Mechanical acoustic filter by erosion etching

• US 7,165,647 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2003
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Knowles Electronics Taiwan Ltd. (Knowles Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Knowles Electronics Taiwan Ltd. (Knowles Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Pei-Chau
• Primary Examiner(s): San Martin; Edgardo
• Application Number:
  US10/737,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20050135648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 181/160, 181/166, 381/372
• US Class Current: 181/160
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/04 Microphones H04R19/01 takes precedence

Abstract

A mechanical acoustic filter is formed of boards made by using erosion etching. The filter may be used in electric condenser microphones. The filter may be made of one or a plurality of boards each being made by erosion etching according to different requirements. The boards can be printed circuit boards, ply boards, or of other materials. Every etched board has corresponding paths, which after the boards are assembled, form an acoustic filtering path that not only can extend the length of the path to filter out high frequency noise more efficiently, but also can reduce the entire volume of the microphone assembly.

Claims

1. A mechanical acoustic wave filter comprising:

a first board member, the first board member having an erosion etched first path portion formed in the first board member;

a second board member, the second board member having an erosion etched second path portion formed in the second board member; and

the first board member and the second board member being joined together with the erosion etched first path portion and the erosion etched second path portion being communicatively coupled to form a filter wave path for the mechanical acoustic wave filter,

wherein the erosion etched first path portion comprises a first bend portion and the erosion etched second path portion comprises a second bend portion, the first bend portion and the second bend portion being communicatively coupled to form a bend of the filter wave path.

3. The mechanical acoustic wave filter of claim 1, the filter comprising a third board member, the third board member having an erosion etched third path portion, the third board member being joined with the first board member or the second board member, the erosion etched third path portion being communicatively coupled with the filter wave path.

4. The mechanical acoustic wave filter of claim 3, the erosion etched first path portion comprising a through bore, the erosion etched second path portion comprising a through bore and the erosion etched third path portion comprising a channel portion, the filter wave path extending from the first through bore to the second through bore and including the channel portion.

2. A mechanical acoustic wave filter comprising:

a first board member, the first board member having an erosion etched first path portion formed in the first board member;

a second board member, the second board member having an erosion etched second path portion formed in the second board member;

the first board member and the second board member being joined together with the erosion etched first path portion and the erosion etched second path portion being communicatively coupled to form a filter wave path for the mechanical acoustic wave filter; and

the erosion etched first path portion comprising a first through bore erosion etched in the first board member, the first through bore being coupled with a first channel erosion etched into a surface of the first board portion,

the erosion etched second path portion comprising a second through bore erosion etched in the second board member, the second through bore being coupled with a second channel erosion etched in a surface of the second board portion, and

the first channel and the second channel being aligned together, and the filter wave path extending from the first through bore to the second through bore and including the aligned first and second channels.

5. A microphone comprising:

a housing;

a transducer disposed within the housing; and

a mechanical acoustic wave filter disposed within the housing adjacent the transducer, the mechanical acoustic wave filter comprising;

a first board member, the first board member having an erosion etched first path portion in the first board member;

a second board member, the second board member having an erosion etched second path portion in the second board member;

the first board member and the second board member being joined together with the first path portion and the second path portion being communicatively coupled to form a filter wave path for the mechanical acoustic wave filter,

wherein the first path portion comprises a first bend portion and the second path portion comprises a second bend portion, the first bend portion and the second bend portion being communicatively coupled to form a bend of the filter wave path.

7. The microphone of claim 5, the filter comprising a third board member, the third board member being erosion etched in order to form a third path portion, the third board member being joined with the first board member or the second board member, the third path portion being communicatively coupled with the filter wave path.

8. The microphone of claim 7, the first path portion comprising a through bore, the second path portion comprising a through bore and the third path portion comprising a channel portion, the filter wave path extending from the first through bore to the second through bore and including the channel portion.

6. A microphone comprising:

a housing;

a transducer disposed within the housing; and

a mechanical acoustic wave filter disposed within the housing adjacent the transducer, the mechanical acoustic wave filter comprising;

a first board member, the first board member having an erosion etched first path portion in the first board member;

a second board member, the second board member having an erosion etched second path portion in the second board member;

the first board member and the second board member being joined together with the first path portion and the second path portion being communicatively coupled to form a filter wave path for the mechanical acoustic wave filter; and

the first path portion comprising a first through bore formed in the first board member, the first through bore being coupled with a first channel formed in a surface of the first board portion,

the second path portion comprising a second through bore formed in the second board member, the second through bore being coupled with a second channel formed in a surface of the second board portion, and

the first channel and the second channel being aligned together, and the filter wave path extending from the first through bore to the second through bore and including the aligned first and second channels.