WO2020011698A1

WO2020011698A1 - Headphone device with antenna arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2020011698A1
Application number: PCT/EP2019/068216
Authority: WO
Inventors: Viktor LILJEGREN
Original assignee: Zound Industries International AB
Current assignee: Zound Industries International AB
Priority date: 2018-07-11
Filing date: 2019-07-08
Publication date: 2020-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 2021-01-11
Also published as: SE1850886A1

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to an audio listening device (150, 200). The audio listening device (150, 200) is configured to be placed at, or in an ear of a user. The audio listening device (150, 200) comprises a loudspeaker (95) for emitting sound signals into the ear of the user. The audio listening device (150, 200) further comprises an exterior casing (110, 710). Furthermore, the audio listening device (150, 200) includes an antenna arrangement (100). The antenna arrangement (100) comprises a substrate board (20) carrying a transceiver (30); a conductive housing (10) configured to constitute at least a part of the exterior casing (110, 710) of the audio listening device (150, 200); and a feed (40) arranged to connect the transceiver (30) with the conductive housing (10), thereby forming an antenna.

Description

HEADPHONE DEVICE WITH ANTENNA ARRANGEMENT

Technical field

The present disclosure generally relates to audio listening devices configured to be placed at, or in an ear of a user, and in particular to audio listening devices, configured to be placed at, or in an ear of a user, which include antenna arrangements.

Background

This section is intended to provide a background to the various embodiments of the invention that are described in this disclosure. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section should not be interpreted to be prior art by its mere inclusion in this section .

Audio listening devices are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. The audio listening devices may be configured to be placed at, or in an ear of a user. Example of such audio listening devices are headphones, sometimes also named earphones or pair of headphones. Headphones are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers, which may be either in-ear headphones or over ear headphones. Over-ear headphones, or headphones placed at the ear of the user, may include so called cir cum- aural headphones that surrounds the ear of the user and supra- aural headphones that are supported onto the ear of the user. In-ear headphones may be may be placed in the ear of the user. The electrical signal usually originates from an electronic device connected to the audio listening device. Traditionally, audio listening devices, such as headphones, have been connected to the electronic device by a cable.

As technology has evolved, audio listening devices have become more advanced and the connection between the audio listening device and the electronic device has developed. In recent years it has even become possible to replace the cable connecting the audio listening devices and the electronic device with a wireless connection. In order to realize such wireless connection, antennas may be used.

An antenna is a kind of interface for transmitting and/or receiving information from one place to another. The antenna converts conducted electric currents into electromagnetic radiation when transmitting information, and vice versa when receiving information. Antennas are essential components of all equipment that uses radio and that wants to communicate (transmit and/or receive information/ data) with another entity. However, when mechanical designing an antenna, the design and the general environment of the antenna will set some restrictions, which will affect the antenna performance. For example, certain materials, such as metals, transform radiation patterns and affect antennas and hence use of such materials is often avoided or heavily restricted in the industrial design when designing an audio listening device which includes an antenna. Furthermore, since the surface available to realize an antenna in an audio listening device is limited and since the antenna within the audio listening device, when the audio listening device is in a wearing state, typically is exposed to an obstacle in form of the head, the prevailing conditions for designing the antenna are very strict requiring a certain amount of transmit power. Accordingly, as high antenna performance is desirable, there are a lot of chal l enges when designing an antenna in an audio li stening device.

Summary

It is in view of the above background and other considerations that the various embodiments of the present disclosure have been made.

In view of the above, it is therefore a general object of the aspects and embodiments described throughout this disclosure to provide an audio listening device which includes an antenna arrangement with an improved antenna performance. It is further a general object of the aspects and embodiments described throughout this disclosure to provide a simple antenna arrangement without the need of several extra components when the antenna arrangement is combined with an audio listening device.

This general object has been addressed by the appended independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are defined in the appended dependent claims.

The present disclosure provides an audio listening device. The audio listening device is configured to be placed at, or in, an ear of a user. The audio device comprises a loudspeaker for emitting sound signals into the ear of the user and an exterior casing. The audio listening device includes an antenna arrangement. The antenna arrangement comprises a substrate board carrying a transceiver; a conductive housing configured to constitute at least a part of the exterior casing of the audio listening device; and a feed arranged to connect the transceiver with the conductive housing, thereby forming an antenna.

