Microphone array and mobile terminal

Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention are a microphone array and a mobile terminal. The microphone array comprises: a housing, in which a plurality of microphones are provided, the plurality of microphones forming a first microphone part and a second microphone part; a first end surface, which is provided with at least two first sound pickup holes, the first sound pickup holes being in communication with the microphones in the first microphone part in a manner of corresponding to each other on a one-to-one basis; and a second end surface, which is provided with at least one second sound pickup hole, the second sound pickup holes being in communication with the microphones in the second microphone part in a manner of corresponding to each other on a one-to-one basis. The first end surface intersects the second end surface, a preset included angle is formed between the extension direction of the first end surface and the extension direction of the second end surface, and the spacing between at least two adjacent microphones is less than half the wavelength of a response frequency used for beamforming. Compared with the prior art, the present invention achieves a good spatial capture performance with a minimal actual number of microphones, and is generally applicable to various modern and conventional beamforming algorithms.

Description

A microphone array and a mobile terminal TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a microphone array and a mobile terminal. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of mobile terminals, a plurality of microphones for collecting sound signals in different directions are generally arranged near the earpiece of the mobile terminal, and the layout of the microphones is particularly important,

[0003] Microphone arrays are well known, but there is relatively little research into the optimal configuration for new beamforming algorithms. Conventional beamformers have well-known design rules for them. Conventional beamformers require a large number of microphones to achieve good performance (low noise, narrow beam, frequency-independent beam width), so more advanced beamforming algorithms have been developed. However, developers of new algorithms rarely or never pay attention to determining the optimal microphone configuration to use with the algorithm, so the actual performance of the algorithm and physical microphone combination can be lower than the optimal performance. TECHNICAL PROBLEM

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to provide a microphone array and a mobile terminal to solve the technical problems in the prior art, which can provide the optimal microphone placement position for most beamforming algorithms. TECHNICAL SOLUTION

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a microphone array, comprising:

[0006] a housing, a plurality of microphones are built in the housing, the plurality of microphones form a first microphone part and a second microphone part, the first microphone part has at least two microphones, and the second microphone part has at least one microphone;

[0007] a first end face formed on one surface of the housing, the first end face is provided with at least two first sound holes, the first sound holes are in one-to-one correspondence with the microphones in the first microphone part and are in communication with the microphones;

[0008] a second end face formed on another surface of the housing, the second end face is provided with at least one second sound hole, the second sound hole is in one-to-one correspondence with the microphone in the second microphone part and is in communication with the microphone;

[0009] wherein:

[0010] the first end face intersects with the second end face, a preset included angle is formed between the extension direction of the first end face and the extension direction of the second end face, and the distance between at least two adjacent microphones is less than half the wavelength of the response frequency for beamforming.

[0011] The microphone array as claimed in the preceding, wherein preferably, along the extending direction of the first end face, the interval between at least two adjacent microphones in the first microphone section is less than half of the wavelength of the response frequency for beamforming.

[0012] and / or,

[0013] along the extending direction of the second end face, the interval between at least two adjacent microphones in the second microphone section is less than half of the wavelength of the response frequency for beamforming.

[0014] The microphone array as claimed in the preceding, wherein preferably, along the extending direction of the second end face, the microphones in at least one of the second microphone sections are offset from the first end face.

[0015] and / or,

[0016] along the extending direction of the first end face, the microphones in at least one of the first microphone sections are offset from the second end face.

[0017] The microphone array as claimed in the preceding, wherein preferably, the housing is provided with a camera module, and at least one of the microphones is integrated in the camera module.

[0018] The microphone array as claimed in the preceding, wherein preferably, the microphones in the first microphone section are all integrated in the camera module.

[0019] The microphone array as claimed in the preceding, wherein preferably, at least two of the microphones in the first microphone section and at least one of the microphones in the second microphone section are coplanar to form a first imaginary plane, and the rest of the microphones are all misaligned from the first imaginary plane.

[0020] The microphone array as claimed in the preceding, wherein preferably, the first microphone section has three microphones, the second microphone section has two microphones, two of the microphones in the first microphone section and one of the microphones in the second microphone section are coplanar to form the first imaginary plane, and the rest of the microphones are all misaligned from the first imaginary plane and are all located on the same side of the first imaginary plane.

