Rearview mirror assemblies incorporating hands-free telephone components

• US 20040246607A1
• Filed: 05/19/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Inventors: Watson, Alan R., Bryson, Michael A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,266,204 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/872
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1284 with communication systems other than radio-receivers, e.g. keyless entry systems, navigation systems; with anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/182 for mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface

Abstract

The rearview assembly of the present invention may include any one or more of the following: a housing for attaching to the vehicle, the housing may define an interior space that is acoustically separated into at least two chambers; a first speaker that may be located in a first one of the at least two chambers of the interior space of the housing; a first microphone subassembly located on the top surface of the housing; a second microphone subassembly located on the bottom surface of the housing; a display positioned in the housing; an audio/data transceiver for transmitting and receiving audio and data signals to/from a portable device; and a control circuit for determining whether a portable device having a predetermined identification code is within the range of the audio/data transceiver, and for exchanging data with the portable device through the audio/data transceiver.

Claims

1. A rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle comprising:

a mirror housing for attaching to the vehicle, said mirror housing having a top, bottom, and rear surface;

a mirror disposed in said mirror housing and having a front surface;

a first microphone subassembly located on the top surface of said mirror housing; and

a second microphone subassembly located on the bottom surface of said mirror housing.

2. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 1 and further comprising:

a first speaker located in said mirror housing; and

a second speaker located in said mirror housing at an opposite side of said mirror housing.

3. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 2, wherein said first and second microphone subassemblies are located at a mid point between said first and second speakers.

4. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 2, wherein said first and second microphone subassemblies are not located at a mid point between said first and second speakers.

5. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said second microphone subassembly has a maximum sensitivity in the direction of a driver of the vehicle and said first microphone subassembly has a maximum sensitivity in the direction of a front seat passenger of the vehicle.

6. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second microphone subassemblies comprises more than one transducer.

7. The rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second microphone subassemblies comprises more than one microphone.

8. A rearview assembly for a vehicle comprising:

a housing for attaching to the vehicle, said housing defining an interior space that is acoustically separated into at least two chambers; and

a first speaker located in a first one of said at least two chambers of said interior space of said housing.

9. The rearview assembly of claim 8 and further comprising a microphone subassembly located at least partially within a second one of said at least two chambers of said interior space of said housing.

10. The rearview assembly of claim 9 and further comprising a second speaker located in a third one of said at least two chambers of said interior space of said housing.

11. The rearview assembly of claim 8 and further comprising a second speaker located in a second one of said at least two chambers of said interior space of said housing.

12. The rearview assembly of claim 8, wherein said first speaker is mounted in said housing so as to create another acoustic chamber in front of said first speaker.

13. The rearview assembly of claim 12, wherein said housing includes ports acoustically coupled to said another acoustic chamber, and wherein said ports and said another acoustic chamber are configured such that said first speaker exhibits a resonant frequency falling within the range of about 2000 Hz to 4000 Hz.

14. The rearview assembly of claim 8 and further comprising a device for providing a rearward view of a scene behind the vehicle, said device being supported by said housing.

15. The rearview assembly of claim 14, wherein said device is a mirror element.

16. The rearview assembly of claim 8 and further comprising a mounting structure for mounting to the vehicle proximate a vehicle windshield, wherein said housing is attached to said mounting structure.

17. The rearview assembly of claim 16 and further comprising a mirror element, wherein said mounting structure comprises a mirror housing and a mirror mount and said mirror element is mounted in said mirror housing.

18. The rearview assembly of claim 17, wherein the housing in which said first speaker is mounted is separate from said mirror housing.

19. The rearview assembly of claim 8, wherein said first speaker is mounted in said housing so as to be aimed at the vehicle windshield.

20. A rearview assembly for a vehicle comprising:

a housing for attaching to the vehicle, said housing defining an interior space;

a device for providing a rearward view of a scene behind the vehicle; and

a first speaker located in said interior space of said housing, wherein a front acoustic chamber is defined between a front of said first speaker and an interior surface of said housing, said front acoustic chamber having a volume V, at least one port having an acoustic resistance r_A is provided through said housing in front of said front acoustic chamber, and wherein said front acoustic chamber and said at least one port are configured to satisfy the following equation;

$\frac{{\mathrm{pc}}^2<br><br>r_A}{{\mathrm{pc}}^2+j<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>2<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{\pi <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{fr}}_A<br><br>V}=\underset{i=1}{\overset{n}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>\frac{12<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{\mu <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\varpi <br><br>}}_i}{d^3<br><br>l_i}+j<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\frac{12<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>p<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\varpi <br><br>}}_i<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{\pi <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>f}{5<br><br>l_i<br><br>d}$

where;

f=resonance frequency;

n=number of ports;

{overscore (ω

)}_i=width of port i;

l_i=length of port i;

d=wall thickness of the housing;

p=density of air (in g/cm³);

μ

=viscosity coefficient=1.86×

10<sup>−

4</sup> for air; and

c=velocity of sound (in cm/sec).

