 8JD (GB)

   


(54) Speaker unit built-in product


(57) A relatively small speaker unit incorporated into a normal size product is capable of outputting sound with extreme fidelity to the original sound. A speaker unit built-in product includes one or more speaker units S, and a baffle plate 2 made of a thin flexible soft rubber, wherein a frame of each of the one or more speaker units S is fixed directly to the baffle plate 2 so that the front side of each of the one or more speaker units faces in the same direction as the front surface side of the baffle plate 2, and the baffle plate 2 and the one or more speaker units S are both held in a state of being movable back and forth freely in the vibration direction of the diaphragm of each of the one or more speaker units S.




Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION



[0001] The present invention relates to a technique of speaker unit built-in products in which speaker units are built in.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART



[0002] As for a speaker built-in product, a pillow is known, in which speaker units are built in. Patent Document 1 discloses the structure of a speaker, where a speaker unit is disposed in a hole of a baffle plate. Here, a frame of the speaker unit engages flexibly to the baffle plate, so as to be capable of vibrating back and forth freely in the vibration direction of a cone (diaphragm), namely a front-rear direction, with a stroke of the vibration amplitude level of the cone, and that structure absorbs vibrations from the speaker unit to the baffle plate. Then, one or more speakers having such a structure can be incorporated into a pillow.

[0003] In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a speaker system in which a gel plate is used as a baffle plate and a speaker unit is attached so as to close a hole formed on the gel plate. According to the speaker system, it is possible for the gel plate to absorb irregular vibrations that cause dull sounds or distorted sounds.

[0004] Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a pillow speaker provided with: an intermediate supporter having an opening in the vicinity of its center; an resilient long plate positioned over the supporter across the opening, with the vicinity of its center being bendable downward for placing the user's head; a pair of speakers mounted on the lower surface of the long plate, apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the long plate, so as to face the opening of the intermediate supporter; an upper cushion superposed on the upper surface of the long plate; and a bag encasing these, wherein the speaker vibrates the long plate.

Prior Art Literature



[0005] PATENT DOCUMENT:
  1. 1. Japanese Patent No. 3796134 (paragraphs 0039, 0073-0092, FIGS. 1, 6, and 7
  2. 2. Japanese Patent No. 3828876 (paragraphs 0007, 0008, FIG. 1)
  3. 3. Japanese Patent No. 4104930 (claim 1, FIG. 1)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION


Problems to be solved by the Invention



[0006] If a speaker unit built-in product is attempted to be produced, such as a cushion, a bag, and a box in each of which one or more speaker units are built in, by using any of the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, there are following problems. That is, a speaker unit built-in cushion or bag may have a large size, according to the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3. In particular, a speaker unit built-in cushion or bag is assumed to be carried about for a use. Therefore, if they are large in size, it becomes troublesome to carry them. Further, a speaker unit built-in box is assumed to be placed at a specific location. Therefore, if the speaker unit built-in box is large in size, it occupies large volume. In addition, its installation is troublesome. Then, it may be sometimes impossible to reproduce sounds with fidelity to the original sounds, according to the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

[0007] Specifically, in Patent Document 1, if the speaker(s) of Patent Document 1 is/are disposed inside a pillow in order for the user to listen to the sounds from the speaker unit(s) by putting his/her head on the pillow, there is a problem that the size of the pillow becomes larger than that of the normal one. Therefore, it is desired that the speaker unit built-in pillow would have a normal size by incorporating a relatively small speaker unit or units that can reproduce sounds with fidelity to the original sounds. In addition, as the gel plate of Patent Document 2 is heavy and expensive, the speaker unit built-in pillow becomes considerably heavy, when the gel plate is used as a baffle plate. Therefore, it is desired that some other component having effects equal to or greater than the gel plate would be used as the baffle plate, instead of the gel plate. Further, according to Patent Document 3, the rear sounds outputted from the rear side of the speaker are trapped in the opening of the intermediate supporter. Therefore, it will be difficult to expect the speaker diaphragm to vibrate well enough to output sounds with high fidelity to the original sounds.

[0008] Then, the present invention is intended to enable a relatively small speaker unit, incorporated into a normal size product, to output sounds with extreme fidelity to the original sounds.

Means to Solve Problems



[0009] In order to achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a speaker unit built-in product that incorporates one or more speaker units, with a baffle plate made of a thin flexible soft rubber, wherein a frame of each of the one or more speaker units is fixed directly to the baffle plate so that the front side of each of the one or more speaker units faces in the same direction as the front surface side of the baffle plate, the baffle plate and the one or more speaker units are both held in a state of being movable back and forth freely in the vibration direction of the diaphragm of each of the one or more speaker units, and the baffle plate is held inside of the speaker unit built-in product in a state that the baffle plate is substantially unconstrained.

[0010] According to such a configuration, the frame of the speaker unit is directly fixed to the baffle plate made of the thin flexible soft rubber. Therefore, the vibrations of the speaker unit are transmitted to the baffle plate via the frame, then the speaker unit and the baffle plate can vibrate back and forth freely in the vibration direction of the diaphragm of the speaker unit in a scarcely constrained state. By vibrating the baffle plate together with the speaker unit without constraint, the sounds outputted from the speaker unit(s) are with extreme fidelity to the original sounds, even when the relatively small speaker unit(s) is/are incorporated into a normal size product. Such sounds do not contain noises, such as dull sounds and distorted sounds, caused by irregular vibrations or the like, then the sounds are comfortable for the user of the built-in product such as a cushion, a bag, and a box.

