Artificial Ear Model for Bone Conduction Sound Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for evaluating electronic devices that transmit bone-conducted sound through the outer ear and air-conducted sound to users fail to accurately measure the sound pressure and vibration levels as they do not account for the specific characteristics of human ear vibration transmission.
Innovation Solution
A measurement system incorporating an ear model with an artificial auricle and external ear canal, along with a vibration gauge and sound pressure gauge, to simulate human ear conditions and measure harmonics generated by the device, providing weighted vibration measurements for accurate evaluation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If vibration pickup or artificial mastoid measurement methods are used, then vibration can be measured, but the measurement does not account for human ear vibration transmission characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an artificial ear model that copies the structural characteristics of a human ear (including the auricle and external ear canal) to create a measurement system that replicates human ear vibration transmission properties. This allows accurate measurement of bone-conducted sound transmission characteristics without requiring actual human subjects.
Solution Approach 2:
The artificial ear model serves as an intermediary between the vibrating body and the measurement device. It transmits vibrations in a manner that mimics human ear characteristics, allowing the measurement system to indirectly assess human ear response through the artificial model's vibration transmission properties.
2Measurement precision
If direct vibration measurement of the vibrating body is performed, then vibration amplitude can be measured, but it does not reflect the actual sound transmission to the human ear
Solution Approach 1:
The system copies the vibration transmission characteristics of the human ear through the artificial ear model, which includes the auricle and external ear canal structures. This allows the measured vibration data to reliably represent actual human ear response rather than just the raw vibrating body output.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct measurement of the vibrating body with a measurement system that uses the artificial ear model to substitute for the human ear. The artificial model's mechanical vibration transmission properties are designed to match human ear characteristics, providing reliable assessment data.
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
Enables precise measurement of vibration levels weighted for human ear characteristics, effectively evaluating electronic devices that transmit sound through bone and air conduction.
Implementation Method 1
when voltage is applied to the piezoelectric bimorph in the vibrating body, the piezoelectric material expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction
Implementation Method 2
measure the amount of vibration as voltage by pressing a vibration pickup, such as a piezoelectric acceleration pickup, against the vibrating body
Data Source
AI summary
A measurement system includes an ear model including an artificial auricle (51) and an artificial external ear canal (53); and an air-conducted sound gauge (200) that measures air-conducted sound in the artificial external ear canal (53), and while an acoustic device (1) that includes a vibrating body and transmits sound to a user by contacting the vibrating body to a human auricle is placed in contact with the ear model (50) of the measurement system, the measurement system executes control for measurement, with the air-conducted sound gauge, of harmonics in an air-conducted component generated by a pure tone emitted by the acoustic device (1) and control to display the result of the measurement on a display.