Helmet Microphone Embedding for Noise Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protective helmets with communication capabilities suffer from unsatisfactory sound quality due to external microphone exposure to wind and noise, and are inconvenient for use, especially in noisy environments like motorcycling, where the external microphone arrangement vibrates and impacts the helmet and wearer's teeth, reducing sound quality and reliability.
Innovation Solution
An open-front protective helmet with two microphones embedded between the helmet shell and the wearer's cheeks, connected via a flexible or rigid connection element within slots in the layers, providing improved sound isolation and convenience by positioning the microphones close to the cheeks and remote from the mouth, reducing noise interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an external microphone and boom are provided outside the helmet, then communication capability is achieved, but the microphone is exposed to wind and noise causing poor sound quality and reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful external environment (wind, noise) is extracted from the microphone's position by relocating the microphone from an external boom to an internal position within the helmet structure, specifically embedded in the cheek pad layer, thereby isolating it from harmful external factors while maintaining communication functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The microphone is nested within the helmet's layered structure (embedded in the cheek pad between the helmet shell and wearer's cheek), with the connection element also nested within slots in the layers, creating a protected internal configuration that maintains reliability while reducing exposure to harmful factors
2Reliability
If an external microphone with rigid boom is used, then communication structure is established, but the boom vibrates and impacts the helmet frame and wearer's teeth reducing sound quality
Solution Approach 1:
The vibration and impact problems are eliminated by extracting the microphone from the external rigid boom structure and relocating it to an internal embedded position within the helmet's cheek pad, where it is isolated from the sources of vibration and impact
Solution Approach 2:
The connection element is designed to be flexible rather than rigid, allowing it to absorb vibrations and movements without transmitting them to the microphone or helmet frame, thereby maintaining sound quality while accommodating the dynamic environment
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a single external microphone is embedded in helmet layers, then communication capability is achieved, but noise isolation is insufficient compared to dual microphones positioned near cheeks
Solution Approach 1:
The single microphone system is segmented into two separate microphones positioned at different locations (both embedded near the cheeks), allowing each microphone to capture audio from slightly different perspectives and enabling noise cancellation through signal processing of multiple sources
Solution Approach 2:
The microphone positions are optimized for local quality by embedding both microphones specifically near the wearer's cheeks where they can capture speech while being isolated from external noise, with each microphone positioned to optimize its local acoustic environment
4Ease of operation
If microphones are embedded within helmet layers with connection elements in slots, then wearing convenience is improved, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The microphone and connection element structures are merged into the helmet's existing layered construction, with the microphone embedded in the cheek pad layer and the connection element routed through slots in the same layers, integrating the communication system into the helmet rather than adding separate external components
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The invention relates to a protective helmet which is provided with communication equipment, the helmet comprises one or more microphones that are embedded next to cheeks of the wearer in one or more layers of material that are located between a helmet shell and said wearer's cheeks, wherein each of said one or more microphones is connected directly or indirectly to said communication equipment by means of a connection element, each of said connection elements being also embedded respectively within slots that are made within one or more of said layers.