Non-occluding Earbuds with Midmold Acoustic Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Non-occluding earbuds with multiple speakers face challenges in achieving high-quality sound due to the absence of an airtight seal with the ear, requiring specific tuning of front volumes to compensate for ambient sound interference.
Innovation Solution
The use of a midmold structure within the earbud housing to create acoustically isolated front volumes for each speaker, allowing independent tuning and directional sound projection through an offset directional port, ensuring optimal frequency response.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If non-occluding earbuds are used to allow ambient sound perception, then user comfort and awareness are improved, but acoustic performance deteriorates due to lack of airtight seal
Solution Approach 1:
The internal acoustic space is segmented into separate front volumes for each speaker using acoustic isolation structures. This segmentation allows each speaker's front volume to be independently tuned and controlled, compensating for the lack of overall airtight seal by creating localized acoustic environments that maintain sound quality while preserving ambient sound perception capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local acoustic sealing and volume control at specific regions around each speaker rather than requiring a complete global seal. By creating localized front volumes with precise acoustic properties for each speaker, the system achieves reliable acoustic performance in critical areas while maintaining open design benefits elsewhere
2Reliability
If multiple speakers are used in non-occluding earbuds, then sound quality potential is improved, but tuning difficulty increases due to acoustic interference
Solution Approach 1:
The acoustic space is divided into separate front volumes for each speaker using isolation structures. This segmentation eliminates acoustic interference between multiple speakers by creating independent tuning zones, allowing each speaker to be optimized without affecting others, thus reducing tuning complexity while maintaining high sound quality potential
Solution Approach 2:
Acoustic isolation structures serve as intermediaries between multiple speakers, preventing direct acoustic interaction and interference. These structures enable independent tuning of each speaker's front volume by acting as acoustic boundaries, simplifying the overall tuning process while preserving the benefits of multiple speakers
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 design enhances sound quality by allowing precise tuning of each speaker's front volume, improving frequency response and sound projection, even without an airtight seal, thereby providing high-quality audio in non-occluding earbuds.
Implementation Method 1
The midmold has a cavity shaped to tune the front volume of one of the speakers. For example, in one embodiment, the cavity can form part of the front volume for a woofer speaker.
Implementation Method 2
The directional port may be constructed to project acoustic signals into the user's ear canal.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1D
Figure 2
AI summary
Non-occluding earbuds and methods for making the same are disclosed. The earbud has a non-occluding housing having a directional port positioned offset with respect to a center axis of the housing. The directional port may be constructed to project acoustic signals into the user's ear canal. In addition, the directional port can include separate openings or ports for different front volumes existing within the housing. Front and back volumes can exist for each speaker contained within the housing, and embodiments of this invention use a midmold structure that enables the front volumes to be tuned independently of each other.