Ceiling microphone assembly

• US 8,437,490 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2010
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Marton, Trygve Frederik
• Primary Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Application Number:
  US12/691,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20100215189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 381/26, 381/91, 381/92, 381/122, 381/356, 381/357, 381/358, 381/360, 381/361, 381/365, 381/366, 381/111, 381/113
• US Class Current: 381/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/21 Direction finding using differential microphone array [DMA]

Abstract

A video teleconferencing directional microphone has two surfaces joined with an angle of 90° relative to each other, a first omni directional microphone element arranged adjacent to the intersection between the two surfaces. The ceiling microphone assembly also includes a second omni directional microphone element arranged at a predetermined distance (d) from both surfaces. A subtractor subtracts the output of the first microphone element from the output of the second microphone element, and the output of the subtractor is equalized by an equalizer (H_eq) to generate an equalized output. The surfaces and subtractor generates a quarter toroid directivity pattern for the ceiling microphone assembly. The quarter toroid sensitivity pattern increases sensitivity in the direction of a sound source of interest, but reduces sensitivity to any sound waves generated by noise sources at other locations or reverberations.

Claims

1. A microphone assembly, comprising:

an L-shaped structure formed by a first planar surface perpendicularly attached to a second planar surface;

a first microphone element disposed at the intersection of the first and second planar surfaces;

a second microphone element disposed along a line bisecting an angle formed by the first and second planar surfaces, the second microphone element being a predetermined distance from both the first and second planar surfaces;

a first subtractor configured to subtract an output of the first microphone element from an output of the second microphone element; and

a first equalizer configured to equalize the output of the first subtractor, the first equalizer having a frequency response of H_eq,

wherein a quarter toroid sensitivity pattern for the microphone assembly is generated by acoustical interaction of the two planar surfaces with the two microphone elements and subtraction of the microphone element outputs.

2. The microphone assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first and second microphone elements are omni directional microphones.

3. The microphone assembly according to claim 1, wherein the microphone assembly is a ceiling microphone.

4. The microphone assembly according to claim 1, wherein the subtractor includes a signal inverter to invert the output of the first microphone element and an adder to combine an output the inverter with the output of the second microphone element to generate the output of the subtractor.

5. The microphone assembly according to claim 1, wherein the quarter toroid sensitivity pattern has a minimum sensitivity at azimuth angles corresponding to 0 degrees and 180 degrees with respect to the first surface and the second surface.

6. The microphone assembly according to claim 1, wherein a product of the predetermined distance and the square-root of two is a maximum of half of a wavelength corresponding to a highest frequency to be captured by the microphone assembly.

7. The microphone assembly according to claim 1, wherein the equalizer frequency response H_eq is proportional to

8. The microphone assembly according to claim 1, wherein the equalizer frequency response H_eq includes a low-frequency roll-off at 80 Hz.

9. The microphone assembly according to claim 2, further comprising:

a third microphone element arranged at twice the predetermined distance with respect to both planar surfaces;

a second subtractor to subtract the output of the first microphone element from an output of the third microphone element;

a second equalizer filter to equalize an output of the second subtractor, the second equalizer having a second frequency response HL_eq;

a high pass filter to filter an output of the first equalizer filter (H_eq);

a low pass filter to filter an output of the second equalizer filter (HL_eq); and

an adder to combine an output of the high pass filter and an output of the low pass filter.

10. The microphone assembly according to claim 3, wherein HL_eq=H_eq.

11. A microphone assembly, comprising:

an L-shaped structure formed by a first planar surface perpendicularly attached to a second planar surface;

a bidirectional microphone element having a front acoustic input port and a rear acoustic input port;

a first waveguide having an output port associated with the rear acoustic input port of the bidirectional microphone, an input port of the first waveguide being disposed adjacent to an intersection of the first and second planar surfaces;

a second waveguide having an output port associated with the front acoustic input port of the bidirectional microphone element, an input port of the second waveguide being arranged at a predetermined distance (d) from the first and second planar surfaces; and

a equalizer filter configured to equalize an output of the bidirectional microphone element, the equalizer having a frequency response (H_eq),

wherein a quarter toroid sensitivity pattern for the microphone assembly is generated by acoustical interaction of the two planar surfaces, the two waveguides and the bidirectional microphone element.

12. The microphone assembly according to claim 11, wherein the first and second waveguide are of equal dimensions.

13. The microphone assembly according to claim 11, wherein the microphone assembly sensitivity pattern has a minimum sensitivity at azimuth angles (β

) corresponding to 0 degrees and 180 degrees with respect to a line coinciding with the intersection between the first and second planar surfaces.

14. The microphone assembly according to claim 11, wherein a product of the predetermined distance and the square-root of two is a maximum of half of a wavelength corresponding to a highest frequency to be captured by the microphone assembly.

15. The microphone assembly according to claim 11, wherein the equalizer frequency response (H_eq) is proportional to

16. The microphone assembly according to claim 11, wherein the equalizer frequency response (H_eq) includes a low-frequency roll-off of 80 Hz.

17. A method for creating an quarter toroid directivity pattern in a microphone assembly, comprising:

joining two planar surfaces to form an L-shaped structure;

converting audio waves received at a first microphone into first audio data, the first microphone being arranged adjacent to an intersection of the two planar surfaces;

converting audio waves received at a second microphone into second audio data, the second microphone being arranged at a predetermined distance (d) from each of the two planar surfaces;

subtracting, in a subtractor, the first audio data from the second audio data; and

equalizing, in an equalizer, an output of the subtractor.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the quarter toroid directivity pattern has a minimum sensitivity at azimuth angles (β

) corresponding to 0 degrees and 180 degrees with respect to a line coinciding with the intersection between the two planar surfaces.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein a produce of the predetermined distance (d) and the square-root of two is a maximum of half of a wavelength corresponding to a highest frequency to be captured by the microphone assembly.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the equalizer frequency response (H_eq) is

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the microphone assembly is a ceiling microphone.