A capacitive sensor assembly includes a capacitive transduction element and an electrical circuit disposed in the housing and electrically coupled to contacts on an external-device interface of the housing. The electrical circuit includes a sampling circuit having an operational sampling phase during which a voltage produced by the capacitive sensor is sampled by a sampling capacitor coupled to a comparator and an operational charging phase during which a second capacitor is charged by a charge and discharge circuit until the output of the comparator changes state, wherein the output of the sampling circuit is a pulse width modulated signal representative of the voltage on the input of the sampling circuit during each sample period. The output of the sampling circuit can be coupled to a delta-sigma analog-to-digital (A/D) converter.

Offset cartridge microphones are provided that include multiple unidirectional microphone cartridges mounted in an offset geometry. Various desired polar patterns and/or desired steering angles can be formed by processing the audio signals from the multiple cartridges, including a toroidal polar pattern. The offset geometry of the cartridges may include mounting the cartridges so that they are immediately adjacent to one another and so that their center axes are offset from one another. The microphones may have a more consistent on-axis frequency response and may more uniformly form desired polar patterns and/or desired steering angles by reducing the interference and reflections within and between the cartridges.

The present invention relates generally to the field of electret capsule, and more particularly to a circuit configuration of an impedance converter integrated in an electret capsule such as for use in condenser microphones. The electret capsule of a microphone may include a gate biasing field effect transistor (FET) to facilitate biasing of a low noise FET. Advantageously, the use of low noise FET in the electret capsule of a microphone provides for a reduced cost, while achieving lower self-noise.

A backplate assembly for a condenser microphone. The backplate may be coated with a parylene configured to help reduce the flatness deviation of the backplate across the diameter of the backplate. A plurality of openings may extend from the top portion of the backplate to the bottom portion of the backplate.

A variable voltage phantom power supply assembly includes a phantom power supply unit having a power input, and one or more audio channels. The variable voltage phantom power supply assembly also includes a variable voltage phantom power supply module having a phantom power supply circuit with a variable voltage controller and a variable voltage phantom power output. A method of customizing at least one performance characteristic of a microphone includes: modifying a phantom power supply to provide a variable voltage phantom power output; connecting a microphone to an input of a variable voltage phantom power supply assembly; adjusting the voltage output of the variable voltage phantom power supply to the microphone; monitoring the performance characteristics of the microphone; and, readjusting the voltage output of the variable voltage phantom power supply to the microphone to obtain at least one desired performance characteristic of the microphone.

An electrical device for reducing noise, comprises a first microphone configured to receive soundwave from a sound source and convert the soundwave to a first electrical signal including a noise component, a second microphone configured to receive ambient noise from an ambient environment and convert the ambient noise to a second electrical signal. The second electrical signal is reversed in polarity to the first electrical signal. The electrical device further comprises a circuit connecting the first microphone and the second microphone. The circuit is configured to combine the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal in order to reduce the noise component in the first electrical signal with the second electrical signal that is reversed in polarity.

Provided is a sheet-shape electrostatic sound pressure-electrical signal conversion device that is three-dimensionally deformable and has a low drive voltage.

The sound pressure-electrical signal conversion device includes a polymer sheet sandwiched between a pair of electrodes facing each other, the polymer sheet is a dielectric film, at least one of the electrodes includes an insulating flexible substrate having a plurality of through-holes and a plurality of conductive fibers having one end fixed to the flexible substrate with a pressure sensitive adhesive, electrical conduction in an in-plane direction is formed by contact between the conductive fibers, the conductive fibers are vibrated by giving an electrical signal to the pair of electrodes or the conductive fibers are vibrated by receiving sound pressure to cause the pair of electrodes to output an electrical signal.

An audio device includes an electroacoustic convertor and a differential amplifier. The electroacoustic convertor has a first output terminal and a second output terminal. A first polarity of a first capacitance variation corresponding to the first output terminal is opposite to a second polarity of a second capacitance variation corresponding to the second output terminal. The first capacitance variation and the second capacitance variation are associated with a magnitude of acoustic pressure. The differential amplifier has a first input terminal coupled to the first output terminal and a second input terminal coupled to the second output terminal.

A microphone includes a tubular case having a bottom surface, a side surface and an opened top, a substrate which is fixed so as to block an opening portion of the opened top of the case, and has an electrode portion on an upper surface thereof, and a side-surface sound hole formed in the side surface of the case.

Technologies are provided for microelectromechanical microphones that can be robust to substantial pressure changes in the environment in which the micromechanical microphones operate. In some embodiments, a microelectromechanical microphone device can include a substrate defining a first opening to receive a pressure wave. The microelectromechanical microphone device also can include a flexible plate mechanically coupled to the substrate and a rigid plate mechanically coupled to the flexible plate. The flexible plate is deformable by the pressure wave. The rigid plate defines multiple openings that permit passage of the pressure wave. The microelectromechanical microphone device can further include at least one stoppage member assembled in a spatial relationship with the flexible plate. The at least one stoppage member can limit motion of the flexible plate in response to the pressure wave including a threshold amplitude.