Use of an earpiece acoustic opening as a microphone port for beamforming applications

• US 8,988,480 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2012
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Dave, Ruchir M., Lee, Jae H., Nicholson, Guy C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US13/652,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20140071221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 455/575.1
• US Class Current: 348/14.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/02 Casings; Cabinets ; Supports therefor; Mountings therein H04R1/28 takes precedence ; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/08 Mouthpieces; Microphones; Attachments therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/326 for microphones H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/23 Direction finding using a sum-delay beam-former
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A mobile multi-function device that includes a speaker, two or more microphones, and a beamformer processor is described. The beamformer processor uses the microphones to perform beamforming operations. One of the microphones shares a receiver acoustic opening with the speaker while the other microphone uses a separate acoustic opening. The receiver acoustic opening may be an earpiece opening that is held to the ear of a user while conducting a phone call with the device and provides acoustic input and output paths for the microphone and the speaker, respectively.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

a mobile multi-function phone handset housing that contains;

a speaker to produce sound for an audio application that is to execute in the mobile device;

first, second, and third microphones for capturing audio proximate to the mobile multi-function phone handset housing; and

a beamformer processor for performing directional signal reception of audio using the first and second microphones in video call mode,

where the housing has a first acoustic opening located on a front face and at a top end of the housing, and designed to be held to the ear of a user when the device is being used like a telephone handset during a phone call, the first acoustic opening to provide shared acoustic input and output paths for the first microphone and the speaker,

wherein the housing further includes a second acoustic opening located on a rear face of the housing that is used by the second microphone as an input acoustic port,

wherein the housing further includes a third acoustic opening located on a bottom side of the housing that is near the mouth of the user when the device is being used like a telephone handset during the phone call, wherein the third acoustic opening is used by the third microphone as an input acoustic port.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the first acoustic opening is an ear piece receiver opening.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the beamformer processor generates a reception beam directed at an area along the front face of the mobile device while the mobile device is in video call mode.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the beamformer processor generates a reception beam directed at an area along the rear face of the mobile device.

5. A method for operating a mobile multi-function device, comprising:

running an application on the mobile multi-function device, wherein the mobile multi-function device includes a first microphone and a speaker located in a first acoustic opening on a front face and top end of the mobile multi-function device such that the first acoustic opening is designed to be held to an ear of a user during a phone call, wherein the mobile multi-function device includes a second microphone located in a second acoustic opening on a rear face of the mobile multi-function device, and wherein the mobile multi-function device further includes a third microphone located in a third acoustic opening on a bottom side of the mobile multi-function device; and

performing beamforming operations during a video conference call using the first microphone installed in the first acoustic opening of the mobile multi-function device and the second microphone installed in the second acoustic opening.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first opening is an ear piece receiver opening.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein performing the beamforming operations includes generating a reception beam directed at an area along the front face of the device during the video conference call performed by the mobile multi-function device.

8. A method for constructing a mobile multi-function device, comprising:

forming a speaker opening on a front face and top end of a housing of the mobile multi-function device;

installing a first microphone and a speaker to use the speaker opening as an acoustic input and output port;

forming a first microphone opening on a rear face of the housing of the mobile multi-function device;

installing a second microphone to use the first microphone opening as an acoustic input port;

forming a second microphone opening on a bottom side of the housing of the mobile multi-function device;

installing a third microphone to use the second microphone opening as an acoustic input port and

configuring a beamformer processor in the mobile multi-function device to perform directional signal reception of sound using the first and second microphones while in video call mode.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the speaker opening is an ear piece receiver opening designed to be held to the ear of a user during a phone call.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the beamformer processor is configured to generate a reception beam directed at an area along the front face of the device during a video conference call performed by the mobile multi-function device.