EP-4738882-A1 - EARPHONE

EP4738882A1EP 4738882 A1EP4738882 A1EP 4738882A1EP-4738882-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an earphone. The earphone comprises a housing assembly including a first housing, a deformation member, and a sensor. The first housing includes a first side wall portion and a second side wall portion that are disposed opposite to and spaced apart from each other. The deformation member is disposed between the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion. When outer sides of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion are subjected to an opposing compression force applied along a spacing direction between the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion, at least one of the first side wall portion or the second side wall portion deforms, and the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion jointly compress the deformation member such that the deformation member bends laterally in the spacing direction. The sensor is disposed in a bending region of the deformation member, and generates an electrical signal when a bending degree of the bending region is greater than a preset bending threshold. In this way, the touch-control accuracy of the earphone can be effectively enhanced and the anti-interference capability of a touch-control function of the earphone can be effectively improved. In addition, the touch-control sensitivity of the earphone can be effectively improved while the manufacturing cost of the earphone can be effectively reduced.

Inventors

Li, ChaoWu
NIE, Qianwen
WANG, CHONG
ZHANG, XU

Assignees

Shenzhen Shokz Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20240527

Claims (19)

An earphone, comprising: a housing assembly including a first housing, the first housing including a first side wall portion and a second side wall portion that are disposed opposite to and spaced apart from each other; a deformation member; and a sensor, wherein the deformation member is disposed between the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion; when outer sides of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion are subjected to an opposing compression force applied along a spacing direction between the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion, at least one of the first side wall portion or the second side wall portion deforms, and the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion jointly compress the deformation member such that the deformation member bends laterally in the spacing direction; and the sensor is disposed in a bending region of the deformation member, and generates an electrical signal when a bending degree of the bending region is greater than a preset bending threshold.
The earphone of claim 1, wherein the deformation member has a plate-shaped region; the plate-shaped region is configured to laterally bend toward a main surface of the plate-shaped region under a compression action of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion; and the sensor is disposed on the plate-shaped region.
The earphone of claim 2, wherein the deformation member is a circuit board; the sensor is disposed on the circuit board; the circuit board is provided with a main control circuit electrically connected to the sensor; and the main control circuit is configured to perform a corresponding control function based on the electrical signal.
The earphone of claim 3, wherein a main surface of the circuit board is disposed along the spacing direction; the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion compress opposite side edges of the circuit board under an action of the opposing compression force such that the main surface of the circuit board laterally bends; and the sensor is disposed on the main surface of the circuit board.
The earphone of claim 4, wherein in a natural state and along the spacing direction, a first gap is maintained between at least one of the first side wall portion or the second side wall portion and a corresponding adjacent side edge of the circuit board.
The earphone of claim 5, wherein the first gap is greater than an amount of deformation of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion when the opposing compression force is a first pressure threshold, and less than an amount of deformation of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion when the opposing compression force is a second pressure threshold; the first pressure threshold is not less than 0.5 newtons; and the second pressure threshold is within a range from 1 newton to 5 newtons.
The earphone of claim 5, wherein the housing assembly includes a second housing that cooperates with the first housing along a preset cooperation direction, the cooperation direction intersecting with the spacing direction; the second housing includes a third side wall portion and a fourth side wall portion that are spaced apart along the spacing direction; the third side wall portion and the fourth side wall portion are inserted into a space between the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion along the cooperation direction and partially overlap with the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion, respectively; and in a natural state and along the spacing direction, a second gap is maintained between the first side wall portion and the adjacent third side wall portion, a second gap is maintained between the second side wall portion and the adjacent fourth side wall portion, each second gap being greater than the first gap.
The earphone of claim 7, wherein the first housing further includes a first top wall portion connecting the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion; the second housing further includes a second top wall portion connecting the third side wall portion and the fourth side wall portion; the first top wall portion and the second top wall portion are disposed opposite to each other and spaced apart along the cooperation direction; the circuit board is located between the first top wall portion and the second top wall portion; and along the cooperation direction, one side edge of the circuit board further overlaps with an overlapping portion between the first side wall portion and the third side wall portion, and the other side edge of the circuit board further overlaps with an overlapping portion between the second side wall portion and the fourth side wall portion.
The earphone of claim 2, wherein the earphone further includes a circuit board disposed in the housing assembly; the deformation member is separated from the circuit board; the circuit board includes a main control circuit electrically connected to the sensor; and the main control circuit is configured to perform a corresponding control function based on the electrical signal.
The earphone of claim 9, wherein, along the spacing direction, the deformation member includes an arched portion and two abutment portions, the two abutment portions are respectively connected to two ends of the arched portion and extend away from the arched portion; the arched portion is arranged in an arch from the two ends of the arched portion along a direction perpendicular to the spacing direction; the sensor is disposed on the arched portion; and the two abutment portions abut against the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion, respectively.
The earphone of claim 10, wherein along the spacing direction, the sensor is located at a middle portion of the arched portion.
The earphone of claim 10, wherein the deformation member is formed by bending a plate or a sheet; and the arched portion is arranged in a rectangular arch shape, a U-shape, or a C-shape.
