IP Library Granted Patent US 9,936,288
Granted Patent B2
US 9,936,288 · App. 15/061,226 · Granted Apr 3, 2018

Narrow-angle directional microphone and method of manufacturing the same

Inventor: Hiroshi Akino (Machida, JP)
Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA AUDIO-TECHNICA
H04R1/342H04R31/006H04R1/021
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,936,288
App. No.
15/061,226
Granted
Apr 3, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

Excellent narrow-angle directivity is obtained by causing a microphone case main body to function as an acoustic tube, reducing a weight of a microphone, and suppressing leakage of sound waves from an inside of the acoustic tube to an outside. An acoustic tube microphone case includes a microphone case main body made of a metal tube having a plurality of openings formed in a peripheral surface, and acoustic resistance materials formed in a rectangular sheet manner, cylindrically rounded such that both right and left ends are mutually in contact, and arranged along an inner peripheral surface of the microphone case main body. A plurality of the acoustic resistance materials is layered, and at least the innermost acoustic resistance material applies a force in a developing direction by an elastic force thereof, and presses the outside acoustic resistance materials against the inner peripheral surface of the microphone case main body.

Claims (24)

1. A narrow-angle directional microphone comprising:

a unidirectional microphone unit having a front acoustic terminal and a rear acoustic terminal; and

an acoustic tube microphone case with an open distal end, in which the microphone unit is stored in a rear end,

wherein the acoustic tube microphone case includes:

a microphone case main body made of a metal tube having a plurality of openings formed in a peripheral surface, and

a plurality of acoustic resistance materials arranged in the microphone case main body, and including an innermost acoustic resistance material and an outer acoustic resistance material arranged on the innermost acoustic resistance material to be sandwiched between the microphone case main body and the innermost acoustic resistance material, each being formed in a rectangular sheet manner, rounded cylindrically to make two ends come in contact with each other, and arranged along an inner peripheral surface of the microphone case main body,

the innermost acoustic resistance material annularly applies a force in a developing direction with an elastic force of the innermost acoustic resistance material, and presses the one outer acoustic resistance material toward the inner peripheral surface of the microphone case main body such that an air layer is not formed between the microphone case main body and the outer acoustic resistance material, and

the plurality of acoustic resistance materials includes joint portions where two ends of each of the plurality of acoustic resistance materials are contacted, the joint portions being arranged at positions to be mutually shifted in a peripheral direction of the microphone case main body and not to overlap with the plurality of openings of the microphone case main body.

2. The narrow-angle directional microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of openings formed in the peripheral surface of the microphone case main body is provided along the peripheral direction of the microphone case main body at equal intervals, and

the joint portions are arranged at mutually facing positions along the peripheral direction of the microphone case main body.

3. The narrow-angle directional microphone according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of acoustic resistance materials is formed of a conductive material.

4. The narrow-angle directional microphone according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of acoustic resistance materials has a different acoustic resistance per unit area from another of the plurality of acoustic resistance materials.

5. A method of manufacturing the narrow-angle directional microphone according to claim 1 , the method comprising steps of:

providing the plurality of openings in the peripheral surface of the metal tube to form the microphone case main body;

cylindrically rounding at least one outer acoustic resistance material formed in the rectangular sheet manner such that the two ends of the outer acoustic resistance material are mutually contacted;

inserting the outer acoustic resistance material into the microphone case main body, and arranging the outer acoustic resistance material along the inner peripheral surface of the microphone case main body;

further cylindrically rounding the innermost acoustic resistance material such that the two ends of the innermost acoustic resistance material are mutually contacted; and

inserting the innermost acoustic resistance material into the microphone case main body, and arranging the innermost acoustic resistance material along the inner peripheral surface of the microphone case main body to press the outer acoustic resistance material toward the inner peripheral surface of the microphone case main body by annularly applying the force in the developing direction with the elastic force of the innermost acoustic resistance material such that the air layer is not formed between the microphone case main body and the at least one outer acoustic resistance material,

wherein in the step of arranging the outer acoustic resistance material, the joint portion of the outer acoustic resistance material is arranged at the position not to overlap with the plurality of openings of the microphone case main body, and

in the step of arranging the innermost acoustic resistance material, the joint portion of the innermost acoustic resistance material is arranged at the position to be shifted from the joint portion of the outer acoustic resistance material in the peripheral direction of the microphone case main body and not to overlap with the plurality of openings of the microphone case main body.

6. The method of manufacturing the narrow-angle directional microphone according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of the plurality of acoustic resistance materials is formed of a conductive material.

7. The method of manufacturing the narrow-angle directional microphone according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of the plurality of acoustic resistance materials has a different acoustic resistance per unit area from another of the plurality of acoustic resistance materials.

8. The narrow-angle directional microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the outer acoustic resistance material is formed of a non-woven fabric or a resin, and the innermost acoustic resistance material is formed of a fine metal mesh, and

when the outer acoustic resistance material and the innermost resistance material are arranged in the microphone case main body, the outer acoustic resistance material has an outer diameter substantially matched with an inner diameter of the microphone case main body, and the innermost acoustic resistance material has an outer diameter substantially matched with an inner diameter of the outer acoustic resistance material.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 4, 2016
From: AKINO, HIROSHI
To: KABUSHIKI KAISHA AUDIO-TECHNICA
Reel/Frame 037894/0993 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2015-048094 · Mar 11, 2015 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20160269821A1 · Sep 15, 2016