Segmented Eartip With Grooves for Acoustic Seal and Comfort

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In-ear listening devices often suffer from improperly fitting eartips, leading to discomfort, decreased acoustic performance, and the need for larger drivers, which result in bulky devices with poor battery life.

Innovation Solution

The design of an eartip with a flexible inner body and a conforming outer body, featuring grooves and support structures, allows for a comfortable fit and improved acoustic performance while maintaining a smaller device size and enhancing battery life.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If eartips are made rigid to maintain sound channel structure, then acoustic performance is improved, but comfort and adaptability to various ear canal profiles deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveacoustic performanceVSAvoidfit to ear canal profiles

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The eartip is divided into multiple segments including a first eartip body and a second eartip body, allowing each segment to independently conform to different portions of the ear canal while maintaining overall structural integrity and sound channel patency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The eartip incorporates dynamic flexibility through materials and结构设计 that allow it to adapt its shape in response to ear canal geometry, enabling the rigid sound channel structure to become flexible during insertion and conforming to various ear canal profiles

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If eartips are made flexible to conform to ear canal profiles, then comfort and adaptability are improved, but sound channel collapse and acoustic performance deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefit to ear canal profilesVSAvoidacoustic performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The eartip utilizes flexible material structures that can bend and conform to ear canal shapes while incorporating reinforcement elements that prevent excessive deformation and sound channel collapse, achieving both comfort and acoustic performance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

3Reliability

If larger drivers are used to compensate for collapsed sound channel, then acoustic performance is improved, but device size and weight increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveacoustic performanceVSAvoiddevice footprint

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The eartip structure is designed to prevent sound channel collapse before it occurs through its conforming geometry and structural features, eliminating the need for oversized drivers and allowing the use of compact, high-performance drivers

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

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 eartip provides improved comfort and acoustic performance by conforming to various ear canal profiles without collapsing the sound channel, resulting in a more user-friendly and efficient wireless listening device.

Implementation Method 1

The inner eartip body can include a series of grooves around a circumference of the inner eartip body to allow the inner eartip body to easily bend and conform to an ear canal profile without collapsing

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentUS11523205B2Eartips for in-ear listening devices

Publication Date: 2022.12.06 APPLE INC

AI summary

Embodiments describe an eartip including an eartip body having an attachment end and an interfacing end opposite from the attachment end, and including an inner eartip body and an outer eartip body. The inner eartip body has a sidewall that extends between the interfacing end and the attachment end, and includes a groove formed in an outer surface of the sidewall. The outer eartip body is sized and shaped to be inserted into an ear canal and extends from the interfacing end toward the attachment end of the eartip.