MICROPHONE TECHNIQUES

• US 20080167092A1
• Filed: 01/04/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Kleinschmidt, David, Ueda, Joji
• Granted Patent: US 7,920,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/107 Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/05 Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S

Abstract

Among other features, a boom microphone has a microphone connector; an earcup module includes an earcup connector jack to connect to a headphone and a boom lead-in to receive the microphone connector; and a control module communicates voice signals wirelessly between (a) the boom microphone and headphone and (b) a telephone.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a boom microphone having a microphone connector;

an earcup module including an earcup connector jack to connect to a headphone and a boom lead-in to receive the microphone connector; and

a control module to communicate voice signals wirelessly between (a) the boom microphone and headphone and (b) a telephone.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the microphone connector is non-axisymmetric.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 also including a power connection to carry power from a power source in the headphone through the earcup connector jack to the control module.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the control module is adapted to equalize the voice signals from the boom microphone.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the control module is adapted to determine if the boom microphone is attached to the earcup module.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the control module includes a connector adapted to carry a signal from an audio player to the headphone.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 in which the control module is adapted to automatically mute the signal from the audio player when an incoming call is received by the cell phone.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the control module further comprises a wireless module for managing communication with the cell phone.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 in which the wireless module comprises a Bluetooth module.

10. An apparatus comprising

a headphone including a power source,

a microphone attachable to the headphone,

control circuitry not in the headphone to control use of audio signals associated with the microphone and the headphone, and

a power connection between the power source of the headphone and the control circuitry.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the headphone comprises noise canceling circuitry.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the control circuitry controls audio signals used for telephone calls that are passed wirelessly to and from a telephone set.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the power connection comprises conductors of a cable.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the power source comprises a battery.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the microphone comprises a boom microphone.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 also including a connector between the microphone and the headphone.

17. A method comprising

receiving from a microphone signals representative of a voice of a user wearing an active noise reducing headphone,

signal processing the received signals to produce derived signals representative of the voice,

delivering the derived signals to a transducer in the headphone to be played to the user,

the signal processing causing the derived signals to be natural reproductions of the user'"'"'s voice as played to the user.

18. The method of claim 17 in which the signal processing includes equalization.

19. The method of claim 17 in which the signal processing includes level setting.

20. The method of claim 17 in which the signal processing is based on configuration information provided by the user.

21. The method of claim 17 in which the microphone is attachable to the headphone.

22. A method comprising

receiving from a microphone signals representative of a voice of a user wearing a headphone,

equalizing the received signals in accordance with an inverse of a transfer function of sound traveling a path from the user'"'"'s mouth via the headphone to an ear of the user multiplied by a transfer function of sound traveling a path from the user'"'"'s mouth to the user'"'"'s ear, absent the headphone.

23. An apparatus comprising

a shielded noise canceling microphone that is attached to and detachable from a noise canceling headphone.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 also including a connector between the microphone and the headphone.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 in which the microphone comprises a boom microphone.

26. An apparatus comprising

a noise canceling headphone,

a microphone connectable to the noise canceling headphone, and

a controller separate from the microphone and connectable to the noise canceling headphone and to the microphone,

the controller including a wireless transceiver to communicate microphone and headphone signals to and from a telephone set.

27. An apparatus comprising

a headphone,

a microphone attachable to and detachable from the headphone and adapted to draw current from a power source in the headphone, and

circuitry to determine the connection state of the microphone to the headphone based on detecting the drawing of current.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 in which the microphone comprises a noise canceling microphone.

29. The apparatus of claim 27 in which the power source comprises a battery.

30. The apparatus of claim 27 in which the circuitry comprises a unit that is separate from the headphone and the microphone.

32. An apparatus comprising

a headphone,

a microphone attachable to and detachable from the headphone, and

circuitry to communicate microphone and headphone signals to and from a telephone set and to disconnect a telephone call in progress at the telephone set if the microphone is detached during the call.

33. The apparatus of claim 32 in which the circuitry includes wireless combination circuitry to communicate the signals.

34. The apparatus of claim 32 in which the circuitry comprises a unit that is separate from the microphone and the headphone.

35. An apparatus comprising

a headphone,

a microphone, and

a connector to attache the microphone to and attach the microphone from the headphone non-axi-symmetrically,

the connector being configured to cause the microphone to have the same orientation relative to the mouth after the microphone is attached to the headphone as the orientation that existed when the microphone was previously attached to the headphone.

31. The apparatus of claim 37 in which the circuitry disconnects a telephone call when it determines that the microphone has been disconnected.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 also comprises an element to permit an orientation of the microphone relative to the mouth of a person wearing the headphone to be adjusted.

37. The apparatus of claim 36 in which the element comprises a gooseneck.

38. The apparatus of claim 35 in which the microphone comprises a boom microphone.

39. An apparatus comprising

a microphone, and

a connector to attach the microphone to and detach the microphone from a headphone, the connector having a non-axisymmetric cross-section.

40. An apparatus comprising

circuitry having ports for connection to a telephone set to carry telephone audio signals, to a music source to carry music audio signals, to a headphone to play audio signals, and to a microphone to convert speech to audio signals, the circuitry being configured to detect an incoming phone call while music audio signals from the source are being played in the headphone and to switch audio signals played by the headphone from the music audio signals to the telephone audio signals.

41. The apparatus of claim 40 in which the circuitry is separate from the headphone, the telephone set, the music source, the headphone, and the microphone.

42. The apparatus of claim 40 in which the connection to the telephone set is wirelessly.

43. A method comprising

detecting when a microphone associated with a headphone is no longer providing voice signals for one side of a telephone call, and

in response to the detecting, terminating the telephone call.

44. The method of claim 43 in which detecting comprises electronically determining when the microphone has been detached from the headphone.

45. The method of claim 43 in which terminating the call comprises sending a hand up indication from a controller associated with the headphone.

46. The method of claim 45 in which the hang up indication is sent wirelessly to a telephone set. _