Patent Application
20120008794
The technical field generally relates to microphone assemblies, and more particularly relates to microphone assemblies for use with an aftermarket telematics unit.
Telematics services are those services that are provided by a remotely located call center to a vehicle and/or to an operator of the vehicle via an automatic and/or on-demand communications link connecting the call center to the vehicle. The use of telematics services by vehicle operators has grown steadily since such services first became available. Some of the more common telematics services include, but are not limited to, turn-by-turn navigation guidance, assistance during times of emergency, cellular telephone services, and the remote monitoring of a vehicle's maintenance requirements.
A vehicle that is capable of providing its driver with such telematics services typically includes an embedded telematics unit that is integrated into the vehicle and that is configured to communicate with the remotely located call center. The remotely located call center is configured, equipped and staffed to provide the above services (as well as others) to a vehicle operator through communications with the vehicle and/or the driver via the embedded telematics unit.
In a typical example, the driver will press a button or other control device in the vehicle requesting assistance from the call center. The button press will cause the embedded telematics unit to initiate a cellular telephone call to the call center. After an initial exchange of data between the telematics unit and the call center, voice communications will be established to permit an advisor at the call center to speak with the driver. To facilitate such voice communications, a directional wideband microphone having a wideband frequency response is included in the vehicle and is communicatively connected to the telematics unit.
The location where the directional wideband microphone is positioned in the vehicle has evolved over the years. Initially, the directional wideband microphone was mounted to the rear view mirror. In some instances, it was mounted to the bottom of the mirror and in other instances, it was mounted to the top. While both locations were acceptable, they each had drawbacks. The position beneath the mirror placed the directional wideband microphone close to the vehicle's stereo speakers and the vehicle's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) ducts, each of which emitted sound when utilized. The position above the mirror resulted in the directional wideband microphone's acoustic axis being directed up into the vehicle's headliner which is an inherently sound deadening material. Accordingly, both locations could potentially interfere with the directional wideband microphone's receptivity to sound energy, and could, as a result, diminish the microphone's ability to detect the vehicle occupant's voice.
Because of these drawbacks, designers began to explore positioning the directional wideband microphone at locations other than in or on the mirror. For example, directional wideband microphones were mounted in overhead consoles and in A-pillars. By positioning the directional wideband microphones in these locations, designers achieved better results, i.e., the directional wideband microphones experienced less interference from the radio and the HVAC ducts and therefore better maintained their wideband receptivity.
Because of the popularity of the above described telematics services, aftermarket telematics units are beginning to enter the market place. Such aftermarket telematics units make it possible for drivers of vehicles that lack an embedded telematics unit to, nevertheless, receive some or all of the telematics services available to drivers having vehicles with embedded telematics units. These aftermarket telematics units are self contained units that have many or all of the components of an embedded telematics unit.
Many of these aftermarket telematics units are in the form of a rear view mirror and are intended to replace the rear view mirror that comes with the vehicle. These aftermarket telematics units also include a directional wideband microphone to facilitate voice communications between the driver of the vehicle and the call center. The directional wideband microphones mounted in such aftermarket telematics units may therefore encounter the same sources of noise and interference that previously lead designers to move the directional wideband microphones out of the mirrors to other parts of the vehicle interior.
Another consideration is the effect that the packaging/mounting of the directional wideband microphone will have on the microphone's wideband receptivity. It has been observed that the greater the number of attachment points or the greater the area of attachment between a wideband microphone and the body to which it is mounted, the more vibrations from vehicle and vehicle systems will interfere with the directional wideband microphone's wideband receptivity. Because existing directional wideband microphone assemblies are packaged in a rigid housing made of hard plastic, and because the housings are relatively large, simply inserting the microphone assembly into the aftermarket telematics unit may result in large areas of contact between rigid, vibration transmitting surfaces.
A microphone assembly is disclosed herein for use with an aftermarket telematics unit mounted in a passenger compartment of a vehicle. The aftermarket telematics unit has a chamber having an opening that generally faces towards a rear of the vehicle.
In a non-limiting example, the microphone assembly includes, but is not limited to, a directional wideband microphone disposed within the chamber. A preamplifier is mounted at least partially within the directional wideband microphone. The preamplifier has an electrical lead for both electrically connecting and structurally attaching to the aftermarket telematics unit. The directional wideband microphone and the preamplifier are fixed to the aftermarket telematics unit solely via the electrical lead.
In another non-limiting example, wherein the aftermarket telematics unit further includes a PCB board to control various functions of the aftermarket telematics unit, the microphone assembly includes, but is not limited to, a directional wideband microphone that is disposed within the chamber. A preamplifier is mounted at least partially within the directional wideband microphone. The preamplifier has an electrical lead for both electrically connecting and structurally attaching to the PCB board. The directional wideband microphone and the preamplifier are fixed to the aftermarket telematics unit solely via the electrical lead.