[0021] The microphone array as claimed in the preceding, wherein preferably, at least one of the microphones is a non-omnidirectional microphone.

[0022] The microphone array as claimed in the preceding, wherein preferably, the preset included angle is 90°.

[0023] In a second aspect, the present application provides a mobile terminal comprising the aforementioned microphone array. Advantages

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present application sets multiple microphones in the shell, and the multiple microphones are distributed on two adjacent end faces, the spacing between at least two adjacent microphones is less than half the wavelength of the response frequency for beamforming, thereby providing a good microphone layout for the beamforming algorithm, achieving good spatial capture performance with the least number of actual microphones, and being generally applicable to various modern and traditional beamforming algorithms. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] Fig. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a microphone array according to a first embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Fig. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a microphone array according to a second embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Fig. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a microphone array according to a third embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a beamforming system according to the present application.

[0029] Reference signs: 1 - shell, 2 - first microphone part, 3 - second microphone part, 4 - microphone, 5 - first end face, 6 - first sound pickup hole, 7 - second end face, 8 - second sound pickup hole, 9 - camera module, 10 - first imaginary plane. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0030] The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are exemplary and are intended to explain the present application, but cannot be interpreted as limiting the present application.

[0031] As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the embodiments of the present application provide a microphone array, which comprises a shell 1, one surface of the shell 1 forms a first end face 5, and another surface of the shell 1 forms a second end face 7, wherein:

[0032] The shell 1 is provided with multiple microphones 4 for receiving sound waves, the multiple microphones 4 form a first microphone part 2 and a second microphone part 3, the first microphone part 2 has at least two microphones 4, the second microphone part 3 has at least one microphone 4, the microphones 4 in the first microphone part 2 are used to receive sound signals arriving from the direction of the first end face 5, and the microphones 4 in the second microphone part 3 are used to receive sound signals arriving from the direction of the second end face 7, thereby achieving the collection of sound signals in different directions.

[0033] In a feasible implementation, the microphone 4 in the first microphone part 2 is installed on the first end surface 5, specifically, at least two first sound pickup holes 6 are arranged on the first end surface 5, the number and position of the first sound pickup holes 6 correspond to the number and position of the microphone 4 in the first microphone part 2, the first sound pickup hole 6 is in one-to-one correspondence with the microphone 4 in the first microphone part 2, and the external sound wave enters the corresponding microphone 4 from the first sound pickup hole 6 to realize the function of the corresponding microphone 4.

[0034] The microphone 4 in the second microphone part 3 is installed on the second end surface 7, specifically, at least one second sound pickup hole 8 is arranged on the second end surface 7, the number and position of the second sound pickup hole 8 correspond to the number and position of the microphone 4 in the second microphone part 3, the second sound pickup hole 8 is in one-to-one correspondence with the microphone 4 in the second microphone part 3, and the external sound wave enters the corresponding microphone 4 from the second sound pickup hole 8 to realize the function of the corresponding microphone 4.

[0035] Wherein:

[0036] The first end surface 5 intersects with the second end surface 7, the extension direction of the first end surface 5 and the extension direction of the second end surface 7 form a preset included angle, so that the microphones 4 in the first microphone part 2 and the second microphone part 3 have a preset included angle, the value of the preset included angle can be determined according to actual conditions, in a feasible implementation, the preset included angle is 90°, that is, the first end surface 5 and the second end surface 7 are perpendicular to each other.

[0037] The plurality of microphones 4 in the first microphone part 2 and the second microphone part 3 at different positions form a microphone array, the installation positions of the microphones 4 are different, through the interaction of the microsecond difference between the sound signals reaching each microphone 4 in the microphone array, the microphone array can have better directivity than a single microphone 4, and can separate the sound generated by each sound source and filter out environmental noise, thereby improving the sound pickup effect and the speech recognition effect.

[0038] In order to obtain better noise reduction effect, at least two microphones 4 are selected for beamforming processing, the microphones 4 in the first microphone part 2 can be selected for beamforming processing, the microphones 4 in the second microphone part 3 can be selected for beamforming processing, or the microphones 4 in the first microphone part 2 and the second microphone part 3 can be selected for beamforming processing, which is not limited here, the beamforming processing can be used to focus the microphone array on the sound source, use the directional characteristics of the sound to retain the sound signal in a specific direction and suppress the noise signal in other directions, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio.

