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The present invention relates to a talk/listen headset, comprising earpiece
bodies in which at least one earphone and at least one microphone reacting
to solidborne sound are integrated.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Sometimes communicating by voice in areas subject to noise influences is
not only problematical, but is even often impossible. To begin with, the
speaker might be able to be heard by raising his voice, but after a short
while, due to the vocal chords tiring, he will regularly switch over to
communication by means of gesticulation, with all the disadvantages
associated therewith, both at the speaker who can no longer communicate
everything and at the hearer who will seldom understand much of it.
Difficulty in communication may, depending on the location, have
catastrophic results, either because economic damage can result or
because, which would then be far worse, people could be endangered as a
result. In addition, there are activities in our society where perfect
communication under difficult conditions constitutes a mandatory
requirement: these include, for example, communication between pilots and
ground control, communication in and out of engine rooms, emergency
operations in a noisy environment etc.
PRIOR ART
Talk/listen headsets are commercially available which comprise a headphone
and a microphone placed at mouth level (lip microphone). Reception is here
not a problem as such, provided that the headphone capsules have an ear
protection design, and the earphone units are placed therein. The optimum
noise insulation by virtue of an ear protection design of the headset cuts
the wearer off from external emissions very well. The quality of reception
of communications is maximised by virtue of such measures. In contrast,
the talking function is far more complex: disadvantages regularly have to
be taken into account relating to the design of this aid, with respect to
the outlay necessary for providing a microphone of sufficient quality.
According to the known latest prior art, the talking function is performed
by a dynamic, noise-compensating lip microphone with which the background
noises are to a large extent suppressed, always provided that this
microphone is handled according to the operating instructions within
narrow tolerances. It is obvious that a projection of this type in the
area of the lips can occasionally prove to be an extreme nuisance.
Moreover, if a rest position is assumed, the readiness to talk must be
established anew each time again, which often leads to enervating
attempts, in that it is necessary to send a whole range of communication
messages back and forth between sender and receiver. Starting from a rest
position, therefore, the readiness to talk can always be established with
a time delay and additional effort. This lack of immediacy can have
far-reaching negative consequences.
Talk/listen headsets have become known in which speech is transmitted with
a throat microphone. These microphones are really only a substitute for
lip microphones which are exposed to too great a background noise and
hence can no longer provide satisfactory quality for transmission. As
regards the use of throat microphones, it should be taken into
consideration that these have a basic disadvantage arising from the voice
pick-up point. Throat microphones transmit the voiced sounds-produced in
the larynx and cannot reproduce the individual timbre produced by the
mouth cavity, tongue, lips etc. Moreover, throat microphones also need to
be repositioned every time out of the rest position for renewed readiness
to talk.
German Patent 2,230,637 describes a talk/listen headset which rests in the
area of one ear and leaves the other free, comprising a casing in which
there is an earphone and a microphone reacting to solid-borne sound. The
casing is here formed as a toroidal ring which lies around one ear, but
leaves it free. This is aimed at permitting a binaural hearing of the
background noises. A funnel-shaped sound line leads the sound power output
by the earphone to the ear input located approximately in the middle of
the casing. The microphone reacting to solid-borne sound, which is
preferably a moving-coil pressure gradient microphone, is exited in the
region of the temporo-mandibular joint. The disadvantages of this proposal
are constituted by the fact that, in order to permit binaural hearing of
the background noises, the organs of hearing are left unprotected from
high volume levels, as a result of which the field of application of a
headset of this kind remains very limited. Moreover, even if an inherently
bulky moving-coil pressure gradient microphone is used, the degree of
efficiency with respect to the tonality and characteristics of the
reproduced voice remains low, as a result of which additional aids are
necessary if a satisfactory reproduction is to be provided. This could be
rectified to a large extent by installing an amplifier, although undesired
ambient noise would again likewise then be amplified, which does not
promote the general comprehensibility. Finally, it should also be pointed
out that the background noises collide negatively with radio-based or
wire-based listening.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The invention is intended to provide assistance here. The object of the
invention, as is characterized in the claims, is- to improve a talk/listen
headset of the type mentioned at the beginning to such an extent that
first of all an ear protection function is ensured. It is also the object
of the invention to substantially improve and simplify the reproduction
quality of the microphone reacting to solid-borne sound. Furthermore, it
is the object of the invention to permit a stereophonic reception of the
background noises, despite the ear protection function of the headset,
with definition of a communication priority over the microphones and
earphones, in order to prevent a collision between the two functions.
ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
The advantages of the invention are essentially to be seen in the fact that
the talk/listen headset that is primarily designed for ear protection does
not cut off the wearer completely from the background noises: each ear
protection capsule is equipped with a receiving element directed outwards
which is designed to receive the background noises. However, in order that
the cutting-off effect of the ear protection capsules is not thereby lost,
the receiving elements interact with an electronic component, the
circuitry of which has means for regulating the incoming sound from the
surroundings to a volume level that is normal for the ear. The organs of
hearing are protected optimally by means of this measure, moreover the
stereophonic reception of the background noises via the receiving elements
makes it possible for the wearer of the talklisten headset to decide the
direction the sound is coming from, as is always the case with normal
hearing. The design according to the invention of the microphone reacting
to solidborne sound also proves to be advantageous: by using a
piezoelectric resonator which interacts with a massforming body, which
acts on the oscillation amplitudes from the resonator, a sharper resonance
is achieved, which permits an improvement in the quality of reproduction.
Additionally accommodated in the compact unit of this microphone according
to the invention are also an impedance converter and a filter/equaliser,
which likewise interact with the remaining elements of the microphone and
help to improve the qualitative degree efficiency further in the
transmission of the voiced sounds of greater speech comprehensibility: the
impedance converter matches the impedance to a downstream radio device;
finally the filtering (filter/equaliser) has an effect on the presence of
speech, as a result of which the speech comprehensibility is decisively
improved. Great advantages are then also evident each time the talk/listen
headset according to the invention is donned, for the latter makes do
without additional head fastenings, in contrast to the known headsets. As
regards the accommodation of the microphones in the ear protection
capsules, the proposed method also proves advantageous in an additional
manner: the microphone integrated in a noise-protected ear protection
capsule is protected from the background noise as is the earphone likewise
accommodated there, in that the former is also placed in a capsule niche.
If two microphones are provided, it is possible to mix the individual
solidborne sound frequencies depending on the respective pickup point with
one another in such a way that a frequency spectrum with a broad
comprehensibility results therefrom. In this connection, it can be
established that, along a vertical band width of about 1 cm which runs, in
the case of ear protection capsules on a person, approximately centrally
through the temporal bone (os temporale) and extends up to the mandibular
angle (angulus mandibulae), different indirect body voice frequencies
arise which, combined in terms of voltage, produce a middle term quality
of the voice as a result: thus, higher tones are produced in the area of
the end of the zygomatic bone (arcus zygomaticus), whereas further down,
in the area of the ascending ramus of the jaw (processus condylaris
mandibulae) lower tones can be found. A further advantage of the invention
is to be seen in the fact that, by eliminating acoustic feed-backs, a
duplex-capable (telephone effect) talk/listen headset can be provided. The
basis of this effect can be seen in the fact that there is a separation in
terms of sound between earphones and microphones, in that the microphones
themselves are cut off with respect to noise and have a spring suspension.
A further advantage of the invention is to be seen in the fact that
measures have been taken so that the wireless or wire-based communication
via the earphones and microphones does not collide with the perceivable
background noises via the receiving elements. If the earphones and/or the
microphones are being used for communication, a communication priority of
these elements always prevails over the receiving elements for registering
the background noises: sound emissions from the surroundings are not
forwarded by the receiving elements to the earphones, since their
activation remains completely disconnected during this phase. After
communication has ended, reception of the background noises via the
receiving elements begins functioning again after a given delay, that is
the wearer of the talk/listen headset again has contact with his "outside
sound world" to a certain degree despite the ear protection isolation.
Advantageous and expedient further developments of the problem solution
according to the invention are characterized in the further dependent
claims. Attention is drawn in particular here to the voice-controlled
switching for creating the communication priority, or the voice-controlled
sending/receiving switch-over of the radio device. Furthermore, the
advantageous design of the talk/listen headset for people with hearing
defects are also to be emphasised.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in greater detail
below with reference to the drawing. All elements not necessary for
immediate comprehension of the invention have been omitted. Identical
elements are denoted by the same reference numerals in the various figures
.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 shows a talk/listen headset which is designed as ear protection
headset,
FIG. 2 shows a further talk/listen headset which, besides the functions of
ear protection, receiving and sending, also permits background noises to
be heard,
FIG. 3 shows a microphone reacting to solid-borne sound,
FIG. 4 shows a diagram of the circuitry of an electronic component
integrated in the talk/listen headset for the extended function execution
according to FIG. 2,
FIG. 5 shows a further design of the talk/listen headset which contains
aids for people with hearing defects,
FIG. 6 shows a section through the surface of an ear protection capsule on
the ear side
FIG. 7 is a diagram of the location of the talk/listen headset on a user's
head, and
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the talk/listen
headset of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a talk/listen headset which performs the functions of ear
protection, sending and receiving. It consists of two ear protection
capsules 1, 2, connected to one another by a head band 3, which are
designed for ear protection, as is indicated by the cushion 1a, 2a and the
insulation 2b of the only ear protection capsule 2 cut open. To increase
the comfort when wearing such a talk/listen headset, a soft padding is to
be provided on the parts lying against the ears, there being no pressure
exerted on the ear itself as a result of appropriately designed earpiece
openings 5. Pressure compensation openings (not visible) integrated in the
ear protection capsules 1, 2 prevent any excess pressures on the ear drum
of the wearer. In the ear protection capsule 2, an earphone 4a can be seen
which is cut off optimally from background noise by the insulation 2b
surrounding it. Regularly provided and advantageous is if the other ear
protection capsule 1 is also equipped with an earphone if it is not
intended to provide monaural hearing function. It can be seen that the
present talk/listen headset is equipped with two earphones from the way
line 10 is laid, which connects the two earphones in terms of current (see
so the diagram in FIG. 4). The ear protection capsule 1, which is provided
for the left ear, which at the same time indicates that the talk/listen
headset is represented in the drawing in the direction it is worn, has two
microphones, 6, 7 which are placed below the covering of cushion 1a. The
niches in the cushion 1a provided for the microphones 6, 7 should be
designed so that the microphones 6, 7, which preferably have the shape of
a dome and a mean diameter of approx. 5-15 mm and a thickness of a few
millimetres, can be anchored well therein, but at the same time can also
develop a certain resilience to impact. Also,the anchoring of the
microphones 6, 7 should be designed so that the greatly vibrating contact
diaphragm of these microphones is always in the area of reception, that is
in the case of talk/listen headsets on a person, the contact diaphragms
should press directly against the covering of the cushion 1a. The material
of the covering is neutral with regard to damping, in order not to
indicate an impairment of these microphones reacting to solid-borne sound.
FIG. 7 shows a typical position of the microphones 6, 7 with pick-up of
the solid-borne sounds at two places. The microphones 6, 7, the design of
which is described in detail under FIG. 3, are placed so that when the
talk/listen headset is worn the upper microphone 6 picks up the
solid-borne sounds in the area of the end of the zygomatic arch 100 (arcus
zygomaticus); the lower microphone 7 is placed on the other hand in the
area of the articular process 102 of the ascending ramus of the jaw
(processus condylaris mandibulae). If the two microphones 6, 7 are
connected by an imaginary vertical 9, then an extension of the same
upwards goes through the temporal bone 104 (os temporale) approximately in
the middle; an extension of this vertical 9 downwards exits the head in
the area of the mandibular angle 106 (angulus mandibulae). Within the area
of a band width of approx. 1 cm of this imaginary vertical 9, the
reception of the solid-borne sounds from the speech sounds can be
classified as good, provided that efficient microphones are provided. As
regards the formation of the speech sounds, the following should be noted:
voiced sounds are produced in the larynx which build on the fundamental
tone. This primary larynx tone is then transformed in the area of the
voice-forming part of the larynx (glottis) such that a certain, but still
rudimentary voice is produced therefrom by resonatory transformation. This
voice received its final modelling as a consequence of the individual
characteristics of other speech-forming organs, such as tongue, lips,
lower jaw structure, vellum, teeth etc. of the speaker. If one considers
the sounds from the larynx, it can be established that the average
proportion of the high frequency tones produced there is only 20% of the
whole spectrum; the proportion of the low frequency (LF) tones is thus in
contrast approximately 80%. It must also be taken into consideration that
the physiological components of the noise portions in the larynx are
relatively high even at a normal speech volume. Accordingly, when the
sounds are normally picked up from the larynx a satisfactory reproduction
of the speech cannot be expected, for the simple reason that a timbre is
not yet present there, or has not yet taken shape enough. Although in the
case of the reproduction of speech sounds using the microphones 6, 7 shown
in FIGS. 1 and 2, this is an indirect transmission, nevertheless a
comparatively excellent quality can be expected, in conjunction with an
efficient microphone, because the sounds are completely modelled in terms
of timbre. Namely, these speech sounds come from the mouth cavity, where
there are completely formed in terms of timbre, and from where they then
move via the auditory canal on the skull side into the auditory system. On
the way to the external auditory canal, they are greatly weakened and
substantially distorted; for this reason the reproduction of the speech
sounds by means of resonator placed in the ear would provide
unsatisfactory results, apart from the fact that we would be confronted
here with an acoustic feedback which would make the duplex capability of
the talk/listen headset impossible. Located directly in the area of the
start of the outer bone 108 of the auditory canal (os tympanicum) on the
skull side is the end of the zygqmatic arch 100 (arcus zygomaticus); the
latter is adjoined in the downward direction by the articular process 102
of the ascending ramus of the jaw (processus condylaris mandibulae), the
latter engaging into the lower limit of the zygomatic arch 100 (arcus
zygomaticus) in an articulated manner. The reproduction of the speech
sounds by means of preferably piezoelectric resonators, as are described
under FIG. 3, which are placed in the area of the plane formed by the
vertical 9, proves to be of high quality: resonators placed in the area of
the zygomatic arch 100 produce a voice characterized by high tones;
further below in the area of the articular process 102 of the ascending
ramus of the jaw the original timbre will include a proportion of low
tones. Indeed it is possible to determine that point along a plane to the
vertical 9 which guarantees in the individual case the best possible
reproduction of the most undistorted voice characteristic. With a view to
a more comprehensible reproduction, it is readily possible here to achieve
a specific correction by placing the microphones appropriately, because in
terms of quality this indirect reproduction of a solid-borne sound not
only depends on the quality of the microphone itself, but also on the
given bone structure and on the timbre of the voice of the respective
individual. The microphones 6, 7 are connected together with respect to
voltage, as the line 8 is intended to indicate. The voltage picked up at
the two microphones 6, 7 as well as the line 10 from the earphones 4a,
(4b=FIG. 4) are combined to form a connecting cable 11 and led to the
outside, and from there carried to a transmitting/receiving device on the
person. It is of course possible for this device not to be wirebased, in
accordance with the known prior art in this sector. The microphones 6, 7
connected to each other effect a neutralization of the tone amplitudes at
the top and bottom in such a way that the reproduction of the voice, which
is after all far removed from the natural place of speech emission,
