Integrated Circuit Device, Voice Input Device and Information Processing System

• US 20100266146A1
• Filed: 11/21/2007
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Advanced Applied Technology Research Institute Inc. (Funai Electric Co., Ltd.), Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Choji, Hideki, Maeda, Shigeo, Horibe, Ryusuke, Fukuoka, Toshimi, Ono, Masatoshi, Takano, Rikuo, Tanaka, Fuminori, Inoda, Takeshi, Sugiyama, Kiyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,025,794 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/111
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/04 Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor in deaf-aid sets H04R25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/005 using semiconductor materials
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/016 for microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 31/006 Interconnection of transducer parts of diaphragm and outer suspension by moulding H04R31/003

Abstract

An integrated circuit device includes a circuit board (1200′), the circuit board including a first diaphragm (714-1) that forms a first microphone, a second diaphragm (714-2) that forms a second microphone, and a differential signal generation circuit (720) that receives a first voltage signal obtained by the first microphone and a second voltage signal obtained by the second microphone, and generates a differential signal that indicates a difference between the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit device comprising a circuit board, the circuit board including:

a first diaphragm that forms a first microphone;

a second diaphragm that forms a second microphone; and

a differential signal generation circuit that receives a first voltage signal obtained by the first microphone and a second voltage signal obtained by the second microphone, and generates a differential signal that indicates a difference between the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal.

2. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 1,

wherein the circuit board is a semiconductor substrate;

and

wherein the first diaphragm, the second diaphragm, and the differential signal generation circuit are formed on the semiconductor substrate.

3. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 1,

wherein the circuit board is a semiconductor substrate;

and

wherein the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are formed on the semiconductor substrate, and the differential signal generation circuit is flip-chip mounted on the semiconductor substrate.

4. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 1,

wherein the first diaphragm, the second diaphragm, and the differential signal generation circuit are flip-chip mounted on the circuit board.

5. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 1,

wherein the circuit board is a semiconductor substrate;

and

wherein the differential signal generation circuit is formed on the semiconductor substrate, and the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are flip-chip mounted on the semiconductor substrate.

6. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 1,

wherein a center-to-center distance between the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm is 5.2 mm or less.

7. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 1,

wherein the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are silicon films.

8. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 1,

wherein the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are disposed so that a normal to the first diaphragm is parallel to a normal to the second diaphragm.

9. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 8,

wherein the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are disposed at different positions in a direction perpendicular to a normal direction.

10. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 9,

wherein the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm form bottoms of depressions formed in one side of the semiconductor substrate.

11. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 9,

wherein the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are disposed at different positions in a normal direction.

12. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 11,

wherein the first diaphragm forms a bottom of a first depression, and the second diaphragm forms a bottom of a second depression, the first depression and the second depression being respectively formed in a first side and a second side of the semiconductor substrate, the first side being opposite to the second side.

13. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 1,

wherein at least one of the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm is configured to obtain sound waves through a tubular sound-guiding tube that is provided perpendicularly to a surface of the at least one of the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm.

14. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 1,

wherein the differential signal generation circuit includes:

a gain section that amplifies the first voltage signal obtained by the first microphone by a predetermined gain; and

a differential signal output section that receives the first voltage signal amplified by the gain section and the second voltage signal obtained by the second microphone, generates a differential signal that indicates a difference between the first voltage signal amplified by the gain section and the second voltage signal, and outputs the differential signal.

15. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 14,

wherein the differential signal generation circuit includes:

an amplitude difference detection section that receives the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal input to the differential signal output section, detects a difference in amplitude between the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal when the differential signal is generated based on the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal that have been received, generates an amplitude difference signal based on the detection result, and outputs the amplitude difference signal; and

a gain control section that changes an amplification factor of the gain section based on the amplitude difference signal.

16. The integrated circuit device as defined in claim 14,

wherein the differential signal generation circuit includes:

the gain section that is configured so that an amplification factor is changed corresponding to a voltage applied to a predetermined terminal or a current that flows through the predetermined terminal; and

a gain control section that controls the voltage applied to the predetermined terminal or the current that flows through the predetermined terminal, the gain control section including a resistor array in which a plurality of resistors are connected in series or parallel, or including at least one resistor, and configured so that the voltage applied to the predetermined terminal or the current that flows through the predetermined terminal can be changed by cutting some of the plurality of resistors or conductors that form the resistor array or cutting part of the at least one resistor.

17. A voice input device comprising the integrated circuit device as defined in claim 1.

18. An information processing system comprising:

the integrated circuit device as defined in claim 1; and

an analysis section that analyzes input voice information based on the differential signal.

19. An information processing system comprising:

a voice input device that includes the integrated circuit device as defined in claim 1, and a communication processing device that performs a communication process through a network; and

a host computer that analyzes input voice information input to the voice input device based on the differential signal acquired by a communication process through the network.