Patent Application
20230353933
The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for generating an audio signal. In some examples the system and methods of generating an audio signal are applied in a mobile, wearable, or portable device. In other examples the system and methods of generating an audio signal are applied in earphones, headsets, hearables, or hearing aids.
US 8861752 describes a picospeaker which is a novel sound generating device and a method for sound generation. The picospeaker creates an audio signal by generating an ultrasound acoustic beam which is then actively modulated. The resulting modulated ultrasound signal has a lower acoustic frequency sideband which corresponds to the frequency difference between the frequency of the ultrasound acoustic beam and the modulation frequency. US 20160360320 and US 20160360321 describe MEMS architectures for realizing the picospeaker. US 20160277838 describes one method of implementation of the picospeaker using MEMS processing. US 2016277845 describes an alternative method of implementation of the picospeaker using MEMS processing. The extract the optimal performance of the MEMS picospeaker, the device needs to be placed in a package and connected electrically, mechanically and acoustically to the audio device. In this disclosure we describe examples of packaging the MEMS device using the unique features of the modulated ultrasound picospeaker.
“acoustic signal” - as used in the current disclosure means a mechanical wave traversing either a gas, liquid or solid medium with any frequency or spectrum portion between 10 Hz and 10,000,000 Hz.
“audio” or “audio spectrum” or “audio signal” - as used in the current disclosure means an acoustic signal or portion of an acoustic signal with a frequency or spectrum portion between 10 Hz and 20,000 Hz.
“speaker” or “pico speaker” or “micro speaker” or “nano speaker” - as used in the current disclosure means a device configured to generate an acoustic signal with at least a portion of the signal in the audio spectrum.
“membrane” - as used in the current disclosure means a flexible structure constrained by at least two points.
“blind” - as used in the current disclosure means a structure with at least one acoustic port through which an acoustic wave traverses with low loss.
“shutter” - as used in the current disclosure means a structure configured to move in reference to the blind and increase the acoustic loss of the acoustic port or ports.
“acoustic medium” - as used in the current disclosure means any of but not limited to; a bounded region in which a material is contained in an enclosed acoustic cavity; an unbounded region where in which a material is characterized by a speed of sound and unbounded in at least one dimension. Examples of acoustic medium include but are not limited to; air; water; ear canal; closed volume around ear; air in free space; air in tube or another acoustic channel.
“active demodulation” - as used in the current disclosure means any of but not limited to frequency shift of an ultrasound acoustic signal by modulation of the acoustic impedance of at least one part of the MEMS speaker.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure may generally relate to a speaker device that includes at least one membrane and shutter. The membrane is positioned in a first plane and configured to oscillate along a first directional path and at a first frequency effective to generate an ultrasonic acoustic signal. The shutter is positioned in a second plane that is substantially separated from the first plane. The shutter is configured to modulate the ultrasonic acoustic signal such that an audio signal is generated. The speaker device is connected to a driver device where the driver device supplies at least two electrical signals to operate the speaker device at least one membrane and shutter respectively. The driver device receives an input audio signal from which it generates a modulated audio signal to operate the membrane and generate an ultrasonic modulated signal. The driver further operates the shutter at the modulation frequency to demodulate the ultrasonic modulated signal and generate an acoustic audio signal.
Other embodiments of the present disclosure may generally relate to a speaker device comprising an array of membranes and shutters. The array of membranes and shutters operate either independently or driven by together by the driver device. In one example, the driving device is a semiconductor integrated circuit which includes; a controller; a charge pump configured to generate a high voltage signal; a switching unit configured to modulate the high voltage signal. The driving device receives a digital sound data stream and an operating voltage and outputs driving signals for the membrane, and shutter. In some embodiments the membrane and shutter operate asynchronously and or independently of each other at one or more frequencies. In other embodiments the membrane and shutter operate synchronously at the same frequency. In the synchronous mode of operation, the amplitude of the audio signal is controlled by any of but not limited to; the relative phase of the membrane and shutter operation; the amplitude of the shutter operation; the amplitude of the membrane operation; any combination of these.
In further embodiments of the present disclosure the speaker device is attached to a substrate, air flow from the membrane and shutter operation is channeled to acoustic ports, three or more wire bonds connect the speaker device layers to conductive pads on one side of the substrate and to pads on the second side of the substrate, and a lid attached to the top side of the substrate and covering the speaker device and wire bonds provides acoustic functionality and increase the robustness and resilience of the speaker device.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
The foregoing and other features of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only several embodiments in accordance with the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other examples may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented here. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated and make part of this disclosure. This disclosure is drawn, inter alia, to methods, apparatus, computer programs, and systems of generating an audio signal.
In some examples, a speaker device is described that includes a membrane and a shutter. The membrane is configured to oscillate along a first directional path and at a combination of frequencies with at least one frequency effective to generate an ultrasonic acoustic signal. A shutter and blind are positioned proximate to the membrane. In one non limiting example the membrane, the blind, and the shutter may be positioned in a substantially parallel orientation with respect to each other. In other examples the membrane, the blind, and the shutter may be positioned in the same plane and the acoustic signal is transmitted along acoustic channels leading from the membrane to the shutter. In a further example the modulator and or shutter are composed of more than one section.
