# US 9,521,500 B2 · Portable electronic device with directional microphones for stereo recording > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,521,500 B2 - Document ID: US9521500B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/554,277 - Filed: 2014-11-26 - Published: 2015-03-19 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2012-07-18 - Assignees: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Deming Zhang; David Virette; Yue Lang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9521500B2 ## CPC - H04S 1/00: Two-channel systems (H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence) - H04M 1/035: {Improving the acoustic characteristics by means of constructional features of the housing, e.g. ribs, walls, resonating chambers or cavities} - H04R 5/027: Spatial or constructional arrangements of microphones, e.g. in dummy heads - H04M 1/0202: {Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets (constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03)} - H04M 2250/12: including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion - H04R 2499/11: Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's - H04S: STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) - H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K) ## Abstract The invention relates to a portable electronic device, comprising: at least two directional microphones for stereo sound pickup, each one of the two directional microphones defining a direct sound direction and an opposite sound direction towards which the directional microphones are directed; and a housing comprising for each of the directional microphones a first hole and a second hole, the first hole being located at a different side of the portable electronic device than the second hole. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A portable electronic device, comprising: at least two directional microphones for stereo sound pickup, each one of the two directional microphones defining a direct sound direction and an opposite sound direction towards which the directional microphones are directed; and a housing comprising for each of the directional microphones a first hole and a second hole, the first hole being located at a different side of the housing of the portable electronic device than the second hole; wherein the direct sound direction of each microphone is oriented towards the first hole and the opposite sound direction of each microphone is oriented towards the second hole; wherein the housing is configured for housing the portable electronic device and is formed as a plate defined by two main areas framed by a top side, a bottom side and a first and a second lateral side, wherein the two main areas define a front side and a back side of the housing; and wherein the first hole for a first directional microphone is located in the first lateral side, the first hole for a second directional microphone is located in the second lateral side and the second holes for the first and second microphones are located in the bottom side or in the top side of the housing such that directivity polar patterns of the two directional microphones are directed towards the lateral sides of the housing. ### Claim 2 A portable electronic device, comprising: at least two directional microphones for stereo sound pickup, each one of the two directional microphones defining a direct sound direction and an opposite sound direction towards which the directional microphones are directed; and a housing comprising for each of the directional microphones a first hole and a second hole, the first hole being located at a different side of the housing of the portable electronic device than the second hole; wherein the direct sound direction of each microphone is oriented towards the first hole and the opposite sound direction of each microphone is oriented towards the second hole; wherein the housing is configured for housing the portable electronic device and is formed as a plate defined by two main areas framed by a top side, a bottom side and a first and a second lateral side, wherein the two main areas define a front side and a back side of the housing; and wherein the first hole for a first directional microphone is located in the top side, the first hole for a second directional microphone is located in the bottom side and the second holes for the first and second microphones are located in the first lateral side or in the second lateral side of the housing such that directivity polar patterns of the two directional microphones are directed towards the top and bottom sides of the housing. ### Claim 3 A portable electronic device, comprising: at least two directional microphones for stereo sound pickup, each one of the two directional microphones defining a direct sound direction and an opposite sound direction towards which the directional microphones are directed; and a housing comprising for each of the directional microphones a first hole and a second hole, the first hole being located at a different side of the housing of the portable electronic device than the second hole, wherein the direct sound direction of each microphone is oriented towards the first hole and the opposite sound direction of each microphone is oriented towards the second hole; wherein the housing is configured for housing the portable electronic device and is formed as a plate defined by two main areas framed by a top side, a bottom side and a first and a second lateral side, wherein the two main areas define a front side and a back side of the housing; wherein the first hole for a first directional microphone and the first hole for a second directional microphone are located in the front side and wherein the second hole for the first directional microphone and the second hole for the second directional microphone are located in the back side of the housing such that directivity polar patterns of the two directional microphones are oriented towards the front side of the housing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein: the first hole for the first directional microphone is located in the front side within a first distance (d1) from a lateral side of the housing and the second hole for the first directional microphone is located in the back side within a third distance (d3) greater or equal than the first distance (d1) from the lateral side of the housing; and a difference of the third distance (d3) and the first distance (d1) is dimensioned for determining a stereo recording width of the stereo recording arrangement formed by the two directional microphones with respect to the lateral side of the housing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein: the first hole for the first directional microphone is located in the front side within a second distance (d2) from the bottom side of the housing and the second hole for the first directional microphone is located in the back side within a fourth distance (d4) greater or equal than the third distance (d2) from the bottom side of the housing; and a difference of the fourth distance (d4) and the second distance (d2) is dimensioned for determining a stereo recording width of the stereo recording arrangement formed by the two directional microphones with respect to the bottom side of the housing. ### Claim 6 A portable electronic device, comprising: at least two directional microphones for stereo sound pickup, each one of the two directional microphones defining a direct sound direction and an opposite sound direction towards which the directional microphones are directed; a housing comprising for each of the directional microphones a first hole and a second hole, the first hole being located at a different side of the housing of the portable electronic device than the second hole; wherein the direct sound direction of each microphone is oriented towards the first hole and the opposite sound direction of each microphone is oriented towards the second hole; and at least three directional microphones being arranged along two adjacent sides of the portable electronic device, one of the at least three directional microphones being common to both adjacent sides and two other of the at least three directional microphones being arranged at different ones of the two adjacent sides of the portable electronic device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The portable electronic device of claim 6, further comprising: a gyroscope for detecting an orientation of the portable electronic device; and a controller configured to select a pair of the at least three directional microphones for stereo recording depending on the orientation of the portable electronic device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to select the pair of the at least three directional microphones which is oriented horizontally or closest to the horizontal orientation. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to switch selection of the pair of the at least three directional microphones from a first pair to a second pair during movement of the portable electronic device depending on the orientation of the portable electronic device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to perform a switching by applying a weighted combination of at least three directional microphones depending on the orientation of the portable electronic device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The portable electronic device of claim 7, further comprising at least four directional microphones being arranged at different corners of the portable electronic device, wherein the controller is configured to select at least a pair of the at least four directional microphones for stereo recording depending on the orientation of the portable electronic device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least two directional microphones are cardioid microphones or figure-eight microphones. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the housing is smaller than 2 cm. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The portable electronic device of claim 13, wherein the thickness of the housing is less than 1 cm. ### Claim 15 (depends on 2) The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein the at least two directional microphones are cardioid microphones or figure-eight microphones. ### Claim 16 (depends on 2) The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein a thickness of the housing is smaller than 2 cm. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the thickness of the housing is less than 1 cm. ### Claim 18 (depends on 3) The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein the at least two directional microphones are cardioid microphones or figure-eight microphones. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The portable electronic device of claim 13 wherein a thickness of the housing is smaller than 2 cm. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The portable electronic device of claim 19, wherein the thickness of the housing is less than 1 cm. ### Claim 21 (depends on 6) The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the at least two directional microphones are cardioid microphones or figure-eight microphones. ### Claim 22 (depends on 6) The portable electronic device of claim 6 wherein a thickness of the housing is smaller than 2 cm. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The portable electronic device of claim 22, wherein the thickness of the housing is less than 1 cm.