WO2019218355A1

WO2019218355A1 - Audio device and manufacturing method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2019218355A1
Application number: PCT/CN2018/087532
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Hoby ANDERSEN; Miriam La VECCHIA; Frederik SKOVGAARD
Original assignee: Goertek Inc
Current assignee: Goertek Inc
Priority date: 2018-05-18
Filing date: 2018-05-18
Publication date: 2019-11-21
Anticipated expiration: 2020-11-18
Also published as: CN208540098U; CN109348321A; CN109348321B

Abstract

An audio device and a manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. The audio device comprises: a housing for containing at least one microphone, the housing comprises: an outer surface with at least one microphone inlet, wherein the microphone is to be mounted under the microphone inlet and receives sound wave through the microphone inlet; wherein a damping structure is formed around the microphone inlet on the outer surface and stands out of the outer surface.

Description

AUDIO DEVICE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to technical field of microphone, and more specifically, to an audio device and a method for manufacturing an audio device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An audio device such as a portable device generally incorporates a microphone for recording or transmitting sound. The audio device hasa microphone inside its housing. The housing has an inlet for passing sound wave into the microphone. The microphone is beneath the inlet.

In the prior art, generally, a series of holes are placed in the outer surface of the housing and act as the inlet for sound. Alternatively, some special material or slit is flush-mounted on the outer surface of housing and act as the inlet. In these solutions, the designers try makethe inlet to be ‘invisible’ to the wind flow.

The audio device often encounters wind noise problems when being exposed to wind. In order to reduce the problem, a designer often covers the microphone with a thick layer of foam, or with an artificial hairy structure.

These solutions are not effective and are especially not suitable for wearable audio devices. For example, the foam layer covering the microphone has to be quite thick in order to efficiently reduce wind noise. It will often be difficult to attach a foam material on a small wearable or portable device. Furthermore, the foam material is not very durable, and will often be thorn off the product when being used. Besides, from a pure aesthetic design perspective, a foam material can also be undesirable for an audio device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of this invention is to provide a new technical solution forreducing wind noise picked up by a microphone.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an audio device, comprising: ahousing for containing at least one microphone, the housing comprises: an outer surface with at least one microphone inlet, wherein the microphone is to be mounted under the microphone inlet and receives sound wave through the microphone inlet; wherein a damping structure is formed around the microphone inlet on the outer surface and stands out of the outer surface.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided method for manufacturing anaudio device, comprising: forming a housing with at least one microphone inlet in an outer surface of the housing; providing atleast one microphone in the housing, wherein the microphone is to be mounted under the microphone inlet and receives sound wave through the microphone inlet; andforming a damping structure around the microphone inlet on the outer surface and stands out of the outer surface.

According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the wind noise picked up by a microphone can be reduced.

Further features of the present invention and advantages thereof will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments according to the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DISCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description thereof, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a typical microphone inlet.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the typical microphone inlet.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the situation where wind is passing by the typical microphone inlet.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of an audio device according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the situation where wind is passing by the microphone inletaccording to an embodiment of this disclosure.

Fig. 6 schematically shows various damping structures according to embodiments of this disclosure.

Fig. 7 schematically shows an embodiment of a damping structure with combined protrusions.

Fig. 8 schematically shows another embodiment of a damping structure with combined protrusions.

Fig. 9 schematically shows a wearable audio device worn by a person.

Fig. 10 schematically shows various audio devices which the embodiments of this disclosure can apply to.

Fig. 11 schematically shows a flow chart of a method for manufacturing anaudio deviceaccording to another embodiment of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the relative arrangement of the components and steps, the numerical expressions, and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention unless it is specifically stated otherwise.

The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.

Techniques, methods and apparatus as known by one of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail but are intended to be part of the specification where appropriate.

In all of the examples illustrated and discussed herein, any specific values should be interpreted to be illustrative only and non-limiting. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments could have different values.

Notice that similar reference numerals and letters refer to similar items in the following figures, and thus once an item is defined in one figure, it is possible that it need not be further discussed for following figures.

The image below illustrates a typical microphone inlet. The microphone is placed behind a surface, and the hole is an inlet through the surface to the microphone.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a typical microphone inlet. As show in Fig. 1, an inlet 103 is provided through the outer surface 102 of a housing of an audio device. A microphone 120 is arranged beneath the inlet 103 inside the housing.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the typical microphone inlet. In Fig. 2, the part of the inlet 103 and the microphone 120 beneath the outer surface 102 are shown in dash line.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the situation where wind is passing by the typical microphone inlet. When wind is passing by the microphone inlet 103, it will create turbulence around the inlet 103, as schematically illustrated in Fig. 3. The turbulence will create fluctuations in air pressures in the microphone inlet 103, which will then be picked up as noise (wind noise) by the microphone.

As shown in Fig. 4, the audio device 200 comprises a housing 201 and at least one microphone 220 arranged in the housing 201. The housing 201 contains the at least one microphone 220. The housing 201 comprises: an outer surface 202 with at least one microphone inlet 203. The microphone 220 is to be mounted under the microphone inlet 203 and receives sound wave through the microphone inlet 203.

