Earplug Flange Geometric Features for Insertion Comfort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hearing protection devices, such as earplugs, often suffer from undesirable creasing or buckling during insertion, leading to discomfort and reduced noise attenuation due to the lack of effective geometric features on the flange that minimize these issues.
Innovation Solution
The earplug design incorporates a flange with a plurality of geometric features like protrusions and recesses, which control the compression and collapse of the flange, minimizing creasing and buckling, and features a stem with a core made of a stiffer material for easy insertion and improved hygiene.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional earplugs without geometric flange features are used, then the structure is simple, but creasing and buckling occur during insertion causing discomfort and reduced noise attenuation
Solution Approach 1:
The flange is designed with non-uniform thickness distribution, featuring thicker regions and thinner regions arranged in a specific pattern. This local variation in geometric properties allows different portions of the flange to perform different functions: thicker regions provide structural support while thinner regions facilitate controlled deformation during insertion, preventing creasing and buckling.
Solution Approach 2:
The geometric features are pre-formed into the flange structure before insertion. The specific thickness distribution and geometric patterns are manufactured in advance to predictably control the deformation behavior during the insertion process, ensuring the flange collapses smoothly without creating discomfort-causing creases.
2Ease of operation
If a stiff stem is used for easy insertion and hygiene, then insertion force is reduced and hygiene is improved, but the overall device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stem is divided into distinct components: a core structure and an outer layer. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the core provides the necessary stiffness for easy insertion and hygiene, while the outer layer can be made of softer, more compliant material to interface with the ear canal, reducing overall complexity through functional separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The stem employs a composite structure combining different materials with complementary properties. The core uses a stiffer material for structural integrity and hygiene, while the outer layer uses a softer material for comfort. This composite approach achieves the desired insertion characteristics without requiring a completely complex single-material solution.
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 design enhances comfort and sound attenuation by reducing insertion forces and minimizing noise leakage, allowing for effective and comfortable long-term wear.
Implementation Method 1
The earplug includes a flange including an exterior flange surface and an interior flange surface having a plurality of inwardly projecting geometric features that affect compression and flexing of the flange
Implementation Method 2
The flange is able to at least partially collapse into a continuous volume defined between an interior surface of the flange and the stem
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4b
Figure 4c~5
AI summary
The present description provides an earplug. One exemplary earplug described herein includes a stem and a sound attenuating body attached to the stem. The sound attenuating body includes a leading end, a base end, a longitudinal axis extending between the leading end and the base end, and a flange extending at least partially over the stem and having an exterior flange surface and an interior flange surface having a plurality of one or both of protrusions or recesses. The earplug further includes a flange cavity including a continuous volume around a perimeter of the stem between the interior flange surface and the stem. A distance between the interior and exterior flange surfaces varies around a perimeter of the flange at a plane intersecting the flange transverse to the longitudinal axis.