Concealed Headliner Microphone Bracket for Clean Audio Pickup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing in-vehicle microphone installations are aesthetically displeasing due to visible grills and suffer from dust and moisture intrusion, alignment challenges, and nonlinear frequency response, which complicates noise management and audio detection.
Innovation Solution
An embedded microphone support structure within the vehicle headliner, using a bracket or plate integrated between substrate layers, allowing the microphone to be concealed and minimizing protrusion into the skin, ensuring a smooth aesthetic while maintaining effective audio detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If microphones are embedded in the headliner using visible support structures like bezels and grills, then the microphones can be positioned to maximize audio reception, but the visual aesthetic of the headliner is disrupted and dust/moisture can intrude
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the support structure from the visible skin layer and embeds it solely within the base substrate layer. The bracket is inserted into a recess formed in the base substrate layer, removing the need for visible bezels and grills on the headliner surface while still providing structural support for the microphone assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is nested within the base substrate layer, with the microphone assembly nested within the bracket. This nested arrangement allows the microphone to be positioned optimally for audio reception while being concealed within the headliner structure, eliminating visible support elements.
2Strength
If support structures protrude into the skin layer, then they can provide structural support for microphones, but they create visible outlines and disrupt the clean appearance of the headliner
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the support function from the visible surface by creating a recess in the base substrate layer. The bracket provides structural support within this recessed portion, while the skin layer remains smooth and uninterrupted on the visible surface, eliminating visible outlines.
3Measurement precision
If microphones are positioned close to the headliner surface for maximum audio detection, then audio reception is improved, but noise leakage from outside the vehicle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a localized recess in the base substrate layer that positions the microphone optimally close to the headliner surface for maximum audio detection. The continuous wall of the bracket provides localized acoustic isolation, allowing the microphone to be positioned close to the surface without increasing noise leakage.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for a vehicle headliner is provided. In one example, the headliner is a layered assembly, including a base substrate layer and a skin and is configured with a bracket inserted into the base substrate layer. The bracket has a top plate co-planar with a first surface of the base substrate layer and a continuous wall coupled to the top plate. The bracket is positioned in the base substrate layer such that the base substrate layer does not protrude into the skin.