approximates in quality the original timbre, in conjunction with the
abovementioned design of the microphone according to FIG. 3. In a normal
case, positive results can be expected if the upper microphone 6 has at
the zygomatic bone side a distance of 3-5 cm to the outer bone of the
auditory canal (os tympanicus), while the lower microphone 7 is placed in
the vertical 9 and has a distance of 3-10 cm with respect to the upper
microphone 6. The current is supplied to the elements from a battery 16
located in an ear protection capsule 1 or 2, from which battery the supply
of the individual elements is ensured. The power supply from the battery
16 is switched on and off automatically by a permanent magnet 17 with an
explosion-proof reed switch (not visible in the figure) according to the
following dynamics. If the headset is removed, then the tension is removed
from the tensioned spring of the headband 3 which causes the battery 16 to
be switched off by the reed switch placed at the capsule-side end of the
head band 3; when the talk/listen headset is used again, on the other
hand, the headband 3 is splayed, which then releases the current supply
from the battery 16 again.
FIG. 2 shows an extension of the talk/listen headset which specifically
cancels the noise cut off from the background noises without, however,
having to forgo the advantages of ear protection. The ear protection
capsules 1, 2 are each equipped with an outwardly directed receiving
element 12a, (12b is not visible in capsule 1, but is evident from FIG.
4), which are directed towards the background noises. This talk/listen
headset is furthermore extended to include an electronic component 13
which interacts with the microphones 6, 7, the earphones 4a, 4b (=FIG. 4)
and the receiving elements 12a, 12b (=FIG.4), and the circuitry of which
provides a communication priority in favour of the microphones and
earphones and not in favour of the receiving elements: if there is a
connection to a remote location, either via the microphones or the
earphones, then this communication priority is always switched through;
background noises are not forwarded from the receiving elements to the
earphones because the communication priority has interrupted this circuit.
During a communication phase, the ear protection capsules 1, 2 are
dompletely cut off from background noises. After communication via the
microphones and earphones has finished, the reception of the background
noises via the receiving elements then start to function again, with a
time delay set in the electronic component 13 or which can be set
optionally, that is the wearer of the talk/listen headset has a relative
access to the background noises despite ear protection cut off, in
accordance with the volume level provided. In many setups such an
extension provides inestimable assistance and necessity for the wearer,
because the latter is not completely isolated with an important sensory
organ from these surroundings during the communication pauses. Indeed, as
practice has shown, an insulation represents a source of danger which
should not be underestimated, in particular when carrying out difficult
and dangerous work. It is also advantageous in other cases if one is not
completely isolated, despite ear protection, from one's surroundings, that
is contact is possible without having to remove the talk/listen headset
each time. In order not to make the original protective function of the
talk/listen headset ineffective, the electronic component 13 has means
which regulate the background noises to preferably 30-85 decibels,
regardless of the incoming volume level. According to experience, such
means will serve to absorb the excess decibels without time delay so that
the wearer of the talk/listen headset will always receive a filtered
reception of the background noises. Even a bang in the immediate vicinity
is heard in a weaker form. Thus, the widest variety of possible uses opens
up here for the talk/listen headset described, above and beyond the first
application according to FIG. 1: as an example of this, we will only cite
the possibility here that this headset is excellently suitable for wearing
in a firing range, especially if a direct communication with persons..in
the immediate vicinity is required or desired between the individual
firing, for instance during a training session in the presence of an
instructor. The activation of the communication priority should preferable
be carried out by means of voice sensing. This means that as soon as a
radio-based or wire-based link to from the headset wearer is initiated,
the receiving elements are instantly bypassed so that communication can
take place via the microphones and the earphones without interference. A
voice-controlled circuit of this type serves for automatically switching
over the radio device to send/receive, consequently rendering unnecessary
for this to be continually switched on and off manually. It is also
important that the natural self control during speaking is not lost even
during the use of the present talk/listen headset. In particular it is
important during each switch-over to the communication priority that there
is a self control over the wearer's own speech. For this purpose the
electronic component 13 has a circuit which ensures a feedback between
microphones and earphones when the communication priority is activated.