As shown in Fig. 4, a damping structure 204 is formed around the microphone inlet 203 on the outer surface 202 and stands out of the outer surface 202.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the situation where wind is passing by the microphone inlet according to an embodiment of this disclosure and shows the effect of audio device in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 5, when wind is passing by the outer surface 202 of the housing 201, turbulences will be generated at the damping structure 204, so that the turbulence at the microphone inlet 203 will be reduced. As such, the amount of wind noise picked up by the microphone 220 will also be reduced.

Here, the damping structure is an “extra” structure on the outer surface of the housing. It is intended to interact with the wind flow, and create a controlled turbulent layer. This local turbulent layer ends up actively “pushing” the wind away from the microphone inlet, resulting in less wind noise.

In wearable devices such as wireless headsets, the space inside is so sparse that it may be too difficult to find extra space to put a cavity around the microphone, or have space for a damping material inside the product. Many of these products also need to be waterproof, so the solutions with cavities, lots of holes, slits or a sintered material may not be applicable.

In this embodiment, the damping structure is on the outer surface of the housing of the audio device. The height and density of the standing-out structure of the damping structurewill mainly depend on the shape of the standing-outstructure, the size of the audio device, and the wind speed that it needs to cope with.

Fig. 6 schematically shows various damping structures according to embodiments of this disclosure. As shown in Fig. 6, as wind may pass over the microphone inlet from any direction, it is desirable to arrange the dampening structure 204 on all sides of the microphone inlet203 or around the microphone inlet 203.

The patterns of the damping structure 204 may include round, ellipse, square, triangle and polygon such as pentagon, hexagon and so on. Exemplary patterns of hexagon, octagon and round of the damping structure 204are shown inA, B, C of Fig. 6, respectively.

As shown in Fig. 6, the damping structure 204 may include a plurality of protrusions, and the shape of each protrusionmay becolumn, cone or at least part of a sphere. Various exemplary column protrusions are shown in A-G, I of Fig. 6, and an exemplary hemispheroid protrusion is shown in I of Fig. 6.

For example, the column may include cylinder or prism, the cone may include circular cone or pyramid, and the at least part of a sphere may include hemispheroidExemplary cylinder columns are shown in A-F of Fig. 6, exemplary prism columns are shown in G of Fig. 6.

The damping structure 204 may include a sound-through structure over the microphone inlet 203. An exemplary sound-through structure is shown in H of Fig. 6, which is a cross structure over the microphone inlet 203.

As shown in Fig. 6, the protrusions are formed around the microphone inlet and take the microphone inlet as their center.

As shown in D, E, F of Fig. 6, the protrusions may have different or same heights. Optionally, as shown in G, H, I of Fig. 6, the protrusionsmay have different or same shape.

The damping structure 204 may include a combination of various protrusions. Fig. 7 schematically shows combined protrusions including the cylinder columns shown in A of Fig. 6 and the sound-through structure shown in H of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 schematically shows another embodiment of a damping structure with combined protrusions. As shown in Fig. 8, the damping structure may include at least three ring portions around the microphone inlet. The at least three ring portions include, outward from the microphone inlet, a first ring portion of cylinder, a second ring portion of prism and a third portion of hemispheroid.

The damping structure 204 can obstruct the wind flow around the microphone inlet and can be implemented in a variety of ways. The damping structure 204 may be made of a same material as the outer surface 202 of the housing 201, so that it can simply be incorporated as a surface structure. Alternatively, the damping structure 204 is made of a material softer than that of the outer surface. This softerdamping structure 204 may be more comfortable to wear, or be more robust. The height of the damping structure 204 may be less than 2 mm above the outer surface, so that the damping structure 204 can reduce the wind noise while it does not have two much influence on the usage of the audio device by a person.

Fig. 9 schematically shows a wearable audio device worn by a person. As shown in Fig. 9, the audio device 200 is a wireless earphone, and the person wears it on his ear. As shown in Fig. 9, the microphone inlet may be arranged on the back surface of the earphone or on the side surface of the earphone.

The audio device adopting the solution of this disclosure can be various electronic device, such as headphone, headset, camera, wearable device, biometric sensor, smartphone, laptop and so on. Fig. 10 schematically shows some audio devices, which the embodiments of this disclosure can apply to. The audio device can be an earbud, a smart watch, a smart phone, a headset as shownin a-d of Fig. 10, respectively.

The embodiments in this disclosure can reduce the wind noise picked up by a microphone. It will be advantageous to adopt them in portable and wearable devices, where it may not be possible or desirable to use foam.

Fig. 11 schematically shows a flow chart of a method for manufacturing anaudio deviceaccording to another embodiment of this disclosure. Fig. 11 explains the processes of manufacturing the audio device which could be that as described above, and thus some repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in Fig. 11, at step S2100, a housing is formed with at least one microphone inlet in an outer surface of the housing.

At step S2200, at least one microphoneis provided in the housing, wherein the microphone is to be mounted under the microphone inlet and receives sound wave through the microphone inlet.

At step S2300, a damping structure is formed around the microphone inlet on the outer surface and stands out of the outer surface.

