Patent attributes
A system includes a laser microphone or laser-based microphone or optical microphone. The laser microphone includes a laser transmitter to transmit an outgoing laser beam towards a human speaker. The laser transmitter acts also as a self-mix interferometry unit that receives the optical feedback signal reflected from the human speaker, and generates an optical self-mix signal by self-mixing interferometry of the laser beam and the received optical feedback signal. Instead of utilizing a single laser beam, multiple laser beams are used, by operating an array of laser transmitters, or by utilizing a laser beam splitter or a crystal to split laser beams or to diffract or scatter laser beams. Optionally, one or more laser beams may temporally scan a target area.