In some embodiments, the membrane is driven by an electric signal that oscillates at a frequency Ω and hence moves at b Cos(2π*Ωt), where b is the amplitude of the membrane movement, and t is time. The electric signal is further modulated by a portion that is derived from an audio signal a(t). The acoustic signal generated by the membrane is characterized as:
Applying a Fourier transform to Equation (1) results in a frequency domain representation
Where A(f) is the spectrum of the audio signal. Equation (2) describes a modulated audio signal with an upper and lower side band around a carrier frequency of Ω (Double Side Band- DSB). Applying to the acoustic signal of Equation (1) an acoustic modulator operating at frequency Ω results in
Where I is the loss of the modulator and m is the modulation function and due to energy conservation I + m < 1. In the frequency domain
Where b/4 * m A(f) is an audio signal. The remaining terms are ultrasound signals where m A(f+2Ω) is at twice the modulation frequency and A(f-Ω) + A(f+Ω) is the original unmodulated signal. Additional acoustic signals may be present due to any but not limited to the following; ultrasound signal from the shutter movement; intermodulation signals due to nonlinearities of the acoustic medium; intermodulation signals due to other sources of nonlinearities including electronic and mechanical.
In one example we use the term “active demodulation” to describe the above functions where a frequency shift of an ultrasound acoustic signal is facilitated by modulation of the acoustic impedance of at least one part of the MEMS speaker.
In one example a speaker device includes at least three electro static active layers or membrane layers; a membrane layer as described in equation (1) which receives a first voltage signal, a shutter or modulator layer as described in equation (3) which receives a second voltage signal and a ground layer. In an alternative example a speaker may include at least two piezo electric active layers; a membrane layer and shutter layer where each layer receives a voltage signal on one side of a membrane and a ground signal on a second side of the membrane.
In summary, described in one example is a speaker device comprised of an acoustic medium; a substrate in contact with the acoustic medium; a liner disposed on substrate; a MEMS speaker unit attached to the liner, wherein the volume, defined between the MEMS speaker unit, the liner and the substrate, includes a port providing acoustic coupling between the MEMS speaker unit and the acoustic medium. In a further example the liner has a minimum thickness of 20 micron. In a further example the MEMS speaker unit generates sound from modulated ultrasound using active demodulation. In a further example the volume defined between the MEMS speaker unit the liner and the substrate is at least 0.05 mm3. In an alternative example a speaker device comprised of a first acoustic medium; a second acoustic medium; a substrate in contact with at least a first acoustic medium; a liner disposed on substrate; a MEMS speaker unit attached to the liner; a lid connected to the substrate, covering the MEMS speaker unit and in contact with at least a second acoustic volume; wherein the volume, defined between the MEMS speaker unit, the liner and the substrate, includes a port providing acoustic coupling between the MEMS speaker unit and the first acoustic medium; wherein the lid includes a port providing acoustic coupling between the MEMS speaker unit and the second acoustic medium. In a further example the liner has a minimum thickness of 20 micron. In a further example the MEMS speaker unit generates sound from modulated ultrasound using active demodulation. In a further example the volume defined between the MEMS speaker unit the liner and the substrate is at least 0.05 mm3. In a further example the volume defined by the lid is segregated into at least two distinct acoustic volumes and the liner includes an acoustic port coupled into at least one of the two distinct volumes.
There is little distinction left between hardware and software implementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware or software is generally (but not always, in that in certain contexts the choice between hardware and software can become significant) a design choice representing cost versus efficiency tradeoffs. There are various vehicles by which processes and/or systems and/or other technologies described herein can be effected (e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware), and that the preferred vehicle will vary with the context in which the processes and/or systems and/or other technologies are deployed. For example, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy are paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or firmware vehicle; if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly software implementation; or, yet again alternatively, the implementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware.
The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments of the devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will be understood by those within the art that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment, several portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or other integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and or firmware would be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described herein applies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearing medium include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable type medium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a Compact Disc (CD), a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), a digital tape, a computer memory, etc.; and a transmission type medium such as a digital and/or an analog communication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wired communications link, a wireless communication link, etc.).
Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common within the art to describe devices and/or processes in the fashion set forth herein, and thereafter use engineering practices to integrate such described devices and/or processes into data processing systems. That is, at least a portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can be integrated into a data processing system via a reasonable amount of experimentation. Those having skill in the art will recognize that a typical data processing system generally includes one or more of a system unit housing, a video display device, a memory such as volatile and non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors and digital signal processors, computational entities such as operating systems, drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications programs, one or more interaction devices, such as a touch pad or screen, and/or control systems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing position and/or velocity; control motors for moving and/or adjusting components and/or quantities). A typical data processing system may be implemented utilizing any suitable commercially available components, such as those typically found in data computing/communication and/or network computing/communication systems.
The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or “operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactable components.
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to disclosures containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”. Speaker and picospeaker are interchangeable and can be used in in place of the other.
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63415763 | Oct 2022 | US | |
| 63327478 | Apr 2022 | US |