21. The rearview assembly of claim 20, wherein the resonant frequency f is between about 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz.

22. The rearview assembly of claim 20, wherein the resonant frequency f is about 3000 Hz.

23. The rearview assembly of claim 20, wherein said device is a mirror element.

24. The rearview assembly of claim 20 and further comprising a second speaker located in said interior space of said housing.

25. The rearview assembly of claim 24, wherein a second front acoustic chamber is defined between a front of said second speaker and an interior surface of said housing, said second front acoustic chamber having a volume V, at least one port having an acoustic resistance r_A is provided through said housing in front of said second front acoustic chamber, and wherein said second front acoustic chamber and said at least one port are configured to satisfy the following equation:

26. The rearview assembly of claim 20 and further comprising at least one microphone subassembly supported by said housing.

27. The rearview assembly of claim 20, wherein said device for providing a rearward view is supported by said housing.

28. The rearview assembly of claim 27, wherein said device is a mirror element.

29. The rearview assembly of claim 20 and further comprising a mounting structure for mounting to the vehicle proximate a vehicle windshield, wherein said housing is attached to said mounting structure.

30. The rearview assembly of claim 29 and further comprising a mirror element, wherein said mounting structure comprises a mirror housing and a mirror mount and said mirror element is mounted in said mirror housing.

31. The rearview assembly of claim 30, wherein the housing in which said first speaker is mounted is separate from said mirror housing.

32. The rearview assembly of claim 20, wherein said first speaker is mounted in said housing so as to be aimed at the vehicle windshield.

33. A rearview assembly for a vehicle comprising:

a housing for attaching to the vehicle, said housing defining an interior space;

a device for providing a rearward view of a scene behind the vehicle; and

a first speaker located in said interior space of said housing, wherein a front acoustic chamber is defined in front of said first speaker, at least one port is provided in front of said front acoustic chamber, and wherein said at least one port and said front acoustic chamber are configured such that said first speaker exhibits a resonant frequency falling within the range of about 2000 Hz to 4000 Hz.

34. The rearview assembly of claim 33, wherein the resonant frequency is about 3000 Hz.

35. The rearview assembly of claim 33, wherein said device is a mirror element.

36. The rearview assembly of claim 33 and further comprising a second speaker located in said interior space of said housing.

37. The rearview assembly of claim 36, wherein a second front acoustic chamber is defined between a front of said second speaker and an interior surface of said housing, said front acoustic chamber, at least one second port is provided through said housing in front of said second front acoustic chamber, and wherein said at least one second port and said second front acoustic chamber are configured such that said second speaker exhibits a resonant frequency falling within the range of about 2000 Hz to 4000 Hz.

38. The rearview assembly of claim 37, wherein the resonant frequency of said second speaker is about 3000 Hz.

39. The rearview assembly of claim 33 and further comprising at least one microphone subassembly supported by said housing.

40. The rearview assembly of claim 33, wherein said at least one port is provided through said housing and said front acoustic chamber is defined between the front of said first speaker and an interior surface of said housing.

41. The rearview assembly of claim 33, wherein said device for providing a rearward view is supported by said housing.

42. The rearview assembly of claim 33 and further comprising a mounting structure for mounting to the vehicle proximate a vehicle windshield, wherein said housing is attached to said mounting structure.

43. The rearview assembly of claim 42 and further comprising a mirror element, wherein said mounting structure comprises a mirror housing and a mirror mount and said mirror element is mounted in said mirror housing.

44. The rearview assembly of claim 43, wherein the housing in which said first speaker is mounted is separate from said mirror housing.

45. The rearview assembly of claim 33, wherein said first speaker is mounted in said housing so as to be aimed at the vehicle windshield.