In one embodiment, the audio listening device is a headphone device. The headphone device may for example be an in-ear earphone. According to another example, the headphone device may be an over-ear headphone device, e.g. a supra- aural or a circum- aural headphone device.

According to one exemplary embodiment, when the audio listening device is an over-ear headphone device, the headphone device comprises a headband being configured to extend along a portion of a head of a user of the audio listening device; and at least one ear cup attached to an end of the headband, wherein the exterior casing forms the at least one ear cup.

In one embodiment, the headphone device comprises two ear cups. Each one of the two ear cups is attached to a respective end of the headband. Each one of the ear cups may according to one exemplary embodiment comprise the antenna arrangement.

In one embodiment, the exterior casing is located at an exterior side of the audio listening device.

In one embodiment, the substrate board is a Printed Circuit Board, PCB.

In one embodiment, the feed is configured to be a feed pin located at an exterior side of the substrate board. The exterior side of the substrate board is a side facing in a direction away from an ear of a user when the audio listening device is worn by a user. The feed pin may for example be located comparatively closer to a lower edge than to an upper edge of the substrate board. The lower edge is an edge portion closest to the ground the user stands on when the audio listening device is worn by the user in an upright position.

In one embodiment, the conductive housing is configured to be grounded by a ground pin located at a side of the feed. The conductive housing may for example be configured to be grounded by connecting the ground pin to a ground plane comprised on the substrate board. At least one of the ground pin and the feed pin may for example be a pogo pin.

In one embodiment, at least one of the ground pin and the feed pin extend from the substrate board. In another embodiment, at least one of the ground pin and the feed pin extend from the conductive housing.

In one embodiment, the conductive housing is made of metal.

In one embodiment, the conductive housing constitutes at least one third of the exterior casing of the ear cup.

In one embodiment, the audio listening device have an interior side which, in use, faces the ear of the user, and an exterior side facing away from the head of the user, wherein at least the exterior side comprises the exterior casing. In one embodiment, the ear cup covers at least a portion of an ear of the user.

In one embodiment, a matching circuit is positioned in between the transceiver and the feed.

In some embodiments, the antenna arrangement is configured to communicate with short-range wireless communication. The short-range wireless communication may for example be Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

In one advantageous embodiment, the antenna arrangement is configured to communicate with an electronic device.

Audio listening devices including antenna arrangements according to the various embodiments described herein, provide audio listening devices with a higher antenna performance. The radiation towards the head of the wearer of the audio listening device will be reduced. Instead, the radiation will mainly be focused in a direction facing away from the head of the wearer, which will decrease losses from the head, which may reduce the needed transmit power and accordingly improve the antenna performance.

Furthermore, the various embodiments described herein will also enable the realization of audio listening device with metal housings, where the metal housings are used as part of the antennas. This may accordingly increase the design possibilities for the audio listening device including the disclosed antenna arrangement.

Brief Description of Drawings

These and other aspects, features and advantages will be apparent and elucidated from the following description of various embodiments, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a first example embodiment of an audio listening device including an antenna arrangement;

Figure 2 illustrates an example embodiment of a headphone device;

Figure 3 illustrates an example of an antenna arrangement;

Figure 4a shows the radiation pattern for an example embodiment; and

Figure 4b shows another view of the radiation pattern for an exampl e embodiment

Figure 5 illustrates an example of an antenna arrangement comprising a matching circuit; and

Figure 6 illustrates the S -parameters (SI 1) in relation to the frequency according to one embodiment; and Figure 7 illustrates a second example embodiment of an audio listening device including an antenna arrangement.

Detailed Description

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those persons skilled in the relevant art. Like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.

A first aspect of the invention is now going to be describe with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2. Figure 1 schematically illustrates an audio listening device embodied as a headphone device 150. As illustrated in Figure 1 , the headphone device 150 according to the first aspect is configured to be placed at, i.e. over, an ear of a user, such as a supra- aural or a circum-aural headphone device. Figure 2 illustrates an example embodiment of an over-ear headphone device 150.

Turning to Figure 1, the audio listening device, here exemplified as a headphone device 150, may comprise a loudspeaker 95 for emitting sound signals into the ear of the user. Accordingly, when the headphone device 150 may be placed at, i.e. over, the ear of the user, the user may receive sound signals emitted by the loudspeaker 95.

