Pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones

• US 4,520,238 A
• Filed: 11/16/1983
• Issued: 05/28/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pilot Man-Nen-Hitsu Kabushiki Kaisha (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pilot Man-Nen-Hitsu Kabushiki Kaisha (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schroeder, L. C.
• Application Number:
  US06/552,246
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 179/121 C, 179/107 S, 179/107 BC, 181/91
• US Class Current: 381/151
• 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 11/06 Telephone receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/02 Microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 9/00 Transducers of moving-coil, moving-strip, or moving-wire type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 9/08 Microphones

Abstract

A pickup device for picking up sound generated by the vocal chords and transmitted through bones from the nasal bone. A microphone (11) is mounted on or embedded into an eyeglass-like assembly (13, 15). When the microphone is mounted as a nosepiece, it is made into direct contact with the nose so that it directly picks up vibration transmitted through the nasal bone. When the microphone is mounted on the eyeglass-like frame or embedded therein, it picks up vibration transmitted through the nosepieces and eyeglass-like frame. A cord (12) whose one end is electrically connected to the microphone is held by holding member extended from the eyeglass-like assembly (13, 15) so that the transmission of mechanical vibration to the microphone is prevented.

Claims

1. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones comprising:

an eyeglass-like assembly having a face-opposing member which is placed in front of a human face, a pair of supporting members one end of each of which is connected to each end of said face-opposing member and at least one nosepiece which is made into intimate contact with at least one upper side portion of the nose;

a microphone which is mounted on said face-opposing member at a suitable position for directly picking up the audio signal transmitted through bones as the solid vibration through said at least one nosepiece from said at least one upper side portion of the nose and for converting the picked up audio signal into an electrical signal; and

a flexible cord one end of which is connected electrically to said microphone and whose one portion is supported by said eyeglass-like assembly at least at one portion thereof.

2. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 1, wherein said microphone serves as one of said nosepieces.

3. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 1, wherein said microphone is attached to one of said nosepieces.

4. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 1, wherein said microphone is mounted on said face-opposing member.

5. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 1, wherein said microphone is mounted on an auxiliary member which in turn is mounted on said face-opposing member through vibration damping member.

6. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 1, wherein said microphone is mounted on said supporting member.

7. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 1, wherein said microphone is attached to a soft pad which in turn is attached to one of said nosepieces.

8. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 1, wherein said mocrophone is mounted through a vibration damping member on one of said nosepieces.

9. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 1, wherein said microphone is piezoelectric microphone.

10. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 9, wherein a piezoelectric element of said piezoelectric microphone is partially or totally immersed in a viscous liquid.

11. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 9, wherein a weight is mounted on a suitable portion of a piezoelectric element of said piezoelectric microphone.

12. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 9, wherein a piezoelectric element of said piezoelectric microphone is partially or totally supported by said vibration damping member.

13. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 1, wherein said microphone is a moving-coil microphone.

14. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 1, wherein said microphone is a moving-magnet microphone.

15. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 1, wherein said microphone is of a pressure transducer type.

16. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cord is held by holding member extended from said face-opposing member.

17. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cord is held by one of said supporting members at a position adjacent to said face-opposing member, and one end of said cord opposite from the end connected to said microphone is set free.

18. A pickup device for picking up vibration transmitted through bones as set forth in claim 15, wherein at least one portion of said cord extended between said microphone and said holding member extended from said face-opposing member is embedded in said face-opposing member.