Microphone and microphone apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9924264-B2
Application number	US-201615206843-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2016
Priority date	Jul 27, 2015
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

A microphone includes: first and second bi-directional microphone units having respective directional axes arranged on two straight lines passing through one point and radially extending with an interval of 120 degrees; a third bi-directional microphone unit having a directional axis arranged on a straight line perpendicular to a plane formed by the two straight lines; and an omnidirectional microphone unit arranged in sound collection regions of the first, second, and third bi-directional microphone units.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A microphone comprising:
first and second bi-directional microphone units having respective directional axes arranged on two straight lines passing through one point and radially extending with an interval of 120 degrees;
a third bi-directional microphone unit having a directional axis arranged on a straight line perpendicular to a plane formed by the two straight lines; and
an omnidirectional microphone unit arranged in sound collection regions of the first, second, and third bi-directional microphone units.

2. The microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second bi-directional microphone units are arranged on a circumference having the one point as a center point.

3. The microphone according to claim 2 , wherein each of the first bi-directional microphone unit, the second bi-directional microphone unit, and the omnidirectional microphone unit have central portions, and wherein the central portion of the first bi-directional microphone unit, the central portion of the second bi-directional unit, and the central portion of the omnidirectional microphone unit are positioned on a circumference, and the one point is a center point of the circumference.

4. The microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the omnidirectional microphone unit and the first and second bi-directional microphone unit are arranged on a circumference having the one point as a center point with intervals of 120 degrees respectively.

5. A microphone apparatus comprising:
first and second bi-directional microphone units having respective directional axes arranged on two straight lines passing through one point and radially extending with an interval of 120 degrees;
a third bi-directional microphone unit having a directional axis arranged on a straight line perpendicular to a plane formed by the two straight lines; and
an omnidirectional microphone unit arranged in sound collection regions of the first, second, and third bi-directional microphone units; and
a signal synthesis unit configured to synthesize at least one of respective non-inverted signals and inverted signals of the first and second bi-directional microphone units, an output signal of the third bi-directional microphone unit, and an output signal of the omnidirectional microphone unit to generate a plurality of output signals having directional axes in mutually different directions.

6. The microphone apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a first signal processing unit configured to invert a phase of a positive-phase output signal from the first bi-directional microphone unit to generate the inverted signal, and output the positive-phase output signal and the inverted signal to the signal synthesis unit; and
a second signal processing unit configured to invert a phase of a positive-phase output signal from the second bi-directional microphone unit to generate the inverted signal, and output the positive-phase output signal and the inverted signal to the signal synthesis unit.

7. The microphone apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a third signal processing unit configured to amplify the output signal of the omnidirectional microphone unit and supply an amplified output signal to the signal synthesis unit; and
a fourth signal processing unit configured to amplify the output signal of the third bi-directional microphone unit and supply an amplified output signal to the signal synthesis unit, wherein
the first and second signal processing units perform non-inverting amplification or inverting amplification for the output signals of the corresponding bi-directional microphone units and supply signals subjected to the non-inverting amplification or inverting amplification to the signal synthesis unit.

8. The microphone apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein a level adjustment unit that adjusts a level of the output signal of the corresponding microphone unit is included in at least one of the signal processing units.

9. The microphone apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the first and second signal processing units are the non-inverting/inverting amplification circuits, each of the non-inverting/inverting amplification circuits is a balance output circuit, the balance output circuit comprises a transistor, an emitter resistance and a collector resistance connected to the transistor, wherein the non-inverting amplification and the inverting amplification for the output signals are derived from the emitter resistance and the collector resistance.

10. The microphone apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the signal synthesis unit includes first to third three output terminals for outputting the generated output signals, and outputs the plurality of generated output signals from the mutually different output terminals.

11. The microphone apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the signal synthesis unit outputs output signals having three unidirectivities with directional axes in mutually different directions from the mutually different output terminals.

12. The microphone apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein a unidirectional output by a cardioid shape characteristic with a directional axis rotated downward by 45 degrees and leftward by 120 degrees is obtained from the first output terminal, a unidirectional output by a cardioid shape characteristic with a directional axis rotated downward by 45 degrees and rightward by 120 degrees is obtained from the second output terminal, and a unidirectional output by a cardioid shape characteristic with a directional axis facing a front direction and downward by 45 degrees is output from the third output terminal.

13. The microphone apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the signal synthesis unit
adds the output signal from the omnidirectional microphone unit and the output signal from the third bi-directional microphone unit to a positive-phase output signal from the first bi-directional microphone unit and outputs an added output signal from one output terminal,
adds the output signal of the omnidirectional microphone unit and the output signal from the third bi-directional microphone unit to a positive-phase output signal from the second bi-directional microphone unit and outputs an added output signal from another output terminal, and
adds a negative-phase inverted signal from the first bi-directional microphone unit, the output signal from the omnidirectional microphone unit, and the output signal from the third bi-directional microphone unit to a negative-phase inverted signal from the second bi-directional microphone unit and output an added output signal from still another output terminal.

14. The microphone apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the signal synthesis unit outputs output signals having three unidirectivities in which directions of directional axes are mutually shifted by 120 degrees on a plane formed by the two straight lines, and inclinations of the directional axes with respect to the plane are equal to one another, from the mutually different output terminals.

15. The microphone apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the signal synthesis unit
adds the output signal from the omnidirectional microphone unit, a negative-phase inverted signal from the second bi-directional microphone unit, and the output signal from the third bi-directional microphone unit to a positive-phase output signal from the first bi-directional microphone unit and outputs an added output signal from one output terminal,
adds the output signal from the omnidirectional microphone unit, the negative-phase inverted signal from the first bi-directional microphone unit

Assignees

• Yoshino Satoshi
• Audio Technica Kk

Inventors

• Yoshino Satoshi

Classifications

• H04R1/22

  for obtaining desired frequency characteristic only  {(circuit for combining transducers having different responses H04R3/00; for hearing aids H04R25/407)} · CPC title

• H04R1/38

  in which sound waves act upon both sides of a diaphragm and incorporating acoustic phase-shifting means, e.g. pressure-gradient microphone · CPC title

• H04R2430/20

  Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic (H04R2203/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R2410/01

  Noise reduction using microphones having different directional characteristics · CPC title

• H04R5/027

  Spatial or constructional arrangements of microphones, e.g. in dummy heads · CPC title