Bone Conduction Conversation Aid With Detachable Head Mount
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hearing aids and bone conduction devices are not user-friendly, causing discomfort and difficulty in use, especially for individuals with hearing impairments, particularly in situations where wearing the device is challenging, such as in hospitals or nursing homes, and they often lead to eardrum damage with prolonged use.
Innovation Solution
A conversation assistance device utilizing bone conduction with a detachable body part and vibration device, adjustable coupling, and sensors for operation control, allowing flexible attachment options and efficient power management, enabling use by hand or with various holding members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional hearing aids amplify audio and transmit to eardrum, then hearing impairment is addressed, but eardrum damage occurs and user fatigue increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces bone (skull) as an intermediary medium to transmit sound vibrations directly to the inner ear, bypassing the eardrum. The vibration device contacts the skull to transmit audio signals, eliminating the harmful effect on the eardrum while maintaining hearing assistance effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional air-conduction mechanical system (microphone→amplifier→eardrum→middle ear→inner ear) with a bone-conduction mechanical system (vibration device→skull→inner ear), substituting the transmission path to avoid eardrum involvement.
2Ease of operation
If bone conduction devices are made fixed and wearable, then comfort is improved for some users, but adaptability to different users decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the holding member detachable and reconfigurable, allowing users to adjust the position and configuration of the vibration device on their head. This dynamic adjustment capability enables different users to find comfortable positions while maintaining a fixed wearable structure during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the bone conduction device into separable components: a wearable holding member and a detachable vibration device. This segmentation allows the vibration device to be removed for charging or replacement while maintaining the wearable structure, enhancing both comfort and adaptability.
3Productivity
If bone conduction device is worn on head, then communication efficiency is improved, but difficulty in wearing increases for bedridden users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the vibration device to operate in two modes: wearable mode for mobile users and handheld mode for bedridden users. The detachable design allows the vibration device to be temporarily removed from the holding member and used handheld, maintaining communication efficiency while eliminating the wearing difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the bone conduction device to serve multiple functions and user scenarios: it can be worn on the head for active users or held in hand for bedridden users. This multi-functionality ensures communication efficiency is maintained across different usage situations without compromising ease of operation.
4Reliability
If vibration device is always on, then communication availability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic activation of the vibration device based on detection of conversation situations. The control unit activates the vibration device only when conversation is detected or expected, rather than keeping it continuously on, thereby maintaining communication availability while reducing overall power consumption.
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
Facilitates comfortable and efficient communication for individuals with hearing impairments in diverse situations, reducing eardrum strain and enhancing usability through adjustable fitting and power-saving features.
Implementation Method 1
hearing devices utilizing bone conduction have been proposed. A hearing device utilizing bone conduction converts audio signals that have been input as electrical signals into mechanical vibrations and applies the vibrations to bone from an appropriate position to transmit the vibrations to the bone so that bone conduction sound transmitted by the vibrations can be recognized as sounds
Data Source
AI summary
A vibration device is connected to a body part. The vibration device is coupled to the body part by a coupling part. Audio obtained by a microphone is input, as an electrical signal, into a bone conduction device, the bone conduction device being capable of converting the electrical signal into mechanical vibrations, applying the vibrations to bone from an appropriate position to transmit the vibrations to the bone, and using bone conduction sound transmitted by the vibrations to make the sound recognized. A mounting part is provided on the inner surface side (the surface side in the same direction as a vibration surface of the vibration device) of the body part. A holding member for holding the body part on a user can be attached to and removed from the mounting part.