Ultrasonic microphone enclosure

• US 10,911,854 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Issued: 02/02/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wildlife Acoustics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Wildlife Acoustics, Inc.
• Inventors: Agranat, Ian, Moroney, Andrew P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Joshi, Sunita
• Application Number:
  US15/720,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20180234750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0207 Driving circuits specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclass, e.g. G01; circuits for steering transducer arrays G10K11/34; basic circuits H03
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/021 incorporating only one transducer
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/04 Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor in deaf-aid sets H04R25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/08 Mouthpieces; Microphones; Attachments therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response

Abstract

An apparatus includes a housing having a printed circuit board having a top surface and a bottom surface. The top surface of the printed circuit board forms an outer surface of the housing. The apparatus further includes a bottom-port microphone sensor mounted on the bottom surface of the printed circuit board. The printed circuit board has a port opening formed therein to provide an acoustic path from outside of the housing to the microphone sensor. A method of detecting ultrasonic signals includes receiving ultrasonic signals within a port opening of a printed circuit board forming part of a surface of a housing, and directing ultrasonic signals to a microphone sensor secured to a printed circuit board through the port of the printed circuit board.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic microphone enclosure comprising:

a housing including

a base,

a top cover portion secured to the base,

a printed circuit board secured to the top cover portion, the printed circuit board having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface of the printed circuit board forming an outer surface of the housing created by the top cover portion and the printed circuit board, the top cover portion, the printed circuit board and the base defining a cavity of the housing, and

a port opening formed through the printed circuit board; and

a bottom-port microphone sensor mounted on the bottom surface of the printed circuit board within the cavity of the housing and proximate to the port opening,

wherein the port opening provides an acoustic path from outside of the housing to the microphone sensor.

2. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein an output of the microphone sensor is modified by a notch filter.

3. The enclosure of claim 2, wherein the notch filter has a limited maximum attenuation in addition to a specified notch frequency and quality factor.

4. The enclosure of claim 2, wherein only one op-amp is used in the notch filter.

5. The enclosure of claim 2, wherein the notch filter has feedback current return path that shares current with the return path of one or more frequency limiters in the filter and the ratio of currents is less than 10:

1.

6. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein a thin film or sheet material is provided to cover a portion of the printed circuit board.

7. The enclosure of claim 6, wherein the thin film or sheet material includes an opening formed therein to expose the port opening in the printed circuit board leading to the microphone sensor.

8. The enclosure of claim 6, wherein the thin film or sheet material includes an adhesive label secured to the portion of the printed circuit board.

9. A method of detecting ultrasonic signals comprising:

providing an ultrasonic microphone enclosure comprising;

a housing including a base, a top cover portion secured to the base, a printed circuit board secured to the top cover portion, the printed circuit board having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface of the printed circuit board forming an outer surface of the housing created by the top cover portion and the printed circuit board, the top cover portion, the printed circuit board and the base defining a cavity of the housing, and a port opening formed through the printed circuit board; and

a bottom-port microphone sensor mounted on the bottom surface of the printed circuit board within the cavity of the housing and proximate to the port opening, wherein the port opening provides an acoustic path from outside of the housing to the microphone sensor;

receiving ultrasonic signals within the port opening of the printed circuit board forming part of an outer surface of the housing; and

directing ultrasonic signals to the microphone sensor secured to the printed circuit board through the port of the printed circuit board.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising removing or attenuating a desired band of frequencies.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein removing or attenuating the desired band of frequencies includes modifying an output of the microphone sensor by a notch filter.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the notch filter has a limited maximum attenuation in addition to a specified notch frequency and quality factor.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein only one op-amp is used in the circuit.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein a thin film or sheet material is applied to cover a portion of the printed circuit board.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the thin film or sheet material includes an opening formed therein to expose the port opening in the printed circuit board leading to the microphone sensor.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the thin film or sheet material includes an adhesive label secured to the portion of the printed circuit board.

17. An ultrasonic microphone enclosure comprising:

a housing;

a printed circuit board secured to the housing, the printed circuit board having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface of the printed circuit board forming an outer top surface of the housing, the housing and the printed circuit board defining a cavity, and

a port opening formed through the printed circuit board; and

a bottom-port microphone sensor mounted on the bottom surface of the printed circuit board within the cavity and proximate to the port opening,

wherein the port opening provides an acoustic path from outside of the housing to the microphone sensor.

18. The enclosure of claim 17, wherein an output of the microphone sensor is modified by a notch filter, the notch filter having a feedback current return path that shares current with the return path of one or more frequency limiters in the filter and the ratio of currents is less than 10:

1.

19. The enclosure of claim 17, wherein a thin film or sheet material is provided to cover a portion of the printed circuit board.

20. The enclosure of claim 19, wherein the thin film or sheet material includes an opening formed therein to expose the port opening in the printed circuit board leading to the microphone sensor.