Brim-Mounted Microphone Array for Wearable Audio
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wearable audio devices with boom microphones are impractical in dynamic and noisy environments as they require active positioning and can obstruct the user's field of vision, limiting their effectiveness in enhancing voice detection in high-noise settings.
Innovation Solution
A wearable audio device with a head mount featuring a brim-mounted array of microphones, a controller for signal combination, a voice activity detection system, and a vibration sensor to enhance acoustic response and filter out noise, allowing for hands-free communication without the need for external microphone adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a boom microphone is used to enhance voice pickup, then voice detection capability is improved, but the user's field of vision is obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates the microphone array from a horizontal boom extension to a vertical brim-mounted configuration. The microphones are positioned on the lower surface of the brim, utilizing the vertical dimension above the user's mouth, which eliminates the need for lateral boom placement that obstructs vision while maintaining proximity to the sound source for effective voice pickup.
2Measurement precision
If a boom microphone is actively positioned to enhance effectiveness, then voice pickup is improved, but device complexity and user burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The brim-mounted microphone array is passively positioned on the headwear, eliminating the need for active user manipulation. The microphones are fixed to the brim structure, which naturally positions them in an optimal location for voice pickup without requiring the user to adjust or hold the microphones in place during use.
3Measurement precision
If microphones are positioned close to the user's mouth to enhance voice detection, then acoustic response is improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the microphone array into the brim structure of headwear, which serves multiple functions: it provides the structural support for mounting the microphones, positions them optimally near the user's mouth, and simultaneously serves as a protective or aesthetic element of the headwear. This multi-functional integration eliminates the need for separate boom structures or complex positioning mechanisms.
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 device effectively enhances voice detection in noisy environments, maintaining user immersion and communication clarity without the limitations of boom microphones, even in ambient sound pressure levels exceeding 75 decibels.
Implementation Method 1
a controller coupled with the plurality of microphones and configured to combine a plurality of signals from the plurality of microphones to provide an output signal having an enhanced acoustic response in a selected direction
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of microphones coupled to the brim of the head mount... configured to enhance detection of voice signals in noisy environments
Implementation Method 3
a vibration sensor mounted to detect vibration of the temple of the user, or in a manner configured to detect jaw vibration of the user... the vibration sensor is an accelerometer for detecting vibration of bones of the user
Data Source
AI summary
Various implementations include a wearable audio device for enhancing the acoustic response proximate a user, for example, in the direction of the user's mouth. In particular implementations, a wearable audio device includes: a head mount having: a crown portion for resting on a head of a user, and a brim extending from the crown portion in a forward-oriented direction; and a plurality of microphones coupled to the brim of the head mount.