Adjustable Headband Connector for Variable Compression Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current personal audio sets, such as headphones, lack adjustable mechanisms to tailor the bent compression force or pressure applied to the user's ears, leading to discomfort and poor aural connection for individuals with head sizes varying from the average, and fail to accommodate changing user preferences over time.
Innovation Solution
A personal audio set with a flexible headband featuring a linearly adjustable connector portion or pivot mechanisms that allow users to modify the distance between headband portions, enabling inverse proportional changes in bent compression force, and pivot mechanisms that allow for adjustable operating positions to customize the pressure applied to the ears.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the headband is lengthened to accommodate bigger heads, then the adaptability to different head sizes is improved, but the bent compression force increases excessively causing discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the headband length adjustable rather than fixed. The extension mechanism allows the headband to dynamically adapt its length to match different head sizes, while the curvature radius adjustment mechanism dynamically modifies the bent compression force to maintain comfort across various configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes physical parameters of the headband system - specifically the length (via extension mechanism) and the radius of curvature (via adjustment mechanism). By independently controlling these parameters, the system can accommodate different head sizes while maintaining appropriate compression force levels.
2Force
If the headband is shortened to accommodate smaller heads, then the bent compression force is reduced, but the aural connection with the wearer's ear deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable curvature radius mechanism allows the headband to dynamically optimize its shape. When shortened for smaller heads, the system can adjust the radius of curvature to maintain the proper geometric relationship between the earphone and the wearer's ear, ensuring reliable aural connection despite the reduced size.
3Manufacturing precision
If the headband is made with fixed length and curvature, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the adaptability to different head sizes and user preferences is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the headband into adjustable components - specifically the extension mechanism that divides the headband into adjustable length sections and the curvature adjustment mechanism. This segmentation allows the base headband to be manufactured with precise dimensions while the segmented, adjustable portions provide adaptability to different user needs.
4Length of stationary object
If the initial radius of curvature is reduced to lengthen the headband, then the length is increased, but the bent compression force increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The extension mechanism segments the headband length adjustment from the curvature adjustment. This allows the headband to be lengthened through extension rather than by reducing the initial radius of curvature, thereby increasing length without excessively increasing the bent compression force.
Solution Approach 2:
The curvature radius adjustment mechanism dynamically compensates for changes in headband configuration. When the headband is extended, the system can adjust the radius of curvature to optimize the balance between length and bent compression force, preventing excessive force even as the headband length increases.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides targeted control over the compressive force, ensuring consistent comfort for users of various sizes and shapes, allowing for adjustments based on preference, thereby enhancing user experience and maintaining sound isolation without physical discomfort.
Implementation Method 1
the headband is curvedly deformed so that the radius of curvature thereof increases, by which a bent compression force (restoring force) is generated in the headband in the direction such that the initial radius of curvature is restored
Data Source
AI summary
A personal audio device including a flexible headband is disclosed. The flexible headband includes a left and right headband portion. The headband has a longitudinal centerline which occupies a substantially single plane. The personal audio device also includes a left earphone, which is secured to a first end of the left headband portion, and a right earphone, which is secured to a first end of the right headband portion. A connector portion connects a second end of the left headband portion with a second end of the right headband portion. The connector portion is linearly adjustable, which enables a distance between the left headband portion and right headband portion to be variable. A change in the distance causes an inversely proportional change in bent compression force applied by a left earphone and applied by the right earphone.