Custom Earpiece with Curable Filler and LED Curing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional custom-fit in-ear audio devices require time-consuming and expensive wax-molding processes, making them inconvenient for users who need a personalized fit.
Innovation Solution
The development of an audio device with a customizable ear insert featuring a sleeve body, light sources, a sound tube, and a curable filler material that can be shaped to conform to an individual's ear using light-emitting diodes for curing, allowing for a quick and cost-effective customization process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a wax-molding process is used to create custom-fit in-ear audio devices, then the fit and comfort are improved, but the manufacturing time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the state of the filler material from solid (in traditional wax molding) to liquid curable material that can be injected and then cured. This parameter change allows the material to flow into the ear mold cavity completely, capturing fine details, and then solidify quickly through curing, reducing manufacturing time while maintaining precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical wax-molding process with a chemical curing process. Instead of manually shaping wax, the system uses liquid filler material that is injected into the mold and then cured chemically (via UV light or heat), substituting mechanical operations with a more efficient chemical transformation
2Manufacturing precision
If a wax-molding process is used to create custom-fit in-ear audio devices, then the fit and comfort are improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses disposable ear molds that can be created from digital ear scans or impressions. These molds are used once to inject the curable filler material, which is then cured and removed. The disposable nature of the molds eliminates the need for expensive, reusable wax-molding equipment while maintaining high precision through digital manufacturing methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material state from solid wax to liquid curable filler material that can be injected under pressure. This allows for complete mold filling and better capture of ear details, improving precision while the liquid-to-solid transformation during curing enables faster production and lower costs
3Productivity
If light sources are used to cure the filler material, then the curing process is accelerated, but heat generation and variability in curing rates increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent distributes multiple light sources throughout the ear insert assembly, placing them at different locations to illuminate the filler material from multiple angles. This local distribution of curing sources ensures uniform curing throughout the material while preventing excessive heat concentration at any single point, thus maintaining productivity without excessive temperature rise
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 a comfortable, secure fit while reducing manufacturing costs and time, with improved sound quality and retention in the ear, and the use of smaller radiation sources minimizes heat and variability in curing rates, enhancing user experience.
Implementation Method 1
a curable filler material disposed inside the sleeve body and around the sound tube, wherein the one or more light sources are disposed in the curable filler material
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to custom-fit in-ear audio devices, also referred to herein as in-ear audio devices, custom-fit earpieces, or simply earpieces. The following discloses embodiments of custom-fit earpieces that include features providing superior retention in a user's ear while also maintaining desirable comfort and sound quality. The superior retention is generally provided by a curable filler material disposed in a sleeve body that is deformed to conform to the shape of a user's ear as the curable filler material is cured. The comfort level of the custom-fit earpiece described herein is enhanced because the audio output member can move independently or relative to the portion of the earpiece that includes the curable filler material, thus allowing the audio output member to adjust to and comfortably fit within a given user's ear canal.