Malleable Earpiece with Bone and Air Conduction Drivers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional headphones either block out ambient sounds or are unsanitary, posing safety risks and discomfort issues, while failing to provide customizable high-quality audio that compensates for hearing loss deficiencies.
Innovation Solution
An earpiece with multiple speaker drivers for bone and air conduction, adjustable to fit around the ear, allowing for customizable audio output and ambient sound awareness, featuring a digital signal processor and malleable tubing for secure positioning and easy storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional headphones cover the outer ear or are positioned in the ear canal to output high quality audio, then audio reproduction quality is improved, but ambient sounds are blocked out causing safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The audio signal is segmented into different frequency ranges and routed to different transducers: low frequencies are delivered via bone conduction transducer while high frequencies are delivered via air conduction transducer. This segmentation allows selective delivery of audio frequencies without completely blocking ambient sounds, resolving the contradiction between audio quality and ambient awareness.
Solution Approach 2:
The bone conduction transducer acts as an intermediary that delivers low frequency audio vibrations through the skull bones directly to the inner ear, bypassing the ear canal. This intermediary pathway allows high frequency ambient sounds to pass through the ear canal unobstructed while still delivering quality audio through the bone conduction path.
2Measurement precision
If conventional headphones are positioned in the ear canal to provide high quality audio, then audio reproduction quality is improved, but hygiene issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The low frequency audio delivery function is extracted from the ear canal and relocated to the bone conduction transducer positioned behind the ear. This extraction removes the primary source of hygiene contamination from the sensitive ear canal area, eliminating unsanitary conditions while maintaining audio quality through the bone conduction path.
Solution Approach 2:
The audio delivery system transitions from a single-point insertion in the ear canal to a distributed configuration with transducers positioned on the outer ear and bone conduction interface behind the ear. This dimensional change in positioning eliminates direct ear canal contact while preserving audio reproduction quality through alternative transmission paths.
3Measurement precision
If conventional headphones block ambient sounds to provide high quality audio, then audio reproduction quality is improved, but safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The earpiece design allows dynamic adjustment of the high frequency air conduction transducer's position and orientation relative to the ear canal. This dynamic positioning enables optimization of high frequency audio delivery while maintaining an open ear canal configuration that permits ambient sound passage, thereby preserving safety while delivering quality audio.
Solution Approach 2:
Different frequency ranges are delivered through different transducers positioned at different locations: low frequencies via bone conduction behind the ear and high frequencies via air conduction near the ear canal opening. This local differentiation allows high frequency ambient sounds to pass through while delivering quality audio through specialized transducers, maintaining both audio quality and ambient awareness for safety.
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
Enables high-quality audio reproduction while allowing users to hear important ambient sounds, ensuring safety and hygiene, with customizable sound settings for hearing impairments and optimal audio delivery.
Implementation Method 1
a first speaker driver (or more than one speaker driver) that reproduces a first range of frequencies of a received audio signal that are below a first predetermined value using bone conduction of sound
Implementation Method 2
a second speaker driver or more than one speaker drivers electrically connected to the first assembly to receive the second part of the audio signal and to reproduce a second range of frequencies that are above a second predetermined value which is the same as or greater than the first predetermined value using air conduction of sound
Data Source
AI summary
An earpiece for reproducing audio has multiple drivers, including a bone conduction bass driver and an air conduction treble driver, attached to the ends of a malleable, yet stiff, tubing. The bass driver is placed behind or over the ear to provide a high quality bass output while the treble driver is placed so as to extend in proximity to the user's ear canal. The malleable, yet stiff, tubing enables a user to bend the earpiece and thereby position the earpiece comfortably and securely around the user's ear and to optimally position the drivers in the desired positions around the user's ear. The tubing also allows the earpiece, when not in use, to be reshaped for easy storage or to be worn as an accessory. The earpiece may also include one or more microphones with the treble and/or bass drivers.