Directional microphone

• US 5,848,172 A
• Filed: 11/22/1996
• Issued: 12/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Allen, Jonathan Brandon, Baumhauer, John Charles Jr., West, James Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, SINH N
• Application Number:
  US08/755,506
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 381/155, 381/168, 381/169, 381/92, 381/58
• US Class Current: 381/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/403 Linear arrays of transducers

Abstract

A monolithic second order gradient (SOG) microphone structure employs acoustic transmission lines wherein the acoustic phase delay along each of the acoustic transmission lines is in direct proportion to the length of each of the acoustic transmission lines and, where this is effected by the use of an acoustic impedance element placed within each acoustic transmission line that has an acoustic impedance related to the acoustic impedance of the associated acoustic transmission line. In one embodiment, the acoustic impedance element has a specific acoustic impedance substantially matched to the specific acoustic characteristic resistance of the acoustic transmission line. Various embodiments may utilize acoustic or electrical subtraction of the signals in the acoustic transmission lines to realize the desired directional sound pickup.

Claims

1. A microphone assembly comprising:

a housing having two outer input ports and an inner input port for admission of acoustic energy, the two outer input ports and the inner input port being arranged in predetermined spatial relationship to each other;

at least one microphone element housed in the housing;

at first acoustic transmission line, of a first predetermined length, for transporting acoustic energy entering one of the two outer input ports to a first position on the at least one microphone element;

a second acoustic transmission line, of a second predetermined length, for transporting acoustic energy entering the other of the two outer input ports to the first position on the at least one microphone element;

a third acoustic transmission line, of a third predetermined length, for transporting acoustic energy entering the inner input port to a second position on the at least one microphone element; and

a plurality of acoustic resistance elements, at least one acoustic resistance element being positioned in each of the acoustic transmission lines and the at least one acoustic resistance element being matched in specific acoustic resistance to the specific acoustic characteristic resistance of the respective acoustic transmission line.

2. The microphone assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the acoustic signals from the first and second acoustic transmission lines supplied to the first position on the microphone element and the acoustic signals from the third acoustic transmission line supplied to the second position on the microphone element are acoustically subtracted.

3. The microphone assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the microphone element is a bidirectional first order gradient microphone element.

4. The microphone assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the microphone element is a unidirectional first order gradient microphone element.

5. The microphone assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the microphone element comprises two omnidirectional microphone elements each of said elements yielding an electrical output and algebraic subtraction means for algebraically subtracting the electrical outputs.

6. The microphone assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the acoustic resistance elements are formed by employing a quasi-continuous material which acts as a distributed acoustic material.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the acoustic resistance elements are formed by employing an element having relatively small triangular holes therein which acts as a lumped acoustic element.

8. The microphone assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the acoustic resistance elements are positioned at the input ports of each of the acoustic transmission lines.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 further including one additional inner input port for admission of acoustic energy and a fourth acoustic transmission line of a fourth predetermined length for transporting acoustic energy from the one additional inner input port to the second position on the at least one microphone element.

10. The microphone assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein the acoustic resistance elements are positioned at the input ports of each of the acoustic transmission lines.

11. The microphone assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein the acoustic signals from the first and second acoustic transmission lines supplied to the first position on the microphone element and the acoustic signals from the third and fourth transmission lines supplied to the second position on the microphone element are acoustically subtracted.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein an acoustic resistance element is placed in the fourth acoustic transmission line and is matched thereto.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein the outer input ports and the inner input ports are arranged in colinear spatial relationship to each other.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein the outer input ports and the inner input ports are arranged in non-colinear spatial relationship to each other.

15. The microphone assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein the microphone element is a bidirectional first order gradient microphone element.

16. The microphone assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein the microphone element is a unidirectional first order gradient microphone element.

17. The microphone assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein the microphone element comprises two omnidirectional microphone elements, each of said elements yielding an electrical output and algebraic subtraction means for algebraically subtracting the electrical outputs.

18. The microphone assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein the acoustic resistance elements are formed by employing a quasi-continuous material which acts as a distributed acoustic material.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein the acoustic resistance elements are formed by employing an element having relatively small triangular holes therein which acts as a lumped acoustic element.