The headphone device 150 may have an interior side 220 and an exterior side 210. The headphone device 150 may further comprise an exterior casing 110. The exterior casing 110 may be located at the exterior side 210 of the headphone device 150. When the headphone device 150 is placed at, i.e. over, the ear of the user, the interior side 220 of the audio listening device 200 may be facing the ear and the exterior side 210 of the audio listening device 200 may be facing in a direction away from the head of the user.

The exterior casing 110 of the audio listening device, here exemplified as an over ear headphone 150, may be rigid, such as of rigid plastic material, and may enclose at least a portion of the headphone device 150. The exterior casing 110 thereby forms a protective wall for components, such as the loudspeaker 95, of the headphone device 150. In the headphone device 150 of Figure 1, the exterior casing 110 may enclose the external side 220 of the headphone device 150. The headphone device 150 may further comprise a headband 80. The headband 80 may be configured to extend along a portion of a head of a user of the headphone device 150. The headphone device 150 may further comprise at least one ear cup 90 attached to an end of the headband 80, wherein the exterior casing 110 forms the at least one ear cup 90.

At least one of the one or several ear cups 90 may comprise the loudspeaker 95, as illustrated in Figure 1. Accordingly, a user may put the headphone device 150 on his/her head, with the ear cups placed at, i.e. over, the ears, when the user intends to use the headphone device 150. When in use, the user may listen to sound, such as music, emitted by the loudspeakers 95 within the one or several ear cups 90.

The headphone device 150 may further include an antenna arrangement 100. Example embodiments of such antenna arrangements 100 are illustrated in Figure 2 and Figure 3. Figure 2 illustrates the antenna arrangement 100 included in the headphone device 150, and Figure 3 solely illustrates the antenna arrangement 100. According to this embodiment, the antenna arrangement 100 may be included in the at least one ear cup 90. The antenna arrangement 100 may comprise a conductive housing 10, a feed 40 and a substrate board 20 carrying a transceiver 30. The substrate board 20, which may be planar, has an exterior side 21, an interior side 22 and a circumferential edge 23. The substrate board 20 may be configured to support and electrically interconnect the electronic components of the antenna arrangement 100. The substrate board may thereby comprise electrically conducting means for connecting said electronic components. Examples of such electrically conducting means include electrically conducting wiring or pathways of electrically conducting material formed in the surface of the substrate board. It is appreciated that the substrate board may be of any suitable geometry and made of any suitable material for example electrically insulating material such as plastic resin material.

The transceiver 30 carried on the substrate board 20, may be configured to transmit or receive signals, or may be configured to both transmit and receive signals. Accordingly, the transceiver 30 may work as a transmitter, a receiver or both transmitter and receiver. The transceiver 30 may be designed in several ways depending on the desired requirements. In one advantageous embodiment, the transceiver 30 may comprise element/ s with both receiving and transmitting capabilities. Hence, the headphone device 150 may be configured to both receive and transmit signals from and to the device which the headphone device 150 may be communicatively coupled with, i.e. wirelessly connected to.

The received signals may for example comprise music, which the user may listen to via the loudspeaker 95 within the one or several ear cups 90. The signals that are transmitted from the headphone device 150 may for example comprise commands. In one exemplary embodiment, these commands may comprise information to start or stop the transmission of signals to the headphone device 150. Hence, if the received signals comprise music, the headphone device 150 may transmit a signal to the device, from which the music originates, that the device should stop, or begin, transmitting the signals comprising the music to the headphone device 150.

As described above, and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the antenna arrangement 100 may further comprise a conductive housing 10. A conductor is a type of material that allows the flow of an electrical current in one or more directions. The conductive housing 10 may be configured to constitute at least a part of the exterior casing 110 of the headphone device 150. According to this embodiment, the conductive housing 10 may be configured to constitute, i.e. form, at least a part of the exterior casing 110 of its respective ear cup 90. Hence, the conductive housing 10 of the antenna arrangement 100 may be easily integrated with the at least one ear cup 90.

The conductive housing 10 may include any conductive material. The conductive housing 10 may for example be of metal. Example of such metal may be, without limitations, stainless steel, silver, gold and titanium.

Furthermore, the antenna arrangement 100 may comprise a feed 40. A feed refers to the component of an antenna which feed the RF current to the rest of the antenna structure, or vice versa in receiving mode. The feed 40 according to the proposed embodiment may accordingly be arranged to connect the transceiver 30 with the conductive housing 10, thereby forming the antenna. By feeding the conductive housing 10 directly, the conductive housing 10 may be used as the antenna.

