Adapters for microphones and combinations thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11968487-B2
Application number	US-202318135148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2023
Priority date	Jun 23, 2020
Publication date	Apr 23, 2024
Grant date	Apr 23, 2024

Abstract

A microphone assembly can include a form-factor adapter housing including an interface opening and an external acoustic port, and an internal microphone assembly disposed at least partially within the adapter housing. The internal microphone assembly can include an internal housing having an internal acoustic port and electrical interface contacts, a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) motor disposed in the internal housing, and an integrated circuit disposed in the internal housing, the integrated circuit electrically coupled to the MEMS motor and to the electrical interface contacts. The assembly can include an adapter interface located at the interface opening and comprising external host device interface contacts electrically coupled to the electrical interface contacts, the external host device interface contacts exposed to an exterior of the microphone assembly. The internal acoustic port can be acoustically coupled to the external acoustic port.

First claim

We claim:

1. A microphone assembly comprising:
a form-factor adapter housing including an interface opening and an outer acoustic port;
an internal microphone assembly disposed at least partially within the form-factor adapter housing, the internal microphone assembly including:
an internal housing having:
a base;
an internal housing cover mounted on the base; and
an internal acoustic port;

a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) motor disposed in the internal housing;
an integrated circuit disposed in the internal housing, the integrated circuit electrically coupled to the MEMS motor; and
a plurality of electrical interface contacts disposed on the base, the plurality of electrical interface contacts electrically coupled to the integrated circuit; and

an adapter interface located at the interface opening and comprising a plurality of external host device interface contacts electrically coupled to the plurality of electrical interface contacts, the plurality of external host device interface contacts exposed to an exterior of the microphone assembly,
wherein the MEMS motor is acoustically coupled to the outer acoustic port via a sound path between the form-factor adapter housing, the internal housing, and the internal acoustic port.

2. The microphone assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the form-factor adapter housing comprises an adapter housing cover covering a portion of the internal housing, a gap between the adapter housing cover and the portion of the internal housing providing at least a portion of the sound path.

3. The microphone assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the adapter interface comprises a printed circuit board (PCB), where the plurality of external host device interface contacts are located on the PCB.

4. The microphone assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the adapter interface changes an order of electrical connections of the plurality of electrical interface contacts as they appear on the host device interface contacts.

5. The microphone assembly according to claim 4 ,
wherein the plurality of electrical interface contacts comprise three internal electrical interface contacts arranged in an internal contact row, where an electrical interface contact on an outside contact of the internal contact row comprises an internal data electrical interface contact, and
the plurality of the host device interface contacts comprise three host device interface contacts arranged in a host contact row, where a host device interface contact in a middle of the host contact row comprises a host device data interface contact, the host device data interface contact electrically coupled to the internal data electrical interface contact.

6. The microphone assembly according to claim 1 ,
the base including:
a first base side facing an interior of the internal housing; and
a second base side opposite the first base side,

the plurality of electrical interface contacts disposed on the second base side, the plurality of electrical contacts electrically coupled to the integrated circuit via electrical traces.

7. The microphone assembly according to claim 6 ,
the MEMS motor is disposed in the internal housing on the first base side, and
the integrated circuit is disposed in the internal housing on the first base side.

8. The microphone assembly according to claim 6 ,
the internal acoustic port is through the base from the first base side to the second base side.

9. A microphone assembly comprising:
a form-factor adapter housing including an interface opening and an external acoustic port;
an internal microphone assembly disposed at least partially within the form-factor adapter housing, the internal microphone assembly comprising:
an internal housing having an internal acoustic port and a plurality of electrical interface contacts;
a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) motor disposed in the internal housing; and
an integrated circuit disposed in the internal housing, the integrated circuit electrically coupled to the MEMS motor and to the plurality of electrical interface contacts; and

an adapter interface located at the interface opening and comprising a plurality of external host device interface contacts electrically coupled to the plurality of electrical interface contacts, the plurality of external host device interface contacts exposed to an exterior of the microphone assembly,
wherein the internal acoustic port is acoustically coupled to the external acoustic port.

10. The microphone assembly according to claim 9 ,
the form-factor adapter housing comprising a form-factor adapter housing cover adjacent to the interface opening,
the internal housing comprising a base comprising the internal acoustic port and the plurality of electrical interface contacts, at least a portion of the base adjacent to, and spaced apart from, the form-factor adapter housing cover,
wherein the internal acoustic port is acoustically coupled to the external acoustic port via a sound path between the base and the form-factor adapter housing cover.

11. The microphone assembly according to claim 10 ,
the MEMS motor coupled to the base and located over the internal acoustic port, and
the internal housing comprising a cover fastened to the base.

12. The microphone assembly according to claim 11 , the plurality of electrical interface contacts of the internal housing located at the interface opening of the form-factor adapter housing.

13. The microphone assembly according to claim 11 , the external acoustic port located on a portion of the form-factor adapter housing other than the form-factor adapter housing cover, wherein the internal acoustic port is acoustically coupled to the external acoustic port via a sound path between the form-factor adapter housing and the internal housing.

14. The microphone assembly according to claim 9 ,
the form-factor adapter housing comprising a form-factor adapter housing cover adjacent to the interface opening,
the internal housing comprising an internal housing cover fastened to a base comprising the internal acoustic port and the plurality of electrical interface contacts, at least a portion of the internal housing cover adjacent to the form-factor adapter housing cover,
the adapter interface comprising a flex printed circuit board (PCB) extending partially about the internal housing between the base and the interface opening.

15. The microphone assembly according to claim 14 , the MEMS motor coupled to the base and located over the internal acoustic port.

16. The microphone assembly according to claim 15 , the external acoustic port located on a portion of the form-factor adapter housing other than the form-factor adapter housing cover, wherein the internal acoustic port is acoustically coupled to the external acoustic port via a sound path.

17. The microphone assembly according to claim 9 , the adapter interface comprising a printed circuit board (PCB), wherein the plurality of external host device interface contacts are located on the PCB.

18. The microphone assembly according to claim 9 , wherein an order of arrangement of the plurality of electrical interface contacts is different than an order of arrangement of the external host device interface contacts.

19. The microphone assembly according to claim 9 , the plurality of electrical interface contacts comprise ground (GRND), power (PWR) and DATA contacts electrically connected to corresponding GRND, PWR and DATA contacts of the plurality of external host device interface contacts, wherein an order of arrangement o

Assignees

• Knowles Electronics Llc

Inventors

• Lopresti Janice
• Kearey Steve
• Murthy Usha

Classifications

• H04R1/04 Primary

  Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor (in electric hearing aids H04R25/00) · CPC title

• H04R19/04 Primary

  Microphones (H04R19/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R2201/003

  Mems transducers or their use · CPC title

• H04R19/005 Primary

  using semiconductor materials · CPC title

• H04R19/016

  for microphones · CPC title