Bone Conduction Microphone Sealing Element
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional bone conduction microphones (BCMs) often register unwanted vibrations and noise, especially when located on more exposed areas of the head, which can degrade sound quality by allowing environmental sounds to be picked up through air contact with the sides of the device.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a sealing element that encircles the abutment or contact part about its central axis, which can be made of flexible or resilient materials, to form an air-tight seal and shield the device from unwanted vibrations and noise, effectively reducing exposure to environmental sounds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the BCM is placed on exposed locations of the user's head, then the device is more accessible and easier to position, but it registers unwanted vibrations and noise from the environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a sealing element in the form of a flexible rim that extends from the housing and is adapted to form a seal against the tissue of the user's head. This flexible shell structure creates an acoustic seal that prevents environmental noise from reaching the microphone while maintaining comfort and ease of positioning on exposed head locations.
2Measurement precision
If the BCM is firmly pressed against the user's head, then good sound pickup is achieved, but unwanted vibrations and noise are still registered through air contact with the sides of the device
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element acts as a flexible shell that encircles the microphone and extends from the housing, forming an acoustic seal against the user's tissue. This prevents sound waves from reaching the sides and distal end of the microphone, thereby eliminating side noise registration while preserving the firm contact needed for good sound pickup.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing element is designed to extend beyond the housing boundaries, effectively extracting the acoustic protection function from the main housing structure. This separate sealing component specifically addresses the side noise issue without interfering with the primary sound pickup function.
3Reliability
If the sealing element is made of flexible material, then it forms a reliable air-tight seal, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is implemented as a simple flexible rim or ring that extends from the housing and seals against the user's tissue. This straightforward flexible shell design achieves reliable acoustic sealing without introducing complex mechanisms, maintaining device simplicity while ensuring seal reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sealing element significantly reduces the registration of unwanted vibrations and noise, enhancing the fidelity and intelligibility of speech signals by creating a reliable seal that prevents environmental noise from interfering with the sound pickup.
Implementation Method 1
the housing further comprises or is connected to at least one sealing element, the at least one sealing element substantially or at least partly encircling the abutment or contact part about the central axis
Implementation Method 2
being further adapted to receive, during use, vibrations representing a speech signal and propagating through at least a part of the user's tissue and/or bone structures
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3A~3C
Figure 4A~5
AI summary
The present invention relates to a bone conduction microphone device (101) adapted to register speech signals from a user, the bone conduction microphone device (101) comprising a housing (102) comprising an abutment or contact part (103), the abutment or contact part (103) having a central axis (105) being substantially parallel in to a predetermined distal direction and a predetermined proximal direction, being adapted to, during use, abut against and be in vibratory contact with tissue of at least a part of a head or neck of the user, and being further adapted to receive, during use, vibrations, representing a speech signal and propagating through at least a part of the user's tissue and/or bone structures in the head or neck of the user when the user is speaking, wherein the housing (102) further comprises or is connected to at least one sealing element (110), the at least one sealing element (110) substantially or at least partly encircling the abutment or contact part (103) about the central axis (105).