[0039] The microphone array for beamforming can be linearly arranged by a plurality of microphones 4, can be composed of a plurality of microphones 4 arranged on the same end face, or can be composed of a plurality of microphones 4 arranged on different end faces to form a three-dimensional microphone array, thereby providing a good microphone 4 layout for the beamforming algorithm, achieving good spatial capture performance with the least number of actual microphones 4, and being generally applicable to various modern and traditional beamforming algorithms.

[0040] Referring to FIG. 4, the beamforming algorithm can be based on statistical analysis of the spatial characteristics of the input signal, such as cross-correlation, and use the parameters derived from the statistical analysis to enhance the signal based on the statistical analysis.

[0041] In a feasible implementation, referring to FIG. 1, two microphones 4 are arranged in the first microphone portion 2, and one microphone 4 is arranged in the second microphone portion 3. The extension direction of the line connecting the two microphones 4 in the first microphone portion 2 is parallel to the length direction of the housing 1. The microphones 4 in the first microphone portion 2 and the second microphone portion 3 are combined together to form a strong directional microphone array. The formed beam can be directed to the sound source direction to enhance the sound source collection effect, thereby improving the pickup effect.

[0042] Further, the spacing between at least two adjacent microphones 4 is less than half the wavelength of the response frequency for beamforming, so as to control the beamforming generated by the microphones 4 within a range conducive to improving the sound collection effect. For example, for music and general purpose recording, the corresponding frequency can be 20 kHz, and for wideband speech, it can also be about 8 to 12 kHz.

[0043] Specifically, along the extension direction of the first end face 5, the spacing between at least two adjacent microphones 4 in the first microphone portion 2 is less than half the wavelength of the response frequency for beamforming. This spacing is desirable, but it is not strictly required that other microphones 4 in the first microphone portion 2 also approach this distance limit. For example, referring to FIG. 1, two microphones 4 are arranged in the first microphone portion 2, and the spacing d between the two microphones 4 is less than half the wavelength of the response frequency for beamforming.

[0044] And / or,

[0045] Along the extension direction of the second end face 7, the spacing between at least two adjacent microphones 4 in the second microphone portion 3 is less than half the wavelength of the response frequency for beamforming. This spacing is desirable, but it is not strictly required that other microphones 4 in the second microphone portion 3 also approach this distance limit.

[0046] In the embodiments provided in the present application, in order to realize the processing of separating front and back, the microphone 4 in the at least one second microphone part 3 is offset to the first end surface 5 along the extension direction of the second end surface 7. Referring to Figure 1, the microphone 4 in the second microphone part 3 closest to the first end surface 5 has a spacing z with the first end surface 5. The value of the spacing z can be determined according to actual conditions and is not limited herein.

[0047] and / or,

[0048] The microphone 4 in the at least one first microphone part 2 is offset to the second end surface 7 along the extension direction of the first end surface 5. The microphone 4 in the first microphone part 2 closest to the second end surface 7 has a spacing with the second end surface 7. The value of the spacing can be determined according to actual conditions and is not limited herein.

[0049] In the embodiments provided in the present application, referring to Figure 3, the housing 1 is provided with a camera module 9, and the at least one microphone 4 is integrated in the camera module 9. Specifically, the microphone 4 in the first microphone part 2 is integrated in the camera module 9. In this way, it is easier to manufacture, good microphone 4 acoustic design and proper sealing can be ensured, and the beam forming algorithm is little affected or not affected.

[0050] In the embodiments provided in the present application, the at least two microphones 4 in the first microphone part 2 and the at least one microphone 4 in the second microphone part 3 are coplanar to form a first imaginary plane 10, and the remaining microphones 4 are all located away from the first imaginary plane 10.

[0051] The microphones 4 in the first microphone part 2 on the first imaginary plane 10 are located on the same straight line, so that the emission point of the beam is on the same straight line, and the microphones 4 in the first microphone part 2 and the microphones 4 in the second microphone part 3 on the first imaginary plane 10 can be respectively two surfaces, so as to expand the range of the beam and improve the collection effect of the sound source.

