Ear microphone

• US 4,588,867 A
• Filed: 09/29/1982
• Issued: 05/13/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Masao Konomi
• Original Assignee: Masao Konomi
• Inventors: Konomi, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): Rubinson, Gene Z.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/428,017
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 179/107 E, 179/107 BC, 179/110 A, 179/111 E, 179/121 C, 179/182 R, 179/100 C, 179/102, 179/179, 179/180, 381/71, 381/74, 381/83, 381/93
• US Class Current: 379/430
• 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 17/02 Microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/016 for microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/456 mechanically
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/604 of acoustic or vibrational transducers

Abstract

An ear microphone comprising a pickup piece having a configuration which facilitates insertion thereof into a human external auditory canal, a vibration/electrical signal converter element installed within the pickup piece, a resilient member attached to the pickup piece, and a support body to support the pickup piece by way of the resilient member. The pickup piece and support body are of a rigid material having a large mass whereas the resilient member has a large resiliency. The converter element has a lead wire extending therefrom through the pickup piece, the resilient member, and the support body for signal processing outside the ear microphone.

Claims

1. An ear microphone comprising:

a pickup piece of rigid material having a first portion configured for mating with a human external auditory canal;

means for converting bone-conducted voice vibrations from said auditory canal into electrical signals, said converting means being installed within the pickup piece;

resilient means attached to a second portion of said pickup piece, said resilient means having a resiliency greater than said pickup piece and a mass less than said pickup piece;

a rigid support body having a mass greater than and resiliency less than said resilient means and attached to said resilient means for supporting the pickup piece and the resilient means and adapted to extend outside the human external auditory canal while in use whereby the pickup piece, the resilient means, and the support body are arranged in a sandwich structure for reducing noise generated due to external vibrations on the ear microphone; and

said converting means having a converter lead wire means extending through the pickup piece, the resilient means and the support body for signal processing purposes.

2. An ear microphone according to claim 1, further including a speaker for reproducing external electrical signals into voice sounds for two-way communication.

3. An ear microphone according to claim 2, wherein said speaker is provided remote from said pickup piece, resilient means and support body and said microphone further comprises a throughbore formed in said pickup piece, and sound duct means formed through said support body and said throughbore, said sound duct means having a first opening in the pickup piece to open into the external auditory canal and a second opening in the support body to receive voice signals from said speaker;

said sound duct means including a front tube of a rigid material having large mass and supported by damper means having greater resiliency than the material of said front tube and attached to the inside of the throughbore in said pickup piece and a back tube of a material having a greater resiliency than the material of said front tube and connecting the front tube and said support body.

4. An ear microphone according to claim 2, wherein said support body is formed with a cavity;

said speaker being supported within said cavity by a second resilient body relative to the support body;

said ear microphone further comprising a throughbore formed in said pickup piece, and sound duct means formed through said support body and said throughbore, said sound duct means having a first opening in the pickup piece to open into the external auditory canal and a second opening to an output section of said speaker; and

said sound duct means including a front tube of a rigid material supported by a damper attached to the inside of the throughbore in said pickup piece and a back tube of resilient material having a larger resiliency and a smaller mass than the rigid material of said front tube and connecting the front tube and the output section of said speaker; and

said speaker having a speaker lead wire means extending therefrom for outside connection.

5. An ear microphone according to claim 2, wherein said pickup piece includes a front portion having a recess facing the ear drum when inserted in the ear;

said recess containing a material of greater resiliency than said pickup piece and retaining the speaker therein relative to the pickup piece;

said speaker having a lead wire extending therefrom and led through said resilient material, said pickup piece, said resilient means and said support body for outside connection.

6. An ear microphone according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said converter means and said sound duct means lie in substantially the same plane, said converter means being installed in the pickup piece to vibrate substantially normally to said plane.

7. An ear microphone according to claim 1 wherein said converting means includes a piezoelectric element.

8. An ear microphone according to claim 1, wherein said converter means includes an electret type converter element.

9. An ear microphone according to claim 8, wherein said electret type converter element includes an elongate shield case, a movable electrode rod longitudinally extending within said shield case and supported therein by a damper relative to said elongate shield case, and a stationary electrode plate fixed at one end of said shield case in parallel relation to said movable electrode rod.

10. An ear microphone according to claim 1, further comprising switch means provided in the support body such that said switch means is operated from outside the support body to interrupt a circuit formed in association with said converter lead wire means.