Electroacoustic transducer, and associated assembly and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10567885-B2
Application number	US-201515521702-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2015
Priority date	Oct 27, 2014
Publication date	Feb 18, 2020
Grant date	Feb 18, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed is an acoustic transducer for converting a sound signal into an electric signal, including a mobile element movable under the effect of the sound signal, a fixed element opposite the mobile element, a recess, and a dissipative element between the mobile and fixed elements. The coupled system has a natural frequency corresponding to a resonance frequency of the transducer set at maximum sensitivity. The mobile element, the fixed element, the dissipative element and the recess are configured so the quality factor of the acoustic transducer>2. The recess has a straight prismatic, cylindrical, or frustoconical shape, the mobile element forming a first base of the prism, cylinder, or frustum, the fixed element being inside the prism, cylinder or frustum, over the second base of the prism, cylinder or frustum. Such a transducer also incorporates an analogue filtering function for filtering the signal around the natural frequency of same.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An acoustic transducer that converts an acoustic signal into an electrical signal, comprising:
a mobile element that is mobile under the effect of said acoustic signal;
a fixed element arranged opposite the mobile element;
a cavity ( 4 ); and
a dissipative element ( 3 ) interposed between the mobile element and the fixed element,
wherein a coupled system, constituted by the mobile element, the dissipative element ( 3 ), and the cavity ( 4 ), has a natural frequency between 20 Hz and 20 KHz corresponding to a resonance frequency of the transducer at which a sensitivity of the transducer is maximum,
the mobile element, the fixed element, the dissipative element ( 3 ) and the cavity ( 4 ) being configured so that a quality factor of the acoustic transducer is greater than two,
wherein the cavity ( 4 ) has one of a straight prismatic, cylindrical, or frustoconical general shape, the mobile element forming a first base of the prism, cylinder or frustum, the fixed element being arranged inside said prism, cylinder or frustum, raised with respect to a second base of the prism, cylinder or frustum, and
wherein a ratio between the surface area of the mobile element and that of the fixed element is less than or equal to ⅙.

2. The transducer according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio between the surface area of the mobile element and that of the fixed element is less than or equal to 1/12.

3. The transducer according to claim 2 , wherein the mobile element and the fixed element are circular.

4. The transducer according to claim 1 , wherein the dissipative element ( 3 ) is constituted by a gas or a mixture of gases.

5. The transducer according to claim 4 , wherein the dissipative element ( 3 ) is constituted by air.

6. The transducer according to claim 5 , wherein the mobile element and the fixed element are circular.

7. The transducer according to claim 4 , wherein the mobile element and the fixed element are circular.

8. The transducer according to claim 1 , wherein the mobile element and the fixed element are circular.

9. The transducer according to claim 1 , wherein the cavity ( 4 ) has a generally rotationally symmetrical shape.

10. The transducer according to claim 1 , the mobile element being a mobile electrode ( 1 ), the fixed element being a fixed electrode ( 2 ), the transducer being a capacitive transducer.

11. The transducer according to claim 9 , wherein the mobile electrode ( 1 ) comprises a deformable membrane.

12. The transducer according to claim 10 , configured so that that exposure of the mobile electrode ( 1 ) to a sound wave with a frequency corresponding to the resonance frequency of the transducer causes contact between the mobile electrode ( 1 ) and the fixed electrode ( 2 ) so that that the transducer forms a switch.

13. The transducer according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a device for balancing a static pressure prevailing on either side of the mobile element.

14. The transducer according to claim 13 , wherein the device for balancing the static pressure comprises a capillary tube.

Assignees

• Univ Maine
• Centre Nat Rech Scient

Inventors

• Durand Stephane
• Honzik Petr
• Podkovskiy Alexey
• Joly Nicolas
• Bruneau Michel

Classifications

• H04R19/02

  Loudspeakers (H04R19/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R9/18

  Resonant transducers, i.e. adapted to produce maximum output at a predetermined frequency · CPC title

• H04R23/008

  using optical signals for detecting or generating sound · CPC title

• H04R19/005 Primary

  using semiconductor materials · CPC title

• H04R7/04

  Plane diaphragms · CPC title