CN112565946A - Wind cap grid - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a windshield grid. An acoustic mesh comprising: a first portion that is acoustically closed; and a second portion surrounding the first portion and being acoustically open, wherein the surface area of the second portion is at least 1% of the total surface area of the acoustic mesh.

Description

Wind cap grid

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This patent application claims benefit of the earlier filing date of co-pending U.S. provisional patent application No.62/906,556, filed on 26.9.2019, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an acoustic grid for attenuating wind noise without affecting the frequency response of an associated microphone. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Background

The portable listening device may be used with a variety of electronic devices, such as portable media players, smart phones, tablet computers, laptops, stereos, and other types of devices. Portable listening devices historically included one or more small speakers configured to be placed on, in or near the user's ears, structural components that held the speakers in place, and cables that electrically connected the portable listening device to the audio source. Other portable listening devices can be wireless devices that do not include a cable but instead wirelessly receive an audio data stream from a wireless audio source. Such portable hearing devices can include, for example, wireless ear bud devices or in-ear hearing devices that operate in pairs (one for each ear) or individually to output and receive sound to and from a user.

While wireless listening devices have many advantages over wired portable listening devices, they also have some potential disadvantages. For example, it may be difficult to achieve high-end acoustic performance from listening devices due to the limited amount of space available within each listening device. Also, some wireless listening devices that extend into the ear canal for better performance are typically able to have an improper seal between the portable listening device and the ear canal, causing the user to experience lower quality sound. In addition, the small size of wireless listening devices often results in damage to user interface features, blockage of sensors and/or microphones, and a lower overall user experience.

Disclosure of Invention

A portable listening device such as an ear bud may include a microphone, for example an external microphone that picks up sound from the surrounding environment around the device. For example, the microphone may pick up the user's voice, pick up ambient noise (e.g., for noise cancellation), or for other purposes. However, microphones that pick up sound from the surrounding environment may be sensitive to undesirable sound such as wind noise, especially if the microphone signal is amplified. To reduce the sensitivity of the microphone to undesirable wind noise, the present invention includes an acoustic shield coupled to an acoustic port from the ambient environment to the microphone. The acoustic shield may be an acoustic mesh having a particular size that has been found to reduce (or attenuate) wind noise (or other undesirable ambient sound) without affecting the frequency response of the microphone (e.g., not attenuating the desired sound such as speech). For example, the acoustic mesh may be acoustically closed at the central portion and acoustically open around the peripheral portion. The acoustically open portions and the acoustically closed portions may be specifically selected to provide the same wind protection (or attenuation) as an open whole area (e.g., an acoustic mesh without an acoustically closed center portion) without affecting the frequency response of the microphone. In some aspects, an acoustic mesh comprising open and closed portions may achieve maximum wind attenuation of up to 10 decibels (dB).

In one aspect, an acoustic mesh includes: a first portion that is acoustically closed; and a second portion surrounding the first portion and being acoustically open. The acoustic mesh may be configured to provide comparable wind noise attenuation compared to the acoustic mesh without the first portion, without affecting a frequency response of a microphone to which the acoustic mesh is acoustically coupled. In some aspects, the first portion is located at a center of the acoustic mesh. The first portion may be acoustically closed by coupling the support member to a surface of the first portion. The second portion may be proximate a perimeter of the acoustic mesh. The second portion may be an annular portion positioned around the first portion. The first portion may include multiple portions that acoustically close different sections of the acoustic mesh. The first portion has a diameter, and the diameter of the first portion may be 1.5cm or less. The wind noise attenuation may be 10 decibels or less. The acoustic mesh may be coupled to an acoustic port of a housing in which the microphone is positioned.

In another aspect, an acoustic shielding assembly includes: an acoustic mesh; a support member coupled to the acoustic mesh to acoustically close a portion of the acoustic mesh, and dimensions of the support member are selected to allow the acoustic mesh to attenuate wind noise without affecting a frequency response of a microphone to which the acoustic mesh is acoustically coupled. In some aspects, a portion of the acoustic mesh is a first portion and a second portion of the acoustic mesh surrounding the first portion is acoustically open. In some aspects, the dimension of the support member is a radius, and the acoustic mesh includes a radius that is greater than the radius of the support member. In some aspects, the acoustic mesh has a diameter of 1.5cm or less. The wind noise attenuation may be 10 decibels or less. The acoustic mesh may be coupled to an acoustic port that is open to an acoustic cavity of the microphone. The support member may be a post positioned within the acoustic cavity and extending to the acoustic mesh.

