Mountable sound pressure level meter
First Claim
1. An automotive sound pressure level (SPL) meter that is temporarily mountable in a motor vehicle, comprising:
- an SPL meter including a housing, a pressure sensor, a mode selector input device, and a display, wherein the SPL meter is configured for use within a motor vehicle to measure sound pressure levels within the motor vehicle; and
a temporary mounting mechanism coupled to the housing of the SPL meter, wherein the temporary mounting mechanism affixes the SPL meter to a surface within the motor vehicle, such that the SPL meter is selectively removable from the motor vehicle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automotive sound pressure level (SPL) meter is described that includes a means for mounting the SPL meter within an motor vehicle to measure motor vehicle audio system SPL values within the motor vehicle. The automotive SPL meter includes an internal microphone, or Pressure sensor, that is designed for automotive use. Such Pressure sensor improvements may include: use of a thicker and highly durable polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) microphone/Pressure sensor diaphragm; use of a thicker, non-conducting gasket to increase microphone/Pressure sensor excursion capability; use of a reduced number of microphone/Pressure sensor back plate holes; and/or, reducing the diameter of microphone/Pressure sensor back plate holes. The automotive SPL meter is highly resistant to operational environment temperature, humidity and decibel level extremes without sacrificing accuracy. A programmable micro-controller is used to increase design flexibility, and reduce the SPL meter discrete component count, thereby increasing reliability while reducing SPL meter physical size and production costs.
33 Citations
46 Claims
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1. An automotive sound pressure level (SPL) meter that is temporarily mountable in a motor vehicle, comprising:
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an SPL meter including a housing, a pressure sensor, a mode selector input device, and a display, wherein the SPL meter is configured for use within a motor vehicle to measure sound pressure levels within the motor vehicle; and
a temporary mounting mechanism coupled to the housing of the SPL meter, wherein the temporary mounting mechanism affixes the SPL meter to a surface within the motor vehicle, such that the SPL meter is selectively removable from the motor vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A method of measuring a sound pressure level (SPL) within a motor vehicle by operating an SPL meter having a display, the method comprising:
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(a) temporarily mounting the SPL meter to a surface within the motor vehicle via a temporary mounting mechanism coupled to the SPL meter;
(b) measuring an acoustic energy within the motor vehicle to obtain a measured SPL reading; and
(c) displaying the measured SPL reading on a display of the SPL meter. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification