Inverted Balloon Stent Bonding for Earpiece Pressure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inflatable acoustic systems using balloons face challenges in maintaining bonding with stents upon insertion, and there is a lack of pressure management systems designed for inflatable earpieces.
Innovation Solution
The method involves creating an inverted bond between a balloon and a stent by bonding the balloon at two locations, with one surface facing away from the stent, and using a pressure management system comprising a valve, inflation channel, pressure release mechanism, and pump to manage balloon inflation pressure effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a balloon is bonded to a stent at a single location, then the bonding process is simple, but the balloon may detach or fail to maintain secure attachment upon insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The bonding process is divided into multiple discrete bonding locations along the stent-balloon interface. Instead of a single continuous bond, the system creates multiple separate bonded segments that collectively provide enhanced attachment security, preventing balloon detachment while maintaining manageable process complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The balloon is pulled to a chosen second bond location before final bonding occurs. This preliminary positioning action allows the system to prepare the bonding configuration in advance, ensuring optimal attachment points are reached before the actual bonding process completes, thereby enhancing bonding security
2Reliability
If the balloon is pulled over the first bond to a second bond location, then secure attachment is achieved, but the bonding process time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The balloon is pulled to the chosen second bond location as a preliminary step before final bonding. This advance positioning ensures that when bonding occurs, the balloon is already at the optimal location for secure attachment, reducing the need for repositioning or additional corrective actions that would increase total process time
Solution Approach 2:
The bonding process is segmented into distinct phases: initial bonding at the first location, pulling to the second location, and final bonding at the second location. This segmentation allows each phase to be optimized independently, managing overall process time while ensuring attachment security at each stage
3Reliability
If an inverted bond configuration is used, then the balloon presses against the stent for secure attachment, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The balloon bonding configuration is inverted relative to conventional designs. Instead of the balloon surface facing the stent at the bonding interface, the balloon is pulled back so that the opposite surface faces the stent at the second bond location. This inversion causes the balloon to press against the stent when inflated, enhancing bond stability while the molding process accommodates this inverted configuration
4Reliability
If pressure management system components are added to the earpiece, then inflation pressure control is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump system is designed to perform multiple functions: inflating the balloon, maintaining inflation pressure, and potentially deflating the balloon. By making the pump multi-functional rather than requiring separate components for each function, the system achieves reliable pressure control while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple pressure management components (valve, inflation channel, pressure release mechanism, and pump) are merged into a coordinated integrated system. Rather than these components operating independently, they are combined to work together as a unified pressure management solution, achieving reliable control while reducing the effective complexity through systematic integration
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 inverted bond ensures secure attachment and pressure management, maintaining internal gauge pressure between 0.05 bar to 3 bar, with a leak rate less than 1% by volume per minute, allowing for effective acoustic system operation.
Implementation Method 1
a first valve, where the first valve allows air to pass from a first side of the valve to a second side more readily than from the second side to the first side
Implementation Method 2
a pump; a stent, where the inflation channel is embedded; and a balloon, where the first valve, the inflation channel, the pressure release mechanism, the pump, and the balloon are operatively connected
Implementation Method 3
the molded balloon is configured so that when attached to a stent and inflated the inverted bond presses against a stent
Data Source
AI summary
At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to an earpiece having a balloon and a stent where the balloon is mounted on the stent and the stent incorporates two or more channels including at least an inflation channel and an acoustic channel. In some embodiments the stent is configured to pass audio signals through the acoustic channel where the acoustic channel is independent of the inflation channel of the balloon. Other embodiments are disclosed.