Effects of the Invention



[0011] According to the present invention, a relatively small speaker unit or speaker units incorporated into a normal size product is/are capable of outputting sounds with extreme fidelity to the original sounds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS



[0012] 

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a speaker unit built-in cushion according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view when components of the speaker unit built-in cushion according to the first embodiment are decomposed in the thickness direction.

FIG.3A is a perspective view when a rubber plate, on which the speaker unit is mounted, is viewed from the front side thereof.

FIG. 3B is a perspective view when the rubber plate, on which the speaker unit is mounted, is viewed from the back side thereof.

FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view along the line B-B in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a sound system.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the speaker unit built-in cushion, along the line A-A in FIG. 1, when not in use.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a speaker unit built-in bag according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view along the line D-D in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a speaker unit built-in box according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view along the line F-F in FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an application example of the speaker unit built-in box according to the third embodiment.


DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION



[0013] Next, descriptions will be given of aspects for implementing the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiments"). A speaker unit built-in product according to the present embodiment incorporates one or more speaker units. The speaker unit built-in product according to the present embodiment is provided with a baffle plate made of a thin flexible soft rubber, wherein a frame of each of the one or more speaker units is fixed directly to the baffle plate so that the front side of each of the one or more speaker units faces in the same direction as the front surface side of the baffle plate, and the baffle plate and the one or more speaker units are both held in a state of being movable back and forth freely in the vibration direction of the diaphragm of each of the one or more speaker units. Hereinafter, the speaker unit built-in products according to the present embodiments will be described in three embodiments (a first to third embodiments).

First Embodiment



[0014] First, a description will be given of a cushion that incorporates one or more speaker units (a speaker unit built-in cushion, hereinafter referred to just as a "cushion"), with reference to FIGS. 1-5. For a convenience of a description, same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements, and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted. In addition, FIG. 5 does not show a sound source PL, an accessory device A, and plugs, cables, or the like for connecting speaker units S and the accessory device A, all of which will be described later.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, a cushion K according to the first embodiment has a shape of substantially square in front view. For example, the length of the cushion K is 500 mm on a side in the vertical and horizontal directions, which is a normal size. The length in the thickness direction (front-back direction) is also a normal size. The cushion K includes a first cushion body 1, a baffle plate 2, a pair of speaker units SR (S) and SL (S), a second cushion body 3, and a cushion cover 4. The cushion cover 4 is made of fabric that does not shield the sounds outputted from the speaker units S, and encases the first cushion body 1, the baffle plate 2, the pair of speaker units S, and the second cushion body 3, making an appearance of the cushion K.

FIRST CUSHION BODY 1:



[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the first cushion body 1 is arranged on the most rear side of the cushion K, supporting the cushion K as a whole. The first cushion body 1 is breathable, as well as rigid and resilient enough not to be damaged when contacted by a human, for example, made of synthetic cotton fibers, cotton pellets, or the like. Thus, good touch and resilience are given to the user of the cushion K. Note that the cushion cover 4 is not shown in FIG. 2.

[0017] The synthetic cotton fibers or cotton pellets used for the first cushion body 1 do not have a very large damping capacity. Accordingly, the first cushion body 1 lets out the "rear sounds", sounds outputted to the rear side of the speaker units S, with rarely absorbing it. That is, the synthetic cotton fibers or cotton pellets, which are breathable and resilient, let out the rear surface sounds from the speaker units S without changing the sound pressure on the rear side of the speaker units S, thus making the rear sounds clear. Even if the user's hand or the like comes into contact with the cushion K to somewhat sag the first cushion body 1, the breathability of the synthetic cotton fibers or cotton pellets is ensured because of the rich resilience thereof. Thus, in a state where the user is using the cushion K, the first cushion body 1 lets out the rear sounds from the speaker units S to the rear surface side, making the rear sounds clear. If the rear sounds are absorbed, the sound pressure on the rear surface side of the speaker units S is changed, generating resistance to diaphragms S5 of the speaker units S (see FIG. 3C) to restrict the movement of the diaphragms S5, hence it is not suitable to use a material having a large damping capacity as the first cushion body 1. The material having a large damping capacity is, for example, a urethane foam (sponge). Note that sounds outputted to the front side of the speaker unit S are called "front sounds", relative to the "rear sounds".

BAFFLE PLATE 2:



[0018] The baffle plate 2 is a rear-sound shielding plate for shielding the rear sounds, outputted from the speaker units S, from being propagated to the front surface side. Note that the details of the rear-sound shielding plate is disclosed, for example, in claim 1 of Patent Document 1, hence it will not be described. The baffle plate 2 is capable of shielding the rear sounds even with the size, which will be described later, or so. Therefore, mutual interference between the front and rear sounds from the speaker units S is sufficiently suppressed, causing no weakening of the front sounds from the speaker units S. Note that details of the mutual interference between the front and rear sounds are disclosed, for example, in paragraphs 0041 and 0042 in Patent Document 1, then a description thereof will be omitted.

[0019] The baffle plate 2 is made of thin flexible soft rubber, for example, synthetic rubber such as inexpensive chloroprene rubber (rubber hardness 45), natural rubber, or the like. The baffle plate 2 has a square shape in front view, extending in the horizontal direction. For example, the length of vertical and horizontal direction of the baffle plate 2 is 400 mm, and the thickness is 2 mm. The baffle plate 2 is disposed on the front side of the first cushion body 1 and substantially at the center of the cushion K. A pair of holes 21 (see FIG. 2) is formed on the baffle plate 2 for fixing the speaker units S to the baffle plate 2 at predetermined positions.

[0020] The baffle plate 2 is directly fixed to a flange portion S1a of a frame S1 (see FIGS. 3A-3C), as will be described later, so as to be capable of vibrating back and forth freely in the vibration direction of the diaphragms S5 of the speaker unit along with the speaker units S, when the speaker units S are activated. In order to optimize vibrating back and forth freely as described above, it is preferable that the thickness of the baffle plate 2 is 1 to 5 mm and the rubber hardness is 20 to 60 (compliant to JIS standard, Standard No. JIS K 6253).

[0021] In addition, being soft and thin, and directly fixed to the flange portion S1a of the frame S1, the baffle plate 2 can easily resonate with the rear sounds from the speaker units S, and function as a passive radiator. Note that details of the passive radiator are disclosed, for example, in paragraph 0016 in Patent Document 1, then a description thereof will be omitted.

SPEAKER UNIT S:



[0022] The speaker units S are a pair of small full-range speakers, each having a nearly cylindrical outer shape, the diameter of which is approximately 50 mm, with an axis in the same direction as the thickness direction. By using the small-sized speaker units S, the speaker units S can be arranged inside of the cushion K, without increasing the size of the cushion K more than necessary, even with the speaker units S incorporated.

[0023] The speaker unit S has an internal structure, as shown in FIG. 3C, including known components such as a diaphragm S5 (corn) in a concave shape, a frame S1 to support the diaphragm S5 (see FIGS. 3A-3C), a permanent magnet S6, a voice coil S7 to vibrate the diaphragm S5 freely, and an edge S8 to suspend the diaphragm S5. Note that details of the known components of a speaker unit are disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 2 (see paragraphs 0021-0023 and FIG. 1), then a description thereof will be omitted.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, the speaker units S are disposed in the vicinity of the center of the front of the baffle plate 2 in the horizontal and vertical directions. In addition, the center-to-center distance is 220 mm between the speaker units SR and SL. With this arrangement of the speaker units S, when using the cushion K, the user can listen to the sounds outputted from the speaker units S (stereo sounds) unbiased and equally from both units.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3A, the frame S1 of the speaker unit S has nearly cylindrical outer shape. In addition, the frame S1 of the speaker unit S includes a flange portion S1a formed so as to extend outward in the circumferential direction from substantially the center of the outer wall of the cylindrical shape (see FIG. 3A). Further, the diaphragm S5 forms a front face of the speaker unit S. Note that a speaker unit cover C (to be described later) is omitted in FIG. 3A.

[0026] The flange portion S1a is formed with screw holes S11 for screws S2 to penetrate (see FIG. 3B). In addition, the baffle plate 2 is formed with screw holes 22 for the screws S2 to penetrate. When mounting the speaker unit S on the baffle plate 2, the speaker unit S is disposed inside the hole 21 of the baffle plate 2, and the flange portion S1a is fastened to the baffle plate 2 from the rear side thereof. At this time, the screw holes S11 in the frame S1 are opposed to the screw holes 22 of the baffle plate 2 for the screws S2 to penetrate into the screw holes S11 and 22. The screws S2 and nuts S3 are screwed together on the back side of the flange portion S1a, to directly fix the flange portion S1a of the frame S1 of the speaker unit S to the outer peripheral portion of the hole 21 of the baffle plate 2 (see FIG. 3B). Accordingly, the flange portions S1a of the frames S1 of the speaker units S are directly fixed to the baffle plate 2 so that the speaker units S close the holes 21 of the baffle plate 2, thus allowing the front sounds outputted from the speaker units S to be audible reliably to the user of the cushion K, while shielding the rear sounds outputted from the speaker units S from the front surface side, yet the baffle plate 2 can deliver resonant sounds to the front surface side, by functioning as a passive radiator. Note that the screws S2 is not illustrated in FIG. 3C.

[0027] Here, the meaning that the flange portions S1a of the frames S1 of the speaker units S are "directly fixed" to the baffle plate 2 is that the frame S1 is fixed to the baffle plate 2 without any interposing component that inhibits vibrations of the frame S1 of the speaker units S from being delivered to the baffle plate 2. Therefore, there is no vibration-absorbing component (see paragraph 0040 in Patent Document 1) interposed between the frames S1 of the speaker units S and the baffle plate 2. However, this shall not apply if the baffle plate 2 and the speaker unit S are secured to vibrate back and forth freely in the vibration direction of the diaphragm S5 of the speaker units S, even with any interposed component.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3A, the front side of the speaker unit S is open toward the front surface side of the baffle plate 2, not covered by the baffle plate 2. Therefore, the speaker units S are capable of outputting the front sounds without being blocked by the baffle plate 2, thus allowing the front sounds audible reliably to the user of the cushion K.

