Microphone Arranged in Cavity for Enhanced Voice Isolation

• US 20170026744A1
• Filed: 07/22/2015
• Published: 01/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Farzbod, Farhad, Herr, Richard Daniel, Morishita, Michael Kai, Dong, Jianchun
• Granted Patent: US 9,596,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 5/12 Nose pads; Nose-engaging surfaces of bridges or rims
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/46 Special adaptations for use as contact microphones, e.g. on musical instrument, on stethoscope throat mountings H04R1/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/003 Mems transducers or their use of the electrostatic type H04R19/005

Abstract

The present application describes bone conduction microphone (BCM) systems and applications thereof. An example apparatus includes: (a) an enclosing structure having a cavity therein, wherein a first portion of the enclosing structure is formed by an elastic material, and wherein the elastic material is moveable to transfer vibration from an exterior source to gas within the cavity; and (b) a microphone coupled to the enclosing structure and located within the gas-filled cavity, wherein gas in the cavity separates the microphone from the first portion of the enclosing structure, such that the vibration transferred from the exterior source to the gas in the cavity is detectable by the microphone.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an enclosing structure having a cavity therein, wherein a first portion of the enclosing structure is formed by an elastic material, and wherein the elastic material is moveable to transfer vibration from an exterior source to gas within the cavity; and

a microphone coupled to the enclosing structure and located within the gas-filled cavity, wherein gas in the cavity separates the microphone from the elastic first portion of the enclosing structure, such that the vibration transferred from the exterior source to the gas in the cavity is detectable by the microphone.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cavity substantially isolates the microphone from vibrations traveling through gas that is outside of the cavity.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a second portion of the enclosing structure is formed at least in part from an acoustical material that acoustically isolates the cavity from sound traveling through the air outside of the cavity.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, where the microphone comprises a Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphone.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a second portion of the enclosing structure is formed at least in part from a material that is less elastic than the elastic material that forms the first portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the microphone is coupled to an interior surface of a second portion of the enclosing structure, such that the gas within the cavity separates the microphone from the first portion of the enclosing structure.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gas in the cavity is pressurized to a pressure level greater than an ambient air pressure.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gas in the cavity is pressurized to a pressure level greater than an ambient air pressure.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a valve that is actuable to add and remove gas from the cavity, thereby changing the pressure within the cavity.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one microphone comprises an array of microphones within the cavity.

11. A wearable-device apparatus comprising:

a device component of a wearable device, wherein at least portion of the device component forms an enclosing structure having a gas-fillable cavity therein, wherein at least a portion of the enclosing structure is formed by an elastic material, and wherein the elastic material is moveable to transfer vibration from an exterior source to gas within the cavity; and

a microphone coupled to the enclosing structure and located within the gas-filled cavity, wherein gas in the cavity separates the microphone from the elastic first portion of the enclosing structure, such that the vibration transferred from the exterior source to the gas in the cavity is detectable by the microphone.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the enclosing structure comprises at least a first wall and a second wall, wherein the cavity is formed by at least the first wall and the second wall.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first wall comprises the portion of the enclosing structure formed by the elastic material.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first wall is curved to fit against a target body location.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the device component comprises a side arm.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the enclosing structure having the microphone within the cavity is located on the side arm such that the first portion formed by the elastic material contacts a temple area when the HMD is worn, such that vibrations corresponding to speech are transferred from the temple area to the microphone via gas in cavity.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the device component comprises a nose pad.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the nose pad forms the enclosing structure having the cavity therein, such that the microphone is arranged within the nose pad.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the nose pad is coupled to a support structure of a head-mountable device (HMD) such that the first portion formed from the elastic material contacts a nose area when the HMD is worn, such that vibrations corresponding to speech are transferred from the nose area to the microphone via gas in cavity.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, where the microphone comprises a Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphone.