Unidirectional condenser microphone

• US 9,838,801 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2016
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Audio-technica
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Audio-technica
• Inventors: Akino, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ensey, Brian
• Application Number:
  US15/181,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20160373865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/342 for microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/04 Microphones H04R19/01 takes precedence

Abstract

A unidirectional condenser microphone having a front opening portion and a rear opening portion for respectively passing sound waves to a front surface and a back surface of a diaphragm of a microphone unit, the unidirectional condenser microphone includes: an acoustic tube provided in the front opening portion; a first air chamber provided between the rear opening portion and the back surface of the diaphragm of the microphone unit, and having a predetermined acoustic capacity; and a second air chamber communicating into the first air chamber, and having an acoustic capacity larger than the predetermined acoustic capacity, wherein sensitivity to a direction of 0° with respect to a directional axis is improved by the first air chamber and the acoustic tube, and a proximity effect due to the sound wave from a direction of 180° with respect to the directional axis is prevented by the second air chamber.

Claims

1. A unidirectional condenser microphone having a front opening portion and a rear opening portion for respectively passing sound waves to a front surface and a back surface of a diaphragm of a microphone unit, the unidirectional condenser microphone comprising:

an acoustic tube provided in the front opening portion;

a first air chamber provided between the rear opening portion and the back surface of the diaphragm of the microphone unit, and having a predetermined acoustic capacity; and

a second air chamber communicating into the first air chamber, and having an acoustic capacity larger than the predetermined acoustic capacity of the first air chamber, wherein

sensitivity to a direction of 0°

with respect to a directional axis is improved by the first air chamber and the acoustic tube, and a proximity effect due to the sound wave from a direction of 180°

with respect to the directional axis is prevented by the second air chamber.

2. The unidirectional condenser microphone according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first acoustic resistance provided between the rear opening portion and the first air chamber; and

a second acoustic resistance provided between the first air chamber and the second air chamber, wherein

a sound wave having a frequency lower than a predetermined frequency and taken in through the rear opening portion is divided by the first acoustic resistance and the second acoustic resistance and reaches the back surface of the diaphragm, and

a sound wave having a frequency higher than the predetermined frequency and taken in through the rear opening portion is divided by the first acoustic resistance and the first air chamber and reaches the back surface of the diaphragm.

3. The unidirectional condenser microphone according to claim 2, wherein the second air chamber enhances a non-directional component for the sound wave having a frequency lower than the predetermined frequency.