Microphone having multiple transducer elements

• US 8,170,244 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2009
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Knowles Electronics Llc (Knowles Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Knowles Electronics Llc (Knowles Corporation)
• Inventors: Ryan, William A., Abry, Michael, Loeppert, Peter V.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN DUC
• Application Number:
  US12/577,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20100092020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 381/355, 381/361, 381/369, 381/174, 381/175
• US Class Current: 381/174
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones

Abstract

A microphone is provided. The microphone has a housing; an acoustic port located in the housing; a substrate coupled with the housing; an integrated circuit positioned onto the substrate; and two or more MEMS transducers mounted on the substrate wherein the transducers are connected in parallel.

Claims

1. A microphone comprising:

a housing;

an acoustic port located in the housing;

a substrate coupled with the housing;

an integrated circuit positioned onto the substrate; and

two or more MicroElectroMechanicalSystem (MEMS) transducers mounted on the substrate wherein the transducers are connected electrically in parallel.

2. The microphone of claim 1 wherein the substrate is comprised of silicon.

3. The microphone of claim 1 wherein the substrate is comprised of a ceramic material.

4. The microphone of claim 1 wherein the substrate provides acoustic isolation between a front cavity and a rear cavity.

5. The microphone of claim 1 wherein at least one of the MEMS transducers has an opening to allow sound to impinge upon the transducer.

6. The microphone of claim 1 wherein the transducers are well matched.

7. The microphone of claim 1 wherein the two or more MEMS transducers form a monolithic MEMS transducer element.

8. The microphone of claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit is a buffer circuit.

9. The microphone of claim 1 wherein at least one of the MEMS transducer elements is a variable capacitor.

10. A microphone comprising:

a housing;

an acoustic port located in the housing;

a substrate coupled to the housing;

an integrated circuit positioned onto the substrate; and

a plurality of MicroElectroMechanicalSystem (MEMS) transducers mounted on the substrate wherein two or more of the plurality of transducers are connected electrically in parallel.

11. The microphone of claim 10 wherein the substrate is comprised of silicon.

12. The microphone of claim 10 wherein the substrate is comprised of a ceramic material.

13. The microphone of claim 10 wherein the substrate provides acoustic isolation between a front cavity and a rear cavity.

14. The microphone of claim 10 wherein at least one of the MEMS transducers has an opening to allow sound to impinge upon the transducer.

15. The microphone of claim 10 wherein at least two of the transducers are well matched.

16. The microphone of claim 10 wherein two or more of the plurality of MEMS transducers form a monolithic MEMS transducer element.

17. The microphone of claim 10 wherein the integrated circuit is a buffer circuit.

18. The microphone of claim 10 wherein at least one of the plurality of MEMS transducer elements is a variable capacitor.