Magnetic pivot sensor for headset microphone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10264341-B2
Application number	US-201715411738-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2017
Priority date	Jan 20, 2017
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A microphone pivot device of a headphone comprises at least one magnet in communication with a movable microphone, the at least one magnet having a plurality of segments, each segment having a magnet characteristic; a sensor that detects a magnet characteristic of a magnet segment when the segment is moved in response to a movement of the microphone so that the segment is in proximity of the sensor; and a controller that receives a signal from the sensor in response to the detected magnet characteristic, and that controls an operation of the microphone in response to the received signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A microphone pivot device of a headphone comprising:
at least one magnet in communication with a movable microphone, wherein the at least one magnet is positioned along, and rotates about, an axis, the at least one magnet having a plurality of segments, each segment having a magnet characteristic, and wherein the microphone is at a distal end of a boom and the at least one magnet and the axis are at a proximal end of the boom;
a sensor that detects a magnet characteristic of a magnet segment in response to the rotation of the microphone about the axis so that the segment is in proximity of the sensor, wherein one of the at least one magnet or the sensor also rotates about the axis relative to the other of the at least one magnet and the sensor so that a first magnet segment of the magnet is proximal to the sensor so that a first magnet characteristic of the first magnet segment is detected by the sensor and a further rotation of the microphone about the axis provides a second magnet segment of the magnet to be proximal to the sensor so that a second magnet characteristic of the second magnet segment different than the first magnet characteristic is detected by the sensor; and
a line circuit between the sensor and the microphone, the line circuit comprising:
a controller that receives a signal from the sensor in response to each of the detected first and second magnet characteristics, and that controls an operation of the microphone based on the rotational position of the microphone in response to the received signal; and
a switch that receives a first signal from the controller in response to one of the detected first and second magnet characteristics, wherein the switch is in a closed position in response to receiving the first signal to activate the microphone at the distal end of the boom, wherein the switch receives a second signal from the controller in response to another of the detected first and second magnet characteristics, and wherein the switch is in an open position in response to receiving the second signal to inactivate the microphone.

2. The microphone pivot device of claim 1 , wherein the controller activates the microphone when the detected magnet characteristics of the segment exceeds a predetermined threshold.

3. The microphone pivot device of claim 1 , wherein the controller inactivates the microphone when the detected magnet characteristic of the segment is below a predetermined threshold.

4. The microphone pivot device of claim 1 , wherein the magnet characteristic comprises at least one of a magnetic force, magnetic field strength, or flux density.

5. The microphone pivot device of claim 1 , wherein the magnet segments have different shapes, polarities, sizes, magnetic forces, magnetic field strengths, or flux densities, or a combination thereof.

6. The microphone pivot device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises at least one of: a magnetic flux sensor or a Hall Effect sensor.

7. The microphone pivot device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one magnet comprises two multi-pole magnets substantially aligned with each other, wherein the poles of one magnet oppose the poles of the other magnet, and wherein the sensor is positioned between the two multi-pole magnets for sensing magnetic field strength between the two magnets.

8. The microphone pivot device of claim 7 , wherein the sensor senses an alignment of the poles of the magnets, and generates a value in response to the sensed alignment, and the value is used by the controller to control the operation of the microphone.

9. The microphone pivot device of claim 1 , wherein the microphone is a boom microphone that extends from the headphone.

10. The microphone pivot device of claim 9 , wherein the controller activates the microphone when the microphone is moved in front of a headphone wearer's mouth and in response to the sensor sensing the one of the first or second magnet characteristics, the sensor outputs a microphone activation signal to the controller, and wherein the controller inactivates the microphone when the microphone is moved away from the headphone wearer's mouth and in response to the sensor sensing the other of the first or second magnet characteristics, the sensor outputs a microphone inactivation signal to the controller.

11. The microphone pivot device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one magnet rotates relative to the sensor in response to the movement of the microphone.

12. The microphone pivot device of claim 1 , wherein each magnet segment corresponds to a different magnetic detent position of the microphone.

13. The microphone pivot device of claim 1 , wherein the microphone pivot device is rotatably positioned between a boom microphone and a headband or earbud of the headphone.

14. A headset, comprising:
a headset body;
a boom microphone that rotates about an axis; and
a pivot device between the headset body and the boom microphone that rotates the boom microphone about the axis and relative to the headset body, the pivot device comprising:
at least one magnet in communication with the boom microphone, the at least one magnet having a plurality of segments, each segment having a magnet characteristic, wherein the at least one magnet is positioned along, and rotates about, the axis with the boom microphone so that so that a first magnet characteristic of a first magnet segment is detected by a sensor and wherein the boom microphone further rotates about the axis positions so that a second magnet characteristic of a second magnet segment different than the first magnet characteristic is detected by the sensor and wherein the boom microphone is at a distal end of a boom and the at least one magnet and the axis are at a proximal end of the boom, the headset further comprising:

a line circuit between the sensor and the microphone, the line circuit comprising:
a controller that receives a signal from the sensor in response to each of the detected first and second magnet characteristics, and that controls an operation of the microphone based on the rotational position of the boom microphone in response to the received signal; and
a switch that receives a first signal from the controller in response to one of the detected first and second magnet characteristics, wherein the switch is in a closed position in response to receiving the first signal to activate the boom microphone at the distal end of the boom, wherein the switch receives a second signal from the controller in response to another of the detected first and second magnet characteristics, and wherein the switch is in an open position in response to receiving the second signal to inactivate the boom microphone.

15. The headset of claim 14 , further comprising:
the sensor that detects the magnet characteristic of a magnet segment of the segments when the magnet segment is moved in response to a movement of the boom microphone so that the magnet segment is in proximity of the sensor.

16. The headset of claim 14 , wherein the headset body comprises an earbud.

17. The headset of claim 14 , wherein the headset body comprises an earphone coupled to a headband.

18. A method for positioning a microphone of a headset, comprising:
arranging a pivot device to provide for a rotation of a boom microphone about an axis and relative to a headset body;
detecting by a sensor of the pivot device a proximity of a magnet of the pivot device relative to the sensor corresponding to a location of the boom microphone, wherein one of the magnet and the sensor also is positioned along, and rotates abo

Assignees

• Bose Corp

Inventors

• Andrikowich Thomas George
• Maguire Stephen J
• Ruwe Matthew Neil
• Yamkovoy Paul
• Salame Michael

Classifications

• H04R1/1066

  Constructional aspects of the interconnection between earpiece and earpiece support (earpiece support for monophonic headphones H04R1/105; earpiece support for stereophonic headphones H04R5/0335) · CPC title

• H04R2201/025

  Transducer mountings or cabinet supports enabling variable orientation of transducer of cabinet · CPC title

• G01R33/04

  using the flux-gate principle · CPC title

• H04R1/1041

  Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements (switches in general H01H) · CPC title

• H04R1/083 Primary

  Special constructions of mouthpieces · CPC title