In another aspect, a portable electronic device includes: a housing having an acoustic port that acoustically couples an acoustic cavity within the housing to a nearby ambient environment; a microphone positioned within the housing and acoustically coupled to the acoustic cavity; and an acoustic mesh coupled to the acoustic port, the acoustic mesh having a first portion that is acoustically closed and a second portion that is acoustically open and surrounds the first portion, and wherein the acoustic mesh attenuates wind noise from the surrounding environment without affecting the frequency response of the microphone. The acoustically closed first portion may prevent wind noise from the ambient environment from entering the acoustic cavity. The first portion of the acoustic closure may be located at a center of the acoustic grid. The support member may extend from the acoustic cavity to a first portion of the acoustic mesh to acoustically close the first portion of the acoustic mesh, and wherein the support member comprises a radius that is smaller than a radius of the acoustic port.

The above summary does not include an exhaustive list of all aspects of the present invention. It is contemplated that the invention includes all systems and methods that can be practiced from all suitable combinations of the various aspects summarized above, as well as those disclosed in the detailed description below and particularly pointed out in the claims filed with this patent application. Such combinations have particular advantages not specifically recited in the above summary.

Drawings

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements. It should be noted that references to "an" or "one" embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and they mean at least one.

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified schematic cross-sectional side view of an aspect of an acoustic shield assembly.

Fig. 2 shows a graph representing wind noise attenuation achieved using an acoustic shielding assembly.

Fig. 3 illustrates a top plan view of an aspect of an acoustic shield assembly.

Fig. 4 illustrates a top plan view of another aspect of the acoustic shield assembly.

Fig. 5A-5B illustrate perspective and cross-sectional views of one aspect of an exemplary acoustic shielding component for a microphone in a housing.

Fig. 6 shows a block diagram of a portable electronic listening device system that includes an exemplary wireless listening device with which an acoustic shielding component can be associated.

Detailed Description

In this section we will explain several preferred aspects of the invention with reference to the drawings. Whenever the shapes, relative positions, and other aspects of the components described in various aspects are not explicitly defined, the scope of the present invention is not limited to only the components shown, which are for illustrative purposes only. Additionally, while numerous details are set forth, it should be understood that aspects of the invention may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Spatially relative terms, such as "under … …," "under … …," "under," "over … …," "over," and the like may be used herein for convenience of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element or elements or feature or features, as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below … …" can encompass both an orientation above … … and below … …. The device may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The terms "or" and/or "as used herein should be interpreted as inclusive or meaning any one or any combination. Thus, "A, B or C" or "A, B and/or C" means "any of the following: a; b; c; a and B; a and C; b and C; A. b and C. An exception to this definition will occur only when a combination of elements, functions, steps or acts are in some way inherently mutually exclusive.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional simplified schematic side view of an aspect of an acoustic shield assembly coupled to a transducer assembly. The assembly 100 may include a device frame, housing, or casing 102 within which various device components may be integrated, housed, contained, or otherwise positioned. One such component is the transducer 104. The transducer 104 may be positioned within the enclosure 102 and acoustically coupled to an acoustic port 108 formed through a wall of the enclosure 102. In some aspects, the acoustic cavity 106 is formed between the transducer 104 and the acoustic port 108, e.g., such that acoustic input from the ambient environment that enters the enclosure through the acoustic port 108 travels through the acoustic cavity before reaching the transducer 104. Representatively, in one aspect, the transducer 104 can be a microphone that converts sound (e.g., audible acoustic signals) into electrical signals. For example, sound from the surrounding environment may enter the housing 102 through the acoustic port 108 and travel through the acoustic cavity 106 to the transducer 104. The sound is then picked up by a transducer 104 (e.g., a microphone), which then converts the sound into an electrical signal for further processing (e.g., noise cancellation). However, in some aspects, the sound or acoustic input may also include undesirable wind noise from the surrounding environment. To reduce the impact of undesirable wind noise on the transducer 104, the assembly 100 may further include an acoustic shield assembly 110.

The acoustic shield assembly 110 may be any type of shield assembly suitable for attenuating or otherwise reducing undesirable wind noise without affecting the frequency response of the transducer 104. Representatively, shielding component 110 may include an acoustic material, such as an acoustic mesh 112. The acoustic mesh 112 may be constructed as a single layer that is contoured to the topography of the exterior surface of the housing 102. In some cases, the acoustic mesh 112 may be a porous layer that is tuned to a particular acoustic impedance to enable proper operation of the underlying transducer 104. In some embodiments, the acoustic mesh 112 is formed from a flexible porous material, such as porous polyester. The acoustic mesh 112 may be covered with a hydrophobic coating that enables the acoustic mesh 112 to resist water ingress into the housing of the wireless listening device. In some embodiments, although not shown, the acoustic mesh 112 may be positioned between the decorative mesh and the stiffener. Acoustic mesh 112 may be attached to housing 102 and dimensioned to completely cover acoustic port 108 and acoustic cavity 106. The exterior surface 112A of the acoustic mesh 112 may be exposed (or facing) to the ambient environment, and in some cases may be planar with the exterior surface of the enclosure 102. The interior surface of the acoustic mesh 112 may be exposed, share a volume with the acoustic cavity 106, or otherwise face the acoustic cavity 106.

The acoustic shield assembly 110 may also include a support member 114 that may abut, contact, or otherwise be positioned against the interior surface 112A of the acoustic mesh 112. The support member 114 may, for example, be any type of structure that provides structural rigidity to the acoustic mesh 112 (e.g., prevents the mesh 112 from deforming during a fall event) and that shields a portion of the acoustic mesh 112. Thus, the acoustic mesh 112 is acoustically open except where covered by the support member 114. The acoustic mesh 112 is considered to be acoustically closed in the area or area in which it is in contact with the support member 114 or otherwise covered by the support member 114. The term "acoustically open" is intended to mean that sound, wind noise, etc. from the surrounding environment may pass through the acoustic mesh 112 to the transducer 104. The term "acoustically closed" is intended to mean that sound, wind noise, etc. from the surrounding environment cannot pass through the acoustic mesh 112 to the transducer 104 or are otherwise prevented from passing through the acoustic mesh 112 to the transducer 104.

The size, surface area, and/or dimensions of the acoustic mesh 112 relative to the support member 114 may be particularly selected such that they achieve, for example, up to 10 decibels (dB) of wind noise attenuation without affecting the frequency response of the transducer 104. Representatively, in one aspect, the acoustic mesh 112 may have a dimension D1. The dimension D1 may, for example, correspond to an overall largest dimension (e.g., width, outer radius, outer diameter, surface area, etc.) of the acoustic mesh 112 covering the acoustic ports 108. Thus, the dimension D1 may also correspond to the overall largest dimension of the acoustic port 108. The support member 114 may have an overall dimension D2. The dimension D2 may, for example, correspond to an overall largest dimension (e.g., width, inner radius, inner diameter, surface area, etc.) of the portion of the support member 114 that contacts or otherwise obscures the acoustic mesh 112. Thus, the dimension D2 may also be understood to correspond to an acoustically closed portion, region, or surface of the acoustic mesh 112. In some aspects, dimension D2 is less than dimension D1, such that at least a portion of the acoustic mesh 112 remains open. Dimension D3, in turn, shows the difference between dimension D1 and dimension D2, or an open area or portion of the acoustic mesh 112 surrounding a closed area (e.g., dimension D1-dimension D2). Dimension D3 may be considered the critical dimension necessary to achieve maximum wind attenuation without affecting the frequency response. For example, in some aspects, at least one percent (1%) of the acoustic mesh 112 remains open. Thus, in some aspects, D1, D2, and D3 may be defined relative to each other, for example as D3/D1>0.01, or D2/D3<99 and D2/D1< 0.99. In the illustrated configuration, the support member 114 is in contact with a central region of the support member 114 such that the acoustic mesh 112 is acoustically closed near the center and acoustically open near the periphery. The size of the open perimeter portion, dimension, or area may be selected to provide comparable wind noise attenuation compared to an acoustic mesh without the support member 114 (e.g., a fully open acoustic mesh).

Fig. 2 shows a graph representing how the critical dimensions of an acoustic shielding assembly can be reached for optimal wind attenuation without affecting the frequency response. In particular, the graph 200 illustrates the largest dimension of the circular acoustic port 108 that may be obscured by the support member 114 to achieve a desired wind noise attenuation without affecting the frequency response of the transducer 104. Representatively, the y-axis represents wind coherence and the x-axis represents the radius (R) of the acoustic port (e.g., the outer radius of the acoustic port 108). As can be generally seen from the graph 200, as the dimensions of the acoustic port increase (e.g., radius (R) increases), the wind coherence decreases, as shown by the wind coherence curve (WC), thereby increasing the acoustic benefit. The Frequency Response (FR) or desired sound is further illustrated by the frequency response curve labeled "FR". In particular, it can be seen from the graph that the Frequency Response (FR) is flat up to about 8kHz to 10 kHz. The point at which the Frequency (FR) is no longer flat or falling (e.g., after about 8kHz to 10 kHz) is then used to determine the maximum desired or critical dimension of the acoustic port. In this example, for simplicity, the ports are assumed to be circular, so the maximum critical dimension may be defined as the outer radius (Ro) of the acoustic port. A critical dimension or inner radius (Ri) of the support member relative to the acoustic port dimension (outer radius Ro) may then be determined based on the determined Coherence Threshold (CT). The Coherence Threshold (CT) is the point below which the coherence is low enough to achieve the maximum attenuation desired. In other words, the graph 200 shows that the acoustic port dimension (R) may be obscured up to a maximum inner radius (Ri) (e.g., a maximum radius of the support member) before the frequency response is affected. The difference between the outer radius (Ro) and the inner radius (Ri) is the remaining open area (g), which can vary depending on the size of the port and the shielded area as shown.

The corresponding acoustic shield assembly 110 dimensions determined based on the graph 200 are shown in fig. 3. In particular, where the acoustic ports are circular as previously described, the associated acoustic mesh 112 for covering the ports may have a maximum dimension D1, which in this case may be a maximum outer radius (e.g., radius (Ro) as described in fig. 2) or a diameter (e.g., 2 x D1). In some cases, the maximum outer diameter of the acoustic mesh 112 may be 1.5cm or less, such as 1.4cm or less, 1.3cm or less, 1.2cm or less, or 1.1cm or less. The support member 114 used to shield a portion of the acoustic mesh 112 may have a maximum dimension D2 (e.g., an inner radius (Ri) as described in fig. 2). This section, region, or portion of the acoustic mesh 112 in contact with the support member 114 forms an acoustically closed portion 304 of the acoustic mesh 112. In other words, the acoustic enclosure portion 304 may be understood to also have a maximum dimension D2. As can be seen from fig. 3, the maximum dimension D2 is smaller than the maximum dimension D1 of the acoustic mesh 112. Thus, the acoustically open portion 302 having the largest dimension D3 (e.g., open area (g) of fig. 2) remains near the perimeter of the acoustic mesh 112. In this configuration, the support member 114 is positioned within a central region of the acoustic mesh 112. Thus, the acoustically open portion 302 of the acoustic mesh 112 is an annular region that occupies the entire perimeter of the acoustic mesh 112, and the center of the mesh is the acoustically closed portion 304. However, it is contemplated that the acoustically open portions 302 and the acoustically closed portions 304 of the mesh 112 may have different shapes and sizes and are not limited to circular shapes. However, to achieve the desired wind noise attenuation, D2 should be less than D1, or D3 should be greater than zero. In some aspects, it is contemplated that dimensions D1, D2, and D3 may represent surface areas of the acoustic mesh 112, the support members 114 (or the acoustically closed portion 304), and the acoustically open portion 302, respectively. In some aspects, the configuration of shield assembly 110 may thus also be described based on the surface area of the closed portions relative to the open portions. For example, in some aspects, the surface area of the acoustically closed portion 304 of the acoustic mesh (e.g., D2) may be greater than the surface area of the acoustically open portion 302 of the acoustic mesh (e.g., D3). In other aspects, the surface area ratio of the entire surface area of the acoustic mesh 112 (e.g., D1) to the surface area of the acoustic closure portion 302 (e.g., D3) may be 1.04. In other words, the surface area, or dimension D3, of acoustically open portion 302 may be at least 1% of the entire surface area (e.g., D1) of acoustic mesh 112. It should also be understood that the acoustically open portion 302 and the acoustically closed portion 304 are both formed from the same mesh material that makes up the acoustic mesh 112. For example, the acoustically open portions 302 and the acoustically closed portions 304 may be formed from the same sheet of flexible porous material (such as porous polyester) that makes up the acoustic mesh 112. However, the acoustically open portion 302 is considered acoustically open because sound and/or noise may pass through the acoustically open portion 302 to the underlying acoustic chamber, but is prevented from passing through the acoustically closed portion 304 to the underlying acoustic chamber.

It should also be understood that while a circular configuration is depicted in fig. 2-3, it is contemplated that acoustic port 108 and acoustic shield assembly 110 may have other shapes and configurations. Fig. 4 illustrates a top plan view of another aspect of an acoustic shield assembly associated with an elongated acoustic port. Representatively, acoustic shield assembly 410 may have an acoustic mesh 412 having an elongated shape as shown, which may correspond to the shape and dimensions of an associated acoustic port (although not shown). The assembly 410 may also include a plurality of support members 414A, 414B, 414C, 414D, 414E that contact the acoustic mesh 412. Thus, in this configuration, the acoustic mesh 412 includes multiple sections, portions, or regions that are acoustically closed (e.g., sections covered by members 414A, 414B, 414C, 414D, 414E), and the surrounding mesh portion 402 is acoustically open, as opposed to a single central shielding portion and open perimeter portion as previously described. However, when a single support member is used, the total shaded surface area and open surface area of the acoustic mesh 412 may still be the same, and thus ultimately the same wind noise attenuation may be achieved.

Fig. 5A-5B illustrate another aspect of an acoustic shielding assembly associated with a device. Fig. 5A illustrates a perspective view of a portable electronic device within which an acoustic shielding assembly may be implemented. For example, the portable electronic device may be a portable listening device 500 having an acoustic port 514. Fig. 5B shows a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5' of the device 500. As can be seen from this view, the shield assembly 502 may be coupled to the acoustic port 514. The acoustic shield assembly 502 may include an acoustic mesh 510. The acoustic mesh 510 may be a single or multi-layer mesh structure that extends at least partially between the outward-facing microphone 504 and the outer surface 506 of the casing 508. For example, the exterior surface 520 of the acoustic mesh 510 may face the outside of the casing 508 and be substantially planar with the immediate area of the exterior surface 506 of the casing 508. The exterior surface 520 of the acoustic mesh 510 may be curved so as to seamlessly integrate with (i.e., flush with) the curvature/contour of the exterior surface 506 of the casing 508, such that structural step formations and depressions at its interface may be avoided, thereby substantially mitigating the formation of acoustic turbulence as the air 512 rapidly moves through the acoustic port 526, while still enabling external noise to be filtered to the microphone 504.

In some cases, acoustic mesh 510 is relatively thin compared to the depth of opening 526. Thus, because the exterior surface 520 of the mesh 510 is positioned to be planar with the exterior surface 506 of the casing 508, the cavity 516 within the casing 508 and below the exterior surface 520 of the acoustic mesh 510 may be defined by the structure of the acoustic mesh 510. The relatively large surface area of the exterior surface 520 of the acoustic mesh 510, along with its thin configuration and location relative to the cavity 516, the acoustic mesh 510 may be particularly susceptible to deformation during a fall event. Accordingly, to resist such deformation, the support member 522 may abut against an inner surface 524 of the acoustic mesh 510 opposite the outer surface 520. The support member 522 may be a support post that is an extension of the housing 508 that extends toward and contacts the acoustic mesh 510 and obscures a portion of the acoustic mesh 510. The support member 522 may be positioned such that it is in contact with a central region of the acoustic mesh 510, as shown. In addition to the support members 522, additional stiffeners may be implemented to provide structural rigidity to the acoustic mesh 510, and the ground tabs 524 may couple the acoustic mesh 510 to ground for additional support.