[0029] A pair of terminals S4, respectively having a positive polarity and a negative polarity, is arranged at the end portion of the rear side of the speaker unit S (see FIG. 3B). For example, using a plurality of plugs at both ends of a cable for respective core wires therein, one end of the cable is connected to the pairs of terminals S4, and the other end of the cable is connected to an external sound source. Thus, sound signals received from the sound source can be transmitted directly or indirectly to the speaker units S to output the sounds from the speaker units S.

SPEAKER UNIT COVER C:



[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, the speaker unit cover C (protective component) is disposed on the front surface side of the baffle plate 2 to protect the speaker unit S on the front surface side of the baffle plate 2. The speaker unit cover C has a substantially cylindrical shape and surrounds the outer side of the speaker unit S on the front side. Therefore, the diaphragm S5 (see FIG. 3C) of the speaker unit S can be prevented from being damaged while the user uses the cushion K. An end of the speaker unit cover C is open at the front side to an extent that it does not block the sounds outputted from the speaker unit S.

[0031] Note that the speaker unit cover C, having a substantially cylindrical shape, is formed with holes C1 that penetrate inside of the peripheral wall portion in the axial direction, and are preferably opposed to the screw holes 22 of the baffle plate 2. Thus, the screws S2 penetrate not only the screw holes S11 and 22 but also holes C1 of the speaker unit cover C to fix the speaker unit cover C to the outside of the front side of the speaker unit S.

SECOND CUSHION BODY 3:



[0032] As shown in FIG. 2, a second cushion body 3 is a cushion body obtained by filling a large number of short resin pipes 32 (see FIG. 5) in a bag 31 made of a breathable mesh fabric. The short resin pipe 32, for example, exhibits a tubular shape having the outside diameter of 6 mm, the thickness of 0.2 mm, and the length of 8 mm, made of polymer material such as polyethylene. Therefore, the second cushion body 3 is breathable, and has the rigidity and resilience to an extent that it is not damaged when contacted by a human, thus providing comfortable touch and resilience to the user of the cushion K.

[0033] Damping capacity is relatively small of the short resin pipe 32 that is used in the second cushion body 3. Therefore, the short resin pipes 32 propagate most of the front sounds from the speaker units S, without absorbing sounds, to the front surface side. That is, the short resin pipes 32 are rich in breathability and resilience to propagate the front sounds from the speaker units S, without changing the sound pressure on the front side of the speaker units S, toward the front surface side of the cushion, making the front sounds clear. Even if the second cushion body 3 sags slightly when the user uses the cushion K, the breathability of the short resin pipes 32 are secured due to the resilience thereof. Thus, during use of the cushion K by the user, the second cushion body 3 propagates the front sounds from the speaker units S to the front surface side of the cushion, making the front sounds clear.

[0034] It should be noted that the short resin pipes 32 are preferred to be flexible enough to be deformed relatively easily, for example, when picked with a finger. By making the short resin pipes 32 flexible, sounds that reach the user of the cushion K via the short resin pipes 32 are more soft and spreadable, than by making it rigid. The bag 31 prevents the short resin pipes 32 coming out thereof and entering inside of the speaker unit S. The bag 31 may be, for example, a resin or a cloth.

[0035] The second cushion body 3 is disposed on the front surface side of the baffle plate 2, supported by the first cushion body 1. In consideration of the quality of sounds outputted from the speaker units S, the thickness of the second cushion body 3 is preferred to be truly or substantially uniformed. To make it happen, for example, tag pins (connecting means, not shown) for attaching price tags to fabric products may be pierced by a tag gun in a grid pattern, throughout the bag 31, extending horizontally, of the second cushion body 3, to connect the front and back surface sides of the fabric of the bag 31 at places where tag pins are pierced. By doing so, the short resin pipes 32, which are spread truly or substantially uniform, are partitioned, preventing the thickness of the second cushion body 3 from becoming non-uniform, no matter how the user uses the cushion K.

[0036] Usually, cloth partitions can be put into the cushion body which is to be filled with the short resin pipes, either in the vertical direction or in the lateral direction. Therefore, the thickness of the cushion body frequently results in being non-uniform in the direction where the partitions are not put in. In addition, if cloth partitions are put into the cushion body which is to be filled with the short resin pipes, both in the vertical and horizontal directions, it is impossible to fill the partitioned spaces by the cloth partitions with short resin pipes.

SOUND SYSTEM:



[0037] Next, a description will be given of a sound system using the speaker units S with reference to FIG. 4, mainly. This sound system is configured with the speaker unit SR (S) as a right R-channel, the speaker unit SL (S) as a left L-channel, the accessory device A (external device), and the sound source PL, which are electrically connected, for example, with plugs and cables. Note that the accessory device A is connected to the terminals S4 of the speaker units S, for example, using plugs and cables.

