3D Printed Cellulose Nanofiber Substrate for Bone Conduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bone-conduction hearing aid devices are bulky and uncomfortable due to their larger size and thicker overall thickness, which makes it difficult to achieve a tight attachment to the user's skin, especially with irregular skull shapes.
Innovation Solution
A bone-conduction hearing aid device with a substrate made of cellulose nanofiber, formed using 3D printing techniques, which allows for a reduced thickness and customized attachment to the body surface, including a magnetic inductive coil and vibration element to convert sound signals into vibrations, enhancing attachment and comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the bone-conduction hearing aid device is made with conventional materials and structures, then it can provide sufficient structural strength and component support, but it results in larger size and thicker overall thickness leading to discomfort and difficulty in tight attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials consisting of cellulose nanofiber reinforcement dispersed in a polymer matrix to create a substrate that achieves high structural strength with reduced thickness. The nanofiber reinforcement provides exceptional mechanical properties, allowing the substrate to maintain sufficient strength while being significantly thinner than conventional single-material structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes a thin film substrate made from the composite material that can conform to irregular body surfaces. This thin film structure provides both the necessary mechanical strength and the flexibility to adapt to curved surfaces, enabling tight attachment without requiring excessive thickness.
2Ease of operation
If the substrate is made thinner to improve comfort and attachment, then it can be attached more tightly to the body surface, but it may compromise the structural support and component integration
Solution Approach 1:
The thin film substrate is designed to be flexible enough to conform to irregular body surfaces while maintaining sufficient structural integrity. This allows the device to be attached tightly to curved surfaces without compromising the support needed for component integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent integrates multiple components (input transducer, amplifier, bone conduction speaker) directly onto the thin film substrate in a segmented arrangement. This allows each component to be positioned and connected independently on the thin substrate, maintaining functionality while preserving the thin profile for comfortable attachment.
3Shape
If conventional materials are used for the substrate, then it can be easily manufactured with standard processes, but it cannot achieve both reduced thickness and tight attachment to irregular body surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters by incorporating cellulose nanofiber reinforcement, which fundamentally alters the mechanical properties of the substrate. This enables the material to be both thin and structurally sound, capable of conforming to irregular surfaces while maintaining ease of manufacturing through established composite material processes.
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 3D printed substrate with cellulose nanofiber enables a tighter and more comfortable attachment to the user's skin, reducing discomfort and improving the fit of the device, allowing for effective sound signal transmission through bone conduction.
Implementation Method 1
an input transducer, configured to receive a sound signal and convert the sound signal into an electric signal
Implementation Method 2
an amplifier, coupled to the input transducer to amplify the electric signal into an amplified electric signal
Implementation Method 3
a magnetic inductive coil, disposed on the substrate to generate a time-varying magnetic field according to an electric signal; and a vibration element, connected to the magnetic inductive coil and vibrates according to the time-varying magnetic field
Data Source
AI summary
A bone-conduction hearing aid device is provided. The bone-conduction hearing aid device is suitable for being attached to a body surface and includes a substrate, an input transducer, an amplifier, and a bone-conduction speaker. The substrate is composed of a plurality of stacking layers stacked on top of one another. A material of the substrate includes cellulose nanofiber. The substrate is formed by 3D printing technique so that a contact surface of the substrate is tightly attached with the body surface. The input transducer is disposed on the substrate and configured to receive a sound signal and convert the sound signal into an electric signal. The amplifier is disposed on the substrate and coupled to the input transducer to amplify the electric signal into an amplified electric signal. The bone-conduction speaker is disposed on the substrate and coupled to the amplifier to convert the amplified electric signal into a vibration signal.