Shock-Mounted Boundary Microphone Vibration Isolation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Boundary microphones mounted directly to a housing are susceptible to vibrations and disturbances, leading to unwanted noise interference, which affects sound quality, especially in environments like conference tables where phase interference and comb filter issues are prevalent.
Innovation Solution
The microphone capsule is isolated from the housing using elastic shock cords that suspend it, allowing angular adjustment and decoupling from other components, thereby reducing vibration-induced noise and enhancing acoustic performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the microphone capsule is hard-mounted to the housing, then the structure is simple and stable, but vibration and disturbances at the boundary cause vibration at the mic level, leading to unwanted noise interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mounting structure consisting of a housing base, housing, and mounting mechanism that physically separates the microphone capsule from direct contact with the boundary surface. This intermediary structure absorbs and isolates vibrations before they reach the capsule, reducing vibration-induced noise while maintaining structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting structure is segmented into distinct components: a housing base that contacts the boundary, a housing that contains the capsule, and a mounting mechanism that connects them. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the base for stability, the housing for protection, and the mounting mechanism for vibration isolation.
2Reliability
If the microphone is positioned flush with the boundary surface, then phase interference between direct and reflected sound is minimized, but the microphone becomes susceptible to vibrations and disturbances at the boundary
Solution Approach 1:
The housing and mounting structure serve as an intermediary layer between the boundary surface and the microphone capsule. This allows the microphone to maintain its optimal acoustic positioning relative to the boundary while physically isolating it from harmful vibrations and disturbances at the surface level.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If dampening materials are used between the hard-mounted mic and the housing, then vibration effects are minimized, but the mounting structure becomes more complex and may affect microphone positioning precision
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting mechanism acts as an intermediary structure that provides both mechanical support and vibration isolation without requiring additional dampening materials. The design inherently positions the capsule with precise orientation relative to the boundary while isolating it from vibrations, eliminating the need for separate dampening components.
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
This shock-mounting system effectively isolates the microphone capsule, reducing noise interference and allowing precise angular adjustment for improved sound quality by minimizing vibrations and phase interference, resulting in a natural sound with a flatter frequency response.
Implementation Method 1
The microphone described herein is mounted with elastic shock cords that suspend the microphone in the housing
Data Source
AI summary
One or more boundary microphones is mounted with elastic shock cords and is mounted within a housing such that the microphone is isolated from other components to isolate the microphone and improve audio performance. Each microphone in a preferred embodiment is angularly adjustable to allow the microphone to be pointed toward a desired audio signal source.