The present disclosure relates generally to microphones, and more particularly to small microphones that may be configured as, for example, lavalier, lapel, clip, body, earset, headset, collar, or neck microphones. These types of microphones can be worn by or attached to a person or instrument.
Microphones convert sound into an electrical signal through the use of a transducer that includes a diaphragm to convert sound into mechanical motion, which in turn is converted to an electrical signal. Generally, microphones can be categorized by their transducer method (e.g., condenser, dynamic, ribbon, carbon, laser, or microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)).
One use of a microphone is amplifying a single person or specific instrument, such as in the context of television, theater, public speaking, telemarketing, or a musical performance. In these instances, a user may either hold the microphone or use a microphone stand. An alternative, however, is to attach the microphone to a piece of clothing or the body. Microphones made for this purpose include lavalier, lapel, clip, body, headset, earset, collar, or neck microphones. These microphones may be more mobile and may allow one to use their hands without also having to use a microphone stand.
These type of microphones (e.g., lavalier microphones) can also be used with acoustical caps that cover the microphone. These acoustical caps may include holes that allow sound to enter into a resonant cavity that boosts or attenuates certain frequencies and thus changes the frequency response of the sound that the microphone receives. Which frequencies are emphasized and attenuated by the acoustical cap depend on size and shape of the hole(s) or inlet(s) of the acoustical cap as well as the size and shape of the cavity defined by the acoustical cap. This use of the size and shape of a cavity and its inlet(s) to emphasize certain acoustic frequencies is an example of taking advantage of what is commonly known as Helmholtz resonance. In order to change the frequency response of the sound the microphone receives based on recording in different environments, users will alternate between caps that have different sizes of inlets and create different sizes of resonate cavities.
The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below.
In one example, a lavalier microphone may include a mechanical enclosure or housing that carries the microphone's circuitry, including the microphone's diaphragm. Sound travels to the microphone's diaphragm through a sound passage that includes an opening in the mechanical enclosure. In this example, the lavalier microphone can be covered by an acoustical cap with at least two inlets and two corresponding cavities. The inlets and their corresponding cavities can form different Helmholtz resonators. When using the lavalier microphone, a user can orient the acoustical cap to align one of the two acoustic passages. Each Helmholtz resonator can be designed to allow the lavalier microphone to receive sounds with different frequency responses, which may allow a user to utilize the same lavalier microphone and with a single acoustical cap for better performance in a variety of different recording circumstances.
A more complete understanding of the present disclosure and the advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the following description in consideration of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:
In the following description of the various examples, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration various examples in which aspects may be practiced. References to “embodiment,” “example,” and the like indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) of the invention so described may include particular features, structures, or characteristics, but not every embodiment or example necessarily includes the particular features, structures, or characteristics. Further, it is contemplated that certain embodiments or examples may have some, all, or none of the features described for other examples. And it is to be understood that other embodiments and examples may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
Unless otherwise specified, the use of the serial adjectives, such as, “first,” “second,” “third,” and the like that are used to describe components, are used only to indicate different components, which can be similar components. But the use of such serial adjectives are not intended to imply that the components must be provided in given order, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other way.
Also, while the terms “front,” “back,” “side,” and the like may be used in this specification to describe various example features and elements, these terms are used herein as a matter of convenience, for example, based on the example orientations shown in the figures and/or the orientations in typical use. Nothing in this specification should be construed as requiring a specific three dimensional or spatial orientation of structures in order to fall within the scope of the claims.
Lavalier microphones may be used with an acoustical cap that covers the microphone and creates a resonant cavity. The microphone can be any number of different types, including MEMS, condenser, dynamic, ribbon, and optical.
The acoustical cap has inlets that allow sound to enter a resonant cavity. By adjust the sizes and shape of inlet and resonant cavity created by the acoustical cap, one can adjust the frequency response of sound that the microphone receives. For example, one can design the acoustical cap's inlet and respective resonant cavity to form a Helmholtz resonator. The classic Helmholtz resonator is a tube connected to a volume of air as shown in
The above equations represent a starting point for designing the shape of a resonant cavity between the acoustical cap and the microphone and would not be the sole predictor of performance.