In another non-limiting example, wherein the aftermarket telematics unit further includes a PCB board to control various functions of the aftermarket telematics unit, the microphone assembly includes, but is not limited to, a directional wideband microphone disposed within the chamber and having an acoustic axis. The directional wideband microphone is oriented within the chamber such that the acoustic axis is directed through the opening and towards the rear of the vehicle. A preamplifier is mounted at least partially within the directional wideband microphone. The preamplifier has an electrical lead for both electrically connecting and structurally attaching to the aftermarket telematics unit. A grill member is positioned to cover the opening. The grill member has a plurality of grill openings that are sized to render the grill member acoustically transparent. A foam body is disposed within the chamber. The foam body is positioned between the directional wideband microphone and the opening. The foam body has a density that is effective to resist a transmission of sound energy of a predetermined frequency. A boot is positioned around the directional wideband microphone. The boot is acoustically transparent. The boot comprises an elastomeric material. An outer surface of the boot is contoured to substantially conform to an internal portion of the chamber. The directional wideband microphone and the preamplifier are fixed to the aftermarket telematics unit solely via the electrical lead. The directional wideband microphone is disposed within the chamber such that a rear surface of the directional wideband microphone is spaced apart from any other surface by at least two millimeters.
One or more examples will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit application and uses. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description.
An improved microphone assembly for use with an aftermarket telematics unit is disclosed herein. In a non-limiting example, the microphone assembly includes a directional wideband microphone that is mounted in an aftermarket telematics unit. The aftermarket telematics unit includes a chamber extending inwardly from a front surface of the aftermarket telematics unit. A preamplifier, including an electrical lead, is mounted within the directional wideband microphone. The directional wideband microphone is positioned within the chamber and the electrical lead is attached to the aftermarket telematics unit. The electrical lead, or leads if more than one electrical lead is present, is/are the sole point of attachment, both structurally and electrically, between the directional wideband microphone and the preamplifier, on the one hand, and the aftermarket telematics unit on the other hand.
The placement of the directional wideband microphone in a chamber having an opening that faces towards the rear of the vehicle (i.e., towards the passenger compartment in cases where the aftermarket telematics unit comprises a rear view mirror) helps to ensure good sound receptivity and thus avoids the drawbacks associated with mounting the microphone assembly on top of, or underneath, the rear view mirror, as discussed above. The minimal area of attachment between the directional wideband microphone and the aftermarket telematics unit helps to minimize the amount of vibration that is transferred from the aftermarket telematics unit to the directional wideband microphone.
A greater understanding of the examples of the directional wideband microphone assembly for use with an aftermarket telematics unit disclosed herein may be obtained through a review of the illustrations accompanying this application together with a review of the detailed description that follows.
Aftermarket telematics unit 12 is a self contained telematics unit that is compatible with a communication system that is configured to communicatively connect a vehicle to a call center (not shown). The call center is configured to provide several automatic and on-demand services for the vehicle and for an occupant/owner of the vehicle. A communication system of the sort that aftermarket telematics unit 12 is compatible with is disclosed in a pending U.S. patent application having the Ser. No. 12/548,148 filed on Aug. 26, 2009 and Ser. No. 12/683,040 filed on Jan. 6, 2010, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Aftermarket telematics units are disclosed in a pending U.S. patent application having the Ser. No. 12/787472 filed on May 26, 2010, and in U.S. Publication No. 2005/0273211 published on Dec. 8, 2005, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In
Aftermarket telematics unit 12 includes a power cord 14 that is adapted to draw power from an electrical outlet mounted within interior 10. In other examples, aftermarket telematics unit 12 may be battery operated or may draw electrical power from some other source.
In the example illustrated in
Grill 20 may comprise a plastic material, a metal material, or any other material that is conducive to the transmission of sound to directional wideband microphone 26. Grill 20 includes three substantially parallel slots 30 defined in a surface 32 of grill 20 and extending completely through grill 20. These three substantially parallel slots provide an unobstructed pathway for the transmission of sound through grill 20 to directional wideband microphone 26.
When the combined open area of substantially parallel slots 30 exceeds a certain magnitude, grill 20 will be acoustically transparent, meaning that the amount of sound energy that will reach directional wideband microphone 26 after passing through grill 20 is substantially equal to the amount of sound energy that would reach directional wideband microphone 26 if grill 20 were not present. It has been observed that, in some examples, when the combined open area of substantially parallel slots 30 is equal to or exceeds 41.3 mm2, then grill 20 will be acoustically transparent. It should be understood that openings in grill 20 having other configurations may also be employed without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. Furthermore, such other configurations may provide a combined opening that is sufficiently large to render grill 20 acoustically transparent. For example, it has been observed that an arrangement of small, circular openings having a combined open area of 37.7 mm2 will render grill 20 acoustically transparent.
