Articulating Headphones with Biased Hinge Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional folding headphones face issues with contamination and mechanical instability, as the earpiece faces are exposed to dust and can mar or scratch, and the hinging mechanism fails to indicate optimal folding or unfolding positions and often causes earpieces to swing back and forth when unfolded.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates an arced headband with articulating members that connect to the earphones via rotating connections, allowing them to fold inward while maintaining orientation and producing an audible click at extreme positions, ensuring proper folding and preventing swinging, using a hinge mechanism with disc springs for biasing and tension.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If earpieces simply hinge inward toward the headband, then the structure is simple, but the earpiece faces are exposed to contamination and may be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of hinging the earpieces directly inward toward the headband, the patent inverts the folding approach by using a forked articulating member that rotates around the earpiece. This causes the earpiece to fold in a manner where the faces face each other when folded, protecting them from contamination and damage while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If hinged fork rotates around earpiece to protect faces, then contamination is prevented, but the mechanism cannot indicate optimal positions and causes swinging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates an audible click mechanism that provides tactile and acoustic feedback to the user when the earpieces reach their optimal folded or unfolded positions. This feedback system eliminates the instability and swinging issue by clearly indicating when the earpieces are properly positioned, while maintaining the protective facing arrangement that prevents contamination.
3Volume of moving object
If earpieces are folded into concave space, then compact storage is achieved, but the hinging mechanism lacks indication of folded position
Solution Approach 1:
The audible click mechanism provides clear feedback to the user when the earpieces reach the fully folded position within the concave space of the headband. This resolves the information loss problem by allowing the user to know definitively when the earpieces are properly folded for compact storage, while maintaining the space-efficient design.
4Ease of operation
If articulating members are biased to open position, then earphones can be pulled down, but additional biasing mechanisms are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs spring biasing mechanisms that act as counterweights to the gravitational force on the earpieces. These springs are integrated into the forked articulating members and provide the necessary force to bias the earpieces to the open position for comfortable wearing, while being compact enough not to significantly increase overall device complexity.
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
This design effectively prevents contamination by maintaining earpiece orientation, provides clear feedback on folding status through audible clicks, and ensures stable, secure folding and unfolding, enhancing user experience and durability.
Implementation Method 1
The hinge connecting the articulating members to the headband, allows them to be biased to an open position when the earphones are pulled down relative to the headband. Likewise, the articulating members may be biased to other positions, such as a closed position.
Implementation Method 2
The hinge connecting the articulating members to the headband, allows them to be biased to an open position when the earphones are pulled down relative to the headband.
Implementation Method 3
The articulating members are preferably connected to the earphones by a rotating connection allowing the earphones to rotate relative to the articulating members.
Data Source
AI summary
A headphone with articulating earpieces includes a headband, a hinged fork, and earpieces connected to the fork in a manner allowing the earpieces to articulate relative to the fork as a hinge on the fork articulates. The earpieces are arranged on the fork in a manner allowing them to face each other while articulating from a folded position adjacent the headband, to an unfolded position for listening. When unfolded for listening, the earpieces are adapted to fully extend into a biased open position with an audible click. Similarly, when articulating the earphones to a closed position, they are biased against the headband with an audible click.