According to this arrangement, an antenna arrangement 100 with an overall improved antenna efficiency is achieved. A higher antenna performance is realized. As also illustrated in Figures 4a and 4b, the antenna arrangement 100 of the audio li stening device, here exemplified as a headphone device 150, will mostly radiate in a direction facing away from a wearer’s head. This will prevent radiation from being attenuated by the head and accordingly, losses that otherwise would occur due to the head will be reduced. Hence, more of the radiation will reach its intended destination, i.e. the device that the headphone device 150 is wireless connected with and communicatively coupled to, resulting in better range and improved battery time since the transmit power can be reduced. Please note, that the Figures 4a and 4b disclose the radiation pattern in linear scale, i.e. not dB, in order to more clearly illustrate that the main lobe of the radiation is in a direction away from the head.

Furthermore, by the above proposed embodiment, the design possibilities for the audio listening device, here exemplified as a headphone device 150, may be increased. With the proposed embodiment, it may be possible to use headphone devices 150 with metal housings, as the metal housings may be used as part of the antennas. Inclusion of metal in the headphone cups would create a surrounding that includes a lot of metal, which may heavily affect the antenna as metal is a conductor of electricity. Metal reflects radio waves and transforms radiation pattern. Flowever, as the proposed configuration uses the metal housing as part of the antenna, it is made possible to use metal housings. Accordingly, the proposed antenna arrangement 100 may provide a more flexibly designed headphone device 150.

In one embodiment, the substrate board 20 may be a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). A PCB is a board used for electronic circuits. It is used in devices to provide mechanical support and electrical pathways to the electronic components within the devices. A PCB may be of a very simple design carrying just one or a few components or may be more complex with multiple components. The design of the PCB 20 according to the embodiments described herein may mainly be set with respect to the functionality of the headphone device 150, as the PCB 20 may be used for several other purposes in addition to the functionality of the antenna. Accordingly, the antenna arrangement 100 makes it possible to provide a solution to the problem of how to make a simple antenna arrangement 100 without the need of several extra components when the antenna arrangement 100 is combined with a headphone as it may be combined with existing functionalities of headphone device 150.

In one embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 1 , the headphone device 150 may comprise two ear cups 90. Each one of the two ear cups 90 may be attached to a respective end of the headband 80. This may provide a more robust and comfortable headphone device 150, as both ears of a headphone device wearer may be covered by the ear cups 90.

When the headphone device comprises two ear cups 90, each one of the ear cups 90 may comprise an antenna arrangement 100 as disclosed herein above. This may improve the radiation coverage of the headphone device 150. As each of the two ear cups 90 are placed on different sides of a headphone device wearer’s head, they may face different surroundings and may be closer or further away from the device that the headphone device 150 may communicate with. Hence, the coverage for the two ear cups 90 may be different. One of the ear cups 90 may be better located than the other and accordingly have a better coverage than the other. Hence, the chances of always reaching the device that the headphone device 150 is communicating with, i.e. wirelessly coupled to, may be increased.

According to another embodiment, when the headphone device comprises two ear cups 90, only one of the ear cups 90 may comprise the antenna arrangement 100 as disclosed herein above. This may provide an, in some ways, easier and cheaper solution for producing the headphone device 150.

In one embodiment, the feed 40 may be configured to be a feed pin located at an exterior side 21 of the substrate board 20. In the following referred to as a feed pin 40. The exterior side 21 of the substrate board 20 may be a side facing in a direction away from an ear of a user when the headphone device 150 is worn by the user. Correspondingly, the interior side 22 faces in direction of the ear of the user. With reference to Figure 2, the ear of the user may be at the left side of the ear cup 90 which includes the loudspeaker 95 and the antenna arrangement 100. Hence, the feed pin 40 may be located at the exterior side 21 facing away from the loudspeaker 95. By implementing the feed 40 by a feed pin located at the exterior side of the substrate board 20, a less complex, but still efficient antenna arrangement 100 is provided. The feed pin 40 may for example be located comparatively closer to a lower edge 23.1 than to an upper edge 23.2 of the substrate board 20. The lower edge 23.1 is a portion of the circumferential edge 23 closest, i.e. proximate, to the ground the user stands on when the headphone device 150 is worn by the user in an upright position. Correspondingly, an upper edge 23.2 is a portion of the circumferential edge 23 that is opposite to the lower edge 23.1 and that is distal to the ground the user stands on when the headphone device 150 is worn by the user in an upright position.

