Hands-free communication system for use in automotive vehicle

• US 20070037607A1
• Filed: 07/17/2006
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Matsuda, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 7,957,774 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/569.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface

Abstract

A hands-free system, through which a driver communicates without using hands with an on-board mobile phone such as a cell phone, is mounted on an automotive vehicle. Plural speakers including a center speaker installed in an instrument panel and door speakers each installed in each door are mounted on the vehicle. Whenever the center speaker is mounted on the vehicle, the center speaker is selected as a speaker from which voices transmitted from the mobile phone are outputted. Only when the center speaker is not mounted, the door speakers are selected. When the center speaker is selected, the voices transmitted from the mobile phone can be heard from a direction to which a driver'"'"'s eye line is directed. Accordingly, the driver is able to hear the speaker sounds from the natural direction for him/her.

Claims

1. A hands-free communication system for use in an automotive vehicle for communicating with an on-board mobile phone, the hands-free system comprising:

means for obtaining information of speakers mounted on the automotive vehicle;

means for checking whether a center speaker mounted on an instrument panel of the automobile is included in the speakers mounted on the automotive vehicle; and

means for selecting at least one speaker, from which sounds transmitted from the on-board mobile phone are outputted, from among the speakers mounted on the automotive vehicle.

2. The hands-free communication system as in claim 1, wherein:

whenever the checking means determines that the center speaker is mounted on the automotive vehicle, the selecting means selects the center speaker.

3. The hands-free communication system as in claim 1, wherein:

when the checking means determines that the center speaker is not mounted on the automotive vehicle, the selecting means selects door speakers installed in doors of the automobile vehicle.

4. The hands-free communication system as in claim 2, further including a microphone installed in the automotive vehicle, an echo canceller for canceling echo that reaches the microphone from the speakers, and a memory storing parameters to be set in the echo canceller according to selected speakers to minimize the echo reaching the microphone from the selected speakers, wherein:

the parameters which are most appropriate to minimize the echo reaching the microphone from the center speaker are set in the echo canceller.

5. The hands-free communication system as in claim 3, further including a microphone installed in the automotive vehicle, an echo canceller for canceling echo that reaches the microphone from the speakers, and a memory storing parameters to be set in the echo canceller according to selected speakers to minimize the echo reaching the microphone from the selected speakers, wherein:

the parameters which are most appropriate to minimize the echo reaching the microphone from the door speakers are set in the echo canceller.

6. The hands-free communication system as in claim 1, wherein:

the on-board mobile phone wirelessly coupled to the hands-free system.