Electrical audio signal processing systems and devices – Sound effects – Reverberators
Patent
1995-03-10
1997-08-19
Kuntz, Curtis
Electrical audio signal processing systems and devices
Sound effects
Reverberators
381151, 381173, 381 683, H04R 2500
Patent
active
056596200
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ear microphone comprising a microphone unit mounted in a holder for reception of speech sounds transmitted by tissue from the wearer, the microphone unit being insensitive to airborne sound signals.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
DK-B-159190 discloses an earplug designed for arrangement in the auditory meatus thereby requiring individual adjustment. The arrangement in the inner ear causes various drawbacks that in addition to the individual adjustment are an uncomfortable feeling of pressure in the auditory meatus, sweat in the ear, pollution by cerumen, loss of sense of sound localization when one auditory meatus is blocked etc. The earplug is deliberately designed to suppress sound (noise) coming from the outside. The microphone must be sensitive to airborne sound signals as the signals arrive at the microphone through internal ducts from the area of the plug the exterior of which is provided with recesses to absorb the sound signals from the soft tissue in the auditory meatus.
From GB-A-2 197 158 an ear telephone is known which is designed for being plugged into the auditory meatus. Possibly, the vibration transducer is a piezoelectric element. The design seems to imply that the whole holder is set to vibration, and since the holder is relatively heavy, the consequence must necessarily be that the sound transmission must be of a lowpass nature.
DK 135480 discloses a holder designed to cover the whole ear and consequently, it cannot be worn discreetly. The microphone is a pressure-gradient microphone that has to be in contact with the jawbone i front of the ear. This can only be obtained by strapping the microphone on to the head.
DE 4019529 A1 discloses an ear microphone receiving and transmitting the sound via the jawbone in front of the ear, and likewise a clamp across the head is required.
EP-B-0 092 822 discloses a device also designed for being pressed into the auditory meatus--like GB-A-2 197 158.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of this invention is to avoid the above-mentioned drawbacks of the known ear microphones. This is achieved by an ear microphone characterized in that the holder is designed for arrangement in its entirety in the outer ear outside the auditory meatus, and the microphone unit being mounted in vibration transmitting tissue contact in a part of the edge of the holder facing the bottom of tragus. Thus, it is obtained that when the holder can be positioned in the outer ear outside the auditory meatus, individual adjustment is avoided, easy insertion into the ear is achieved and the holder is not being smeared with cerumen. Furthermore, a better comfort is obtained, and an inconvenient feeling of pressure in the auditory meatus as well as sweat in a plugged auditory meatus is avoided. Moreover, outer sounds are not necessarily totally shut off.
When people talk, vibrations in the throat and vocal cords are generated. These vibrations propagate through the bony and liquid-filled tissue. Especially the jawbone which passes near the front part of the outer ear produces a strong transmission and transfers considerably more "teeth sounds" than if the signal was collected in the throat.
For an ear microphone to be used for full duplex, sufficient separation between input and output must be present in order to avoid self-resonance.
In order to increase the separation in the ear microphone, the sensitivity to vibrations can be increased, and the sensitivity to acoustic sounds can be decreased. Thus, a microphone being unable to hear anything is desirable. At the same time, this results in the advantage of suppression of the surrounding noise. Therefore, the entire holder may advantageously be made of a heavy vibration-absorbing material having a density greater than 2 g/cm.sup.3, such as a metal.
A microphone having a tight rubbery coating is very sensitive to movements of the coating. The air pressure produced underneath the coating cannot escape for which reason a strong sound pressure is produced on the microphone m
REFERENCES:
patent: 3869584 (1975-03-01), Wilde
patent: 4109116 (1978-08-01), Victoreen
patent: 5295193 (1994-03-01), Ono
patent: 5390254 (1995-02-01), Adelman
Michio Jinno, "Microphone" vol. 7 No. 272 E-214, Abstract of Japan 58-153490, Sep. 12, 1983.
Takeshi Yoshii, "Magnetic Bone Conduction And Eardrum Oscillation Microphone in Common use of Transmission and Reception", vol. 8 No. 21 E-224, Abstract of Japan 58-182398, Oct. 25, 1983.
Kuntz Curtis
Nguyen Duc
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