ACOUSTIC WAVEGUIDE AND COMPUTING DEVICES USING SAME

• US 20140093114A1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Nguyen, Anthony Pham, Fetterman, Kevin Scott, DeForest, Laura M., Goldberg, Michelle, Jayanathan, Stephen Vincent, Morishita, Michael K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,066,172 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/361
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/02 Casings; Cabinets ; Supports therefor; Mountings therein H04R1/28 takes precedence ; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/08 Mouthpieces; Microphones; Attachments therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/083 Special constructions of mouthpieces
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/342 for microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 31/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of transducers or diaphragms therefor manufacture of microstructural arrangements of deformable or non-deformable structures in general B81C1/00182
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49005 Acoustic transducer

Abstract

Computing devices and microphone assemblies including acoustic waveguides are described. According to some examples, a computing device may include an enclosure, a microphone which may be spaced apart and angled relative to the interior surface of the enclosure to which the microphone may be coupled. The computing device may further include an acoustic waveguide disposed between the microphone and the interior surface of the enclosure, the acoustic waveguide having a passage for allowing acoustic energy to be transmitted from a microphone opening in the enclosure to the receiving element of the microphone (also referred to as sensing element, or microphone sensor).

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

an enclosure;

a microphone spaced apart from and angled relative to an interior surface of the enclosure; and

an acoustic waveguide disposed between the microphone and the interior surface of the enclosure, the acoustic waveguide having a passage therethrough for allowing acoustic energy to be transmitted through a body of the acoustic waveguide.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the acoustic waveguide includes alignment features for aligning the microphone relative to the passage of the acoustic waveguide.

3. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising a mesh screen disposed between the interior surface of the enclosure and the passage of the acoustic waveguide.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the microphone is a first microphone, the computing device further comprising a second microphone coupled to the enclosure.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the first and second microphones are electrically coupled to processing circuitry using conductive paths formed on one or more flexible substrates.

6. The computing device of claim 4, wherein a base of the first microphone is at an angle relative to a base of the second microphone.

7. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the second microphone is recessed relative to the interior surface of the enclosure.

8. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the first microphone is adhered to the acoustic waveguide.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the enclosure includes a plurality of openings operatively arranged to couple acoustic waves from an exterior of the enclosure to an interior of the passage.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of openings does not transmit sound to the interior of the passage.

11. A microphone assembly comprising:

a microphone body; and

a waveguide body including;

a first surface including an inlet;

a second including an outlet and coupled to the microphone body, the second surface spaced apart and angled relative to the first surface; and

a passage connecting the inlet and the outlet for transmitting acoustic energy to the microphone body through an interior portion of the acoustic waveguide.

12. The microphone assembly of claim 11, wherein a diameter of the passage of the waveguide body is constant along the length of the passage.

13. The microphone assembly of claim 11, wherein the inlet is larger than the outlet.

14. The microphone assembly of claim 11, wherein the waveguide body comprises molded plastic.

15. A method of mounting a microphone to an enclosure of a computing device, the method comprising:

adhering an acoustic waveguide to one or more interior surfaces of an enclosure; and

adhering a microphone component to the acoustic waveguide such that a sensing element of the microphone component is angled relative to the one or more interior surfaces of the enclosure.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said adhering the microphone component to the acoustic waveguide includes adhering the microphone component to a first surface of an acoustic waveguide, the acoustic waveguide having a second surface spaced apart and angled relative to the first surface, the first and second surfaces having respective first and second openings connected using a passage through a body of the acoustic waveguide.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said adhering the microphone component is performed prior to said adhering the acoustic waveguide to the one or more interior surfaces of the enclosure.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said adhering the acoustic waveguide includes adhering the second surface of the acoustic waveguide to an interior surface of the enclosure and adhering a third surface connecting the first and second surfaces to an adjacent interior surface of the enclosure.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the microphone is a first microphone, the method further comprising locating the acoustic waveguide and first microphone proximate a second microphone mounted to the enclosure.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising coupling the first and second microphones to circuitry provided on a flexible substrate.