Fig. 6 shows a block diagram of some of the component parts of a portable listening device in which the acoustic shielding assembly disclosed herein may be implemented. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, portable electronic listening device system 600 may include an exemplary wireless listening device 601. As described above, wireless listening device 601 may include housing 605. The housing 605 may be an electronic device component that generates and receives sound to provide an enhanced user interface for the host device 630. The enclosure 605 may include a computing system 602 coupled to a memory bank 604. The computing system 602 can execute instructions stored in the memory bank 604 for performing a number of functions for operating the shell 605. The computing system 602 may be one or more suitable computing devices, such as a microprocessor, Computer Processing Unit (CPU), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or the like.

The computing system 602 can also be coupled to a user interface system 606, a communication system 608, and a sensor system 610 for enabling the housing 605 to perform one or more functions. For example, the user interface system 606 may include a driver (e.g., a speaker) for outputting sound to a user, a microphone for inputting sound from the environment or the user, and any other suitable input and output devices. The communication system 608 may include bluetooth components for enabling the housing 605 to send and receive data/commands from the host device 630. Sensor system 610 may include optical sensors, accelerometers, microphones, and any other type of sensor capable of measuring a parameter of an external entity and/or environment.

The housing 605 may also include a battery 612, which may be any suitable energy storage device capable of storing energy and releasing the stored energy to operate the housing 605, such as a lithium ion battery. The discharge energy may be used to power the electrical components of the housing 605. In some embodiments, the battery 612 may also be charged to supplement its stored energy. For example, the battery 612 may be coupled to a power receiving circuit 614, which may receive current from a receiving element 616. In embodiments where the receiving element 616 and the transmitting element 618 are configured as bare electrical contacts, the receiving element 616 may be electrically coupled with the transmitting element 618 of the housing 603. The housing 603 may include a battery 622 that may store energy and release the energy to a power transmission circuit 620, which in turn may provide power to the transmission element 618. The provided power may be transferred through the electrical connection 628 and received by the power receiving circuit 614 for charging the battery 612. While the housing 603 may be a device that provides power through the receiving element 616 to charge the battery 612, in some embodiments, the housing 603 may also be a device that houses the wireless listening device 601 for storing the wireless listening device 601 and providing protection thereto when stored in the housing 603.

The housing 603 may also include a housing computing system 619 and a housing communication system 621. The housing computing system 619 may be one or more processors, ASICs, FPGAs, microprocessors, etc. for operating the housing 603. The housing computing system 619 may be coupled to the power transmission circuitry 620 for operating the charging functionality of the housing 603, and the housing computing system 619 may also be coupled to the housing communication system 621 for operating the interaction functionality of the housing 603 with other devices (e.g., the housing 605). In some embodiments, the housing communication system 621 is a bluetooth component or any other suitable communication component that transmits and receives data through the communication system 608 of the housing 605, such as an antenna formed from electrical conductors. In this way, the housing 603 may be informed of the status (e.g., charging status, etc.) of the wireless listening device 601. The enclosure 603 may also include a speaker 623 coupled to the enclosure computing system 619 such that the speaker 623 may emit audible noise that can be heard by the user for notification purposes.

Host device 630 (of which housing 605 is an accessory) may be a portable electronic device, such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. The host device 630 can include a host computing system 632 coupled to a host memory bank 634 that contains lines of code that can be executed by the host computing system 632 for operating the host device 630. The host device 630 may also include a host sensor system 636 (e.g., an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a light sensor, etc.) for allowing the host device 630 to sense an environment, and a host user interface system 638 (e.g., a display, a speaker, buttons, a touch screen, etc.) for outputting information to and receiving input from a user. Additionally, host device 630 can also include a host communication system 640 for allowing host device 630 to send and/or receive data from the internet or cell towers via wireless communication (e.g., wireless fidelity (WIFI), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile (GSM), bluetooth, etc.). In some embodiments, the host communication system 640 can also communicate with the communication system 608 in the housing 605 via a wireless communication line 642 so that the host device 630 can send sound data to the housing 605 to output sound and receive data from the housing 605 to receive user input. The communication line 642 may be any suitable wireless communication line, such as a bluetooth connection. By enabling communication between host device 630 and housing 605, wireless listening device 601 can enhance the user interface of host device 630. Fig. 5 shows an example of a representative portable electronic listening device system.