This feedback furthermore makes possible a redundant control, which is
justified in particular if the link to a remote location, either via radio
or wire-based, is initiated by voice sensing, because here the
uncertainties arising as regards whether one is "transmitting" or not are
particularly predominant, at least more predominant than when the link is
initiated by manual keying. It is of course possible to provide a key
which permits the radio link, that is the communication priority, that is
the voice sensing, to be switched off, whereupon the talk/listen headset
wearer can .communicate with the immediate surroundings without
interference over the microphones and/or earphones. The current supply to
the various elements is also provided here by means of a battery 16,
analogous to FIG. 1. As regards the circuit of the electronic component
13, refer to FIG. 4.
FIG. 3 shows a microphone reacting to solid-borne sound consisting of a
piezoelectric resonator 6b, a massforming body 6a, an impedance converter
6f, a filter/equaliser 6g and a contact capsule 6c. The elements listed
interact with one another, as the line 6d is capable of vibration if the
resonator 6b lying thereunder is to be optimally impinged by the
solid-borne sound. In this connection, the use of a contact capsule 6c
having a residual capacity for swallowing the high frequency tones would
have a negative effect. The resonator 6b is "sandwiched" between contact
capsule 6c and a damping ring 6e. It is possible to affect the oscillation
amplitudes from the resonator 6b to such an extent that a sharper
resonance is achieved thereby, which leads to an improvement in the
quality of reproduction, in that the piezoelectric resonator 6b physically
interacts with the mass-forming body 6a, which is preferably made of a
material with a high density which has a low absorbtion capacity with
respect to oscillations, as is the case with a hard copper alloy, for
example. In the mass-forming body 6a are also located the impedance
converter 6f and the filter/equaliser 6g, which interact with the
resonator 6b via the line 6d in terms of voltage, and contribute to
further improving the qualitative degree of efficiency in the transmission
of the voiced sounds towards greater speech comprehensibility: thus the
impedance converter 6f performs an impedance matching to a downstream
radio device, while the filter/equaliser 6g have an effect on the presence
of speech.
FIG. 4 shows the internal design as stipulated of the electronic component
13, already mentioned in part under FIG. 2. In this diagram the
microphones 6, 7, the earphones 4a, 4b in each case located in an ear
protection capsule 1, 2 and the receiving elements 12a, 12b, likewise
accommodated in a ear protection capsule, can be seen. If the
communication priority is activated, either by the wearer via the
microphones 6, 7 or towards the wearer via the earphones 4a, 4b then a
priority communication amplifier 19 switches over without delay, and the
two receiving elements 12a, 12b are made ineffective with regard to sound
level via the limiter compressor/expander 18a, 18b individually allocated
and located in each hearing line 29a, 29b: background noises to the
earphones 4a, 4b are thus interrupted, and the talk/listen headset again
fully develops its function as ear protection. The signal coming in via a
receiving channel 20 passes through the amplifiers 21, 22 and reaches the
earphones 4a, 4b. Another circuit line, also on communication priority,
starts from the microphones 6, 7: following an amplifier 26, the outgoing
s is split in such a way that the one line forms an LF (i.e., low
frequency) signal 24, and the other line forms a logic level signal 27
which is generated by a controller 25 and which can be used for
transmitter control. On the one hand the logic level signal 27 is used
externally for a transmitter keying, and on the other hand is used
internally in the component for an LF control of a monitoring channel 28.
