Vehicle communicating

• US 20060178169A1
• Filed: 02/09/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Faneuff, Jeffery J., Dunn, Charles E. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,299,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/569.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface

Abstract

A communication system for a vehicle is described. The communication system includes a microphone array having a plurality of microphones mounted within the vehicle for receiving acoustic signals and converting the acoustic signals to electrical signals. An antenna is mounted proximate to the microphone array. The antenna communicates a radio frequency signal to a wireless device. The communication system also includes a controller having a first input that is electrically coupled to at least one microphone in the microphone array and a second input that is electrically coupled to the antenna. The controller processes the electrical signals and transmits the processed electrical signals to the antenna.

Claims

1. A communication system for a vehicle, the communication system comprising:

a microphone array comprising a plurality of microphone elements constructed and arranged to be permanently mounted within the vehicle for receiving an acoustic signal and converting the acoustic signal to an electrical signal;

an antenna that is permanently mounted proximate to the microphone array, the antenna communicating a radio frequency signal to a wireless device; and

a controller constructed and arranged to be located remotely from the microphone and antenna and having a first input that is electrically coupled to at least one microphone element in the microphone array and a second input that is electrically coupled to the antenna, the controller processing the electrical signal and transmitting the processed electrical signal to the antenna.

2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the microphone array and the antenna are permanently mounted in the vehicle.

3. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising an enclosure that houses the microphone array and the antenna.

4. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the controller is located remotely from the microphone array and the antenna.

5. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising a first cable that couples at least one microphone in the microphone array to the controller.

6. The communication system of claim 5 further comprising a second cable that couples the antenna to the controller.

7. The communication system of claim 6 wherein the first and the second cable are located proximate to each other for at least a portion of the length of one of the first and the second cables.

8. The communication system of claim 6 wherein at least a portion of at least one of the first and the second cables is coaxial cable.

9. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising a single cable that couples the controller to at least one microphone in the microphone array and the antenna.

10. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the microphone array for receiving an acoustic signal comprises a plurality of microphone elements configured as a microphone array.

11. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the microphone array comprises a pressure responsive microphone element.

12. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the microphone array is positioned proximate to a headliner in the vehicle.

13. The communication system of claim 12 wherein a microphone element of the microphone array is positioned within one quarter of a wavelength away from a reflective plane formed by the headliner.

14. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the antenna communicates with the wireless device using a Bluetooth®

communications protocol.

15. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the antenna is positioned proximate to a headliner in the vehicle at a distance from a grounded metal surface that is within one fifth of the wavelength of the radio frequency signal.

16. The communication system of claim 15 wherein the radio frequency signal is a Bluetooth®

radio signal frequency signal.

17. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the antenna is positioned overhead and forward of a driver in the vehicle.

18. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the antenna is positioned overhead, centered in the vehicle and forward of the driver.

19. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the antenna is mounted within a map light enclosure.

20. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the antenna is positioned in a location that is chosen from the group comprising a rear-view mirror, an instrument panel, a dashboard, a steering wheel, a visor, and an airbag cover.

21. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising a second antenna positioned in the vehicle.

22. The communication system of claim 21 wherein the second antenna is positioned in a trunk of the vehicle.

23. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the microphone array is mounted proximate to the antenna.

24. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the microphone array and the antenna are mounted in an enclosure.

25. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising a low-pass filter that is coupled to the microphone array, the low-pass filter filtering out radio frequency interference.

26. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising an amplifier that is coupled to at least one microphone element of the microphone array, the amplifier amplifying an audio signal from the at least one microphone element.

27. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the electrical signal is transmitted as a low voltage differential signal.

31. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising a modulator that modulates at least one of the electrical signal and the radio frequency signal.

32. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising at least one pre-amplifier that is coupled to at least one microphone element in the microphone array.

33. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising an analog-to-digital converter that is coupled to the microphone array.

28. A communication system for a vehicle, the communication system comprising:

a microphone array comprising a plurality of microphone elements mounted within the vehicle for receiving an acoustic signal and converting the acoustic signal to an electrical signal;

an antenna that is mounted proximate to the microphone array, the antenna communicating a radio frequency signal to a wireless device; and

a controller located remotely from the microphone and antenna and having a first input that is electrically coupled to at least one microphone element in the microphone array and a second input that is electrically coupled to the antenna, the controller processing the electrical signal and transmitting the processed electrical signal to the antenna,

a single cable that couples the controller to both the microphone array and the antenna;

a multiplexer that is coupled to the single cable, the multiplexer multiplexing at least two of a power signal, the electrical signal and the radio frequency signal for transmission over the single cable; and

a de-multiplexer that is coupled to the single cable, the de-multiplexer de-multiplexing the at least two of the modulated power signal, the electrical signal and the radio frequency signal transmitted over the single cable.