While certain aspects have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled in the art. The description is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of limiting. Furthermore, to assist the patent office and any reader of any patent issued to this application in interpreting the appended claims, applicants intend to note that they do not intend for any appended claims or claim elements to refer to 35u.s.c.112(f), unless "means for" or "step for" is explicitly used in a particular claim.

Claims (20)

1. An acoustic mesh, comprising:

a first portion that is acoustically closed by coupling a support member to the first portion; and

a second portion surrounding the first portion and being acoustically open, wherein the acoustic mesh provides wind noise attenuation of 10 decibels or less.

2. The acoustic grid of claim 1, wherein the first portion is located at a center of the acoustic grid.

3. The acoustic grid of claim 1, wherein the second portion comprises a surface area that is at least 1% of a total surface area of the acoustic grid.

4. The acoustic mesh of claim 1, wherein the second portion is near a perimeter of the acoustic mesh.

5. The acoustic mesh of claim 1, wherein the second portion is an annular portion positioned around the first portion.

6. The acoustic mesh of claim 1, wherein the first portion comprises a plurality of portions that acoustically close different sections of the acoustic mesh.

7. The acoustic mesh of claim 1, wherein the first portion comprises a diameter, and the diameter of the first portion is 1.5cm or less.

8. The acoustic mesh of claim 1, wherein the acoustic mesh is coupled to an acoustic port of a housing in which the microphone is positioned.

9. The acoustic mesh of claim 8, wherein the support member is positioned within an acoustic cavity between the microphone and the acoustic port, and the support member is coupled to an inner surface of the acoustic mesh that faces the acoustic cavity.

10. An acoustic shielding assembly comprising:

an acoustic mesh;

a support member coupled to the acoustic mesh to acoustically close a portion of the acoustic mesh,

and wherein the dimensions of the support member are selected to allow the acoustic grid to attenuate wind noise without affecting the frequency response of a microphone to which the acoustic grid is acoustically coupled.

11. The acoustic shield assembly of claim 10 wherein the portion of the acoustic mesh is a first portion and a second portion of the acoustic mesh surrounding the first portion is acoustically open.

12. The acoustic shield assembly of claim 10 wherein the dimension of the support member is a radius and the acoustic mesh comprises a radius that is greater than the radius of the support member.

13. The acoustic shielding assembly of claim 10, wherein the acoustic mesh has a diameter of 1.5cm or less.

14. The acoustic shielding assembly of claim 10, wherein the wind noise attenuation is 10 decibels or less.

15. The acoustic shielding assembly of claim 10, wherein the acoustic mesh is coupled to an acoustic port that is open to an acoustic cavity of the microphone.

16. The acoustic shield assembly of claim 15 wherein the support member is a post positioned within the acoustic cavity and extending to the acoustic mesh.

17. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a housing having an acoustic port that acoustically couples an acoustic cavity within the housing to a nearby ambient environment;

a microphone positioned within the housing and acoustically coupled to the acoustic cavity; and

an acoustic mesh coupled to the acoustic port, the acoustic mesh having a first portion that is acoustically closed and a second portion that is acoustically open and surrounds the first portion, and wherein the acoustic mesh attenuates wind noise from the ambient environment without affecting the frequency response of the microphone.

18. The portable electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the acoustically closed first portion prevents wind noise from the ambient environment from entering the acoustic cavity.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 17, wherein the acoustically closed first portion is located at a center of the acoustic grid.

20. The portable electronic device defined in claim 17 further comprising a support member that extends from the acoustic cavity to the first portion of the acoustic mesh to acoustically close the first portion of the acoustic mesh and wherein the support member comprises a radius that is less than a radius of the acoustic port.

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