In both cases, the activation of the communication priority, as is shown
clearly in the diagram in FIG. 4, via the signal over receiving channel 20
and via the logic level signal 27, causes an interruption of the two
receiving elements 12a, 12b, that is an interruption of the backgrounds
noises to the earphones 4a, 4b. The abovementioned amplifiers 21, 22,
which also convey the internal pulses from the microphones 6, 7 to the
earphones 4a, 4b serve to maintain the voice control (monitoring) already
described under FIG. 2. The priority communication amplifier 19 is set so
that it switches over after 0.5-2 seconds, for example, when a signal does
not arrive, be it via the receiving channel 20 or via a digital signal 20a
arriving in parallel, as well as via the monitoring channel 28, and thus
releases the receiving elements 12a, 12b again for receiving the
background noises. The limiter/compressor/expanders 18a, 18b ensure that
the volume level to the earphones 4a, 4b is regulated preferably to 30-85
decibels, regardless of the volume level of the incoming sound. The manual
generation of the logic level signal 27 takes places conventionally, in
that one of the two ear protection capsules 1, 2 has a switch (not shown
on the various figures) which can be activated from the outside, and which
also activates a controller 23 on the monitoring channel 28.
A redundant safety measure is provided in connection with the two
limiter/compressor/expanders 18a, 18: as is known, as emerges from the
above description, the latter filter or increase, respectively, the
incoming sound to the two earphones 4a, 4b to a bandwidth between 30 and
85 decibels, depending upon the setting. This protective measure consists
of two diodes 30a, 30b, which are located immediately following each
limiter/ compressor/expander 18a, 18b on the respective transmission
hearing line 29a, 29b to the individual earphones 4a, 4b which perform the
function, in the case of any failure or breakdown of the sound level
conditioning of the incoming sound, of intervening in the
limiter/compressor/expanders 18a, 18b in such a way that by means of these
diodes 30a, 30b too high a sound level is always limited preferably to a
maximum of 80 decibels in order to protect the hearing of the wearer
redundantly. The circuit according to FIG. 4 is furthermore extended by
two induction coils 31a, 31b which perform the function of induction
receivers. If at least one ear protection capsule 1 or 2 contains an
induction coil 31a, 31b, it is possible to communicate via a telephone
without removing the talk/listen headset. For this purpose it is
sufficient if the earpiece of the telephone receiver is placed against the
corresponding ear protection capsule; the induction from the earpiece of
the telephone receiver is captured by the induction coil 31a, 31b located
in the ear protection capsule and forwarded to the earphones 4a, 4b. Since
the present talk/listen headset can do without a lip microphone, the
wearer can talk into the microphone piece of a telephone receiver without
problems, as a result of which the present talk/listen headset is also
extremely suitable for links via a field telephone. It is of course
additionally advantageous if the inductive switching into the circuit of
the electronic component 13 is provided for both ear protection capsules
1, 2, based on the daily observation that the ear used for telephoning is
an individual feature.
If the present object is also intended for activities where the wearing of
a protective helmet is absolutely necessary or is prescribed, as is the
case for military pilots, for example, then the aforesaid elements of the
ear protection capsules can be directly integrated in the protective
helmet, or the top part of the outer shell of the ear protection capsule
can be flattened to such an extent that it is possible to slip the
protective helmet over it without problems.
Depending on the degree of miniaturization, the electronic component 13
can, of course, be a printed circuit of various size in the form of a
board, which can easily be integrated in an ear protection capsule 1, 2 as
is illustrated in FIG. 2 by the dashed outlines of the component 13.
Furthermore, in each case a vibrator 32a, 32b assigned to each earphone 4a,
4b can intervene in the circuit of the electronic component 13. When this
is preferably to be provided emerges from the description of FIG. 5 below.
It is known from medical science that people already having hearing defects
require a more intensive protection, for an already damaged hearing
function is highly liable to suffer additional damage, already at medium
volume levels, although the person itself does not perceive this, which
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