Earpiece Electronic Sound Pass-Through System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Earpieces that occlude the external auditory canal can cause conductive hearing loss by blocking ambient environmental sounds, leading to a loss of awareness of important auditory cues and discomfort, and existing solutions fail to effectively allow these sounds to be transmitted to the tympanic membrane while maintaining device stability.
Innovation Solution
An earpiece design with an external microphone to detect ambient sounds and a medially placed speaker to reproduce these sounds near the tympanic membrane, ensuring acoustic transparency even when partially occluding the canal, and incorporating additional sensors and communication features for enhanced functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the earpiece completely occludes the external auditory canal to ensure stable placement, then device stability is improved, but conductive hearing loss occurs due to blocking ambient environmental sounds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an electronic intermediary system consisting of a microphone, processor, and speaker that mediates the transmission of environmental sounds through the occluded ear canal. The microphone captures ambient sounds, the processor analyzes and reproduces them, and the speaker delivers the sounds to the tympanic membrane, effectively bypassing the physical blockage created by the earpiece housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the natural mechanical transmission of sound through the ear canal with an electronic system. Instead of relying on acoustic waves traveling through the physical air column of the ear canal, the system uses electronic signal processing to capture, analyze, and reproduce sound waves, substituting the mechanical/acoustic pathway with an electronic one.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the earpiece occludes the external auditory canal to maintain placement, then position maintenance is improved, but transmission of environmental sounds is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic intermediary system (microphone, processor, speaker) acts as a mediator that preserves environmental sound information despite the physical occlusion. The microphone captures sound waves from the environment, the processor maintains the integrity of the sound signal through digital processing, and the speaker reproduces the sound to reach the tympanic membrane, thus maintaining information transmission while preserving position stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical transmission pathway with an electronic information transmission system. Rather than relying on acoustic waves to physically travel through the ear canal, the system uses electronic signals to carry sound information, replacing the mechanical/acoustic channel with an electronic one that is not affected by physical occlusion.
3Reliability
If the earpiece is designed to fit snugly in the ear canal for stability, then placement security is improved, but occlusion effect and plugged ear sensation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic intermediary system mediates between the snug fit requirement and the comfort requirement. The microphone and speaker components act as intermediaries that allow sound transmission despite the occluding nature of the earpiece housing, thereby maintaining placement security while eliminating the harmful occlusion effect and plugged ear sensation through electronic sound reproduction.
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
Enables the transmission of environmental sounds to the tympanic membrane, maintaining user safety and comfort by preventing occlusion effects, allowing awareness of critical auditory cues and reducing the sensation of plugged ears, while accommodating biologically occluded canals and varying anatomical shapes.
Implementation Method 1
at least one microphone disposed at the earpiece housing wherein the at least one earpiece is positioned to detect ambient environmental sound
Implementation Method 2
at least one speaker disposed within the earpiece housing at a position to direct sound towards a tympanic membrane of the individual
Data Source
AI summary
An ear piece for use by an individual having an external auditory canal includes an earpiece housing configured for placement at, on or within the external auditory canal of the individual, a processor disposed within the ear piece housing, at least one microphone disposed at the earpiece housing wherein the at least one earpiece is positioned to detect ambient environmental sound, and at least one speaker disposed within the earpiece housing at a position to direct sound towards a tympanic membrane of the individual. The ear piece is configured to detect ambient environmental sound proximate the external auditory canal of the individual using the at least one microphone and reproduce the ambient environmental sound at the at least one speaker within the earpiece housing. The ear piece may include a spectrometer for detecting ambient environmental lighting. The earpiece may include a number of biological sensors. The ear piece may include a magnetic induction electrical conduction electromagnetic field transceiver for linking the device to personal area networks or other devices.