Electronic device including a microphone array

• US 10,390,132 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2017
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Keum, Jong Mo, Bae, Min Ho, An, Jung Yeol, Kim, Gang Youl, Kim, Jun Tai, Yang, Jae Mo, Lee, Nam Il, Hwang, Ho Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): Holder, Regina N
• Application Number:
  US15/782,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20180041834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/401 2D or 3D arrays of transducers
• 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

An electronic device comprising: a microphone array including at least three microphones; and at least one processor configured to: identify a kind of an application that is executed; activate one or more of the microphones in the array based on each microphone'"'"'s respective position within the electronic device and the type of the application; and capture audio using the activated microphones.

Claims

1. A portable communication device comprising:

a front cover forming at least part of a front surface of the portable communication device;

a rear cover forming at least part of a rear surface of the portable communication device;

a peripheral member at least partially forming a plurality of side surfaces of the portable communication device and surrounding at least one portion of a space formed between the front cover and the rear cover, the space including a first portion, a second portion and a third portion, the second portion of the space located between the first portion of the space and a first side surface of the plurality of side surfaces and the third portion of the space located between the first portion of the space and a second side surface of the plurality of side surfaces facing away from the first side surface;

a display disposed in the first portion of the space and at least partially visually exposed through the front cover;

a first microphone disposed in the second portion of the space;

a second and third microphone disposed in the third portion of the space; and

a first connection device disposed between the second microphone and the third microphone in the third portion of the space and adapted to be electrically connected to an external connection device-.

2. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the peripheral member comprises a first hole formed on a first portion of the peripheral member corresponding to the first side surface, and wherein the first microphone is adapted to receive sound from an outside of the portable communication device via the first hole.

3. The portable communication device of claim 2, wherein the peripheral member comprises a second hole formed on a second portion of the peripheral member corresponding to the second side surface, and wherein the second microphone is adapted to receive sound from the outside of the portable communication device via the second hole.

4. The portable communication device of claim 3, wherein the peripheral member further comprises a third hole formed on the second portion of the peripheral member and being different from the second hole, and wherein the third microphone is adapted to receive the sound from the outside of the portable communication device through the third hole.

5. The portable communication device of claim 1, further comprising a second connection device disposed in the second portion of the space and adapted to be communicatively connected to the external connection device.

6. The portable communication device of claim 5, wherein the peripheral member comprising a first connection hole formed on a first portion of the peripheral member corresponding to the first side surface, and wherein the second connection device is adapted to be electrically connected to the external connection device through the first connection hole while at least one portion of the external connection device is inserted into the first connection hole.

7. The portable communication device of claim 5, wherein the first microphone is disposed a specified distance away from the second connection device to reduce an effect of electrical interference between the first microphone and the first second connection device.

8. The portable communication device of claim 5, further comprising a speaker disposed between the first microphone and the second connection device in the second portion of the space and adapted to output sound.

9. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the peripheral member comprises a first connection hole formed on a second portion of the peripheral member corresponding to the second side surface, and wherein the second external connection device is electrically connected to the second connection device through the first connection hole.

10. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the second microphone is disposed a specified distance away from the second connection device to reduce an effect of electrical interference while the second external connection device is electrically connected to the second connection device.

11. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the second microphone is disposed a specified distance away from the third microphone to reduce interference between a signal received via the second microphone and another signal received via the third microphone.

12. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the front cover comprises a first hole formed thereon, and wherein the third microphone is adapted to receive sound from an outside of the portable communication device via the fourth first hole.

13. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the first side surface includes one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the portable communication device and the second side surface includes another of the top surface and the bottom surface.

14. A portable communication device comprising:

a touchscreen display forming at least one portion of a front surface of the portable communication device;

a speaker;

a first microphone, disposed inside a first side surface of the portable communication device and adapted to receive a first sound from an outside of the portable communication device;

a second microphone, disposed inside a second side surface of the portable communication device facing away from the first side surface and adapted to receive a second sound from the outside of the portable communication device;

a third microphone, disposed inside the second side surface and adapted to receive a third sound from the outside of the portable communication device; and

a processor configured to;

identify a first voice corresponding to a first direction and a second voice corresponding to a second direction from the first, second and third sounds; and

while at least one voice of the first voice or the second voice is output via the speaker, present, via the touchscreen display, at least one indication of a first indication indicating the first direction or a second indication indicating the second direction based at least in part on the at least one voice being output.

15. The portable communication device of claim 14, wherein the processor is adapted to:

as at least part of the presenting, display the first indication at a first location associated with the first direction or the second indication at a second location associated with the second direction.

16. The portable communication device of claim 14, wherein the processor is adapted to:

refrain from the presenting of the at least one indication while the at least one voice of the first voice or the second voice is not outputted and another voice of the first voice or the second voice is output via the speaker.

17. The portable communication device of claim 14, wherein the processor is adapted to:

highlight the at least one indication as at least part of the presenting.

