A far-field voice receiving module

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a far-field voice receiving module. The far-field voice receiving module comprises a product shell, a printed circuit board, a microphone and a sound guide pipe; wherein a sound pickup window for receiving sound is formed on the outer wall of the product shell; the printed circuit board is perpendicular to the central axis of the product shell and is assembled to the inner wall of the product shell; the microphone is installed on the edge of the printed circuit board; and the microphone is connected to the sound pickup window through the sound guide pipe, wherein the sound pickup window penetrates the outer wall and the inner wall of the product shell. The far-field voice receiving module provided by the present disclosure has simple structure, convenient installation, high integration and can realize 360° annular sound collection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to the field of sound pickup equipment technology, and more specifically, to a far-field voice receiving module. Background Technology

[0002] With the advancement of artificial intelligence technology, an increasing number of smart products in our lives support far-field voice interaction. For this purpose, smart products are typically equipped with voice receiving modules to receive interactive commands from users in different locations. Currently, far-field voice receiving modules in smart products generally use micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) microphones as voice receiving sensors, which are characterized by small size and low power consumption. The microphone is usually mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB), facing a pickup window on the smart product's casing to receive sound. Because the microphone needs to be directly facing the pickup window, to achieve 360° circular sound pickup, those skilled in the art need to set up multiple far-field voice receiving modules, including microphones and printed circuit boards, along the circumference. This results in high production and installation costs and poor integration.

[0003] Therefore, how to provide a far-field voice receiving module with a simple structure and high integration is a problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the present disclosure provides a far-field voice receiving module, which has a simple structure, is easy to install, has a high degree of integration, and can achieve 360° ring sound reception.

[0005] This disclosure provides a far-field voice receiving module, including: a product housing, a printed circuit board, a microphone, and a sound guide tube; wherein, a sound pickup window for receiving sound is provided on the outer wall of the product housing; the printed circuit board is perpendicular to the central axis of the product housing and is mounted to the inner wall of the product housing; the microphone is installed on the edge of the printed circuit board; and the microphone is connected to the sound pickup window through the sound guide tube, wherein the sound pickup window penetrates the outer wall and the inner wall of the product housing.

[0006] Optionally, the number of microphones is at least three, and they are evenly distributed along the edge of the printed circuit board, wherein the microphone pickup holes are perpendicular to the printed circuit board.

[0007] Alternatively, the microphone is a bottom-mounted microphone, installed at the bottom of the printed circuit board, with the outlet of the sound tube aligned with the microphone.

[0008] Alternatively, the microphone is a top-mounted microphone, mounted on the top of the printed circuit board, and the outlet of the sound tube covers the microphone.

[0009] Alternatively, the sound tube may be made of silicone or soft plastic.

[0010] Optionally, the sound tube is L-shaped.

[0011] Optionally, the inlet of the sound guide tube is close to the inner wall of the product casing, the outlet of the sound guide tube is close to the printed circuit board, and the area of ​​the inlet is larger than the area of ​​the outlet.

[0012] Optionally, the inside of the sound guide tube is coated with high-density sound-insulating material.

[0013] Optionally, the printed circuit board can be detachably mounted to the inner wall of the product housing.

[0014] Optionally, a shock-absorbing layer may also be included between the printed circuit board and the inner wall of the product casing.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the far-field voice receiving module provided in this disclosure has the following advantages: By connecting the microphone and the pickup window through the sound guide tube, the microphone and printed circuit board are no longer limited to being parallel to the wall of the product casing and facing the pickup window, so that multiple microphones can be installed on a single printed circuit board to achieve ring sound reception; in addition, such a structure only requires the design of a single fixing structure for a single printed circuit board to achieve assembly; at the same time, since the microphone is installed on the edge of the printed circuit board, other available circuit modules can be configured as needed in the central part of the printed circuit board, expanding the overall integration. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of this disclosure, the embodiments of this disclosure will be further explained and described with reference to the following drawings. These drawings are only used to more conveniently and specifically describe the embodiments of this disclosure and are not intended to limit this disclosure. The drawings are only schematic diagrams for illustrative purposes and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a common far-field voice receiving module in the prior art;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of multiple far-field voice receiving modules capable of 360° circular sound reception in existing technology;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the microphone and printed circuit board of a far-field voice receiving module provided according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a far-field voice receiving module provided according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of the sound tube structure of a far-field voice receiving module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0022] Figure 6 Is it like this? Figure 5 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the sound guide tube.

[0023] In the diagram: 1 is the product casing, 2 is the printed circuit board, 3 is the microphone, 4 is the sound tube, and 5 is the sealing sleeve. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Currently, far-field voice receiving modules in smart products commonly use microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphones. These microphones are typically mounted on a printed circuit board and face a pickup window on the smart product's casing to receive sound. (Reference) Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a common far-field voice receiving module in the prior art is shown. Figure 1 As shown, a common far-field voice receiving module in the prior art includes a product housing 1, a printed circuit board 2, a microphone 3 mounted on the printed circuit board 2, and a sealing sleeve 5. The product housing 1 has a pickup window for receiving sound. The printed circuit board 2 and microphone 3 are parallel to the wall of the product housing 1, so that the microphone 3 faces the pickup window directly to achieve optimal sound reception. The sealing sleeve 5 is used for shock absorption, sealing, and anti-resonance. The advantage of this structure is that the microphone 3 is close to the surface of the product housing 1, minimizing the impact on the microphone 3's pickup angle. Its disadvantage is that the printed circuit board 2 and microphone 3 must be parallel to the wall of the product housing 1, resulting in unidirectional sound reception and insensitivity to large-angle directional reception from behind or horizontally.