For example, the step S2300 may include forming the pattern of the damping structure as one of round, ellipse, square, triangle and polygon. The step S2300 may includeforming the damping structure as a plurality of protrusions, and the shape of each protrusionis formed ascolumn, cone or at least part of a sphere, wherein the column includes cylinder or prism, the cone includes circular cone or pyramid, and the at least part of a sphere includes hemispheroid. The step S2300 may includeformingthe protrusionsaround the microphone inlet and take the microphone inlet as their center. The step S2300 may includeforming the protrusions in different or same heights; and/or, forming the protrusionsindifferent or same shape.

The step S2300 may includeforming the damping structure as a sound-through structure over the microphone inlet. For example, the sound-through structure is a cross structure over the microphone inlet.

For example, the housing and the damping structure are formed in a single molding process, using a same material, so that the processing thereof is relatively simple, which will reduce its defective rate. Alternatively, the housing and the damping structure are formed in separate molding processes, using a different material, wherein the damping structure is made of a material softer than that of the outer surface.

The damping structure is formed with a height less than 2 mm above the outer surface.

The step S2300 may includeforming the damping structure to include at least three ring portions around the microphone inlet, wherein the at least three ring portions include, outward from the microphone inlet, a first ring portion of cylinder, a second ring portion of prism and a third portion of hemispheroid.

Although some specific embodiments of the present invention have been demonstrated in detail with examples, it should be understood bya personskilled in the art that the above examples are only intended to be illustrative but not to limit the scope of the present invention.

Claims

An audio device, comprising:

ahousing for containing at least one microphone, the housing comprises:

anouter surface with at least one microphone inlet, wherein the microphone is to be mounted under the microphone inlet and receives sound wave through the microphone inlet;

whereina damping structure is formed around the microphone inlet on the outer surface andstands out of the outer surface.
The audio deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the pattern of the damping structure is one of round, ellipse, square, triangle andpolygon.
The audio deviceaccording to claim 1 or 2, wherein the damping structure includes a plurality of protrusions, and the shape of each protrusion is column, cone or at least part of a sphere.
The audio device according to claim 3, wherein the protrusions are formed around the microphone inlet and take the microphone inlet as their center.
The audio deviceaccording to claim 3, wherein the protrusions have different or same heights; and/or,

theprotrusions have different or same shape.
The audio deviceaccording to claim 3, wherein the columnincludescylinder or prism, the cone includes circular cone or pyramid, and the at least part of a sphere includes hemispheroid.
The audio deviceaccording to claim 1 or 2 or 3, wherein the damping structure includes a sound-through structure over the microphone inlet.
The audio deviceaccording to claim 7, wherein the sound-through structure is a cross structure over the microphone inlet.
The audio deviceaccording to claim 1 or 2, wherein the damping structure is made of a same material as the outer surface, orthe damping structure is made of a material softer than that of the outer surface.
The audio deviceaccording to claim 1 or 2, wherein a height of the damping structure is less than 2 mm above the outer surface.
The audio deviceaccording to claim 1 or 2, wherein the damping structure includes at least three ring portions around the microphone inlet, and the at least three ring portions include, outward from the microphone inlet, a first ring portion of cylinder, a second ring portion of prism and a third portion of hemispheroid.
A method for manufacturing anaudio device, comprising:

forminga housing with at least one microphone inlet in an outer surface of the housing;

providing atleast one microphone in the housing, wherein the microphone is to be mounted under the microphone inlet and receives sound wave through the microphone inlet; and

forming a damping structure around the microphone inlet on the outer surface and stands out of the outer surface.
The method according to claim 12, wherein forming a damping structurefurther comprises:

formingthe pattern of the damping structure as one of round, ellipse, square, triangle and polygon.
The methodaccording to claim 12 or 13, wherein forming a damping structurefurther comprises:

formingthe damping structure as a plurality of protrusions, and the shape of each protrusionis formed ascolumn, cone or at least part of a sphere;

whereinthe column includes cylinder or prism, the cone includes circular cone or pyramid, and the at least part of a sphere includes hemispheroid.
Themethod according to claim 14, wherein forming a damping structurefurther comprises:

formingthe protrusionsaround the microphone inlet and take the microphone inlet as their center.
The methodaccording to claim 14, whereinforming a damping structurefurther comprises:

formingthe protrusionsin different or same heights; and/or,

formingthe protrusionsindifferent or same shape.
The methodaccording to claim 12 or 13, wherein forming a damping structurefurther comprises:

formingthe damping structure as a sound-through structure over the microphone inlet.

wherein the sound-through structure is a cross structure over the microphone inlet.
The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the housing and the damping structure are formed in a single molding process, using a same material,

orthe housing and the damping structureare formed in separate molding processes, using a different material, whereinthe damping structure is made of a material softer than that of the outer surface.
The methodaccording to claim 12 or 13, wherein the damping structure is formedwith a heightless than 2 mm above the outer surface.
The methodaccording to claim 12 or 13, wherein forming a damping structurefurther comprises:

forming the damping structure to include at least three ring portions around the microphone inlet, wherein the at least three ring portions include, outward from the microphone inlet, a first ring portion of cylinder, a second ring portion of prism and a third portion of hemispheroid.