[0038] The sound source PL is, for example, a stereo sound source such as a CD player with an optical disk, a cassette tape player with a magnetic tape, and a DVD player. Sound signals outputted from the sound source PL are inputted to the accessory device A.

[0039] The accessory device A is a device that converts the sound signals outputted from the sound source PL, to control sound volume and sound quality of sounds outputted from the speaker units S. The accessory device A may be configured with one or more devices. The accessory device A is provided with configurative sections such as an amplifying unit A1, a volume control unit A2, and a power source A3.

[0040] The amplifying unit A1 amplifies the sound signals received from the sound source PL. The sound source PL is connected with the amplifying unit A1, for example, via a wireless means such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The amplifying unit A1 may be implemented, for example, with a main amplifier and a preamplifier.
The volume control unit A2 adjusts the volume of sounds outputted from the speaker units S. The volume control unit A2 may be implemented as a variable resistor to control the resistance value for the output of the speaker units S.
The power source A3 is intended to provide a power to the amplifying unit A1, the volume control unit A2, and the like.

«USAGE EXAMPLE»



[0041] Next, a description will be given of a usage example of the cushion K.

[0042] The baffle plate 2 and the speaker units S, disposed between the first cushion body 1 and the second cushion body 3, are scarcely constrained from the first cushion body 1 and the second cushion body 3, which have breathability and resilience. In addition, the baffle plate 2 and the speaker units S are not constrained by other than the first cushion body 1 and the second cushion body 3. And, the baffle plate 2 is made of soft and thin material, directly fixed to the flange portions S1a of the frames S1 of the speaker units S.

[0043] Accordingly, as well as the frame S1 of the speaker unit S (see paragraph 0039 in Patent Document 1), the baffle plate 2 can also vibrate back and forth freely in the same direction as the vibration direction of the diaphragm S5 of the speaker unit S, in a state that there is little constraint. That is, the vibrations of the diaphragms S5 of the speaker units S are transmitted to the baffle plate 2 via the frames S1, then the speaker units S and the baffle plate 2 can vibrate back and forth freely in the vibration direction of the diaphragms S5 of the speaker units S in a rarely constrained state. By vibrating the baffle plate 2 together with the speaker units S without constraint, the sounds outputted from the speaker units S are with extreme fidelity to the original sounds, even when the relatively small speaker units S are incorporated into a normal size cushion. Not containing noises, such as dull sounds and distorted sounds, caused by irregular vibrations, such sounds are comfortable for the user of the cushion K.

[0044] It should be noted that the inventor has confirmed that when the soft and thin baffle plate 2 and speaker units S are in the state without constraint as described above, the quality of sounds outputted from the speaker units S surpasses a predetermined level.

[0045] Besides, in the speaker unit of Patent Document 1, a vibration-absorbing component is used for flexibly regulating back and forth movement of the frame in order to obtain sounds with high-fidelity to the original sounds (see paragraph 0040 in Patent Document 1). However, as this vibration-absorbing component absorbs the vibrations from the speaker unit to the baffle plate, the baffle plate itself does not vibrate back and forth freely in the vibration direction of the diaphragm of the speaker unit.

[0046] Further, the long plate used for the pillow having speakers in Patent Document 3 may have a substantially large stiffness at least to support the user's head. The long plate having such a large stiffness fails to vibrate back and forth freely in the vibration direction of the diaphragm of the speaker unit.

[0047] Above is a key feature of the speaker unit S and the baffle plate 2 built in the cushion K of the first embodiment, yet the following features are also present.

[0048] If the user's hand comes into contact with the front surface side of the cushion K while not in use as shown in FIG. 5, the cushion K is deformed. However, even with such deformation, the baffle plate 2 and the speaker units S, disposed between the first cushion body 1 and the second cushion body 3, are not constrained by other than those. Therefore, the quality of the sounds outputted from the speaker units S is unchanged when the cushion K is not in use from when in use. Note that the sounds outputted from the speaker units S to reach the ears of the user of the cushion K are depicted with hollow arrows and solid arrows in FIG. 5. With the function of the short resin pipe 32 of the second cushion body 3, the soft and spread sounds are audible from the entire front surface side of the second cushion body 3.

[0049] The baffle plate 2 made of a thin and flexible soft rubber is lighter and more inexpensive, compared with a gel plate (see Patent Document 2). In addition, the speaker unit S is also light as it is small. Therefore, the cushion K that includes the baffle plate 2 and the speaker units S is substantially lightweight to be convenient for the user of the cushion K.

[0050] In addition, as the pair of the speaker units S is fixed to a single baffle plate 2, the unity of the sounds outputted from each of the speaker units S becomes stronger to improve the sound quality. Further, in the case where the baffle plate is separated into two pieces, each having a speaker unit fixed thereto and disposed inside the cushion K separately, the output of the stereo sound still has a good quality, even though the unity of the sounds from each of the speaker units tends to become weaker.

