Bone-conduction microphone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11265637-B2
Application number	US-202117183236-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2021
Priority date	Aug 30, 2018
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A bone conduction microphone includes a housing having an opening, a microphone pad, an element support member, a piezoelectric element, and a drive plate. The microphone pad is formed in a bottomed tubular shape having a bottom portion disposed outward and a tubular portion with an outer circumference fixed to an inner circumference of the opening. The element support member has an outer circumference fixed to an inner circumference of the tubular portion, and a support portion projecting toward the bottom portion. The piezoelectric element is in a plate shape with a peripheral edge of one surface fixed to the support portion and picks up vibration. The drive plate has a diaphragm part fixed to an inward surface of the bottom portion, and the diaphragm part is provided at a center with a protrusion fixed to an element central portion on another surface of the piezoelectric element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bone conduction microphone comprising:
a housing having an opening;
a microphone pad formed in a bottomed tubular shape having a bottom portion disposed outward and a tubular portion with an outer circumference fixed to an inner circumference of the opening;
an element support member that has an outer circumference fixed to an inner circumference of the tubular portion, and a support portion projecting toward the bottom portion;
a piezoelectric element that is in a plate shape with a peripheral edge of one surface fixed to the support portion and picks up vibration; and
a drive plate that has a diaphragm part fixed to an inward surface of the bottom portion, the diaphragm part being provided at a center with a protrusion fixed to an element central portion on another surface of the piezoelectric element.

2. The bone conduction microphone according to claim 1 , wherein
the element support member includes a base plate in a circular or elliptical shape, with an outer circumference fixed to the inner circumference of the tubular portion, and
the support portion is formed of a similar annular protrusion in a circular shape concentric with the base plate or an elliptical shape with a minor axis and a major axis aligning with those of the base plate.

3. The bone conduction microphone according to claim 1 , wherein
the element support member includes a base plate in a circular or elliptical shape, with an outer circumference fixed to the inner circumference of the tubular portion, and
the support portion is formed of three or more columns disposed along the outer circumference of the base plate.

4. The bone conduction microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the vibration is pharyngeal vibration or nasal bone vibration based on utterance of a wearer of the bone conduction microphone.

5. The bone conduction microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom portion projects outward from the housing further than an opening-formed surface in which the opening is formed.

6. The bone conduction microphone according to claim 2 , wherein a space is provided between the base plate and the piezoelectric element at a distance preventing the piezoelectric element displaced by the vibration from coming into contact with the base plate.

7. The bone conduction microphone according to claim 3 , wherein a space is provided between the base plate and the piezoelectric element at a distance preventing the piezoelectric element displaced by the vibration from coming into contact with the base plate.

8. The bone conduction microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the element support member, the piezoelectric element, the protrusion, and the drive plate are each formed in a concentric circular shape, or are formed in similar elliptical shapes with aligned minor axes and aligned major axes.

9. The bone conduction microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a call button.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kunimoto Hiroshi
• Nakao Suguru
• Tasaka Kei
• Saigou Katsuo

Classifications

• H04R17/02 Primary

  Microphones · CPC title

• H04R2400/03

  Transducers capable of generating both sound as well as tactile vibration, e.g. as used in cellular phones · CPC title

• H04R2410/03

  Reduction of intrinsic noise in microphones · CPC title

• H04R1/1041

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

• H04R2460/13

  Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers · CPC title