Removable Noise Plates for Headset Microphone Clarity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional headphones are ineffective in noisy environments, requiring users to shout to communicate effectively, especially in competitive gaming settings where background noise interferes with team communications.

Innovation Solution

Designing headphones with noise plates that can be removed to attenuate noise, featuring apertures for boom microphone assemblies to enhance audio communication, allowing for clear team communication without the need for shouting.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional headphones are used in noisy environments, then the headphones remain simple in structure, but communication effectiveness deteriorates due to background noise interference

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication effectivenessVSAvoidbackground noise interference
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The headset is divided into separate functional modules: noise plates that can be removed, boom microphone assemblies that can be attached and detached, and earphones that remain stationary. This segmentation allows the noise plates to be taken off when noise reduction is needed, while the microphone assembly can be attached for communication, resolving the contradiction between maintaining simplicity and improving communication effectiveness in noisy environments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The noise plates and microphone assemblies are designed to be dynamically adjustable - they can be attached or removed based on environmental conditions. When in a noisy environment, the noise plates are removed and microphones are attached to improve communication. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by allowing the system to adapt to changing acoustic conditions rather than being fixed in one configuration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Object-affected harmful factors

If noise plates are made removable to attenuate noise, then noise reduction capability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components and assembly mechanisms

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenoise attenuation capabilityVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The noise plates are designed as separate, removable segments that can be independently attached or removed from the earphone housing. This segmentation allows noise attenuation functionality to be added without permanently increasing the base structure's complexity. The same principle applies to the microphone assemblies - they are separate modules that can be attached only when needed, keeping the overall device complexity manageable while providing effective noise reduction capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Loss of information

If boom microphone assemblies are integrated into the headset, then communication clarity is improved, but ease of operation decreases due to additional attachment and detachment procedures

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication clarityVSAvoidoperation simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The boom microphone assembly is segmented from the main headset body, allowing it to be independently attached and detached. This segmentation enables users to attach the microphone when communication clarity is needed and remove it when not needed, balancing improved communication quality with maintained operational simplicity. The modular design means the microphone assembly can be quickly connected or removed without affecting the core earphone functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

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

Enables efficient communication among team members in noisy environments by reducing background noise interference, allowing for clear and comfortable audio transmission through removable noise plates and integrated microphone assemblies.

Implementation Method 1

a left earphone configured to convert electrical energy into sound waves

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectroacoustic conversion:

Data Source

PatentEP2232888B1Headset with noise plates
Publication Date: 2018.03.21 AG ACQUISITION
  • EP2232888B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP2232888B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP2232888B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A headset comprises two earphones joined together by a band which can be worn over the head of a wearer. Each earphone includes a noise plate, which functions to attenuate or eliminate noise from the environment such as a tournament gaming environment. The noise plate includes an aperture through which a boom assembly that houses a microphone may engage to transmit utterances of the wearer to audio processing circuitry. A grille can be exposed when the noise plate is removed, which allows sounds produced in the ambient environment to enter the earphone.