In one embodiment, the conductive housing 10 may be configured to be grounded by a ground pin 70 located at a side of the feed 40, as illustrated in Figure 2. The conductive housing 10 may for example be configured to be grounded by connecting the ground pin 70 to a ground plane comprised on the substrate board 20. A substrate board, such as for example a PCB, normally comprises a ground plane that serves as a return path for current from many different components.

By using the ground plane comprised on the substrate board 20, the space within the headphone device 100 may be efficiently utilized. As the ground pin 70 used for grounding the conductive housing 10 is located at a side of the feed 40, a distance from the feed 40, the antenna arrangement 100 may constitute of a planar inverted-F antenna. The advantages with such antenna arrangement 100 are the space saving properties and the radiation patterns. By this antenna arrangement 100, a shorter and more compact antenna arrangement 100 may be achieved. However, it is worth mentioning that it is very important that the conductive housing 10 may not be grounded to the rest of the chassis of the ear cup 90 through any other connection than the two specified pins illustrated in Figure 2.

At least one of the ground pin 70 and the feed pin 40 may, according to one embodiment, be a pogo pin. A pogo pin is a device that may be used in electronics to establish a connection between two units. The pogo pin usually takes the form of a slender cylinder containing two sharp, spring-loaded pins. Using a pogo pin may be advantageous as it is forgiving to uneven mating surfaces and is easy to use when constructing the antenna arrangement 100.

In one embodiment, at least one of the ground pin 70 and the feed pin 40 may extend from the substrate board 20. This means that the at least one pin may be fixed at the substrate board 20 and extending from the substrate board 20 towards the conductive housing 10. In another embodiment, at least one of the ground pin 70 and the feed pin 40 extend from the conductive housing 10, meaning that the at least one pin may be fixed at the conductive housing 10 by one end such that the other end of the ground pin 70 and/or the feed pin 40 extends towards the substrate board 20.

In one embodiment, the conductive housing 10 of the antenna arrangement 100 may constitute at least one third of the exterior casing of the ear cup 90. The conductive housing may take any form, as long as it may constitute at least one third of the exterior casing of the ear cup 90. The conductive housing 10 may for example be a continuous surface or a printed conductive pattern on the exterior casing of the ear cup 90. The conductive housing 10 may in one example constitute the whole exterior casing of the ear cup 90 or, according to another example, constitute half the exterior casing of the ear cup 90. As the conductive housing 10 is not limited to a certain appearance, it may be possible to adapt the exterior casing of the ear cup 90 to prevailing conditions regarding production process, design and available materials. This accordingly increases the production possibilities for the headphone device 150 including the antenna arrangement 100.

Figure 2 illustrates two circular ear cups 90, however, it may be realized that the one or more ear cups 90 may take any appropriate form, for example oval, square or triangular. The shape of the one or several ear cups 90 is not of significant importance, as long as the shape does not infer with the functionality of the loudspeaker 95 and the antenna arrangement 100 of the at least one ear cup 90. In one embodiment, the ear cup 90 may cover at least a portion of an ear of the user. Preferably, the ear cup 90 covers a larger part of the ear of the user. By covering at least a portion of the ear of the user, the surrounding noise will be, at least partly, reduced, and will thus improve the overall sound quality.

In one embodiment, described with reference to Figure 5, a matching circuit 60 may be positioned in between the transceiver 30 and the feed 40. A matching circuit 60 may consist of inductors and/or capacitors and may add additional resonances to the antenna. By placing a matching circuit 60 in between the transceiver 30 and the feed 40, on the substrate board 20, the impedance differences between the different parts of the antenna arrangement 100 may be minimized. By minimizing the impedance differences, i.e. impedance matching, the power transfer through each part of the antenna arrangement 100 may be maximized and signal reflection minimized. Thus, the antenna arrangement 100 may be tuned to get a wider bandwidth, i.e. the antenna arrangement 100 may properly radiate or receive energy over a wide range of frequencies. The desired bandwi dth is usually one of the determining parameters used to decide upon an antenna. Many antenna types typically have very narrow bandwidths and accordingly cannot be used for wideband operations.

Figure 6 illustrates the scattering parameters, i.e. the S-parameters, in relation to frequency for the antenna arrangement 100 according to the above described embodiment with the matching circuit 60 included in the ear cup 90 of the headphone device 150. The S-parameters describe the electrical behavior of linear electrical networks when undergoing various steady state stimuli by electrical signals. In a network with several input and output ports, the various S-parameters describe the relationship between each port. S21 for example describes the relationship between the signal that goes into port 1 and the one that comes out on port 2. Many electrical properties of networks of components may be expressed using S-parameters, such as gain, return loss, voltage standing wave ratio, reflection coefficient and amplifier stability.

The most commonly quoted parameter, with regards to antennas is Sl l , which is the parameter that represents how much of the input power that is reflected back from the antenna. Sl l can also be known as the reflection coefficient, or return loss. If Sl 1 is equal to 0 dB, then all power is reflected from the antenna and nothing is radiated. If S l l is equal to -lOdB, this implies that the reflected signal is lOdB weaker than the input signal, so if for example 3 dBm of power is delivered to the antenna then -7dBm is reflected back. The rest of the power was accepted by the antenna, where it will either be radiated or absorbed by losses in the antenna.

With regard to the antenna arrangement 100 according to the previous described embodiment, -6dB may be considered acceptable, while -lOdB may be really good. Accordingly, the bandwidth may be defined as the frequency range where the S- parameters are to be less than -6dB. As seen in Figure 6, the bandwidth for the disclosed headphone device 150, with the matching circuit 60, may thus be very wide and not just within the frequencies between 2.4 GHz and 2.5GHz. It may be advantageous if the antenna is wider than required by a specified wireless technology, because when an antenna is placed close to a dielectric material, such as a human head, this will de-tune the antenna, changing its resonance frequency. Accordingly, if the antenna is very wideband, there is littl e risk of having the antenna become badly matched when a person puts the headset on their head.

The antenna arrangement 100 provided herein may be configured to communicate wirelessly with an electronic device using any suitable wireless communication. In one advantageous embodiment, the antenna arrangement 100 may be configured to communicate with short-range wireless communication. The short-range wireless communication may for example be Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Accordingly, a headphone device 150 that is suitable for wireless communication with any device located relatively close to the headphone device 150 may be provided.

In accordance with the various embodiments described herein, there may be provided an audio listening device, here exemplified as a headphone device 150, comprising an antenna arrangement 100 configured to communicate with an electronic device. Accordingly, the headphone device 150 may be configured to communicate with for example, without limitations, an electronic device such as a smartphone, a tablet and a computer. According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the audio listening device may be embodied as an in-ear headphone device 200 configured to be placed in an ear of a user. This embodiment will now be described with reference to Figure 7. For the ease of the reader, mainly the features that distinguish from the features in the above described first example embodiments will be described. Furthermore, features with the same reference numbers as used above have the same meaning as above.

The in-ear headphone device 200 may have an interior side 220 which may face the ear of the user when placed in, or at, the ear of the user. More particularly, at least a portion of the interior side 220 of the headphone device 200 is adapted to be supported against the concha of the ear of the user. Therefore, the interior side 220, or interior surface 220, may be preferably flat. The interior side 220 of the headphone device 200 may further, in one example embodiment, comprise an audio conducting means 230. The audio conducting means 230 may be adapted to conduct audio signals emitted from the loudspeaker 95 into the ear canal of the user of the headphone device 200. The audio conducting means 230 may for example be an in-ear ear plug. An in-ear plug is adapted to extend into the ear canal of the user of the audio listening device 200 and may generally provide good sound transmission as well as being comfortable during use. Alternatively, the audio conducting means 230 may be an ear bud (not shows in the drawing). An ear bud is typically adapted to rest at the entrance of the ear canal of the user of the audio listening arrangement.

The in-ear headphone 200 may comprise a loudspeaker 95 for emitting sound signals into the ear of the user, via the audio conducting means 230. The in-ear headphone 200 may further comprise an exterior casing 710. The exterior casing 701 may according to one embodiment enclose both the interior side 220 and the exterior side 210 of the of headphone device 200. The in-ear headphone 200 may further include an antenna arrangement 100 according to the disclosure herein. As previously described, the antenna arrangement 100 may comprise a substrate board 20 carrying a transceiver 30; a conductive housing 10 configured to constitute at least a part of the exterior casing 710 of the headphone device 200; and a feed 40 arranged to connect the transceiver 30 with the conductive housing 10, thereby forming an antenna. The conductive housing 10 may constitute at least a portion of the exterior casing 710 of the exterior side 210 of the side of the audio listening device 200. Accordingly, the above described features may also be applied in the audio listening device exemplified as an in-ear headphone 200. Modifications and other variants of the described embodiments will come to mind to one skilled in the art having benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the specific example embodiments described in this disclosure and that modifications and other variants are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, although specific terms may be employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Therefore, a person skilled in the art would recognize numerous variations to the described embodiments that would still fall within the scope of the disclosure. As used herein, the terms“comprise/comprises” or“include/includes” do not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Furthermore, although individual features may be included in different numbered example embodiments, these may possibly advantageously be combined, and the inclusion of different numbered example embodiments does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. In addition, singular references do not exclude a plurality.

