Microphone having linear optical transducers
OwnerAnatoly Frenkelinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Microphone having linear optical transducers. The present invention includes the use of linear optical transducers in several configurations to detect the motion of one or more conventional microphone diaphragms in proportional response to incident acoustic signals. A light source, such as a laser or a light emitting diode directs light onto a reflecting microphone diaphragm responsive to sound waves, and the position of the reflected light is monitored using a position sensitive detector which effectively eliminates effects of light source intensity on the optical transducer-processed signal. Other embodiments make use of either a fixed knife edge or a knife edge which moves in response to the motion of the diaphragm to interrupt the light source in a proportional manner to the amplitude of motion of the diaphragm.
Claims19
An optical microphone having a pressure-actuated diaphragm responsive to sound waves impinging thereon, comprising in combination:
- (a) reflective means attached to said pressure-actuated diaphragm and adapted to move therewith;
- (b) a light source for directing light having a chosen intensity onto said reflective means;
- and
- (c) means for detecting the position of the light reflected by said reflective means and generating a signal therefrom, whereby the generated signal is independent of the intensity of the light.
An optical microphone having a pressure-actuated diaphragm responsive to sound waves impinging thereon, comprising in combination:
- (a) reflective means attached to said pressure-actuated diaphragm and adapted to move therewith;
- (b) a light source for directing light having a chosen intensity onto said reflective means;
- (c) knife-edge means having a fixed position for blocking a portion of the light reflected by said reflective means;
- and
- (d) means for detecting the intensity of the portion of the light which is not blocked by said knife edge and generating a signal therefrom.
An optical microphone having a pressure-actuated diaphragm responsive to sound waves impinging thereon, comprising in combination:
- (a) a light source for providing light having a chosen intensity;
- (b) means for detecting the intensity of the light from said light source and generating a signal therefrom;
- and
- (c) a knife edge attached to said pressure-actuated diaphragm and adapted to move therewith, whereby said knife edge intersects the light between said light source and said detector means and modulates the intensity of the light in an amount proportional to the motion of said diaphragm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.