Claims
- 1. A microphone subassembly, comprising
a moveable diaphragm, a backplate opposing said moveable diaphragm, and a spacer positioned between said diaphragm and said backplate, said spacer being made of a flexible printed circuit board material and including an exposed electrical trace for making electrical contact with one of said backplate and said diaphragm, said spacer including an integral lead portion for transmitting a signal from said one of said backplate and said diaphragm to another electrical component in the microphone.
- 2. The microphone subassembly of claim 1, wherein said another electrical component is an amplifier.
- 3. The microphone subassembly of claim 2, wherein said amplifier is mounted on an amplifier region of said flexible printed circuit board, said integral lead portion being between said amplifier region and said spacer
- 4. The microphone subassembly of claim 1, wherein said exposed electrical trace makes contact with said diaphragm.
- 5. The microphone subassembly of claim 1, wherein said exposed electrical trace makes contact with said backplate.
- 6. The microphone subassembly of claim 1, wherein said flexible printed circuit board material has a thickness in the range of from about 25 to about 50 microns.
- 7 The microphone subassembly of claim 1, wherein said spacer has an annular shape.
- 8. The microphone subassembly of claim 7, wherein said annular shape has a rectangular periphery.
- 9. The microphone subassembly of claim 7, wherein said annular shape has a circular periphery.
- 10. The microphone subassembly of claim 7, wherein said exposed electrical trace is located completely around said annular shape.
- 11. The microphone subassembly of claim 1, wherein said backplate and said assembly are stacked onto said spacer.
- 12. The microphone subassembly of claim 1, wherein said diaphragm is mounted on a diaphragm carrier made of a printed circuit board material.
- 13. The microphone subassembly of claim 12, wherein said printed circuit board material of said diaphragm carrier is integral with said flexible printed circuit board material of said spacer, said diaphragm carrier being folded over onto said spacer during assembly.
- 14. The microphone subassembly of claim 1, wherein said backplate is comprised of at least a base layer and a charged layer, said base layer being made of a printed circuit board material
- 15 The microphone subassembly of claim 12, wherein said printed circuit board material of said base layer is integral with said flexible printed circuit board material of said spacer, said base layer carrier being folded over onto said spacer during assembly.
- 16 The microphone subassembly of claim 1, wherein said integral lead portion has a terminal on its end.
- 17. The microphone subassembly of claim 1, wherein said subassembly is acoustically and electrically testable before assembly into a microphone housing.
- 18. A microphone subassembly, comprising:
a moveable diaphragm, a backplate opposing said moveable diaphragm; and a flexible printed circuit board material having an annular portion between said diaphragm and said backplate, said flexible printed circuit board material having an integral lead portion extending away from said annular portion for transmitting a signal from one of said backplate and said diaphragm to another electrical component in said microphone.
- 19. The microphone subassembly of claim 18, wherein said annular portion has an exposed electrical trace for receiving said signal
- 20. The microphone subassembly of claim 18, wherein said integral lead portion is connected to said backplate by conductive adhesive.
- 21. The microphone subassembly of claim 18, wherein said flexible printed circuit board material is Kapton®.
- 22 The microphone subassembly of claim 18, wherein said printed circuit board material includes an integral diaphragm carrier on which said carrier is mounted.
- 23. The microphone subassembly of claim 18, wherein said flexible printed circuit board material includes an integral base layer for said backplate, said backplate including a charged layer on said integral base layer
- 24. A method of making a microphone cartridge, comprising:
providing a moveable diaphragm, providing a backplate; providing a flexible printed circuit board material having an annular portion, and stacking said moveable diaphragm and said backplate on said annular portion of said flexible printed circuit board material.
- 25. The method of claim 24, wherein said flexible printed circuit board material includes an exposed conductive trace for contacting said diaphragm
- 26. The method of claim 25, wherein said flexible printed circuit board material includes an exposed conductive trace for contacting said backplate.
- 27 The method of claim 24, wherein said flexible printed circuit board material includes an exposed conductive trace for contacting said backplate.
- 28. The method of claim 24, wherein said flexible printed circuit board material includes a region for mounting an amplifier
- 29. The method of claim 28, wherein said flexible printed circuit board material includes terminals for transferring a signal from said microphone cartridge.
- 30 The method of claim 24, wherein said stacking includes folding said moveable diaphragm and said backplate on said flexible printed circuit board material
- 31. A subassembly that converts sound into an output signal for use in an electroacoustic transducer, said subassembly comprising
a printed circuit board; a cartridge including a diaphragm that undergoes movement when exposed to said sound, a portion of said cartridge being part of said printed circuit board, said cartridge producing an electrical signal corresponding to said movement; and an amplifier mounted on said printed circuit board for amplifying said electrical signal into said output signal
- 32 The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 31, wherein said printed circuit board includes a signal path leading from said cartridge to said amplifier, said signal path for transmitting said electrical signal
- 33. The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 31, wherein said cartridge further includes a spacer separating said diaphragm from a charged plate opposing said diaphragm.