[0025] To achieve 360° sound reception, existing technologies have developed structural designs that place multiple far-field voice receiving modules along a circular circumference. (Reference) Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of multiple far-field voice receiving modules capable of 360° circular sound reception in the prior art is shown. For example... Figure 2 As shown, multiple far-field voice receiving modules are evenly arranged in three groups along the circumference (i.e., spaced 120° apart), and the structure of each module is similar to... Figure 1 Similarly, each printed circuit board 2 and microphone 3 remains parallel to the wall of the product casing 1. The three microphones 3 need to be placed on three printed circuit boards 2 respectively, and the three printed circuit boards 2 are then individually fixed and sealed with sealing sleeves 5. Although this structure achieves 360° sound pickup, it requires three sets of assembly structures, and after the three printed circuit boards 2 are assembled separately, it is difficult to integrate them with other circuit modules, resulting in not only cumbersome installation but also poor integration.

[0026] In view of this, this disclosure provides a far-field voice receiving module, which has a simple structure, is easy to install, has a high degree of integration, and can achieve 360° surround sound reception. (Reference) Figure 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the microphone and printed circuit board of a far-field voice receiving module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a far-field voice receiving module provided according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the far-field voice receiving module includes: a product housing 1, a printed circuit board 2, a microphone 3, and a sound guide tube 4. The outer wall of the product housing 1 has a sound pickup window for receiving sound. The printed circuit board 2 is perpendicular to the central axis of the product housing 1 and is mounted to the inner wall of the product housing 1. The microphone 3 is mounted on the edge of the printed circuit board 2, for example, using surface mounting technology (SMT). The microphone 3 is connected to the sound pickup window via the sound guide tube 4, and the sound pickup window penetrates both the outer and inner walls of the product housing 1. With this structure, the microphone 3 and the printed circuit board 2 are no longer limited to being parallel to the wall of the product housing 1 and facing the sound pickup window. The microphone 3 and the printed circuit board 2 can be perpendicular to the central axis of the product housing 1. Therefore, multiple microphones 3 can be circumferentially mounted on the edge of a printed circuit board 2 to achieve 360° circular sound pickup. The microphone 3 is connected to the sound pickup window via the sound guide tube 4 to ensure sound pickup effect. Furthermore, since the microphones 3 are all mounted on the edge of the same printed circuit board 2, other locations on the printed circuit board 2 (e.g., the center) can optionally integrate any other available circuit modules. In another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, provided that the printed circuit board 2 is perpendicular to the central axis of the product housing 1, the printed circuit board 2 can also be mounted inside the product housing 1 by any suitable means, such as by mounting it to the base of the product housing 1 via a support structure (e.g., a central axis member). Those skilled in the art will understand that, as used herein, "product housing" can refer to the housing of a smart product configured with a far-field voice receiving module, or it can refer to the housing of the far-field voice receiving module itself.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of this disclosure, such as Figure 3As shown, the number of microphones 3 can be at least three, and they are evenly distributed along the edge of the printed circuit board 2. The opening direction of the microphone 3's pickup hole is perpendicular to the printed circuit board 2 to facilitate communication with the pickup window. In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the printed circuit board 2 can be circular, and the microphones 3 can be evenly distributed along the edge of the printed circuit board 2 at 120° intervals to achieve 360° circular sound pickup. In other embodiments of this disclosure, the printed circuit board 2 can also have other shapes, such as triangular, rectangular, square, or irregular shapes. As long as 360° circular sound pickup can be achieved, the number of microphones 3 can be three, four, five, or more, and they can be distributed along the edge of the printed circuit board 2 at fixed or variable intervals. For example, for a triangular printed circuit board 2, three microphones 3 distributed at 120° intervals can be installed; for a rectangular or square printed circuit board 2, four microphones 3 distributed at 90° intervals can be installed, and so on.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment of this disclosure, the microphone 3 may be a bottom-mounted microphone, installed at the bottom of the printed circuit board 2, and the outlet of the sound guide tube 4 is aligned with the microphone 3, for example... Figure 4 As shown. In another preferred embodiment of this disclosure, the microphone 3 may be a top-mounted microphone, installed on the top of the printed circuit board 2, and the outlet of the sound guide tube 4 covers the microphone 3 (not shown). Depending on the type of microphone 3, by finely adjusting the positional relationship between the outlet of the sound guide tube 4 and the microphone 3, the pickup window on the product housing 1 can be easily connected to the pickup hole of the microphone 3, thereby achieving sound deflection and guidance.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment of this disclosure, the sound guide tube 4 may be made of silicone, soft plastic (e.g., low-density organic polymer) or other flexible materials to deflect and guide sound, and additionally provide shock absorption, sealing and anti-resonance effects similar to those of sealing sleeves in the prior art.

