Microphone device for installation in a vehicle

• US 9,308,874 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2013
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Barna, Klaus-Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Joshi, Sunita
• Application Number:
  US14/427,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20150210224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 381/365, 381/355, 381/361
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/04 Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor in deaf-aid sets H04R25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/083 Special constructions of mouthpieces
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles

Abstract

A microphone device for an automobile has a microphone capsule for detecting ambient noise and a housing in which the microphone capsule is arranged. The microphone device is intended to have a small installation depth and to be capable of being easily installed in an automobile. An electrical connection interface which includes externally accessible connection contacts for making electrical contact with the microphone capsule located in the housing, is provided in the microphone device. The connection contacts are integrated into a mechanical plugging apparatus for plugging together with a complementary plugging part of an electronic device of the automobile. The connection interface of the microphone device is configured in a cableless fashion here in that the plugging apparatus is embodied as a part of the housing.

Claims

1. A microphone device for an automobile, comprising:

a microphone capsule to detect ambient noise;

a housing to secure the microphone capsule, the microphone capsule being positioned within the housing, the housing comprising;

at least two housing shells; and

a securing element which at least partially surrounds the housing shells, the housing shells being plugged into the securing element so that the securing element holds together the housing shells; and

an electrical connection interface which comprises;

externally accessible connection contacts for making electrical contact with the microphone capsule located in the housing; and

a mechanical plugging apparatus embodied as part of the housing, the connection contacts being integrated into the plugging apparatus, the plugging apparatus plugging together with a complementary plugging part of an electronic device of the automobile such that electrical connection is made to the microphone capsule in a cableless fashion.

2. The microphone device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plugging apparatus is configured as a plug or as a plug-in tray.

3. The microphone device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the securing element is a ring into which the housing shells are plugged.

4. The microphone device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the housing comprises a sound inlet opening for the ambient noise,

the sound inlet opening is covered by a sound-permeable cover element, and

the sound-permeable cover element is clamped between the housing shells and the securing element.

5. The microphone device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sound-permeable cover element is formed of felt of fabric.

6. The microphone device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the securing element has a decorative edge which can be seen from a passenger compartment of the automobile when the microphone device is installed in the automobile, and

the decorative edge bounds a sound inlet opening and defines an outer part of the sound inlet opening.

7. The microphone device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the decorative edge limits a plug-in path of the housing shells into the securing element.

8. The microphone device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the microphone capsule is separated from the decorative edge by a distance of less than 5 mm.

9. The microphone device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the microphone capsule is separated from the decorative edge by a distance of less than 3 mm.

10. The microphone device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

position encoding is provided for installation of the microphone device in the automobile,

the position encoding comprises latching elements which are formed along a circumference of the securing element, and

the latching elements are shaped differently, are arranged at unequal intervals along the circumference of the securing element and/or are laterally offset from one another along the circumference of the securing element.

11. The microphone device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the plugging apparatus plugs together with the plugging part by moving the plugging apparatus and the plugging part in a correct plugging direction with respect to one another,

the microphone device is mounted to the automobile by moving the microphone device in a correct insertion direction with respect to the automobile, and

the correct plugging direction is oriented transversally with respect to the correct insertion direction.

12. The microphone device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the plugging apparatus plugs together with the plugging part by moving the plugging apparatus and the plugging part in a correct plugging direction with respect to one another,

the microphone device is mounted to the automobile by moving the microphone device in a correct insertion direction with respect to the automobile, and

the correct plugging direction is oriented perpendicular to the correct insertion direction.

13. The microphone device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the plugging apparatus is embodied as a female receptacle and the plugging part of the electronic device of the automobile is embodied as a male insertion part, and

a snap connection is provided to secure the plugging part within the plugging apparatus.

14. The microphone device as claimed in claim 1, wherein snap connections are provided to secure the housing shells to the securing element.

15. The microphone device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the securing element has a guide slot,

the housing shells have a projection, and

the projection fits within the guide slot to position the housing shells with respect to the securing element.

18. An automobile having the microphone device as claimed in claim 1.

16. A trim part for an automobile, comprising:

a microphone device comprising;

a microphone capsule to detect ambient noise;

a housing to secure the microphone capsule, the microphone capsule being positioned within the housing, the housing comprising;

at least two housing shells; and

a securing element which at least partially surrounds the housing shells, the housing shells being plugged into the securing element so that the securing element holds together the housing shells; and

an electrical connection interface which comprises;

externally accessible connection contacts for making electrical contact with the microphone capsule located in the housing; and

a mechanical plugging apparatus embodied as part of the housing, the connection contacts being integrated into the plugging apparatus, the plugging apparatus plugging together with a complementary plugging part of an electronic device of the automobile such that electrical connection is made to the microphone capsule in a cableless fashion

a trim element having a visible side which faces a passenger compartment of the automobile and can be seen when the microphone device is installed in the automobile, the visible side having an opening through which the microphone device is introduced into the trim element from the visible side; and

a mount apparatus to receive the microphone device, the mount apparatus having at least one stop element through which an insertion path of the microphone device into the mount apparatus is limited to a predetermined length, wherein

the microphone device has a ring, the ring limiting the insertion path such that the ring terminates in a planar fashion with a surface of the visible side of the trim element.

17. The trim part as claimed in claim 16, wherein

the securing element has latching slots,

the mount apparatus has latching projections, and

the latching projections of the mount apparatus engage with the latching slots of the securing element.