- 34 The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 33, wherein said spacer is a part of said printed circuit board.
- 35. The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 33, wherein said printed circuit board includes a signal path leading from said cartridge to said amplifier.
- 36. The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 35, wherein said spacer further has an internal conductor connected to said signal path, said internal conductor being in electrical contact with said diaphragm.
- 37 The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 35, wherein said spacer further has an internal conductor connected to said signal path, said internal conductor being in electrical contact with said charged plate.
- 38. The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 33, wherein said charged plate and said diaphragm are mounted on a portion of said printed circuit board
- 39. The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 38, wherein said spacer, said charged plate, and said diaphragm are in a generally co-planer configuration, and said printed circuit board is folded into said cartridge during assembly to produce said co-planer configuration.
- 40 The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 39, wherein said spacer, said charged plate, and said diaphragm are configured to produce a generally circular profile to said cartridge after being folded
- 41. The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 39, wherein said spacer, said charged plate, and said diaphragm are configured to produce a generally rectangular profile to said cartridge after being folded.
- 42. The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 31, wherein said printed circuit board further includes a terminal section for transmitting said output signal.
- 43. The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 31, wherein said printed circuit board has been folded so as to result in having surfaces in a plurality of planes.
- 44. The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 31, wherein said transducer is a directional microphone
- 45. The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 31, wherein said cartridge further includes a spacer separating said diaphragm and a charged plate, said spacer being generally annular and being said portion of said cartridge that is said part of said printed circuit board
- 46 A subassembly for use in an electroacoustic transducer for converting sound into an output signal, said subassembly comprising:
a flexible printed circuit board for receiving a plurality of components of said transducer, said flexible printed circuit board including a signal path between a transducing assembly that transduces said sound to an electrical signal and an amplifier that amplifies said electrical signal into said output signal
- 47 The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 46, wherein said transducing assembly is a cartridge containing a charged backplate and a moveable diaphragm opposing said charged backplate
- 48 The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 47, wherein said cartridge further includes a spacer between said charged backplate and said moveable diaphragm.
- 49. The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 48, wherein said spacer is a part of said printed circuit board.
- 50. The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 46, wherein said plurality of components include said transducing assembly and said amplifier.
- 51. The subassembly for the electroacoustic transducer of claim 46, wherein said microphone is a directional microphone.
- 52 An assembly for transducing sound into an electrical signal, comprising
a moveable diaphragm having a first surface; a backplate having a second surface generally opposing said first surface; and a spacer element for maintaining a certain spacing between said moveable diaphragm and said backplate, said spacer element being made of a printed circuit board material and having an internally conductive element leading to and being in electrical contact with at least one of said backplate and said moveable diaphragm
- 53. The assembly of claim 52, wherein said backplate is a charged plate and said diaphragm has a metallized surface.
- 54 The assembly of claim 52, wherein said moveable diaphragm has a charged surface and said backplate is partially conductive.
- 55 The assembly of claim 52, wherein said conductive element is exposed at an upper surface of said spacer element and contacts said diaphragm adjacent to its periphery.
- 56 The assembly of claim 52, wherein at least portions of said spacer element, said backplate, and said diaphragm are part of a printed circuit board
- 57. The assembly of claim 56, wherein said spacer element, said backplate, and said diaphragm are initially generally planar, and said printed circuit board is bent during manufacturing to result in said assembly.
- 58. The assembly of claim 56, wherein said spacer element, said backplate, and said diaphragm are laminated to each other
- 59. The assembly of claim 56, wherein said spacer element has a generally annular shape
- 60. The assembly of claim 59, wherein said generally annular shape is a generally rectangular annulus
- 61. A method for making an assembly that transduces sound into an electrical signal, comprising the steps of
providing a printed circuit board having a diaphragm-holding region, a spacer region, and a charged plate region; attaching a diaphragm to said diaphragm-holding region; folding said diaphragm-holding region over said spacer region, and folding said charged plate region over said spacer region
- 62 The method of claim 61, wherein said spacer region includes an internally conductive element leading to and being in electrical contact with said charged plate region.
- 63. The method of claim 61, wherein said spacer region includes an internally conductive element leading to and being in electrical contact with said diaphragm
- 64. An electroacoustic transducer, comprising
transducing components separated by a spacer having an integral conductive lead for transmitting signals from said transducing components.
- 65. The electroacoustic transducer of claim 64, wherein said spacer is a printed circuit board and said integral conductive lead transmits signals to other electronic components on said printed circuit board
- 66. The electroacoustic transducer of claim 65, wherein said printed circuit board includes a region adjacent to said spacer that serves as a mounting structure for one of said transducing components.
- 67. The electroacoustic transducer of claim 66, wherein said one of said transducing components is a diaphragm.
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/327,806, filed Oct. 9, 2001.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60327806 |
Oct 2001 |
US |