Vented liquid-resistant microphone assembly
Aspects of the subject technology relate to liquid-resistant microphone modules for electronic devices. A microphone module may include a non-porous membrane that seals the front volume of the microphone module from the external environment of the electronic device. The microphone module may also include a substrate having an opening that allows airflow between the front volume and an interior cavity within the housing of the electronic device. In various implementations, an inductive vent and/or a resistive vent may be provided over the opening in the substrate.
1 . An acoustic transducer assembly, comprising:
a back volume;
a front volume;
a non-porous membrane that defines a sealed volume fluidly coupled to the front volume, and that provides a liquid-resistant seal between the front volume an external environment; and
a leak port configured to fluidly couple the sealed volume to an internal environment that is separate from the back volume.
2 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 1 , wherein the leak port comprises a resistive vent between the sealed volume and the internal environment.
3 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 1 , wherein the leak port comprises an inductive vent between the sealed volume and the internal environment.
4 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 1 , wherein the leak port comprises a resistive vent and an inductive vent between the sealed volume and the internal environment.
5 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 1 , wherein the external environment is external to the acoustic transducer assembly and internal to an electronic device within which the acoustic transducer assembly is disposed.
6 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a substrate having a first side and an opposing second side, wherein the leak port comprises an opening in the substrate.
7 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 6 , further comprising:
a cover mounted to the first side of the substrate and at least partially defining the back volume; and
a sound-responsive element that separates the front volume from the back volume, wherein the front volume is fluidly coupled to an acoustic port in the substrate, the acoustic port being separate from the leak port.
8 . An electronic device, comprising:
an acoustic transducer assembly, the acoustic transducer assembly comprising:
a back volume;
a front volume;
a non-porous membrane that defines a sealed volume fluidly coupled to the front volume, and that provides a liquid-resistant seal between the front volume an external environment; and
a leak port configured to fluidly couple the sealed volume to an internal environment that is separate from the back volume.
9 . The electronic device of claim 8 , further comprising a housing defining an internal volume, wherein the acoustic transducer assembly is disposed within the internal volume, and the internal volume defines the internal environment that is separate from the back volume.
10 . The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the leak port comprises a resistive vent between the sealed volume and the internal environment.
11 . The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the leak port comprises an inductive vent between the sealed volume and the internal environment.
12 . The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the leak port comprises a resistive vent and an inductive vent between the sealed volume and the internal environment.
13 . The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the acoustic transducer assembly further comprises:
a substrate having a first side and an opposing second side, wherein the leak port comprises an opening in the substrate.
14 . The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the acoustic transducer assembly further comprises:
a cover mounted to the first side of the substrate and at least partially defining the back volume; and
a sound-responsive element that separates the front volume from the back volume, wherein the front volume is fluidly coupled to an acoustic port in the substrate, the acoustic port being separate from the leak port.
15 . A method, comprising:
receiving sound from an environment external to an electronic device at a liquid-resistant microphone of the electronic device, the liquid-resistant microphone comprising:
a back volume;
a front volume;
a non-porous membrane that defines a sealed volume fluidly coupled to the front volume, and that provides a liquid-resistant seal between the front volume an external environment; and
a leak port configured to fluidly couple the sealed volume to an internal environment of the electronic device, wherein the internal environment is separate from the back volume; and
generating an electronic signal with the liquid-resistant microphone based on the received sound.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the liquid-resistant microphone further comprises a sound-responsive element, wherein receiving the sound comprises receiving the sound at the sound-responsive element, and wherein generating the electronic signal comprises generating the electronic signal based on a motion of the sound-responsive element due to the received sound.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein receiving the sound comprises receiving the sound from the environment external to the electronic device through the non-porous membrane of the liquid-resistant microphone.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein receiving the sound comprises receiving the sound through the non-porous membrane of the liquid-resistant microphone and through an acoustic port opening in a substrate of the liquid-resistant microphone.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the leak port is formed, at least in part, by an opening in the substrate, wherein the motion of the sound-responsive element due to the received sound causes an airflow through the leak port, wherein the internal environment comprises an interior cavity of the electronic device, wherein the front volume is at least partially defined by the non-porous membrane, and wherein the interior cavity of the electronic device is separated from the back volume of the liquid-resistant microphone by a cover mounted to the substrate.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the airflow passes through at least one of a resistive filter or an inductive filter of the leak port.
21 . An acoustic transducer assembly, comprising:
a substrate having a first opening and a second opening;
a sensor assembly mounted on a first side of the substrate over the first opening;
a non-porous membrane that defines a sealed volume on a second side of the substrate and fluidly coupled to the opening, wherein the non-porous membrane provides a liquid-resistant seal between the opening an external environment; and
a channel that extends through the substrate from the sealed volume to the second opening.
22 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 21 , wherein the channel extends in a direction substantially parallel to the first side and the second side of the substrate from a first port in an edge of the substrate to a second port on the first side or the second side of the substrate.
23 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 21 , wherein the channel extends in a direction substantially parallel to the first side and the second side of the substrate from a first port on the first side of the substrate to a second port on the first side or the second side of the substrate.
24 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 21 , wherein the sensor assembly comprises a sound-responsive element that extends over the first opening.
25 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 24 , wherein the first opening is configured to pass sound from the external environment to the sound-responsive element, and wherein the second opening is configured for venting, via the channel, from a front volume of the acoustic transducer assembly.
26 . An acoustic transducer assembly, comprising:
a substrate having a first surface and an opposing second surface;
a cover mounted to the first surface of the substrate and at least partially defining a back volume of the acoustic transducer assembly;
a front volume that is separated from the back volume by a sound-responsive element and that is fluidly coupled to an opening in the substrate;
a non-porous membrane that defines a sealed volume fluidly coupled to the front volume via the opening, and that provides a liquid-resistant seal between the front volume and an environment external to the acoustic transducer assembly; and
a circuitry block mounted to the first surface of the substrate external to the cover.
27 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 26 , wherein the substrate comprises an extended portion that extends beyond a wall of the cover, and wherein the circuitry block is mounted to the extended portion of the substrate.
28 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 26 , wherein a bottom surface of the circuitry block is mounted to the first surface of the substrate, and wherein the circuitry block comprises routing circuitry for routing an electrical signal from microphone circuitry within the back volume to one or more electrical contacts on a top surface of the circuitry block.
29 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 26 , wherein the circuitry block comprises an input/output (I/O) block.
30 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 26 , wherein the circuitry block comprises a functional silicon die.
31 . The acoustic transducer assembly of claim 26 , wherein the circuitry block is configured to provide radio-frequency (RF) filtering for one or more signals generated by the sound-responsive element of the acoustic transducer assembly.