Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates -to a -tele-
phone equipment utilizing an ear microphone suitable
for use under noisy circumstances by providing the
ear microphone and hence a vibration pick-up mecha-
nlsm for picking up a bone conduction voice signalfrom the external auditory canal wall of -the ear and
a speaker for converting the received signal to a
voice.
A conventional telephone set usually has a
dial unit and a handset to be connected through a
bell and a hook circuit to a main wire. Or, in
another telephone set, a handset is composed of a
microphone and a speaker disposed separately to
permit talking while keeping both hands free.
When the conventional telephone equipment
is used in a construction site, speech is hardly
clarified due to environmental noises. When the
telephone set is carried in an automobile, drawbacks
arise in its operability and environmental noises.
The telephone set in which a speaker and a microphone
are separately disposed is readily affected by
environmental noises, it is difficult to keep a
secret of talking content, and it is also hard to
inexpensively construct the telephone set.
A conventional wireless telephone set
usually includes a body, containing radio wave
equipment, and a circuit unit for communica-ti.ng a
signal by radio wave with the body to form a signal
adapted for the level of a main wire and to communi-
cate the signal by high Erequency waves through
antennas.
In a conventional case, a handset, a dial,
and radio wave equipment are separately composed to
transmit and receive through respec-tive antennas.
Such a set can also be used as a transceiver without
using a dial unit and an exchanger.
When these conventional examples are used
in a construction site, similar drawbacks to the
above arise, such as it is difficult to smoothly talk
due to environmental noises.
Accordingly, an object of the present
invention is to provide telephone equipment which has
a simple construction, is not affected by environ-
mental noises, can keep a secret and operates while
keeping hands free.
Another object of the present invention is
to provide a wireless telephone equipment which has a
simple construction, is not affected by environmental
noises, can keep a secret and operates while keeping
hands free.
In accordance with a particular embodiment
there is provided a telephone equipment which
includes a transceiver having a converter for con-
verting vibration of an external auditory canal wall,
caused by speech of a person, into a voice signal. A
speaker is integrated with the converter for convert-
ing a received voice signal into an aural signal.
The transceiver is adapted to be inserted into an
external auditory cana~ for use. An amplifier
amplifies a voice signal according to the vibration
to supply the signal to a telephone circuit, therehy
transmitting and receiving while keeping hands Eree.
In accordance with a Eurther embodiment, a
telephone equipment includes a transceiver having a
converter for converting a vibration of an external
auditory canal wall caused by speech of a person into
a voice signal. A speaker integrated with the
converter converts a received voice signal into an
aural signal. The -transceiver is adapted to be
inserted into an external auditory canal for use. A
transmitter transmits the voice signal based on the
vibration as a radio wave signal. A receiver
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receives a speech si.gnal transmitted by a radio wave,
thereby transmitting and receiving a signal while
keeping hands free.
Other and further objects, features and
advantages of the invention will appear more fully
from the following description, when read together
with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is an explanatory view of a princi-
ple of a telephone equipment utilizing an ear micro-
phone of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing anembodiment of a telephone equipment according to the
present inven-tion;
Fig. 3 is a view showing the using state of
a handset;
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a handset;
Fig. 5 is a view showing another embodiment
of a telephone equipment according to the invention;
Fig. 6 is an explanatory view of a princi-
ple of another embodimen-t;
Fig. 7 is a view of the construction of
still another embodiment of a telephone equipment
according to the invention;
Fig. 8 is a front view of a conventional
telephone equipment; and
Fi.gs~ 9 and 10 are views showing a convent-
ional wireless telephone set.
The most preferable embodiment of the
present invention will be described in detai.1 with
reference -to the accompanying drawings.
Figs. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of tele-
phone equipment according to the present invention.
The telephone equipment comprises a -telephone set 11
having dial push-buttons 13, a transceiver 12 to be
inserted into an external auditory canal, an
amplifier 14 for amplifying a voice signal generated
from the transceiver 12, and a network control
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circuit 15. Reference numeral 16 designates an
exchanger connected through a main wire to the
telephone set 11. Numeral 17 denotes a handset which
may be provided toyether with the transceiver 12, or
may be separately provLded from the transceiver 12.
Fig. 3 shows the transceiver 12 inserted into an
external auditory canal 18 to transmit an electric
signal through leads 19. Fig. 4 shows the internal
structure of the transceiver 12. The transceiver 12
is constructed to be able to transmit an external
acoustic sound through a duct 20 directly to an
external auditory canal, and the vibration of a voice
transmitted through a living body bone is converted
by a vibration type microphone 21 into an electric
signal. Numeral 22 designates a speaker for con-
verting the electric signal into an acoustic sound.
