Abstract:
A microphone may use boundary layer technology in concert with a concave reflector to produce improved sensitivity. The concave reflector may be arranged with respect to a boundary layer creating surface such that the sound waves are concentrated at the boundary layer creating surface. Thus, an intense compression layer is formed proximate to the boundary layer creating surface. A transducer may arranged in opposition to the boundary layer creating surface to convert the boundary layer energy into an electrical signal.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates generally to microphones and particularly to boundary layer or pressure zone microphones. 
     A boundary layer or pressure zone microphone is a microphone which is situated proximate to a boundary layer or pressure zone created by a reflecting surface. Sound waves create a high pressure region directly in front of a sound reflecting surface. The incident and reflected waves from a reflecting surface are superimposed in the same phase. Thus, the pressure in front of the surface may be twice as high as in the free sound field. This effect is utilized in so-called boundary layer or pressure zone microphones. In one embodiment of such microphones, an electrical transducer is mounted on a flat, reflecting surface. The increased acoustic pressure is then detected by the microphone in the region proximate to the reflecting surface. 
     The pressure zone or zone of increased pressure is at a maximum at a distance of half the sound wavelength from the reflecting surface. Thus, microphones built into the reflecting surface may have a sensitivity that is twice the value that the microphone would have without the,reflecting surface. 
     Conventional microphones may also be used with sound reflectors which concentrate the sound at the transducer. For example, a parabolic reflector may be utilized with a rearwardly facing transducer located at the focal point of the parabolic reflector. The transducer then receives the concentrated sound waves from the reflector and converts them into an electrical signal. One problem with this approach is that such microphones are particularly prone to feedback effects. 
     Thus, there is a need for improved microphones that take advantage of the acoustic gain achievable using a boundary layer or pressure zone. 
     SUMMARY 
     In accordance with one aspect, a microphone may include a concave reflector. A boundary layer creating surface is opposed to the concave reflector. 
     Other aspects are set forth in the accompanying detailed description and claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional depiction of a pressure zone microphone in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1 of another embodiment of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 of still another embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a microphone  10  may include a concave reflector  12  which in one embodiment of the present invention may have a parabolic reflecting surface  14 . In a low cost application, the reflector  12  may be formed of plastic. A boundary layer creating surface  16  is formed on element  18 . The element  18  may be situated near the focal point of the surface  14 . Thus, acoustic waves are concentrated by the surface  14  at the surface  16 . As a result, a compression layer is formed proximate to the surface  16  that creates a boundary layer or pressure zone effect. 
     Thus, the surface  14  may be forwardly facing in the sense that it faces the source of sound. Conversely, the surface  16  is opposed to the surface  14  and is rearwardly facing. A electrical transducer  20  is arranged in close juxtaposition to the surface  16  and is forwardly facing in one embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment of the present invention, the transducer  20  may be situated in the boundary layer or pressure zone created by the surface  16 . The surface  16  is then situated just rearwardly of the focus of the surface  14 . 
     Any of variety of conventional microphones may be used as the transducer  20  including a conventional condenser microphone. The transducer  20  may be mounted in a housing  22  having a chamber  24  which may be sealed. Wires  26  passing through the chamber  28  may exit rearwardly from the housing  24  through a foam sealant  24 . 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the element  18  is mounted on the housing  22  by a connector  30 . Advantageously, the connector  30  positions the element  18  near the focus of the reflecting surface  14 . The element  18  may have a surface which is a portion of a sphere and a surface  34  which is conical. As a result, the element  18  may have a tear-drop shape in one embodiment of the present invention. 
     When the reflector  12  is pointed at a sound source, acoustic waves, indicated by arrows in FIG. 1, are reflected off the surface  14  toward its focus, located near the surface  16 . Thus, sound wave energy is concentrated by the reflector  12  at the surface  16 . As a result, an intense boundary layer is created proximate the surface  16 . 
     While the element  18  is illustrated as tear-drop shaped, other shapes may be used as well. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a spherical element  18   a  may be supported on supports  32  which are secured to the surface  14 . The element  18  may also be formed as a flattened sphere or a hemisphere as additional examples. It is desirable that the surface  16  be curved. In addition, it is advantageous that the surface  34  also be curved. The surface  34  may be effective to dissipate the compression wave built up upon the surface  16 . 
     In order to detect human speech, the reflector  12  may have a diameter of from about eight to twelve inches in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. It may have a depth of about three inches, and the spacing between the surface  16  and the transducer  20  may be from about 0.1 to ⅛ of an inch. The ratio of the focal distance to the diameter of the reflector  12  may be from 30 to 50 percent so as to create a relatively narrow field of acoustic focus which may be effective over relatively long distances, in one embodiment of the invention. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the spherical element  18   a  may be positioned with its center at the focus of the reflector  12  which may be a portion of a parabola. The spherical element  18   a  may be effective in creating reduced diffractive effects in the resulting compression layer or region of high acoustic intensity. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, in still another embodiment of the present invention, the reflector  12   a  may be adapted to removably receive a shotgun microphone  38 . A shotgun microphone is a narrow recording angle microphone that transduces sounds with different intensities depending on the angle from which the sound waves arrive at the microphone. The shotgun microphone is a tubular interference transducer. Sound coming straight into the microphone travels straight through its tubular body but all other sounds create interference and phase cancellation. 
     The shotgun microphone  38  may removably, telescopically plug into a opening  42  in the reflector  12 . A stop  44  may be positioned on the tubular shotgun microphone  38  to position the end  46  of the shotgun microphone  38  at a desired position with respect to the boundary layer creating surface  16 a. 
     In such case, the reflector  12   a  may completely enclose the phase cancellation openings of the shotgun microphone  38 , in one embodiment of the present invention. In this configuration, the microphone  10   b  is extremely specific, receiving sounds from sources at which the microphone  10   b  is specifically aimed. For example, in some embodiments of the present invention, the microphone&#39;s acceptance angle may be about five degrees or less so that whispers may be clearly picked up at distances on the order of a eighty feet. 
     At the same time, because the shotgun microphone  38  is removable from the reflector  12   a  (as indicated by the arrow A), it may be used independently of the reflector  12   a  in some cases. For example, the shotgun microphone  38  may be relatively angle specific, with an acceptance angle of forty degrees. Such microphones are typically used to focus in on a person&#39;s voice at distances of about four feet. 
     Thus, in some embodiments of the present invention, the microphone lob may be utilized in a video conference setting. The shotgun microphone  38  may be used without the reflector  12   a  when general conversation is taking place and may be used with the reflector  12   a  to focus on speech from a particular participant who is speaking to the group at other times. Thus, a relatively flexible microphone may be provided which advantageously benefits from boundary layer technology. 
     The microphone may show improved results compared to conventional microphones which are adversely affected by reverberations in the room. In other words, conventional microphones pick up not only the reverberations of the human speech from surrounding walls but the speech as well. Embodiments of the present invention may be focused on a particular user, thereby selectively picking up the person&#39;s speech independently from the reverberations. 
     While the present invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate numerous modifications and variations therefrom. It is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications and variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of this present invention.