Multielement microphone

• US 7,936,894 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zurek, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin; Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blair; Kile
• Application Number:
  US11/021,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20060140431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,322 Days
• Field of Search: 381/357, 381/355, 381/365, 381/356, 381/92, 381/122, 381/358, 381/91, 381/313, 381/361, 379/431, 379/433.03
• US Class Current: 381/357
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

An improved microphone assembly (128) is provided for porting two microphones (240, 242) of an opposing pair used for beam forming through a single symmetric porting structure (244). The microphone assembly (128) includes a first microphone capsule (240), a second microphone capsule (242) and a porting structure (244). The porting structure (244) encloses the first and second microphone capsules (240, 242) therein and has a first port (251) formed in a first wall (246) thereof and a second port (252) formed in a second wall (248) thereof opposite to the first wall (246), where the first and second microphone capsules (240, 242) share the first port (251).

Claims

1. A microphone assembly comprising:

a first microphone capsule, wherein the first microphone capsule is a directional microphone capsule having a first element axis;

a second microphone capsule, wherein the second microphone capsule is a directional microphone capsule having a second element axis oriented about 180 degrees relative to the first element axis; and

a porting structure for enclosing the first microphone capsule and the second microphone capsule, the porting structure having a first port formed in a first wall of the porting structure and a second port formed in a second wall of the porting structure opposite to the first wall, wherein the first microphone capsule and the second microphone capsule share the first port.

2. The microphone assembly of claim 1 wherein the porting structure is a symmetric porting structure having the second microphone capsule formed symmetrically with the first microphone capsule in the porting structure, and wherein the first microphone capsule and the second microphone capsule also share the second port.

3. The microphone assembly of claim 2 wherein the first microphone capsule and the second microphone capsule are utilized for beam forming.

4. The microphone assembly of claim 1 wherein the first microphone capsule and the second microphone capsule each comprise a first order directional microphone element.

5. The microphone assembly of claim 4 wherein the first order directional microphone elements comprise cardioid microphone elements.

6. A microphone assembly comprising:

a directional microphone capsule;

an omnidirectional microphone capsule; and

a symmetric porting structure for enclosing the directional microphone capsule positioned symmetrically with the omnidirectional microphone capsule, the symmetric porting structure having a first port formed in a first wall of the symmetric porting structure and a second port formed in a second wall of the symmetric porting structure opposite to the first wall, wherein the directional microphone capsule and the omnidirectional microphone capsule share the first port, and wherein the directional microphone capsule utilizes the second port.

7. An electronic device comprising:

a user interface including a microphone assembly having a directional microphone capsule, an omnidirectional microphone capsule, and a symmetric porting structure for enclosing the directional microphone capsule positioned symmetrically with the omnidirectional microphone capsule, the porting structure having a first port formed in a first wall of the porting structure and a second port formed in a second wall of the porting structure opposite to the first wall, wherein the directional microphone capsule and the omnidirectional microphone capsule share the first port, and wherein the directional microphone capsule utilizes the second port; and

a controller coupled to the user interface for receiving information therefrom and for providing signals to the user interface for operation of the microphone assembly in response thereto.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 wherein the controller receives the information from the directional microphone capsule and the omnidirectional microphone capsule and, in response to said information, detects low wind noise conditions and high wind noise conditions and wherein the controller provides a low wind noise signal to the microphone assembly in response to detecting low wind noise conditions, and wherein the microphone assembly utilizes the directional microphone capsule and the omnidirectional microphone capsule for beam forming and steering to generate the information for providing to the controller in response to the low wind noise signal.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 wherein the controller provides a high wind noise signal to the microphone assembly in response to detecting high wind noise conditions, and wherein the microphone assembly utilizes only the omnidirectional microphone capsule to generate the information for providing to the controller in response to the high wind noise signal.

10. The electronic device of claim 7 further comprising:

an antenna for receiving and transmitting radio frequency (RF) signals;

receiver circuitry coupled to the antenna for demodulating and decoding the RF signals to derive information therefrom; and

transmitter circuitry coupled to the antenna for encoding and modulating information into RF signals,

and wherein the controller is coupled to the microphone assembly for providing signals thereto and for receiving information therefrom, and the controller is further coupled to the receiver for receiving information therefrom and coupled to the transmitter circuitry for providing information thereto.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a user interface including a microphone assembly having;

a first microphone capsule, wherein the first microphone capsule is a directional microphone capsule having a first element axis;

a second microphone capsule, wherein the second microphone capsule is a directional microphone capsule having a second element axis oriented about 180 degrees relative to the first element axis; and

a porting structure for enclosing the first microphone capsule and the second microphone capsule, the porting structure having a first port formed in a first wall of the porting structure and a second port formed in a second wall of the porting structure opposite to the first wall, wherein the first microphone capsule and the second microphone capsule share the first port; and

a controller coupled to the user interface for receiving information therefrom and for providing signals to the user interface for operation of the microphone assembly in response thereto.