Either a conduction type or electrostatic type can be
utilized. The leads 23, 24 leading from the micro-
phone 21 and the speaker 22 are connected to the
telephone set 11 shown in Fig. 1. The telephone set
11 may be composed as an automotive telephone set.
In this case, the telephone set 11 is connected by a
radio wave equipment to the exchanger 16. When the
telephone is called, the bell or buzzer rings. Thus,
when an operator picks up -the transceiver 12 or
presses the button for response, the telephone set
enters a -talking state. After the operator attaches
the transceiver 12 to the ex-ternal auditory canal,
his hancls may be kept free. Since a voice is
supplied as a direct vibration -to the converter, the
sound heard as speech by the transceiver 12 is
slightly different when compared to the ordinary
collection of the sounds received by a receiver.
Thus, the operation by -the transceiver 12 can be
limited as required by constructing to talk by the
handset 17 as shown in Fig. 1.
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In the construction described above, the
bone conduction voice signal (vibration) of the
external auditory canal wall is conver-ted -to an
electric signal, and amplified by an amplifier 14
contained in the telephone set 11 to the level
capable of transmit-ting to a telephone channel.
Sound receiving volume is also regulated to a
suitable level to be heard, and transmitted -to the
transceiver 12.
The transceiver 12 integrally contains a
bidirectional converter, i.e., a vibra-tion type
microphone 21 and a speaker 22, and is constructed to
be contained in the external auditory canal. Thus,
the transceiver 12 can be utilized while keeping
hands free to eliminate -the disturbance of manual
work.
Figs. 5 to 7 show an embodiment of a
wireless telephone equipment according to the present
invention. The telephone equipment comprises a
transceiver 12 to be inserted into an external
auditory canal, a transceiver 25 having a battery and
a transceiver unit, and an antenna 26 for transmit-
ting and receiving a radio wave. The transceiver 25
is provided to talk by a high frequency signal
through antennas 26, 28 to a transceiver 27 shown in
Fig. 6.
E`ig. 7 exemplifies a telephone equipment in
which a transceiver 25 and a transceiver 12 are
separately provided. In the telephone equipment, a
battery 29 and a transceiver 30 are contained in
separate vessels. The transceiver 12 is attached to
the external auditory canal at calling time to set in
a hook-on state. Further, another switch is provided
and operated to se-t to a speech state. In addition,
a speech s-tate can be set by operating specific
buttons of the dial unit 31.
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In the embodiment descr.ibed above, a bone
conduction voice signal (vibration) of an external
auditory canal wall obtained by a living body in -the
transceiver 12 is irradiated as a radio wave by the
antenna 26 to be transmitted to the transceiver 27, a
voice signal from the main wire is radiated as a
radio wave signal from the antenna 28, and received
by a receiver in the transceiver 12. The dial unit
29 by a radio wave is operated at calling time and
the calling sound is produced by the bell or the
buzzer in the transceiver 27 a-t calling time or the
bell sound is produced in the transceiver 12.
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voice signal (vibration) of an external auditory canal wall
obtained by a living body i.n the transceiver 12 is
irradiated as a radio wave by the antenna 26 to be
transmitted to the transcelver 27, a voice signal from the
main wire is radiated as a radio wave signal from the
antenna 28, and received by a receiver in the transceiver
12.
Fig. 7 shows still another embodiment of a telephone
equipment according to the present invention ln which a
transceiver 25 is provided separated from a transceiver 12.
In the telephone equipment, a battery 29 and a transceiver
30 are separately contained respectively in vessels. The
transceiver 12 is attached -to the ex-ternal auditory canal
at calling time to be set to a hook-on state, or may be set
to a speed state by operating another switch. Furthex, a
speech state can be set by operating the specific buttons
of the dial unit 29.
In the embodiment described above, -the bone conduction
voice signal (vibration) of the external auditory canal wal.l
obtained from a living body in the transceiver is
transmitted as a radio wave from the ankenna 26 to the
transceiver 27, the voice signal from the main wire is
radiated as a radio wave signal from the antenna 28, and
received by -the receiver in the transceiver 12. The dial
unit 29 by a radio wave is operated at calling time and the
calling sound is produced by the bell or the buzzer in the
transceiver 14 at calling time or the bell sound is
produced in the transceiver 11.