46. A vehicle rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the driver of the vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:

a mounting structure for mounting to the vehicle;

an audio/data transceiver for transmitting and receiving audio and data signals to/from a portable telephone;

a hands-free microphone associated with said mounting structure for providing an audio signal to said audio/data transceiver;

at least one hands-free speaker associated with said mounting structure for receiving an audio signal from said audio/data transceiver; and

a control circuit coupled to said audio/data transceiver, said control circuit determines whether a portable telephone having a predetermined identification code is within the range of said audio/data transceiver and exchanges data with the portable telephone through said audio/data transceiver causing the portable telephone to disable its microphone, wherein said control circuit enables speech to be picked up by said hands-free microphone and transmitted to the portable telephone through said audio/data transceiver.

47. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 46, wherein said control circuit exchanges data with the portable telephone through the audio/data transceiver to enable audio signals from called/calling party that are received through the portable telephone to be transmitted through said audio/data transceiver and played back over said hands-free speaker.

48. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 47, wherein said control circuit exchanges data with the portable telephone through the audio and data transceiver causing the portable telephone to disable its speaker.

49. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 46, wherein, during a telephone call through the portable telephone, said control circuit selectively enables said hands-free microphone when the portable telephone is within range of said audio/data transceiver.

50. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 49 and further including a call transfer switch coupled to said control circuit, wherein said control circuit enables said hands-free microphone in response to an activation of said call transfer switch.

51. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 49, wherein, during a telephone call through the portable telephone, said control circuit enables said hands-free microphone and disables the microphone of the portable telephone as soon as said control circuit detects that the vehicle is moving.

52. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 49, wherein, during a telephone call through the portable telephone, said control circuit enables said hands-free microphone as soon as said control circuit detects that a person using the portable telephone is within the vehicle.

53. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 46, wherein at least one of said audio/data transceiver and said control circuit is supported on or within said mounting structure.

54. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 46, wherein each of said audio/data transceiver, hands-free microphone, and control circuit is supported on or within said mounting structure.

55. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 46, wherein said control circuit is configured to exchange data with more than one portable telephone through said audio/data transceiver.

56. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 46 and further comprising a mirror element, wherein said mounting structure comprises a mirror housing and a mirror mount and said mirror element is mounted in said mirror housing.

57. The vehicle rearview assembly of claim 56, wherein said at least one hands-free speaker is mounted in said mirror housing.

58. A rearview assembly for a vehicle comprising:

a housing for attachment to the vehicle;

a display positioned in said housing;

an audio/data transceiver associated with said housing for receiving wireless audio and data signals from a device proximate the vehicle; and

a controller positioned in said housing and coupled to said display and said audio/data transceiver, said controller controls said display to indicate the presence of a wireless connection to a device proximate the vehicle.

59. The rearview assembly of claim 58, wherein said display is configured to display the identity of the device to which a wireless connection is made.

60. The rearview assembly of claim 58 and further comprising:

a hands-free microphone associated with said mounting structure for providing an audio signal to said audio/data transceiver; and

at least one hands-free speaker associated with said mounting structure for receiving an audio signal from said audio/data transceiver.

61. The rearview assembly of claim 60, wherein said controller determines whether a portable telephone having a predetermined identification code is within the range of said audio/data transceiver and exchanges data with the portable telephone through said audio/data transceiver causing the portable telephone to disable its microphone, wherein said controller enables speech to be picked up by said hands-free microphone and transmitted to the portable telephone through said audio/data transceiver.

62. The rearview assembly of claim 60, wherein said controller determines whether portable telephones having predetermined identification codes are within the range of said audio/data transceiver, said control circuit being configured to establish a priority amongst the portable telephones for use of said hands-free microphone and said hands-free speakers, said controller exchanges data with the portable telephones through said audio/data transceiver causing the portable telephone with the highest priority to disable its microphone, wherein said controller enables speech to be picked up by said hands-free microphone and transmitted to the portable telephone with the highest priority through said audio/data transceiver.

63. The rearview assembly of claim 62, wherein said display is configured to display the identity of the portable telephone with the highest priority.

64. The rearview assembly of claim 62, wherein said display is configured to display the identities of all of the portable telephones having predetermined identification codes that are within the range of the audio/data transceiver.

65. The rearview assembly of claim 58, wherein said controller is operative in a pairing mode and an operational mode, during the pairing mode, said controller searches for, discovers and acquires a unique identification code of a device with which said audio/data transceiver is to be paired, during the operational mode, said controller determines whether a device having the unique identification code is within the range of said audio/data transceiver and exchanges data with the device through said audio/data transceiver, also during the operational mode, said controller prevents the exchange of certain data with detected devices that are not paired with said audio/data transceiver.

