Bone Conduction Microphone Nosepiece for Wearable Speech Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional head-mounted wearable devices (HMWDs) using air conduction microphones face interference from ambient sounds, leading to reduced reliability and user experience in capturing speech signals.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a bone conduction microphone at the nosepiece, utilizing a transducer to detect vibrations from the nasal bridge, which improves contact reliability and reduces ambient noise interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air conduction microphones are used in head-mounted wearable devices, then the device structure is simple, but ambient sound interference increases and speech capture reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sound capture function into two independent pathways: air conduction microphones for ambient sound and bone conduction microphones for speech. This segmentation allows each pathway to be optimized independently, with the bone conduction pathway specifically targeting speech signals while filtering out ambient noise interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces bone conduction as an intermediary pathway that bypasses the air conduction route. By using the skeletal structure (nose bridge) as an intermediary medium to transmit speech vibrations directly to the bone conduction microphone, the system eliminates the need for air as a transmission medium, thereby removing ambient sound interference from the equation.
2Reliability
If bone conduction microphones are integrated at the nosepiece, then contact reliability improves and ambient noise interference reduces, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The nosepiece structure is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides structural support for the wearable device, ensures proper positioning on the user's face, and acts as the mounting location for the bone conduction microphone. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional dedicated components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the bone conduction microphone integration directly into the existing nosepiece structure rather than adding a separate module. By combining the microphone mounting function with the structural nosepiece, the design minimizes additional components and simplifies the overall device architecture while still achieving reliable bone conduction contact.
3Measurement precision
If bone conduction microphones are used, then speech intelligibility improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental operating parameter from air conduction to bone conduction, utilizing vibrations through the skeletal structure. This parameter change inherently improves speech intelligibility by directly capturing vocal cord vibrations. The manufacturing complexity is managed by selecting transducer technologies that can be integrated using existing manufacturing processes for wearable devices.
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
Enhances user experience by providing more intelligible speech and reducing noise interference, allowing for better communication and data exchange with external devices.
Implementation Method 1
a bone conduction microphone integrated into a HMWD at a nosepiece. The bone conduction microphone may be used to detect vibrations in the bridge of the wearer's nose resulting from speech.
Data Source
AI summary
A head-mounted wearable device incorporates a transducer into a nosepiece. Vibrations from the user's speech are transferred through the bridge of the nose and are detected by the transducer to produce an audio signal. In one implementation, a nose plate with a pair of attached nosepieces is mounted to a transducer, such as an accelerometer. The nose plate may be affixed to a front frame of the head-mounted wearable device using a motion limiter mechanism.