29. The communication system of claim 28 further comprising a low-pass filter that is coupled to the microphone array.

30. The communication system of claim 28 further comprising a high-pass filter that is coupled to the antenna.

34. A communication system for a vehicle, the communication system comprising:

a microphone array comprising a plurality of microphone elements mounted within the vehicle for receiving an acoustic signal and converting the acoustic signal to an electrical signal;

an antenna that is mounted proximate to the microphone array, the antenna communicating a radio frequency signal to a wireless device; and

a controller located remotely from the microphone and antenna and having a first input that is electrically coupled to at least one microphone element in the microphone array and a second input that is electrically coupled to the antenna, the controller processing the electrical signal and transmitting the processed electrical signal to the antenna,

said communication system configured to provide balanced communications, wherein the first input that is electrically coupled to the at least one microphone in the microphone array further comprises;

a first conductor that transmits a non-inverted polarity microphone output signal;

a second conductor that transmits an inverted polarity microphone output signal;

a third conductor that provides a reference point relative to the non-inverted and inverted polarity microphone output signals from the first and second conductors; and

a differential amplifier for converting the non-inverted and inverted polarity microphone output signals from the first and second conductors to a single ended signal.

35. An enclosure comprising:

a microphone array that receives an acoustic signal, the microphone array converting the acoustic signal into an electrical signal that is transmitted to a controller;

an antenna that is positioned adjacent to the microphone array, the antenna transmitting a radio-frequency signal from the controller, the radio-frequency signal being related to the electrical signal; and

a housing permanently mounted in a vehicle that permanently surrounds at least a portion of the microphone array and at least a portion of the antenna, the housing being configured to allow the microphone array to receive the acoustic signal,

the controller being remotely located from the microphone array and antenna.

36. The enclosure of claim 35 wherein the microphone array comprises a plurality of microphones that are configured to receive the acoustic signal.

37. The enclosure of claim 35 wherein the housing comprises at least one port that allows the microphone array to receive the acoustic signal.

38. The enclosure of claim 35 wherein the antenna communicates with a wireless device.

39. The enclosure of claim 35 wherein the housing comprises EMI shielding that reduces electromagnetic interference in the enclosure.

40. The enclosure of claim 35 wherein the housing comprises acoustic damping material that reduces acoustic noise in the enclosure.

41. A communication system for a vehicle, the communication system comprising:

a microphone array permanently mounted within the vehicle for receiving an acoustic signal and converting the acoustic signal to an electrical signal, the microphone array communicating the electrical signal to a controller;

a first cable that couples at least one microphone in the microphone array to a controller, the first cable transmitting the electrical signal to the controller;

an antenna that is permanently located proximate to the microphone array, the antenna receiving a radio frequency signal transmitted from the controller to a wireless device; and

a second cable that couples the antenna to the controller, the second cable transmitting the radio frequency signal from the antenna to the controller and transmitting a signal that is related to the electrical signal from the controller to the antenna,

the controller being remotely located from the microphone array and antenna.

42. The communication system of claim 41 wherein at least one microphone in the microphone array comprises a pressure responsive microphone element.

43. The communication system of claim 41 wherein the microphone array is positioned proximate to a headliner in the vehicle.

44. The communication system of claim 41 wherein a microphone element in the microphone array is positioned within one quarter of a wavelength away from a reflective plane formed by a headliner in the vehicle.

45. The communication system of claim 41 wherein the antenna communicates with the wireless device using a Bluetooth®

communications protocol.

46. The communication system of claim 41 wherein the antenna is positioned proximate to a headliner in the vehicle at a distance from a grounded metal surface that is within one-fifth of the wavelength of the radio frequency signal at the highest frequency contained in the radio frequency signal.

47. The communication system of claim 41 wherein the antenna is positioned in a location that is chosen from the group comprising a rear-view mirror, an instrument panel, a dashboard, a steering wheel, a visor and an airbag cover.

48. The communication system of claim 41 wherein the microphone array and the antenna are mounted in an enclosure.

49. The communication system of claim 41 further comprising a low-pass filter that is coupled to the at least one microphone in the microphone array, the low-pass filter filtering out radio frequency interference.

50. The communication system of claim 41 further comprising an amplifier that is coupled to the at least one microphone in the microphone array, the amplifier amplifying an electric signal from the at least one microphone.

51. The communication system of claim 41 wherein the at least a portion of at least one of the first and the second cables comprises coaxial cable.

52. The communication system of claim 41 wherein the first and the second cables are located proximate to each other for at least a portion of the length of one of the first and the second cables.

53. The communication system of claim 41 wherein the electrical signal is transmitted as a low voltage differential signal.

54. The communication system of claim 41 further comprising a multiplexer that multiplexes signals from the microphone array.

55. The communication system of claim 41 further comprising at least one pre-amplifier that is coupled to at least one microphone in the microphone array.

56. The communication system of claim 41 further comprising an analog-to-digital converter that is coupled to the microphone array.