[0030] refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the sound tube of a far-field voice receiving module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 6 Is it like this? Figure 5 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the sound guide tube. (As shown) Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, in a preferred embodiment of this disclosure, the sound guide tube 4 may be L-shaped or nearly L-shaped to minimize the propagation path from the pickup window on the product housing 1 to the pickup hole of the microphone 3, thereby reducing sound loss as much as possible. In a further preferred embodiment, the sound guide tube 4 has an arc shape or a three-dimensional rounded corner shape at the sound path deflection point, so that the sound is deflected along the shape of the sound guide tube 4 as much as possible rather than bouncing back to the pickup window. In other embodiments of this disclosure, the sound guide tube 4 may also have other shapes and structures suitable for propagating sound from the pickup window to the microphone 3.

[0031] refer to Figures 4 to 6 In a preferred embodiment of this disclosure, the inlet of the sound guide tube 4 is close to the inner wall of the product casing 1, and the outlet of the sound guide tube 4 is close to the printed circuit board 2 to minimize sound leakage. Furthermore, the area of ​​the inlet of the sound guide tube 4 is larger than the area of ​​the outlet, giving the sound guide tube 4 a sound-converging effect, thereby improving the sound pickup performance of the microphone 3. In another preferred embodiment of this disclosure, the interior of the sound guide tube 4 may also be coated with a high-density sound-insulating material (e.g., high-density polyethylene, a metal coating, or other sound-insulating materials known in the art) to enhance sound reflection, thereby achieving sound deflection and guidance in conjunction with the shape of the sound guide tube 4.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment of this disclosure, the printed circuit board 2 is detachably mounted to the inner wall of the product housing 1. For example, the printed circuit board 2 can be detachably mounted to the inner wall of the product housing 1 via a snap-fit ​​or bolt connection. In another preferred embodiment of this disclosure, as described above, the printed circuit board 2 can also be detachably mounted to the base of the product housing 1. When it is necessary to inspect the microphone 3 or add other circuit modules to the printed circuit board 2, the printed circuit board 2 can be disassembled and reassembled without having to redesign the printed circuit board 2 from scratch.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment of this disclosure, a shock-absorbing layer, such as a flexible sealing gasket (e.g., a rubber gasket), is further included between the printed circuit board 2 and the inner wall of the product housing 1 to further improve the shock absorption and sealing effect.

[0034] Numerous specific examples are provided in the embodiments described herein, and it should be understood that these examples are for the purpose of elaborating on the embodiments of this disclosure in detail and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Embodiments in this disclosure can be practiced without these specific examples. In some embodiments, structures and / or techniques well known to those skilled in the art have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this disclosure.

[0035] While preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described herein, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are provided by way of example only. Various changes, modifications, and substitutions will appear to those skilled in the art without departing from the present disclosure. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein are optionally used to implement the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is intended to be defined by the claims, and thereby to cover structures within the scope of those claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A far-field voice receiving module, characterized in that, include: Product casing (1), printed circuit board (2), microphone (3) and sound tube (4); in, The outer wall of the product casing (1) is provided with a sound pickup window for receiving sound; The printed circuit board (2) is perpendicular to the central axis of the product housing (1) and is assembled to the inner wall of the product housing (1); The microphone (3) is mounted on the edge of the printed circuit board (2); and The microphone (3) is connected to the pickup window through the sound guide tube (4), wherein the pickup window penetrates the outer wall and the inner wall of the product housing (1).

2. The far-field voice receiving module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of microphones (3) is at least three and they are evenly distributed along the edge of the printed circuit board (2), wherein the opening direction of the pickup hole of the microphone (3) is perpendicular to the printed circuit board (2).

3. The far-field voice receiving module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The microphone (3) is a bottom-pickup microphone, which is installed at the bottom of the printed circuit board (2), and the outlet of the sound tube (4) is aligned with the microphone (3).

4. The far-field voice receiving module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The microphone (3) is a top-pickup microphone, which is mounted on the top of the printed circuit board (2), and the outlet of the sound tube (4) covers the microphone (3).

5. The far-field voice receiving module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sound guide tube (4) is made of silicone or soft plastic.

6. The far-field voice receiving module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sound guide tube (4) is L-shaped.

7. The far-field voice receiving module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inlet of the sound guide tube (4) is close to the inner wall of the product casing (1), the outlet of the sound guide tube (4) is close to the printed circuit board (2), and the area of ​​the inlet is larger than the area of ​​the outlet.

8. The far-field voice receiving module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sound guide tube (4) is coated with high-density sound insulation material.

9. The far-field voice receiving module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The printed circuit board (2) is detachably mounted to the inner wall of the product housing (1).

10. The far-field voice receiving module according to claim 1, characterized in that, A shock-absorbing layer is also included between the printed circuit board (2) and the inner wall of the product housing (1).

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