Foam body 22 is a foam component that is disposed within chamber 19 and positioned between grill 20 and a front portion of directional wideband microphone 26. Foam body 22 is configured to provide acoustic resistance to sound energy passing through chamber 19. The presence of foam body 22 in front of directional wideband microphone 26 in chamber 19 serves to dampen any echoes and/or reverberation caused by sound reflecting off of the walls of chamber 19. In some examples, foam body 22 may have a density that is more resistive to sound energy propagating at a specific frequency than sound energy propagating at other frequencies. This allows a designer to tune microphone assembly 18 to partially filter out sound of a specific or undesirable frequency. Due to the directional nature of directional wideband microphone 26, it may be desirable to avoid positioning foam body 22, or any portion thereof, behind directional wideband microphone 26.
Boot 24 is a housing that is configured to receive directional wideband microphone 26. In the illustrated example, boot 24 is configured and contoured to substantially conform to the shape of chamber 19. In this way, boot 24 holds directional wideband microphone 26 in a desired position and orientation within chamber 19, and inhibits movement of directional wideband microphone 26 from such desired position and orientation despite the occurrence of jostling and turbulence such as is typically experienced and encountered by components mounted to a vehicle. Furthermore, to avoid transmitting vibrations from the vehicle to directional wideband microphone 26, boot 24 is preferably made from an elastomeric or rubber material, and is therefore suitable for absorbing such vibrations before they can reach directional wideband microphone 26.
Boot 24 includes an opening 25 that extends completely through boot 24. Opening 25 permits front and rear portions of directional wideband microphone 26 to receive sound energy in an unobstructed manner and therefore avoids adversely impacting the ability of directional wideband microphone 26 to receive sound energy. Accordingly, boot 24 is acoustically transparent when directional wideband microphone 26 is seated within boot 24.
In the illustrated example, directional wideband microphone 26 is an electret condenser microphone that is configured to receive sound energy at both a front surface (visible in
Preamplifier 28 serves to amplify a low-level signal such as is commonly generated by a microphone. Preamplifier's typically provide a voltage gain without any significant current gain and are commonly incorporated into the housing or chassis of the amplifier that they feed. Preamplifiers of the type illustrated in
In the illustrated example, aftermarket telematics unit 12 is configured as a rear view mirror and includes chamber 19 extending inward into aftermarket telematics unit 12. Chamber 19 has an opening 34 defined in a front face 36 of aftermarket telematics unit 12. As a result of this configuration, when aftermarket telematics unit 12 is mounted in interior 10, opening 34 faces generally towards the rear of interior 10. Consequently, microphone assembly 18 is mounted such that it generally faces towards an occupant of driver seat 11.
Aftermarket telematics unit 12 includes a PCB board 38 that, in some examples, is configured to control operations of aftermarket telematics unit 12. PCB board 38 includes a connector 40 comprising a pair of openings that are configured to receive electrical leads 27. Once electrical leads 27 are inserted into connector 40, directional wideband microphone 26 and preamplifier 28 are electrically connected to aftermarket telematics unit 12 and physically attached thereto. To minimize the transmission of vibrations from aftermarket telematics unit 12 to directional wideband microphone 26, this connection between electrical leads 27 and connector 40 is the sole means of physical attachment between directional wideband microphone 26 and preamplifier 28, on the one hand, and aftermarket telematics unit 12 on the other hand. Accordingly, wideband microphone 26 and preamplier 28 are essentially suspended within chamber 19 via electrical leads 27. Electrical leads 27 may be permanently affixed to PCB board 38 such as through the use of a solder joint. For example, electrical leads 27 may protrude through PCB board 38 and solder may be applied to attach the end portions of electrical leads 27 to a rear portion of PCB board 38. In other examples, lead wires may be attached (e.g. soldered) to electrical leads 27 and then electrical connectors may be affixed to the lead wires. The electrical connectors may then be attached to a connector on PCB board 38. In some examples, intermediate connectors may be employed to connect the electrical connectors of electrical leads 27 to an electrical connector mounted to PCB board 38.
In addition, directional wideband microphone 26 includes an electrical connector 52 including a pair of plug openings 54 that are configured to receive a pair of electrical connectors 56. Once electrical connectors 56 are received within plug openings 54, directional wideband microphone 26 and preamplifier 28 are electrically connected and signals may be sent by directional wideband microphone 26 and received by preamplifier 28.
When microphone assembly 18 is situated in chamber 19 in the manner illustrated, a front surface of directional wideband microphone 26 faces in the direction of grill 20 and acoustic axis 44 is projected through grill 20 and towards a rear portion of interior 10. As a result of this orientation, acoustic axis 44 is generally directed towards an occupant of driver seat 11 and is therefore better able to discern voice commands coming from a driver or occupant of the vehicle.
While at least one example has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the examples shown and described are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the examples discussed herein. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof.