Lavalier microphones may be wired or wireless. If wired, these microphones can be connected to a transmitter or receiver via any one of a variety of different cables, including a twisted wire pair, a coaxial cable, or fiber optics. These wired microphones can also connect to a transmitter or receiver using any one of a variety of different connectors, including a LEMO connector, an XLR connector, a TQG connector, a TRS connector, a USB, or RCA connectors. Lavalier microphones can also be wireless and connect an audio system through any one of a variety of protocols, including WiMAX, LTE, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Broadcast, GSM, 3G, 4G, 5G, Zigbee, 60 GHz Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi (e.g., compatible with IEEE 802.11a/b/g), or NFC protocols. In this embodiment, a transmitter can be included within or attached to the microphone.
An ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) chip 105 is also connected to substrate 103. The ASIC chip 105 is an integrated chip that amplifies the electrical output from MEMs microphone die 101. It can also be mounted to substrate 103 by a die-bonding material, such as an epoxy resin adhesive or silicone resin adhesive, so that no gap exists between the ASIC chip 105 and substrate 103. MEMs microphone die 101 and ASIC chip 105 can be connected electronically, such as by a wire, or can be incorporated into a single chip.
The described circuitry is surrounded in a mechanical enclosure 107, which in certain examples can be in the form of a housing. Although illustrated as solid, the mechanical enclosure 107 can also be a hollow shell that is metal, rigid plastic, or similar material. In this embodiment, the substrate 103 would by placed inside the mechanical enclosure 107 and secured, for example, by using a friction fit to snap into the mechanical enclosure 107, by an adhesive, by screws, or by some other similar means.
As illustrated in
The configuration of the circuitry in
Specifically,
The inlet and sound cavity combinations of the above embodiments are just examples of possible resonators, and it is understood that various sizes and shapes of both inlets and cavities may be used. Thus, one can use this technology in a variety of settings (e.g., theater, small venue, concert hall, auditorium) and for a variety of purposes (e.g., miking instruments or voices, miking for a musical performance or public speaking event) by creating various frequency responses for the microphone.
In the example illustrated in
In the example of
Alternatively, an acoustical cap could be fixed to the mechanical enclosure. In this example, the acoustical cap would be attached in a way that it could swivel or rotate around the mechanical enclosure (e.g., by a screw or pin) so a user would alternate between various inlets and cavities by swiveling or rotating the acoustical cap around the mechanical enclosure.
In another example, a microphone unit comprises a microphone assembly, a mechanical enclosure that houses the microphone assembly. The mechanical enclosure comprises an outer surface, a sound inlet on the outer surface, and a sound passage that allows sound to travel from the sound inlet to a microphone. The mechanical enclosure may further include a seal that surrounds the sound pathway. The microphone unit also comprises an acoustical cap with an outer surface and an inner surface defining a cavity within which the mechanical enclosure may be coupled. The acoustical cap comprises at least two acoustical inlets in the outer surface and at least two resonant cavities that have openings on the inner surface in the acoustical cap, wherein at least a first acoustical inlet of the at least two acoustical inlets connects to a first resonant cavity of the at least two resonant cavities, and at least a second acoustical inlet of the at least two acoustical inlets connects to a second resonant cavity of the at least two resonant cavities. The first acoustical inlet differs in dimensions than the second acoustical inlet. Further, the first resonant cavity differs in dimensions than the second resonant cavity. The two different resonator cavities cause at least two different frequency responses. For instance, one frequency response could emphasize frequencies associated with a human voice or to emphasize a specific frequency such as 10 kHz. The acoustical cap is removably coupled to the mechanical enclosure. The microphone assembly may further comprise a transmitter to allow the microphone unit to wirelessly connect to a receiver.
The above examples provide acoustical caps having more than one acoustical response. In certain examples having separate acoustical caps for different recording situations may require a user to carry multiple acoustical caps. If a user only has a single acoustical cap, that acoustical cap may not allow the user to adjust on the fly the frequency response of the sound that the microphone receives. Further, having acoustical caps with only a single frequency resonator may require manufacturers to produce and sell many different acoustical caps for the various circumstances one would utilize these type of microphones. This may add inefficiencies in the manufacturing process and supply chain.
Finally, although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
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Jan. 22, 2021—(WO) International Search Report and Written Opinion—App PCT/US2020/055801. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20210127191 A1 | Apr 2021 | US |