Method and apparatus for tooth bone conduction microphone

• US 20040202344A1
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mayur Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mayur Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Chen, Xia, Anjanappa, Muniswamappa, Babik, Abdo J., Bogacki, Russell E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,269,266 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/364
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/02 Microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/13 Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/606 acting directly on the eardrum, the ossicles or the skull, e.g. mastoid, tooth, maxillary or mandibular bone, or mechanically stimulating the cochlea, e.g. at the oval window

Abstract

A tooth microphone apparatus worn in a human mouth that includes a sound transducer element in contact with at least one tooth in mouth, the transducer producing an electrical signal in response to speech and a means for transmitting said electrical signal from the sound transducer to an external apparatus. The sound transducer can be a MEMS accelerometer, and the MEMS accelerometer can be coupled to a signal conditioning circuit for signal conditioning. The signal conditioning circuit can be further coupled to a transmitter. The transmitter can be an RF transmitter of any type, an optical transmitter, or any other type of transmitter. In particular, it can be a bluetooth device or a device that transmits into a Wi-Fi network or any other means of communication. The transmitter is optional.

Claims

1. A tooth microphone apparatus worn in a human mouth comprising:

a sound transducer element in contact with at least one tooth in said human mouth, said transducer producing an electrical signal in response to speech;

a means for transmitting said electrical signal to an external apparatus.

2. The tooth microphone apparatus of claim 1 wherein said sound transducer is a MEMS accelerometer.

3. The tooth microphone apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a signal conditioning circuit coupled to said sound transducer.

4. The tooth microphone apparatus of claim 3 wherein said signal conditioning circuit is further coupled to said means for transmitting said electrical signal.

5. The tooth microphone apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for transmitting said electrical signal is an RF transmitter.

6. The tooth microphone apparatus of claim 5 wherein said RF transmitter is a bluetooth device.

7. The tooth microphone apparatus of claim 5 wherein said RF transmitter transmits into a Wi-Fi network.

8. A method for picking up and transmitting a speaker'"'"'s spoken sound in a noisy environment comprising the steps of:

placing a sound transducer element in said speaker'"'"'s mouth, said sound transducer element in contact with at least one of said speaker'"'"'s teeth, said sound transducer producing an electrical signal representative of said spoken sound;

coupling an RF transmitter to said sound transducer element so that said electrical signal is converted and transmitted to a remote location.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said sound transducer element is a MEMS accelerometer.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said RF transmitter is a bluetooth device.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said RF transmitter transmits into a Wi-Fi network.

12. A microphone apparatus for capturing speech in a noisy environment comprising a MEMS accelerometer in contact with at least one tooth in a speaker'"'"'s mouth, said MEMS accelerometer producing an electrical signal representative of speech, said MEMS accelerometer being coupled to a signal conditioning circuit, said signal conditioning circuit being further coupled to a means for transmitting said electrical signal to a location exterior to said speaker'"'"'s mouth.

13. The microphone apparatus of claim 12 wherein said means for transmitting is an RF transmitter.

14. The microphone apparatus of claim 13 wherein said RF transmitter is a bluetooth device.

15. The microphone apparatus of claim 12 further comprising a batter also mounted in said speaker'"'"'s mouth.

16. The microphone apparatus of claim 12 further comprising a tongue controlled switch.

17. The microphone apparatus of claim 12 where said MEMS accelerometer is embedded in acrylic.