Measurement and Application of 3D Ear Images For Earphone Design

Abstract

Detail anthropometric dimensions and a 3D shape of the outer-ear are applicable to design ear-related products such as an earphone. However, 3D scanning of the ear part is quite difficult due to a complex shape of the ear, also detailed ear dimensions which are needed to be measured for earphone design were not identified in previous studies. This study collected 3D scan images of the whole outer-ear from 100 Korean participants (50 females and 50 males) aged 20 to 59, then measured their detailed ear dimensions for earphone design. The pinna part was directly 3D scanned; and complex shape of the concha and acoustic canal parts were cast by applying an ear casting tool, then the cast was scanned in 3D. 13 ear dimensions were measured by applying an ear measurement system coded using Matlab. Both 3D ear scans and ear measurements were applied to design some earphone parts (earphone-head, ear-band, ear-tip) in this study.

A systematic review on ear anthropometry and its industrial design applications

“…Moreover, Lee et al (2016) revealed that ear dimensions selected in previous studies could not provide sufficient data for earphone design. For example, curvatures of the ear root were considered as an important factor for holding ear‐band products, such as ear‐band earphones, headphones, and glasses design (Lee et al, 2016). These studies highlighted the importance of different ear dimensions when designing different products, and addressed the requirements of the market to explore more ear anthropometric information for the design.…”

“…After anthropometric information was chosen, physical fit and comfort perception were studied to link anthropometric data with industrial design. Lee et al (2016) examined the physical fit between product and ear anthropometry. In the study, a virtual fit analysis was conducted when the designed ear‐tip earphones were placed on 3D ear models.…”

“…Instead of analyzing user experience through specific surveys or questionnaires, Ferguson et al (2015) presented an efficient method to combine anthropometric measurements with consumer preferences from online reviews to validate the results using earbud headphones. In these studies, researchers have explored different methods to investigate physical fit and comfort perception for ear‐related products through questionnaires on comfort perception (Chiu et al, 2014), by reviewing online consumer content (Ferguson et al, 2015), and via virtual fit analysis (Lee et al, 2016). These studies were valuable for improving the fit and comfort of current ear‐related products.…”

“…Previously, most findings from these studies contained limited ear dimensions that could only assist in specific product designs. However, previous ear dimensions were not sufficient to support current industrial products (Lee et al, 2016), especially with more and more varied products that need fitting within different ear regions. For each new design, an anthropometric survey has to be conducted if the required dimensions are not included in previous studies.…”

“…(Chiou, Huang, & Chen, 2016; Chiu, Chiang, Liu, Wang, & Chiou, 2014). Researchers have also linked ear anthropometry with related product design via cluster analysis (Ji, Zhu, Gao, Bai, & Hu, 2018) and virtual fit analysis (Lee et al, 2016). However, applications of 3D ear anthropometry in industrial design have not been sufficiently studied due to the unique morphology and characteristics of the external ear.…”