Microphone

• US 9,668,047 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Park, Sang Gyu, Yang, Sang Hyeok
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Huyen D
• Application Number:
  US14/957,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 381 711, 381 716, 381 72, 381 92, 381 941, 381355, 381361, 381174, 381175, 381191, 37939201
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/04 Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor in deaf-aid sets H04R25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/005 using semiconductor materials
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/04 Microphones H04R19/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/403 Linear arrays of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/05 Noise reduction with a separate noise microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/004 for microphones H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/006 Microphone matching
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a microphone, and more particularly, to a microphone capable of improving a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by receiving a sound pressure through at least two acoustic sensing modules.

According to an exemplary form of the present disclosure, a microphone includes first and second acoustic sensing modules including a diaphragm vibrated by a sound pressure introduced from the outside and a fixed membrane spaced apart from the diaphragm, and a signal processing module receiving first and second capacitance signals from each of the first and second acoustic sensing modules and removing and outputting noises included in the first and second capacitance signals based on the first and second capacitance signals.

Claims

1. A microphone, comprising:

a first acoustic sensing module including a first diaphragm configured to vibrate based on sound pressure introduced from outside the microphone and a first fixed membrane spaced apart from the first diaphragm;

a second acoustic sensing module including a second diaphragm configured to vibrate based on sound pressure introduced from outside the microphone and a second fixed membrane spaced apart from the second diaphragm; and

a signal processing module configured to receive a first capacitance signal and a second capacitance signal from the first acoustic sensing module and the second acoustic sensing module, respectively, wherein the signal processing module includes an amplifier, and the amplifier comprises;

a non-inverting input terminal coupled to the first acoustic sensing module,

wherein the non-inverting input terminal is configured to receive the first capacitance signal, including noise, from the first acoustic sensing module;

an inverting input terminal coupled to the second acoustic sensing module,

wherein the inverting input terminal is configured to receive the second capacitance signal, including noise, from the second acoustic sensing module; and

an output terminal configured to remove the noise included in the first capacitance signal, remove the noise included in the second capacitance signal, amplify the first capacitance signal to an amplified first capacitance signal, amplify the second capacitance signal to an amplified second capacitance signal, output an output signal based on the amplified first capacitance signal and the amplified second capacitance signal;

wherein the first capacitance signal and the second capacitance signal are determined by sensitivities and capacitances of the first acoustic sensing module and the second acoustic sensing module, a sound pressure, a noise, and a bias.

2. The microphone of claim 1, wherein the sensitivity of the first acoustic sensing module and the sensitivity of the second acoustic sensing module are equal to each other, and the capacitance of the first acoustic sensing module and the capacitance of the second acoustic sensing module are equal to each other.

3. The microphone of claim 1, wherein the output signal is generated by performing a subtraction operation on the amplified first capacitance signal and the amplified second capacitance signal.