18. The portable communication device of claim 14, wherein the processor is adapted to:

after the presenting, receive a user input with respect to the at least one indication via the touchscreen display; and

in response to the user input, refrain from the outputting the at least one voice via the speaker.

19. A mobile phone comprising:

a display;

a plurality of microphones;

a memory to store a first voice signal from a first user at a first location with respect to the mobile phone and a second voice signal from a second user at a second location with respect to the mobile phone using the plurality of microphones;

a processor configured to;

reproduce the first voice signal and the second voice signal; and

display on the display a first direction icon identifying the first location and a second direction icon identifying the second location in relation to reproducing,

wherein the processor is further configured to;

changing at least one of color and form of the first direction icon while the first voice signal is played.

20. The mobile phone of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to:

provide a plurality of recording functions including a general recording function and a direction recording function.

21. The mobile phone of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to:

control to store the first voice signal from the first user at the first location with respect to the mobile phone and the second voice signal from the second user at the second location with respect to the mobile phone using the plurality of microphones when the direction recording function is activated.

22. A mobile phone comprising:

a display;

a plurality of microphones;

a memory to store a first voice signal from a first user at a first location with respect to the mobile phone and a second voice signal from a second user at a second location with respect to the mobile phone using the plurality of microphones;

a processor configured to;

reproduce the first voice signal and the second voice signal; and

display on the display a first direction icon identifying the first location and a second direction icon identifying the second location in relation to reproducing,

wherein the processor is further configured to;

display temporarily the first direction icon while the first user is speaking.

23. The mobile phone of claim 22, wherein the processor is further configured to:

provide a plurality of recording functions including a general recording function and a direction recording function.

24. The mobile phone of claim 23, wherein the processor is further configured to:

control to store the first voice signal from the first user at the first location with respect to the mobile phone and the second voice signal from the second user at the second location with respect to the mobile phone using the plurality of microphones when the direction recording function is activated.

25. A mobile phone, comprising:

a display;

a plurality of microphones;

a memory;

a processor configured to;

store, in the memory, first audio data in association with first location information of a first user with respect to the mobile phone and second audio data in association with second location information of a second user with respect to the mobile phone;

play the first audio data and the second audio data;

display on the display a first direction icon corresponding to the first location information and a second direction icon corresponding to the second location information while playing the first audio data and the second audio data; and

based on a user input, change at least one of color and form of the first direction icon to indicate the first audio data is disabled from being played.

26. A mobile phone comprising:

a display;

a plurality of microphones;

a memory; and

a processor configured to;

store a first voice signal from a first user at a first location with respect to the mobile phone and a second voice signal from a second user at a second location with respect to the mobile phone;

play the first voice signal and the second voice signal;

display on the display a first direction icon identifying the first location and a second direction icon identifying the second location in relation to playing; and

changing at least one of a color and a form of the first direction icon while the first voice signal is played.

27. The mobile phone of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured to:

display temporarily the first direction icon while the first voice signal is played.

28. The mobile phone of claim 27, wherein the processor is further configured to:

provide a plurality of recording functions including general recording function and a direction recording function.

29. The mobile phone of claim 28, wherein the processor is further configured to:

control the memory to store the first voice signal from the first user at the first location with respect to the mobile phone and the second voice signal from the second user at the second location with respect to the mobile phone using the plurality of microphones when the direction recording function is activated.

30. The mobile phone of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured to:

provide a plurality of recording functions including a general recording function and a direction recording function.

31. The mobile phone of claim 30, wherein the processor is further configured to:

control the memory to store the first voice signal from the first user at the first location with respect the mobile phone and the second voice signal from the second user at the second location with respect to the mobile phone using the plurality of microphones when the direction recording function is activated.

32. A portable communication device comprising:

a display;

a plurality of microphones;

a memory;

a processor configured to;

store, in the memory, first audio data in association with first location information of a first user with respect to the portable communication device and second audio data in association with second location information of a second user with respect to the portable communication device;

play the first audio data and the second audio data;

display on the display a first direction icon corresponding to the first location and a second direction icon corresponding to the second location information while playing the first audio data and the second audio data; and

based on a user input, change at least one of color and form of the first direction icon to indicate the first audio data is disabled from being displayed, while continuing to play the second audio data and maintaining the color and form of the second direction icon.

33. The portable communication device of claim 32, wherein the display comprises a touchscreen display forming at least one portion of a front surface of the portable communication device;

and

the plurality of microphones comprises;

a first microphone, disposed inside a first side surface of the portable communication device and adapted to receive a first sound from an outside of the portable communication device,

a second microphone, disposed inside a second side surface of the portable communication device facing away from the first side surface and adapted to receive a second sound from the outside of the portable communication device, and

a third microphone, disposed inside the second side surface and adapted to receive a third sound from the outside of the portable communication device.