66. The rearview assembly of claim 65, wherein said display is configured to display the identity of a device with which said audio/data transceiver is paired.

67. The rearview assembly of claim 58, wherein said housing is a mirror housing in which a mirror element is disposed.

68. The rearview assembly of claim 67, wherein said mirror housing has a top, bottom, and rear surface, and said mirror has a front surface, the rearview assembly further comprising:

a first microphone subassembly located on the top surface of said mirror housing; and

a second microphone subassembly located on the bottom surface of said mirror housing.

69. The rearview assembly of claim 58, wherein said housing defines an interior space that is acoustically separated into at least two chambers, and the rearview assembly further comprises a first speaker located in a first one of said at least two chambers of said interior space of said housing.

70. The rearview assembly of claim 69, wherein a front acoustic chamber is defined in front of said first speaker, at least one port is provided in front of said front acoustic chamber, and wherein said at least one port and said front acoustic chamber are configured such that said first speaker exhibits a resonant frequency falling within the range of about 2000 Hz to 4000 Hz.

71. The rearview assembly of claim 69, wherein a front acoustic chamber is defined between a front of said first speaker and an interior surface of said housing, said front acoustic chamber having a volume V, at least one port having an acoustic resistance r_A is provided through said housing in front of said front acoustic chamber, and wherein said front acoustic chamber and said at least one port are configured to satisfy the following equation:

72. The rearview assembly of claim 71, wherein the resonant frequency f is between about 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz.

73. A vehicle rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the driver of the vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:

a mounting structure for mounting to the vehicle;

an audio/data transceiver associated with said mounting structure for transmitting and receiving wireless audio and data signals to/from a portable device having a similar audio/data transceiver; and

a control circuit coupled to said audio/data transceiver, said control circuit being operative in a pairing mode and an operational mode, during the pairing mode, said control circuit searches for, discovers and acquires a unique identification code of a portable device with which said audio/data transceiver is to be paired, during the operational mode, said control circuit determines whether a portable device having the unique identification code is within the range of said audio/data transceiver and exchanges data with the portable device through said audio/data transceiver, also during the operational mode, said control circuit prevents the exchange of certain data with detected portable devices that are not paired with said audio/data transceiver.

74. The rearview assembly of claim 73 and further comprising a display coupled to said control circuit, to indicate the presence of a wireless connection to a portable device proximate the vehicle.

75. The rearview assembly of claim 74, wherein said display is configured to display the identity of the portable device to which a wireless connection is made.

76. The rearview assembly of claim 73 and further comprising:

a hands-free microphone associated with said mounting structure for providing an audio signal to said audio/data transceiver; and

at least one hands-free speaker associated with said mounting structure for receiving an audio signal from said audio/data transceiver.

77. The rearview assembly of claim 76, wherein said control circuit determines whether a portable telephone having a predetermined identification code is within the range of said audio/data transceiver and exchanges data with the portable telephone through said audio/data transceiver causing the portable telephone to disable its microphone, wherein said control circuit enables speech to be picked up by said hands-free microphone and transmitted to the portable telephone through said audio/data transceiver.

78. The rearview assembly of claim 76, wherein said control circuit determines whether portable telephones having predetermined identification codes are within the range of said audio/data transceiver, said control circuit being configured to establish a priority amongst the portable telephones for use of said hands-free microphone and said hands-free speakers, said control circuit exchanges data with the portable telephones through said audio/data transceiver causing the portable telephone with the highest priority to disable its microphone, wherein said control circuit enables speech to be picked up by said hands-free microphone and transmitted to the portable telephone with the highest priority through said audio/data transceiver.

79. The rearview assembly of claim 73, wherein said control circuit is operative in a pairing mode and an operational mode, during the pairing mode, said control circuit searches for, discovers and acquires a unique identification code of a portable device with which said audio/data transceiver is to be paired, during the operational mode, said control circuit determines whether a portable device having the unique identification code is within the range of said audio/data transceiver and exchanges data with the portable device through said audio/data transceiver, also during the operational mode, said control circuit prevents the exchange of certain data with detected portable devices that are not paired with said audio/data transceiver.

80. The rearview assembly of claim 73, wherein said mounting structure comprises a mirror housing in which a mirror element is disposed.

81. The rearview assembly of claim 80, wherein said mirror housing has a top, bottom, and rear surface, and said mirror has a front surface, the rearview assembly further comprising:

a first microphone subassembly located on the top surface of said mirror housing; and

a second microphone subassembly located on the bottom surface of said mirror housing.