Claims

1. An audio listening device (150, 200) configured to be placed at, or in, an ear of a user comprising a loudspeaker (95) for emitting sound signals into the ear of the user and an exterior casing (110, 710), wherein the audio listening device (150, 200) being characterized in that the audio listening device (150, 200) includes an antenna arrangement (100), the antenna arrangement (100) comprising:

a substrate board (20) carrying a transceiver (30);

a conductive housing (10) configured to constitute at least a part of the exterior casing (110, 710) of the audio listening device (150, 200); and

a feed (40) arranged to connect the transceiver (30) with the conductive housing (10), thereby forming an antenna.

2. The audio listening device (150, 200) according claim 1 , wherein the exterior casing (110, 710) is located at an exterior side (210) of the audio listening device (150, 200).

3. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to any of claim 1 or 2, wherein the substrate board (20) is a Printed Circuit Board, PCB.

4. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the feed (40) is configured to be a feed pin located at an exterior side (21) of the substrate board (20), and wherein the exterior side of the substrate board (20) is a side facing in a direction away from an ear of a user when the audio listening device (150, 200) is worn by a user.

5. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to claim 4, wherein the feed pin is located comparatively closer to a lower edge (23.1) than to an upper edge (23.2) of the substrate board (20), wherein the lower edge (23.1) is an edge position closest to the ground the user stands on when the audio listening device (150, 200) is worn by the user in an upright position.

6. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the conductive housing (10) is configured to be grounded by a ground pin (70) located at a side of the feed (40).

7. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to claim 6, wherein the

conductive housing (10) is configured to be grounded by connecting the ground pin (70) to a ground plane comprised on the substrate board (20).

8. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to any of claims 4-7, wherein at least one of the ground pin (70) and the feed pin (40) is a pogo pin.

9. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to any of claims 4-8, wherein at least one of the ground pin (70) and the feed pin (40) extend from the substrate board (20).

10. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to any of claims 4-8, wherein at least one of the ground pin (70) and the feed pin (40) extend from the conductive housing (10).

1 1. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the conductive housing (10) is made of metal.

12. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the conductive housing (10) constitutes at least one third of the exterior casing (110, 710) of the audio listening device (200).

13. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a matching circuit (60) is positioned in between the transceiver (30) and the feed (40).

14. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the antenna arrangement (100) is configured to communicate with short-range wireless communication.

15. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to claim 14, wherein the short- range wireless communication is Bluetooth.

16. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to claim 14, wherein the short- range wireless communication is Wi-Fi.

17. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the antenna arrangement (100) is configured to communicate with an electronic device.

18. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to any of the preceding claims, having an interior side (220) which, in use, faces the ear of the user, and an exterior side (210) facing away from the head of the user, wherein at least the exterior side (210) comprises the exterior casing (110,710).

19. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the audio listening device (150, 200) is a headphone device.

20. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to claim 19, wherein the

headphone device is an in-ear earphone (200).

21. The audio listening device (150, 200) according to claim 19, wherein the

headphone device is an over-ear headphone device (150).

22. The audio listening device (150) according to claim 21 , wherein the audio

listening device (150) further comprises:

a headband (80) being configured to extend along a portion of a head of a user of the audio listening device (150); and

at least one ear cup (90) attached to an end of the headband (80), wherein the exterior casing (110) forms the at least ear cup (90).

23. The audio listening device (150) according to claim 22, wherein the audio

listening device (150) comprises two ear cups (90), wherein each one of the two ear cups (90) is attached to a respective end of the headband (80).

24. The audio listening device (150) according to claim 23, wherein each one of the ear cups (90) comprises the antenna arrangement (100).

25. The audio listening device (150) according to any of claims 22 to 24, wherein the ear cup (90) covers at least a portion of an ear of the user.