Elastomeric Isolation for Bone Conduction Audio Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable computing devices with near-eye displays face challenges in providing high-quality audio due to acoustic leakage and vibration isolation issues, affecting the overall user experience.
Innovation Solution
A wearable device assembly incorporating a bone conduction transducer with an elastomeric isolation member, which is secured between the transducer and the auxiliary housing, providing acoustic isolation and tunable acoustic properties to enhance sound quality by reducing leakage across specific frequency ranges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bone conduction transducer is directly mounted to the auxiliary housing, then the device structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but acoustic leakage occurs and vibration isolation is poor
Solution Approach 1:
An elastomeric isolation member is introduced as an intermediary component between the bone conduction transducer and the auxiliary housing. This elastomeric member serves as a mediator that provides acoustic isolation and vibration damping while maintaining the structural connection, thereby improving acoustic isolation quality without requiring a completely separate mounting system
Solution Approach 2:
The elastomeric isolation member's physical parameters (such as hardness, thickness, and material composition) are optimized to achieve the desired acoustic isolation performance. By adjusting these parameters, the system achieves effective vibration isolation and acoustic leakage reduction while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure
2Object-generated harmful factors
If vibration isolation is enhanced to reduce acoustic leakage, then sound quality improves, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The elastomeric isolation member functions as a flexible isolation element that attenuates vibrations and reduces acoustic leakage. This flexible component approach provides effective vibration isolation without requiring complex rigid isolation structures, thereby reducing acoustic leakage while maintaining relatively simple device architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The elastomeric member acts as a mediator between the transducer and housing, providing vibration isolation and acoustic leakage reduction through its material properties. This intermediary approach addresses the harmful vibration transmission without necessitating multiple isolation components or complex mounting mechanisms
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 elastomeric isolation member effectively reduces acoustic leakage and improves sound quality by isolating the bone conduction transducer's vibrations, enriching the user experience with improved audio fidelity.
Implementation Method 1
an elastomeric isolation member, which is secured between the transducer and the auxiliary housing, providing acoustic isolation and tunable acoustic properties
Implementation Method 2
The elastomeric isolation member is configured to provide acoustic isolation of the bone conduction transducer from the auxiliary housing
Data Source
AI summary
A head-mounted wearable device assembly is provided that includes a bone conduction transducer (BCT) and an elastomeric isolation member that provides acoustic isolation between the BCT and a housing of the head-mounted wearable device assembly. The elastomeric isolation member may be a polyurethane material having a hardness (durometer) on the order of 60 A. The material arrangement and durometer may be chosen to provide a frequency response and/or acoustic leakage within a predetermined range, which results in high quality sound reproduction for the wearer. The elastomeric isolation member may be secured to an interior portion of the housing by a pair of mounting posts. The elastomeric isolation member physically and acoustically separates the BCT from the interior of the housing and other components therein.