IP Library Granted Patent US 11,895,462
Granted Patent B2
US 11,895,462 · App. 17/365,303 · Granted Feb 6, 2024

Microphone device including a baffle on which two or more microphone elements are disposed

Inventor: Takeo Kanamori (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
H04R1/406H04R3/005
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,895,462
App. No.
17/365,303
Granted
Feb 6, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A microphone device according to the present disclosure includes: two or more microphone elements for picking up sounds which are disposed in spatially different locations; a baffle that has a surface on which the two or more microphone elements are disposed, and interferes with, among the sounds, a passage of a sound other than a direct sound that travels from a frontal direction in which the two or more microphone elements face and directly reaches the two or more microphone elements; and a directionality synthesizer that produces a directionality synthesized signal by performing directionality synthesis on output signals outputted by the two or more microphone elements.

Claims (27)

1. A microphone device, comprising:

two or more microphone elements for picking up sounds which are disposed in spatially different locations;

a baffle that has a surface on which the two or more microphone elements are disposed, and interferes with, among the sounds, a passage of a sound other than a direct sound that travels from a frontal direction in which the two or more microphone elements face and directly reaches the two or more microphone elements; and

a directionality synthesizer that produces a directionality synthesized signal by performing directionality synthesis on output signals outputted by the two or more microphone elements, wherein

the baffle is in a shape of a cone, and

the two or more microphone elements are disposed at locations on the surface of the baffle such that none of the two or more microphone elements are disposed at a vertex of the cone.

2. The microphone device according to claim 1 , wherein

the baffle is disposed such that the vertex of the cone is oriented toward a front toward which the two or more microphone elements face.

3. The microphone device according to claim 2 , wherein

the surface of the baffle includes:

an upper part which is a region on which the two or more microphone elements are disposed; and

a lower part which is a base region on which the two or more microphone elements are not disposed.

4. The microphone device according to claim 1 , wherein

the directionality synthesizer produces, by performing directionality synthesis on the output signals outputted by the two or more microphone elements:

a directionality synthesized signal having sensitivity in the frontal direction; and

a directionality synthesized signal having a blind spot in sensitivity in the frontal direction.

5. The microphone device according to claim 1 , wherein

the two or more microphone elements include at least two and at most 16 microphone elements.

6. A microphone device, comprising:

two or more microphone elements for picking up sounds which are disposed in spatially different locations;

a baffle that has a surface on which the two or more microphone elements are disposed, and interferes with, among the sounds, a passage of a sound other than a direct sound that travels from a frontal direction in which the two or more microphone elements face and directly reaches the two or more microphone elements; and

a directionality synthesizer that produces a directionality synthesized signal by performing directionality synthesis on output signals outputted by the two or more microphone elements, wherein

the baffle is in a shape of a cone, and

all of the two or more microphone elements are disposed at locations on the surface of the baffle in a region that extends from a vertex of the cone to no more than approximately one third in distance from the vertex of the cone to a bottom surface of the cone.

7. The microphone device according to claim 6 , wherein

one microphone element among the two or more microphone elements is disposed at the vertex of the cone, and

the baffle is disposed such that the vertex of the cone is oriented toward a front toward which the two or more microphone elements face.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 9, 2021
From: KANAMORI, TAKEO
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
Reel/Frame 058341/0680 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation PCTJP2020005425 · Feb 13, 2020
Provisional Application 62805551 · Feb 14, 2019
Related Publication 20210329374A1 · Oct 21, 2021