Designing for Comfort: OWS Earphone Design Based on External Ear Anthropometry and Comfort Analysis

Open wearable stereo earphones (OWS), as an emerging wearable audio device, have gained significant attention due to their non-intrusive design and environmental awareness dimensions. However, issues such as pressure concentration and dynamic slippage caused by insufficient ear fit in the open structure hinder the user experience. This paper focuses on ear-hook type OWS earphones and proposes a systematic design framework based on the 'black box model - ear measurement - experimental validation'. First, key design parameters of the acoustic module, contact module, and structural module are extracted by decoupling the earphone components based on reverse engineering theory. Then, a mapping model between ear characteristics and earphone design parameters is constructed using a 3D ear database of 110 Chinese adults. Finally, the feasibility of the design solution is validated through orthogonal experiments and multi-scenario wearing tests. This study fills the gap in the systematic design theory of OWS earphones, establishes a data-driven paradigm for personalized fitting, and provides theoretical support and practical references for ergonomic optimization of wearable devices.