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AssigneeHahn-Schickard-Gesellschaft FüR Angewandte Forschung E. V.
InventorsAchim Bittner, Daniel Biesinger
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In a first aspect, the invention relates to a MEMS microphone for detecting acoustic signals. The MEMS microphone exhibits a vibratable microphone membrane which is induced into vibrations by sound waves passing through a sound inlet opening. Furthermore, the MEMS microphone exhibits a cantilever comprising a measuring tip. The cantilever is actively induced into vibrations by an actuator such that the measuring tip is guided to the microphone membrane in a contactless vibrating manner. A tunnel current flows between the microphone membrane and the measuring tip, with which the vibration behavior of the microphone membrane, which is dependent on the sound waves, can be detected. An electronic circuit is configured to measure the tunnel current between the microphone membrane and the measuring tip. The MEMS microphone according to the invention makes it possible to detect particularly low sound pressure levels with high resolution. In a further aspect, the invention relates to methods for detecting acoustic signals using the MEMS microphone according to the invention.
A MEMS microphone for detecting acoustic signals, comprising a sound inlet opening, a vibratable microphone membrane and an electronic circuit, wherein sound waves entering through the sound inlet opening induce the vibratable microphone membrane into vibrations, wherein the MEMS microphone exhibits a cantilever comprising a measuring tip and an actuator, the electronic circuit being configured for measuring a tunnel current between the vibratable microphone membrane and the measuring tip and for an active induction of the cantilever into vibrations, wherein, for the detection of acoustic signals, the measuring tip is guided to the vibratable microphone membrane in a contactless vibrating manner, while the measurable tunnel current permits detection of the vibration behavior of the vibratable microphone membrane which is dependent on the sound waves, wherein the cantilever performs due to the active induction periodic vibrations, wherein the distance between the measuring tip and the vibratable microphone membrane changes with the periodicity of the active induction.
A Method for detecting acoustic signals comprising a MEMS microphone comprising a sound inlet opening, a vibratable microphone membrane and an electronic circuit, wherein sound waves entering through the sound inlet opening induce the vibratable microphone membrane (3) into vibrations, wherein the MEMS microphone exhibits a cantilever comprising a measuring tip and an actuator, the cantilever and/or the measuring tip being actively induced into vibrations by the actuator and being guided to the vibratable microphone membrane in a contactless vibrating manner, such that a tunnel current between the measuring tip and the vibratable microphone membrane is measured and the tunnel current permits detection of the vibration behavior of the vibratable microphone membrane dependent on the sound waves, wherein the distance between the measuring tip and the vibratable microphone membrane changes with the periodicity of the active induction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.