Hearing Protection Device with Porous Foam Pressure Regulator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hearing protection solutions for air travelers are either technologically difficult and expensive to produce or ineffective in securely fixing and providing adequate pressure equalization during rapid changes in cabin pressure, leading to potential ear damage.
Innovation Solution
A hearing protection device with a flexible material and a central bore containing a cylindrical pin or tube, optionally with an axial groove or flattening, which allows for precise pressure regulation and secure fixation in the auditory canal, enabling efficient and economical production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a porous ceramic part is used for pressure equalization, then pressure equalization function is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a porous foam material (such as open-cell foam) as the central body instead of dense ceramic. The porosity of the foam provides pressure equalization channels while being much easier and cheaper to manufacture using standard foam extrusion or molding processes, resolving the contradiction between effective pressure equalization and manufacturing simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines foam material with a flexible outer shell and sealing lamellae to create a composite hearing protection device. This composite structure achieves both the pressure equalization function through the foam's porous structure and the sealing function through the flexible outer layer, while being more manufacturable than ceramic solutions
2Ease of manufacture
If a smooth outer surface is used, then manufacturing is easier, but secure fixation in auditory canal is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different surface properties to different regions: the outer surface has a specific texture or pattern (such as ridges or dimples) for secure fixation in the auditory canal, while the inner surface maintains smoothness for ease of manufacture. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between manufacturing ease and secure fixation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates curved or rounded surface features (such as spherical ridges or curved channels) in the foam structure that provide mechanical interlocking with the auditory canal while maintaining manufacturability through standard molding techniques
3Reliability
If a relatively long pressure equalization channel is used, then pressure equalization effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a porous foam structure where pressure equalization occurs through numerous small interconnected pores distributed throughout the material, rather than requiring a single long channel. This provides effective pressure equalization through the entire length of the device while maintaining structural simplicity and ease of manufacture
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the pressure equalization function into multiple parallel pathways through the foam's porous structure, allowing pressure equalization to occur simultaneously through numerous small channels rather than requiring one long complex channel, thus reducing device complexity
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 effectively regulates pressure changes in the ear, preventing discomfort and potential damage by allowing controlled pressure equalization, while being simple and cost-effective to manufacture and use.
Implementation Method 1
In this antechamber, the air pressure rises or falls with a significant time lag compared to the surrounding atmosphere. In this way, the Eustachian tube should be given an extended opportunity to equalize the pressure in the middle ear
Implementation Method 2
a pressure regulator or a flow restrictor unit is inserted in each case in a central bore of a hearing protection body... The cylindrical pin consists of an airtight material... Either an axial groove is provided in the bore, with the cylinder pin being smooth
Implementation Method 3
a hearing protection body which is provided with sealing lamellae on the outside... the hearing protection body can be produced by injection molding, together with the axial groove
Data Source
Figure 1~5
Figure 6~11
AI summary
A hearing protection device with a body (2) made of soft elastic material (elastomer) having a central bore (4), which has sealing lamellae (3) on its outer surface for an airtight seal when inserted in the inner ear and with a pressure regulator/flow throttle unit provided in the central bore (4), with a central body inserted to tightly fill this bore, is characterized in that the central body (9, 10, 12, 15) consists of an airtight material, while at least one axial groove (5, 13, 23, 24) or a groove-shaped passage (16, 25) is provided in the bore (4), in the central body (10, 12, 15) or between the bore and the central body, designed according to the desired axial airflow velocity.