Mask Ear Hook with Variable Coupling Density
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ear hook portions for masks lack differentiation in stretching characteristics based on position, leading to difficulties in ease of wearing and maintaining a stable fit.
Innovation Solution
The ear hook portion is designed with a material configuration that includes a stretchable portion and surface sheet materials coupled via multiple coupling portions, with a higher density of coupling portions in the ear back placement area to resist stretching and maintain fit, while sparser coupling in transition areas allows for easier stretching during wearing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the ear hook portion is made uniformly stretchable throughout, then it is easy to put on, but it deforms and loses stable contact with the skin at the ear back placement area
Solution Approach 1:
The ear hook portion is designed with spatially varying coupling portion density: the ear back placement portion has a higher density of coupling portions to reduce stretchability and maintain stable contact with the skin, while the upper and lower transition portions have fewer coupling portions to allow easier stretching during donning. This local differentiation of structural properties resolves the contradiction between ease of wearing and stability of contact.
2Reliability
If the coupling portions are densely distributed throughout the ear hook portion, then the fit is stable, but it becomes difficult to stretch during wearing
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling portions are non-uniformly distributed with higher density in the ear back placement portion to ensure fit stability, and lower density in the transition portions to facilitate stretching during wearing. This localized variation in coupling density resolves the contradiction between fit stability and ease of stretching.
3Ease of operation
If the coupling portions are sparsely distributed throughout the ear hook portion, then it is easy to stretch during wearing, but the fit becomes unstable and deforms
Solution Approach 1:
The ear hook portion implements localized coupling portion density variation: sparse distribution in transition portions allows easy stretching, while dense distribution in the ear back placement portion maintains fit stability. This spatial differentiation resolves the contradiction between ease of stretching and fit stability.
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
This configuration enhances the ease of wearing and improves the fit of the mask by allowing for easy stretching during donning while maintaining stability and reducing discomfort at the ear back placement area.
Implementation Method 1
a stretchable portion material; It is preferable that a portion of the sheet-shaped ear hook portion which extends in the left-and-right direction of the face as disclosed in PTL 1 is easily stretched when being put on
Implementation Method 2
a first surface sheet material and a second surface sheet material coupled, via a plurality of coupling portions, to both surfaces of the stretchable portion material
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
An ear hook portion for mask, the ear hook portion being made of a material including: a stretchable portion material; and a first surface sheet material and a second surface sheet material coupled, via a plurality of coupling portions, to both surfaces of the stretchable portion material in such a state that the stretchable portion material is stretched, the ear hook portion including: a proximal portion fixed to a mask body; an ear back placement portion to be situated at a back of an ear of a wearer; an upper transition portion extending, on an upper side, from the proximal portion to the ear back placement portion; and lower transition portion transitioning, on a lower side, from the proximal portion to the ear back placement portion, wherein a number of the plurality of coupling portions per unit area in the ear back placement portion is greater than a number of the plurality of coupling portions per unit area in at least one of the upper transition portion and the lower transition portion.