Ear Model for Earphone Acoustic Evaluation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current in-ear acoustic authentication technologies require significant time, effort, and cost to evaluate the performance of earphone devices due to the need for prolonged subject restraint, making it inefficient for performance evaluation.
Innovation Solution
An ear model with plate-shaped members and an artificial eardrum is used to simulate the external auditory canal, allowing for the transmission of inspection signals and collection of echo sounds to calculate acoustic characteristics and evaluate earphone device performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a plurality of subjects are caused to wear the same earphone device for performance evaluation, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time and productivity deteriorate due to prolonged subject restraint requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a physical model (copy) of the human ear canal using plate-shaped members with holes and an artificial eardrum. This model replicates the acoustic characteristics of a real ear canal, allowing performance evaluation without requiring actual human subjects. The inspection signal is input to the model's hole and echo sound is collected, enabling accurate measurement of earphone device performance while eliminating time-consuming subject restraint procedures.
2Measurement precision
If a plurality of subjects are caused to wear the same earphone device for performance evaluation, then measurement precision is improved, but cost increases due to great time and effort requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a physical model (copy) of the human ear canal using plate-shaped members with holes and an artificial eardrum. This model replicates the acoustic characteristics of a real ear canal, allowing performance evaluation without requiring actual human subjects. The inspection signal is input to the model's hole and echo sound is collected, enabling accurate measurement of earphone device performance while eliminating time-consuming subject restraint procedures.
3Ease of manufacture
If the ear model uses a simple structure, then ease of manufacture is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to insufficient simulation of ear internal structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the ear canal model into multiple plate-shaped members with holes, where each plate represents a cross-section of the ear canal. The plates are stacked in sequence with their holes aligned to form a continuous passage, and an artificial eardrum is placed at the end. This segmented structure is easier to manufacture than a single complex piece while still accurately simulating the acoustic characteristics of the real ear canal through the cumulative effect of multiple sections.
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 method enables easy and cost-effective performance evaluation of earphone devices by simulating the ear's internal structure, reducing the time and effort required for evaluation while maintaining accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
The speaker of the earphone device transmits the inspection signal (sound wave) toward the inside of the ear hole of the person to be authenticated. The microphone of the earphone device collects echo sound from the ear hole. Then, an echo signal based on the echo sound is transmitted from the earphone device
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of plate-shaped members provided with holes; and an artificial eardrum member equivalent to an eardrum of an individual, the holes, each of which is provided in each of the plurality of plate-shaped members, being connected, whereby the plurality of plate-shaped members are stacked on the artificial eardrum member in such a way as to simulate an external auditory canal of the individual
Data Source
AI summary
[Problem] To evaluate, easily and at low cost, the performance of an earphone device used for ear acoustic certification.[Solution] Holes are provided in a plurality of plate-shaped members (201), an artificial eardrum member (202) corresponds to the eardrum of an individual, and the holes provided in each of the plurality of plate-shaped members (201) are connected, whereby the plurality of plate-shaped members (201) are layered over the artificial eardrum member (202) so as to simulate the external auditory canal of the individual.