[0052] In a feasible implementation manner, referring to Figure 2, the first microphone part 2 has three microphones 4, and the second microphone part 3 has two microphones 4. The two microphones 4 in the first microphone part 2 and the microphone 4 in the second microphone part 3 are coplanar to form a first imaginary plane 10, the extension direction of the first imaginary plane 10 is perpendicular to the second end surface 7, and the remaining microphones 4 are all located away from the first imaginary plane 10 and are all located on the same side of the first imaginary plane 10.

[0053] In the embodiments provided in the present application, the at least one microphone 4 is a non-omnidirectional microphone 4, which is a single-directional microphone 4, and the range of receiving sound signals of the non-omnidirectional microphone 4 is a small conical area directly in front of the corresponding sound pickup hole. The better directivity of the microphone 4 makes the microphone 4 have a good effect on audio collection in a specific direction, and can effectively reduce the income of ambient noise.

[0054] Based on the microphone array provided in the above embodiments, the present application further provides a mobile terminal, which is a mobile phone, comprising the aforementioned microphone array. Since the plurality of microphones 4 are arranged in the housing 1 of the mobile terminal, and the plurality of microphones 4 are distributed on two adjacent end surfaces, the spacing between at least two adjacent microphones 4 is less than half the wavelength of the response frequency for beamforming, thereby providing a good microphone 4 layout for the beamforming algorithm, achieving good spatial capture performance with the least number of actual microphones 4, and being generally applicable to various modern and traditional beamforming algorithms. Therefore, the mobile terminal can filter out environmental noise, and has good sound pickup and speech recognition effects.

[0055] The above embodiments according to the drawings illustrate the structure, features and effects of the present application. The above description is only the preferred embodiments of the present application, but the present application is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings. Any changes or modifications made in accordance with the concept of the present application, or equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes, are still within the scope of the present application, as long as they do not exceed the spirit of the specification and drawings.

Claims

1. A microphone array, characterized by, The microphone array comprises: a housing, in which a plurality of microphones are arranged, the plurality of microphones forming a first microphone portion and a second microphone portion, the first microphone portion having at least two of the microphones, and the second microphone portion having at least one of the microphones; a first end surface formed on one surface of the housing, the first end surface being provided with at least two first sound pickup holes, the first sound pickup holes being in one-to-one correspondence with the microphones in the first microphone portion; a second end surface formed on another surface of the housing, the second end surface being provided with at least one second sound pickup hole, the second sound pickup hole being in one-to-one correspondence with the microphone in the second microphone portion; wherein: the first end surface intersects the second end surface, a preset included angle is formed between the extension direction of the first end surface and the extension direction of the second end surface, and the spacing between at least two adjacent microphones is less than half the wavelength of the response frequency used for beamforming.

2. The microphone array according to claim 1, wherein: along the extension direction of the first end surface, the spacing between at least two adjacent microphones in the first microphone portion is less than half the wavelength of the response frequency used for beamforming; and / or along the extension direction of the second end surface, the spacing between at least two adjacent microphones in the second microphone portion is less than half the wavelength of the response frequency used for beamforming.

3. The microphone array according to claim 1, wherein: along the extension direction of the second end surface, the microphone in the at least one second microphone portion is offset from the first end surface; and / or along the extension direction of the first end surface, the microphone in the at least one first microphone portion is offset from the second end surface. The housing is provided with a camera module, and at least one of the microphones is integrated in the camera module. The microphones in the first microphone portion are all integrated in the camera module.

4. The microphone array of claim 1, wherein, At least two of the microphones in the first microphone portion and at least one of the microphones in the second microphone portion are coplanar to form a first imaginary plane, and the remaining microphones are all misaligned with the first imaginary plane.

5. The microphone array of claim 4, wherein, The first microphone portion has three of the microphones, and the second microphone portion has two of the microphones, two of the microphones in the first microphone portion and one of the microphones in the second microphone portion are coplanar to form the first imaginary plane, and the remaining microphones are all misaligned with the first imaginary plane and are all located on the same side of the first imaginary plane.

6. The microphone array of claim 1, wherein, At least one of the microphones is a non-omnidirectional microphone.

7. The microphone array of claim 6, wherein, The preset included angle is 90°.

8. The microphone array of claim 1, wherein, The microphone array according to any one of claims 1-9.

9. The microphone array of claim 1, wherein, ​ 10. A mobile terminal, characterized by ​

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