«SUMMARY OF FIRST EMBODIMENT»



[0051] According to the first embodiment, the speaker units S and the baffle plate 2 are rarely constrained by the first cushion body 1 and the second cushion body 3. In addition, the flange portion S1a of the frame S1 of the speaker unit S is directly fixed to the baffle plate 2 that is made of a thin flexible soft rubber. Therefore, the vibrations of the speaker units S are transmitted to the baffle plate 2 via the frames S1, then the speaker units S and the baffle plate 2 can vibrate back and forth freely in the vibration direction of the diaphragms of the speaker units S in a scarcely constrained state. By vibrating the baffle plate 2 together with the speaker units S without constraint, the sounds outputted from the speaker units S are with extreme fidelity to the original sounds, even when the relatively small speaker units S are incorporated into a normal size cushion K. Not containing noises, such as dull sounds and distorted sounds, caused by irregular vibrations, such sounds are comfortable for the user of the cushion K.

[0052] In addition, the front sounds outputted from the speaker units S are ensured to be audible to the user of the cushion K, while the rear sounds outputted from the speaker units S are shielded from the front surface side, yet the baffle plate 2 can deliver resonant sounds to the front surface side, by functioning as a passive radiator.
Further, no matter how the cushion K is used, the sounds may be audible to the user equally. Furthermore, no matter how the user moves the cushion K when using it, the thickness of the second cushion body is prevented from becoming non-uniform.

«OTHERS»



[0053] Note that the aforesaid embodiment is suitable for implementing the cushion K, but the way it is implemented is not limited thereto. Therefore, in a range not departing from the gist of the present invention, the way it is implemented can be variously modified.

[0054] For example, the speaker units S have been described as a pair of speaker units for outputting the stereo sounds. However, the present invention is applicable even when using a single speaker unit that outputs monaural sounds. This will be described later in a third embodiment. As the flexible short resin pipes 32 (those may be rigid instead) are used in the second cushion body 3, the sounds outputted from the speaker unit spreads and audible sufficiently to the user of the cushion K, even with the single speaker unit.

[0055] In addition, the baffle plate 2 has been described as having a thin square shape. However, that may have, for example, a rectangular, circular, oval, or polygon shape.

[0056] Further, the first cushion body 1 has been described as a cushion body made of synthetic cotton fibers or cotton pellets. However, the material of the first cushion body 1 may be a material rich in breathability and resilience, such as short synthetic resin pipes, spherical synthetic resin beads (e.g., Corma Beads, registered trademark), natural cotton, buckwheat shells, glass wool, feathers, and a palm mat. The first cushion body 1 with such a material lets out the rear sounds from the speaker unit S to the rear surface side without changing the sound pressure on the rear side of the speaker unit S, as with the case of using synthetic cotton or cotton pellets, to make the rear sounds clear. The first cushion body 1 may or may not have a bag for wrapping the material as needed. The bag may be made of fabric or resin.

[0057] When the material of the first cushion body 1 is short synthetic resin pipes or spherical synthetic resin beads, the short synthetic resin pipe or the spherical synthetic resin bead may be preferably flexible enough to be deformed relatively easily when picked with the fingers. Thus, the sounds outputted from the speaker unit S can be made soft and spread.

[0058] Furthermore, the second cushion body 3 has been described as a cushion body of a mesh bag 31 filled with short resin pipes 32. However, the material of the second cushion body 3 may be a material rich in breathability and resilience, such as synthetic cotton, spherical synthetic resin beads (e.g., Corma Beads, registered trademark), natural cotton, buckwheat shells, glass wool, feathers, and a palm mat. The second cushion body 3 with such a material lets out the front sounds from the speaker unit S to the front surface side without changing the sound pressure on the front side of the speaker unit S, as with the case of using short resin pipes 32, to make the front sounds clear. The second cushion body 3 may or may not have a bag for wrapping the material. The bag may be made of fabric or resin. Moreover, the material of the second cushion body 3 may be identical to or different from the material of the first cushion body 1.

[0059] When the material of the second cushion body 3 is short synthetic resin pipes or spherical synthetic resin beads, the short synthetic resin pipe or the spherical synthetic resin bead may be preferably flexible enough to be deformed relatively easily when picked with the fingers. Thus, the sounds outputted from the speaker unit S can be made soft and spread. Additionally, according to the experiment by the inventor, flexible spherical synthetic resin beads, each having a through-hole, had greater spread of the sounds than flexible short synthetic resin pipes.

[0060] In addition, the second cushion body 3 has been made truly or substantially uniform using the tag pins as connecting means. One of other connecting means may be a cable tie used for bundling a plurality of cables or the like. A number of cable ties may be arranged throughout the bag 31 of the second cushion body 3 in a grid pattern, to connect the front and back surface sides of the fabric of the bag 31 at places where the cable ties are arranged, and to make the thickness of the second cushion body 3 at the connection points thinner than the surrounding portions. By doing so, partitions that constraint the short resin pipes 32 from moving vertically or horizontally are formed, preventing the thickness of the second cushion body 3 from becoming non-uniform, no matter how the user moves the cushion K when using it.

[0061] Further, by increasing or decreasing the amount of synthetic cotton that forms the first cushion body 1, the cushion K may be raised or lowered so as to fit the usage pattern of the user or the size of the user's hand. Even if the amount of synthetic cotton is changed, degree of absorbing the rear sounds outputted from the speaker unit S will not change much, thus the amount change gives almost no effect on the quality of sounds audible to the user.