The earphone of claim 10, wherein the earphone further includes a speaker disposed in the housing assembly; a main surface of the circuit board is disposed to overlap with the speaker along an axial direction of the speaker; the deformation member is disposed on a side of the speaker along a radial direction of the speaker; and a main surface of the deformation member and the main surface of the circuit board intersect with each other.
The earphone of claim 13, wherein the earphone further includes an ear-hook portion connected to the housing assembly; the ear-hook portion is configured to position the housing assembly anterior to a user's tragus in a wearing state; and the deformation member is disposed at a side of the speaker near the ear-hook portion along the radial direction of the speaker.
The earphone of claim 10, wherein the earphone further includes a speaker disposed in the housing assembly; and a main surface of the circuit board and a main surface of the deformation member overlap with the speaker along an axial direction of the speaker, and overlap with each other.
The earphone of claim 2, wherein the deformation member serves as a first top wall portion of the first housing that connects the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion; or the deformation member serves as a second housing cooperating with the first housing.
The earphone of any one of claims 1-16, wherein the housing assembly further includes a second housing cooperating with the first housing; the earphone further includes a speaker disposed in the housing assembly and an ear-hook portion connected to the housing assembly; the ear-hook portion is configured to position the housing assembly anterior to a user's tragus in a wearing state; and the speaker is substantially or entirely located within the first housing.
The earphone of claim 17, wherein the housing assembly includes a connection end connected to the ear-hook portion and a free end away from the connection end; the housing assembly has a length direction, a width direction, and a thickness direction that are orthogonal to each other, wherein the length direction is defined as a direction from the free end toward or away from the connection end, and the thickness direction is defined as a direction toward or away from the user's auricle in the wearing state; and the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion are spaced apart from each other along the width direction.
The earphone of claim 18, wherein a dimension of the first side wall portion along the length direction is greater than a dimension of the first side wall portion along the thickness direction, and a dimension of the second side wall portion along the length direction is greater than a dimension of the second side wall portion along the thickness direction.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD This present disclosure relates to a technical field of electronic devices, and in particular, to earphones. BACKGROUND With the increasing proliferation of electronic devices, the electronic devices have become indispensable social and entertainment tools in people's daily lives, and people's requirements for the electronic devices are also increasing. The electronic devices (e.g., earphones, smart glasses) have also been widely used in people's daily life, which can be used in conjunction with terminal devices (e.g., mobile phones, computers, etc.) to provide users with an auditory feast. Existing earphones generate control instructions through mechanical buttons. However, with the increase in control functions of the earphones, the simple mechanical buttons are no longer sufficient to meet the expanded control requirements. SUMMARY The present disclosure provides an earphone. The earphone includes a housing assembly including a first housing. The first housing includes a first side wall portion and a second side wall portion that are disposed opposite to and spaced apart from each other. The earphone is also provided with a deformation member and a sensor. The deformation member is disposed between the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion. When outer sides of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion are subjected to an opposing compression force applied along a spacing direction between the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion, at least one of the first side wall portion or the second side wall portion deforms, and the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion jointly compress the deformation member such that the deformation member bends laterally in the spacing direction. The sensor is disposed in a bending region of the deformation member, and generates an electrical signal when a bending degree of the bending region is greater than a preset bending threshold. In some embodiments, the deformation member has a plate-shaped region. The plate-shaped region is configured to laterally bend toward a main surface of the plate-shaped region under a compression action of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion. The sensor is disposed on the plate-shaped region. In some embodiments, the deformation member is a circuit board. The sensor is disposed on the circuit board. The circuit board is provided with a main control circuit electrically connected to the sensor. The main control circuit is configured to perform a corresponding control function based on the electrical signal. In some embodiments, a main surface of the circuit board is disposed along the spacing direction. The first side wall portion and the second side wall portion compress opposite side edges of the circuit board under an action of the opposing compression force such that the main surface of the circuit board laterally bends. The sensor is disposed on the main surface of the circuit board. In some embodiments, in a natural state and along the spacing direction, a first gap is maintained between at least one of the first side wall portion or the second side wall portion and a corresponding adjacent side edge of the circuit board. In some embodiments, the first gap is greater than an amount of deformation of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion when the opposing compression force is a first pressure threshold, and less than an amount of deformation of the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion when the opposing compression force is a second pressure threshold. The first pressure threshold is not less than 0.5 newtons. The second pressure threshold is within a range from 1 newton to 5 newtons. In some embodiments, the housing assembly includes a second housing that cooperates with the first housing along a preset cooperation direction, the cooperation direction intersecting with the spacing direction. The second housing includes a third side wall portion and a fourth side wall portion that are spaced apart along the spacing direction. The third side wall portion and the fourth side wall portion are inserted into a space between the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion along the cooperation direction and partially overlap with the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion, respectively. In a natural state and along the spacing direction, a second gap is maintained between the first side wall portion and the adjacent third side wall portion, a second gap is maintained between the second side wall portion and the adjacent fourth side wall portion, each second gap being greater than the first gap. In some embodiments, the first housing further includes a first top wall portion connecting the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion. The second housing further includes a second top wall portion connecting the third side wall portion and the fourth sid