Multi-Mic Earphone Assembly for Flexible Fit and Noise Isolation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing earphones often fail to provide a secure fit in the concha due to a fixed angle between the ear insert and the earphone, leading to discomfort and poor sound isolation, and struggle with ambient and internal acoustic noise interference during vocal communication in noisy environments.
Innovation Solution
The use of two microphones, one for ambient sound and one for ear canal sound, combined with a flexible eartip design that distributes contact force and provides enhanced sound isolation, along with a system that processes audio signals to mitigate noise interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a fixed angle design is used between the ear insert and earphone, then the manufacturing is simpler, but the fit in the concha is poor and comfort is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The earphone incorporates a flexible neck portion that allows the earphone to dynamically adjust its angle relative to the ear insert, transitioning from a fixed rigid structure to a flexible adaptable one. This enables the earphone to conform to different concha angles while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through a modular design with a defined range of motion.
2Device complexity
If traditional single microphone design is used, then the device complexity is lower, but the ability to mitigate ambient and internal acoustic noise is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The audio pickup function is segmented into multiple specialized microphones: an ambient sound microphone positioned to capture external environment noise, and an ear canal microphone positioned to capture internal occlusion effects and vocal cues. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each microphone's position and orientation to target specific sound sources, improving noise mitigation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary processing stage that receives signals from both the ambient sound microphone and ear canal microphone, along with feedback from the speaker. This intermediary audio processing system analyzes and combines the multiple signals to differentiate between desired vocal cues and unwanted ambient noise, enabling effective noise cancellation that would be impossible with a single microphone.
3Manufacturing precision
If rigid eartip design is used, then the manufacturing precision is easier to achieve, but the distribution of contact force is poor causing discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The eartip is constructed from flexible material that can deform to conform to the unique geometry of each user's ear canal. This flexibility allows the eartip to distribute contact force evenly across the ear canal walls, reducing pressure points and discomfort, while still maintaining sufficient rigidity to provide acoustic isolation when properly fitted.
Data Source
AI summary
At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to a method of earphone manufacturing with an ear canal microphone, ambient sound microphone and a speaker, where the earphone has parts that have been 3D printed.