[0062] Furthermore, when the flange portions S1a of the frames S1 of the speaker units S are directly fixed to the baffle plate 2, the speaker units S are configured to close the holes 21 of the baffle plate 2, thus allowing the front sounds outputted from the speaker units S to be audible reliably to the user of the cushion K, while shielding the rear sounds from the front surface side, yet the baffle plate 2 can deliver resonant sounds to the front surface side, by functioning as a passive radiator. However, the same effect as above can be obtained with a configuration shown in FIG. 5 of Patent Document 3, for example, where a plurality of small holes facing a speaker unit, which is fixed to the rear surface side of the baffle plate, is provided in the baffle plate.

[0063] Yet furthermore, the cushion K has used the cushion cover 4 that wraps the first cushion body 1, the baffle plate 2, the pair of speaker units S, and the second cushion body 3. However, instead of using the cushion cover 4, strings may be used to enclose the periphery of the cushion, for example, as shown in FIG. 4 of Patent Document 3 (see paragraph 0030 in Patent Document 3).

[0064] The cushion K is not limited to a substantially square cushion in front view as described above, and may be a substantially rectangular or substantially circular cushion in front view.

Second Embodiment



[0065] Next, a description will be given of a bag G of a second embodiment, referring to FIG. 6. Note that the same reference numerals will be assigned to the same components as the cushion K, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, for simplification of illustration, FIG. 6 is shown by omitting some components. Further, the bag G in FIG. 6 has basically the same configuration as the cushion K described above. And, in the bag G, sounds with extreme fidelity to the original sounds are delivered from the speaker units S by a mechanism similar to the cushion K described above. Therefore, differences from the cushion K described above will be mostly focused in the following description.

[0066] The bag G shown in FIG. 6A includes a housing 34 made of fabric, and a handle 35 that is held by the user to carry the bag G. The speaker units S, the baffle plate 2, and the like, described above, are contained in the housing 34. As described above, the housing 34 is configured with fabric, through which sounds pass (do not shield), allowing the sounds outputted from the speaker units S in the bag G to reach the user.

[0067] The cushion K described above is provided with synthetic cotton fibers or cotton pellets, as the first cushion body 1, and the bag 31 filled with short resin pipes 32, as the second cushion body 3, on the respective surface sides of the baffle plate 2. On the other hand, the bag G is provided with, as shown in FIG. 6B, a first cushion body 36 made of synthetic cotton fibers or cotton pellets and a second cushion body 37 made of synthetic cotton fibers or cotton pellets, on respective surface sides of the baffle plate. Both of the first cushion body 36 and the second cushion body 37 have breathability, rigidity, and resilience. Note that the baffle plate 2 is bent at both ends so that the both ends contact closely with the respective inner walls of the bag G, and the baffle plate 2 is fixed to the bag G with pins or the like, not shown, at the bent portions.

[0068] The dimensions of the bag G are 330 mm in the horizontal direction and 240 mm in the vertical direction, by measuring the outer dimensions of the housing 34. In addition, the distance is 180 mm between the centers of the speaker units SR and SL. The baffle plate 2 is made of silicone rubber, with the dimensions of 380 mm in the horizontal direction and 240 mm in the vertical direction.

[0069] The bag G has an appearance as if the speaker units S do not exist yet sounds are delivered from the bag G. Then, by incorporating the accessory device A (see FIG. 4), a music playback device such as an MP3 player (not shown), a Bluetooth (registered trademark) receiver, or the like, the bag G can also be used as a portable. Therefore, the user can listen to music or the like easily using the bag G, for example, even on the move. Further, when arranging the bag G in the room, as the presence of the speaker units S is not visual, the bag G is mostly fitted to the room interior. Further, the first cushion body 36 and the second cushion body 37 are provided inside the bag G to relax an external force, if added from outside the bag G, by deformation and protect the speaker units S from damage.

[0070] Note that the bag G shown is provided with the first cushion body 36 and the second cushion body 37 inside thereof, but they may be omitted as appropriate.

Third Embodiment



[0071] Next, a description will be given of a box B of a third embodiment, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. Note that the same reference numerals will be assigned to the same components as the cushion K, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, for simplification of illustration, FIGS. 7 and 8 are shown by omitting some components. Further, the box B in FIGS. 7 and 8 has basically the same configuration as the cushion K described above. And, in the box B, sounds with extreme fidelity to the original sounds are delivered from the speaker units S by a mechanism similar to the cushion K described above. Therefore, differences from the cushion K and the bag G described above will be mostly focused in the following description.

[0072] FIGS. 7A and 7B show the configuration of the box B. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 7A along the line F-F. As shown in FIG. 7B, the box B includes a housing 38, a first support body 40 and a second support body 41 on each surface side of the baffle plate 2, a sheet 42 that covers the first support body 40 from outside thereof, and a sheet 39 that covers the second support body 41 from outside thereof.

[0073] Both of the first support body 40 and the second support body 41 have breathability, rigidity and resilience. The first support body 40 and the second support body 41 are constituted with a Saran Lock (registered trademark). Both of the first support body 40 and the second support body 41 are preformed so that the speaker unit S fits in. Thus, in the box B, each of the first support body 40 and the second support body 41 is provided with a concave portion for the speaker unit S to fit in along the outer shape thereof, having breathability and resilience, and also rigidity to such an extent that it can support the speaker unit.

[0074] Both of the first support body 40 and the second support body 41 are fitted into and fixed to the grooves provided on the inner wall surfaces of the housing 38, so as to sandwich the baffle plate 2. Further, the baffle plate 2 may be similar to the one used for the cushion K, but urethane rubber can be applied.

[0075] The sheet 42 is made of a lacquered hempen mesh sheet. When using the box B, the sheet 42 is disposed on the front surface side. With the sheet 42 provided to cover the first support body 40, the first support body 40 is prevented more reliably from coming off the housing 38. Also, the sheet 39 is made of NETLON (registered trademark). A NETLON is a sheet made of polypropylene. When using the box B, the sheet 39 is disposed on the rear surface side. With the sheet 39 provided to cover the second support body 41, the second support body 41 is prevented more reliably from coming off the housing 38.

[0076] In addition, the baffle plate 2 is, as shown in FIG. 7B, tied to the second support body 41 with yarns 43. Thus, the baffle plate 2 is not constrained and freely movable. Note that the baffle plate 2 and the second support body 41 are tied at several points (2 to 3 points) along each of the upper, lower, left, and right end portions, although not shown.

[0077] Two speaker units S have been provided in the cushion K described above, but only one speaker unit S is provided in the box B. Therefore, the installation volume of the speaker unit S becomes smaller to reduce the installation restriction. However, by connecting two boxes B with the identical baffle plate 2 and arranging them in the right and left sides, it is possible to intensify the realistic sensation of the sound. Specific usage example is shown in FIG. 8.

[0078] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a speaker system that combines two boxes B. Each single speaker unit S (SL, SR) is provided inside each box B (BL, BR). And speaker units S (SL, SR) are fixed to the identical baffle plate 2. That is, the boxes BL and BR are connected with the identical baffle plate 2.

[0079] As shown, the user between the boxes BL and BR can listen to both the sounds from the speaker unit SL in the box BL and the sounds from the speaker unit SR in the box BR. Thus, the user can listen to the sounds from the sound source PL (see FIG. 4) in stereo. In addition, by fixing two speaker units SL and SR to the identical baffle plate 2, the unity of the sounds from the left and right speaker units SL and SR is increased to intensify the realistic sensation of the sound.

[0080] Note that the box B shown is provided with the first support body 40 and the second support body 41 inside thereof, but these support bodies may be omitted as appropriate. That is, there may be only one support body, or two or more support bodies, each is provided with a concave portion for the speaker unit S to fit in along the outer shape of the speaker unit S, having breathability and resilience, and also rigidity to such an extent that it can support the speaker unit, to support the baffle plate 2 to which the frame of the speaker unit S is fixed.

Modifications



[0081] Hereinabove, the present embodiments have been described using three specific examples, but the present embodiments are not intended to be limited to the contents described above and can be implemented with arbitrarily changes within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention. That is, such changes include, for example, to implement the techniques in an appropriate combination of the technical matters that are described in the respective embodiments. Other than above, specific configuration such as shapes (such as a type and/or a shape of the speaker unit), materials, arrangements, and dimensions (such as a size and/or thickness of each component) of the various components required for the present invention may be changed in any way within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.

Legend for Reference Numerals



[0082] 
BR, BL (B)
Box
G
Bag
K
Cushion
SR, SL (S)
Speaker unit
1, 36
First cushion body
2
Baffle plate
3, 37
Second cushion body
40
First support body (support body)
41
Second support body (support body)



Claims

1. A speaker unit built-in product comprising:

one or more speaker units; and

a baffle plate made of a thin flexible soft rubber,
wherein a frame of each of the one or more speaker units is fixed directly to the baffle plate so that the front side of each of the one or more speaker units faces in the same direction as the front surface side of the baffle plate, and
wherein the baffle plate and the one or more speaker units are both held in a state of being movable back and forth freely in the vibration direction of the diaphragm of each of the one or more speaker units, and the baffle plate is held inside of the speaker unit built-in product in a state that the baffle plate is substantially unconstrained.


 
2. The speaker unit built-in product according to claim 1, being a speaker unit built-in cushion further comprising:

a first cushion body that is breathable, rigid and resilient; and

a second cushion body that is breathable, rigid and resilient,
wherein the one or more speaker units and the baffle plate are disposed between the first cushion body and the second cushion body.


 
3. The speaker unit built-in product according to claim 1, being a speaker unit built-in bag further comprising:

a first cushion body that is breathable, rigid and resilient; and

a second cushion body that is breathable, rigid and resilient,
wherein the one or more speaker units and the baffle plate are disposed between the first cushion body and the second cushion body.


 
4. The speaker unit built-in product according to claim 1, being a speaker unit built-in box further comprising:

one or more support bodies, each of which is provided with a concave
portion for each of the one or more speaker units to fit in along the outer shape of each of the one or more speaker units, having breathability and resilience, and also rigidity to such an extent that it can support the speaker unit,
wherein the baffle plate, to which the frame of each of the one or more speaker units are fixed, is supported by the one or more support bodies.


 




Drawing





























Cited references

REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION



This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.

Patent documents cited in the description