Microphone device

• US 5,862,240 A
• Filed: 10/27/1997
• Issued: 01/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sasaki, Toru, Ohkubo, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Application Number:
  US08/960,099
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 381/26, 381/87, 381/91, 381/92, 381/95, 381/111, 381/122, 381/338, 381/355, 381/356, 381/357, 381/361, 381/375, 381/142, 381/147, 381/148, 181/158, 181/144-5
• US Class Current: 381/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones

Abstract

A microphone device is of a structure comprising at least three microphone elements disposed in the state spaced by predetermined distances in a direction perpendicular to the main axis of directivity, and an adder for adding output signals from the respective microphone elements. In this case, the microphone elements are respectively comprised of uni-directional microphone elements, and are disposed in the state where the sound collection surfaces are directed in the same direction with respect to the sound source and at substantially equal intervals. This microphone device realizes sharp directivity in the middle pitched tone (sound) region (range) required for the input means of the speech recognition equipment, and realizes sound collection which has high sensitivity with respect to speech (voice) input from the front and has extremely less noise components inputted from the side surfaces (lateral direction).

Claims

1. A microphone device, comprising:

three directional microphone elements disposed in a substantially horizontal linear array on sound absorbing mounting means forming a first vertical plane, whereby adjacent ones of the three microphone elements are separated by a single predetermined distance, each of the three microphone elements is directed to a sound source, and three sound receiving faces, each corresponding to one of the three microphone elements, form a plane parallel to the first vertical plane formed by the sound absorbing mounting means, said plane parallel to the first vertical plane being between the first vertical plane and the sound source; and

adding means for adding output signals from respective ones of the three microphone elements;

wherein each of the three microphone elements includes a vibrating plate; and

wherein the first vertical plane is in parallel to a second vertical plane formed by the vibrating plates.

2. The microphone device as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the three microphone elements is a uni-directional microphone element.

3. A microphone device, comprising:

three microphone elements disposed on sound absorbing mounting means whereby adjacent ones of the three microphone elements are separated by a single predetermined distance, each of the three microphone elements is mounted in a horizontal linear array configuration substantially perpendicular to a main axis of directivity of the three microphone elements and three sound receiving faces, each corresponding to one of the three microphone elements, form a vertical plane; and

adding means for adding output signals from respective ones of the three microphone elements;

wherein the three microphone elements are comprised of unidirectional microphone elements and are disposed on said sound absorbing mounting means such that each of three sound collection surfaces corresponding to one of the three microphone elements is directed in the same direction with respect to a sound source and such that each of the three microphone elements is between said sound absorbing mounting means and said sound source.

4. A microphone device, comprising:

a microphone element; and

three sound guide paths substantially equal to each other in length and adapted for guiding external sound to the microphone element, wherein respective first and second open ends of each of the three sound guide paths are arranged so that each one of three distances from a single sound source to the microphone element through one of the three sound guide paths is caused to be equal to the other two distances, the first open ends of each of the three sound guide paths form a horizontal linear array, and the second open ends of the three sound guide paths are adjacent the microphone element.

5. The microphone device as set forth in claim 4, wherein the microphone element is a non-directional microphone element.

6. The microphone device as set forth in claim 4, wherein the microphone element is a uni-directional microphone element.

7. The microphone device as set forth in claim 4, further comprising sound absorbing means provided adjacent the three first open ends of the three sound guide paths.