82. The rearview assembly of claim 80, wherein said mirror housing defines an interior space that is acoustically separated into at least two chambers, and the rearview assembly further comprises a first speaker located in a first one of said at least two chambers of said interior space of said mirror housing.

83. The rearview assembly of claim 82, wherein a front acoustic chamber is defined in front of said first speaker, at least one port is provided in front of said front acoustic chamber, and wherein said at least one port and said front acoustic chamber are configured such that said first speaker exhibits a resonant frequency falling within the range of about 2000 Hz to 4000 Hz.

84. The rearview assembly of claim 82, wherein a front acoustic chamber is defined between a front of said first speaker and an interior surface of said housing, said front acoustic chamber having a volume V, at least one port having an acoustic resistance r_A is provided through said mirror housing in front of said front acoustic chamber, and wherein said front acoustic chamber and said at least one port are configured to satisfy the following equation:

85. The rearview assembly of claim 84, wherein the resonant frequency f is between about 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz.

86. A vehicle rearview assembly for providing an image of a scene to the rear of the driver of the vehicle, said rearview assembly comprising:

a mounting structure for mounting to the vehicle;

an audio/data transceiver for transmitting and receiving audio and data signals to/from a portable telephone;

a hands-free microphone associated with the mounting structure for providing an audio signal to said audio/data transceiver;

at least one hands-free speaker for receiving an audio signal from said audio/data transceiver; and

a control circuit coupled to the audio/data transceiver, said control circuit determines whether portable telephones having predetermined identification codes are within the range of the audio/data transceiver, said control circuit being configured to establish a priority amongst the portable telephones for use of said hands-free microphone and said hands-free speakers, said control circuit exchanges data with the portable telephones through said audio/data transceiver causing the portable telephone with the highest priority to disable its microphone, wherein said control circuit enables speech to be picked up by said hands-free microphone and transmitted to the portable telephone with the highest priority through said audio/data transceiver.

87. The rearview assembly of claim 86 and further comprising a display coupled to said control circuit, to indicate the presence of a wireless connection to a portable telephone proximate the vehicle.

88. The rearview assembly of claim 87, wherein said display is configured to display the identity of the portable telephone to which a wireless connection is made.

89. The rearview assembly of claim 86, wherein said control circuit determines whether a portable telephone having a predetermined identification code is within the range of said audio/data transceiver and exchanges data with the portable telephone through said audio/data transceiver causing the portable telephone to disable its microphone, wherein said control circuit enables speech to be picked up by said hands-free microphone and transmitted to the portable telephone through said audio/data transceiver.

90. The rearview assembly of claim 86, wherein said control circuit is operative in a pairing mode and an operational mode, during the pairing mode, said control circuit searches for, discovers and acquires a unique identification code of a portable telephone with which said audio/data transceiver is to be paired, during the operational mode, said control circuit determines whether a portable telephone having the unique identification code is within the range of said audio/data transceiver and exchanges data with the portable telephone through said audio/data transceiver, also during the operational mode, said control circuit prevents the exchange of certain data with detected portable devices that are not paired with said audio/data transceiver.

91. The rearview assembly of claim 86, wherein said mounting structure comprises a mirror housing in which a mirror element is disposed.

92. The rearview assembly of claim 91, wherein said mirror housing has a top, bottom, and rear surface, and said mirror has a front surface, the rearview assembly further comprising:

a first microphone subassembly located on the top surface of said mirror housing; and

a second microphone subassembly located on the bottom surface of said mirror housing.

93. The rearview assembly of claim 91, wherein said mirror housing defines an interior space that is acoustically separated into at least two chambers, and the rearview assembly further comprises a first speaker located in a first one of said at least two chambers of said interior space of said mirror housing.

94. The rearview assembly of claim 93, wherein a front acoustic chamber is defined in front of said first speaker, at least one port is provided in front of said front acoustic chamber, and wherein said at least one port and said front acoustic chamber are configured such that said first speaker exhibits a resonant frequency falling within the range of about 2000 Hz to 4000 Hz.

95. The rearview assembly of claim 93, wherein a front acoustic chamber is defined between a front of said first speaker and an interior surface of said housing, said front acoustic chamber having a volume V, at least one port having an acoustic resistance r_A is provided through said mirror housing in front of said front acoustic chamber, and wherein said front acoustic chamber and said at least one port are configured to satisfy the following equation:

96. The rearview assembly of claim 95, wherein the resonant frequency f is between about 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz.