Earphone Ear Cushion Latching Ring Plate Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing earphone designs face challenges in achieving a secure and easy-to-assemble sealing relationship between the ear cushions and the transducer housing, often requiring complex assembly and skilled labor.
Innovation Solution
An earphone design featuring a housing with a sealing ring and a latching unit, where a ring plate with prestressing is used to create a secure, acoustically closed structure by engaging with the sealing ring, allowing for easy interchangeability of ear cushions and providing axial prestressing for effective sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ear cushions are crimped onto the transducer housing, then good sealing integrity is achieved, but assembly complication and expenditure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ear cushion assembly is segmented into modular components: a removable ear cushion element and a separate ring plate with latching mechanism. This allows the sealing function to be maintained through the ring plate's engagement with the housing, while the ear cushion itself can be easily replaced without complex assembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of crimping the ear cushion directly onto the housing (complex operation), the invention inverts the approach by using a ring plate that latches onto the housing and presses the ear cushion into place. The sealing action is inverted from direct crimping to indirect pressing through a latching mechanism.
2Ease of operation
If ear cushions are fixed with snap hooks, then easy assembly is achieved, but sealing integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges two functions into a single ring plate component: the latching function (securing the ear cushion) and the sealing function (pressing against the housing to create acoustic closure). This integration ensures that easy assembly via snap hooks is combined with reliable sealing through the integrated ring plate design.
Solution Approach 2:
The ring plate serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a latching mechanism to secure the ear cushion, provides sealing pressure against the housing, and maintains the acoustic closed structure. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction between ease of assembly and sealing integrity.
3Strength
If multiple pins and holding rings are used to fix the ear cushion, then secure fixation is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple fixation elements (pins, holding rings, and sealing structures) are merged into a single integrated ring plate component. This consolidation maintains secure fixation through the latching mechanism while eliminating the need for separate pins and holding rings, thereby reducing device complexity.
4Ease of operation
If ear cushions are made removable for interchangeability, then ease of replacement is improved, but sealing reliability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The ear cushion system is segmented into a removable ear cushion element and a permanent ring plate with latching mechanism. This segmentation allows the ear cushion to be easily replaced while the ring plate remains secured to the housing, maintaining sealing reliability through the persistent latching connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The design inverts the removable component concept: instead of making the entire ear cushion assembly removable, only the soft ear cushion element is removable, while the rigid ring plate with sealing function remains fixed through latching. This inversion preserves sealing reliability while enabling ease of replacement.
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 enables a secure, acoustically closed seal between the ear cushion and the transducer housing, improving acoustic properties while simplifying assembly and allowing for easy replacement of ear cushions.
Implementation Method 1
The first ring has a prestressing when it is placed on the sealing ring and held by means of the latching unit
Implementation Method 2
held by means of the latching unit
Implementation Method 3
the ring plate engages into the latching unit and bears against the sealing ring
Data Source
AI summary
There is thus provided an earphone comprising a housing (20) for receiving an electroacoustic transducer, and an ear cushion unit (10) having an ear cushion material (11) and a first ring (1). The housing has a sealing ring (2) and a latching unit (21). The first ring (1) has a prestressing when it is placed on the sealing ring (2) and held by means of the latching unit (21).