Oval Variable Wall Earbud for Noise Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional earbuds often fail to provide adequate noise isolation and comfort due to their design, which can lead to suboptimal audio quality and limited noise attenuation.
Innovation Solution
The earbuds feature an annular flange with a varying thickness and non-circular cross-section, incorporating an inner body with an acoustic channel that tapers to fit the ear canal, allowing for better adaptation and noise isolation, with optional multiple flanges for enhanced noise attenuation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional earbuds are designed with a simple circular cross-section, then the device complexity is low, but the noise isolation and comfort are inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The earbud employs a non-circular cross-sectional design with asymmetric geometry, featuring a flat side and a curved side that corresponds to the ear canal anatomy. This asymmetric shape provides superior noise isolation and comfort compared to conventional circular designs, while maintaining manufacturability through standard molding processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The earbud incorporates a flange with non-uniform thickness distribution, where the thickness varies locally around the circumference. Thicker regions provide enhanced noise isolation at critical areas, while thinner regions maintain comfort and flexibility, achieving optimal noise attenuation without uniformly increasing device complexity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the earbud flange thickness is increased uniformly, then the noise attenuation improves, but the comfort and flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The flange is designed with spatially varying thickness, where specific angular regions have increased thickness for noise isolation while other regions maintain reduced thickness for comfort. This local differentiation allows the earbud to achieve up to 32 dB noise attenuation without compromising user comfort or flexibility.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a single flange design is used, then the device complexity is low, but the noise attenuation is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The earbud incorporates multiple flanges stacked axially, with each flange contributing to cumulative noise attenuation. The segmented flange structure creates multiple barrier layers against noise while maintaining a compact overall design that does not significantly increase device complexity.
4Ease of operation
If the acoustic channel is designed with constant diameter, then the manufacturing precision is easier to achieve, but the adaptation to ear canal and audio quality are suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The acoustic channel features a tapered geometry with varying diameter along its length, transitioning from a wider opening to a narrower distal end. This dynamic shape change optimizes acoustic performance and ear canal adaptation while remaining manufacturable through standard injection molding techniques with appropriate draft angles.
Data Source
AI summary
An ear tip is disclosed that comprises an annular flange having a first end tapering downwardly to a second end and having a non-circular lateral cross-section generally in the shape of an oval. The annular flange has a varying wall thickness from a first set of opposite sides of the annular flange to a second set of opposite sides of the annular flange. An inner body extends internally from the first end within a hollow interior defined by the annular flange toward the second end. An acoustic channel extends through the inner body, where the annular flange at least partially occludes an ear canal from ambient noise and creates at least a partial air seal in the ear canal and the acoustic channel is configured to allow the passage of sound into the ear canal when the inner body is connected with a sound source.