Neck Loop Acoustic Device with Waveguide Sound Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional headsets with acoustic drivers on, over, or in the ears are obtrusive and inhibit the user's ability to hear ambient sounds.
Innovation Solution
An acoustic device designed to be worn around the neck, featuring a horseshoe-like neck loop with two acoustic drivers positioned below the ears and waveguides that direct sound to the ears without direct contact, allowing for high-quality sound delivery while maintaining awareness of ambient sounds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If acoustic drivers are placed on, over, or in the ears to deliver high-quality sound, then sound quality is improved, but the device becomes obtrusive and blocks ambient sounds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the acoustic driver from the ear canal environment and relocates it to the neck area. The drivers are positioned on the neck loop away from the ears, eliminating direct contact with the ear canal while maintaining sound delivery capability through waveguide transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces waveguides as intermediary structures that transmit sound energy from the drivers located on the neck to the ears. The waveguides act as mediators that deliver audio signals without requiring physical drivers in the ear canal, thus maintaining ambient sound awareness.
2Measurement precision
If acoustic drivers are positioned close to the ears for direct sound delivery, then sound quality is improved, but the device becomes obtrusive
Solution Approach 1:
The acoustic drivers are extracted from the ear vicinity and repositioned on the neck loop. This relocation removes the obtrusive element from the ear area while preserving the core function of sound delivery through the waveguide system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions the driver placement from a two-dimensional ear canal interface to a three-dimensional neck-mounted configuration. The drivers are positioned in space away from the ears, utilizing the neck loop as a mounting structure that distributes the device across a larger volume.
3Measurement precision
If waveguides are made long to reach from neck to ears, then sound delivery is improved, but the housing volume increases
Solution Approach 1:
The waveguides are nested within the neck loop housing structure. The housing encompasses the waveguides, allowing the long transmission path to be contained within the overall device volume rather than extending externally. The neck loop itself serves as the housing that contains the waveguide system.
Solution Approach 2:
The waveguide path utilizes the three-dimensional space of the neck loop, routing sound waves through the available volume rather than requiring a straight linear path. The waveguides follow the contour of the neck loop, efficiently using the spatial arrangement to achieve long transmission distance within compact housing.
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 device provides unobtrusive, high-quality sound to the ears without blocking ambient noise, ensuring users can hear their surroundings while enjoying audio, and can be worn under or on top of clothing.
Implementation Method 1
two waveguides within the housing, each one having an exit below an ear, close to a driver. The rear side of one driver may be acoustically coupled to the entrance to one waveguide
Implementation Method 2
a first open-backed acoustic driver acoustically coupled to the first waveguide and a second open-backed acoustic driver acoustically coupled to the second waveguide
Data Source
AI summary
An acoustic device that has a neck loop that is constructed and arranged to be worn around the neck. The neck loop includes a housing with a first acoustic waveguide having a first sound outlet opening, and a second acoustic waveguide having a second sound outlet opening. There is a first open-backed acoustic driver acoustically coupled to the first waveguide and a second open-backed acoustic driver acoustically coupled to the second waveguide.