Elevated MEMS device in a microphone with ingress protection

a technology of ingress protection and mems device, which is applied in the field of ingress protection, can solve the problems of affecting the operation of the microphone, and affecting the performance of the microphon

Inactive Publication Date: 2020-07-30
KNOWLES ELECTRONICS LLC
View PDF0 Cites 3 Cited by
  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This solution effectively prevents contaminant ingress without degrading the microphone's performance, maintaining a better signal-to-noise ratio and being easily applicable to existing devices without reconfiguring them.

Problems solved by technology

When operating in different environments, various types of contaminants can infiltrate into the interior of the microphone.
This is undesirable because the contaminants can damage the components of the microphone.
Damage to the components causes performance problems or can cause the microphone to cease to operate.
Unfortunately, many of these approaches themselves degrade the performance of the microphone, for example, by introducing unacceptable levels of noise and decreasing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
The problems of previous approaches have resulted in some user dissatisfaction with these previous approaches.

Method used

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
View more

Image

Smart Image Click on the blue labels to locate them in the text.
Viewing Examples
Smart Image
  • Elevated MEMS device in a microphone with ingress protection
  • Elevated MEMS device in a microphone with ingress protection
  • Elevated MEMS device in a microphone with ingress protection

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

Embodiment Construction

[0023]The present approaches provide microphones with ingress protection from contaminants that might damage or destroy the microphone and / or its components. The approaches prevent contaminants from entering the interior of the microphone but do not substantially degrade the performance of the microphone. As a result, better SNRs are provided. Additionally, the approaches described herein are portable in that they can easily be applied to current microphones without having to re-work the configuration of the existing microphone.

[0024]Referring now to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, one example of a MEMS microphone 100 with ingress protection is described. The microphone 100 includes a base 102, a MEMS device 104 (e.g., a MEMS transducer, such as an acoustic transducer) (including two MEMS motors, each including a diaphragm 103 and a back plate 105), an application specific integrated circuit 108, a shim assembly 110, an ingress protection element 112, ports 114 that exten...

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More

PUM

No PUM Login to View More

Abstract

A micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) microphone includes a base including a port extending through the base, a shim assembly, an ingress protection element, and a MEMS device. The shim assembly is disposed on the base and over the port. The shim assembly has a plurality of walls that form a hollow interior cavity. The shim assembly also has a top surface and a bottom surface coupled to the base. The ingress protection element extends over and is coupled to the top of the shim assembly to enclose the cavity of the shim assembly. The shim assembly elevates the ingress protection element above the base and is effective to prevent the passage of contaminants there through. The MEMS device includes a diaphragm and a back plate and is disposed over the ingress protection element.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16 / 137,206, filed Sep. 20, 2018, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 561,653, filed Sep. 21, 2017, the entire contents each of which are incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]This application relates to micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) microphones and, more specifically, to ingress protection for these devices.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Different types of acoustic devices have been used through the years. One type of device is a microphone. In a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microphone, a MEMS die includes at least one diaphragm and at least one back plate. The MEMS die is supported by a substrate and enclosed by a housing (e.g., a cup or cover with walls). A port may extend through the substrate (for a bottom port device) or through the top of the housing (for a top port device). In ...

Claims

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More

Application Information

Patent Timeline
no application Login to View More
Patent Type & AuthorityApplications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): B81B7/02H04R19/00B81C1/00H04R1/08H04R19/04
CPCB81C1/00158B81B2207/115B81C2201/053H04R19/005H04R19/04H04R2201/003B81B2201/0257H04R1/086B81B7/02B81B2203/0127B81B2203/0315
InventorALBERS, JOHN J.HARRINGTON, BRANDONLEE, SUNG BOK
OwnerKNOWLES ELECTRONICS LLC