Sound Management Techniques for Vehicles

• US 20080037803A1
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Inventors: Breed, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,189,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/86
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0003 inside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0005 Dashboard
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0022 Pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0028 Ceiling, e.g. roof rails
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers

Abstract

Vehicle including an arrangement for controlling audio reception by occupants of a passenger compartment includes a frame defining an interior, at least one seat in the interior defining a plurality of seating positions, and a sound generating system for generating different audio sounds for each seating position. The sound generating system utilizes hypersonic sound, and may be an entertainment system which delivers music or other audio content to the occupants. A monitoring system determines the presence and/or position of occupants in the seating positions relative to the sound generating system. The sound generating system for each seating position may then be automatically adjustable based on the determined presence and/or position of the occupant in the seating position such that different sounds are audible to each occupant.

Claims

1. A vehicle including an arrangement for controlling audio reception by occupants of a passenger compartment of the vehicle, comprising:

a frame defining an interior;

at least one seat in said interior defining a plurality of seating positions; and

sound generating means for generating different audio sounds for each of said seating positions, said sound generating means utilizing hypersonic sound.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a monitoring system for determining the position of occupants in said seating positions relative to said sound generating means, said sound generating means for each of said seating positions being automatically adjustable based on the determined position of the occupant in said seating position such that different sounds are audible to each occupant.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein said sound generating means comprise speakers, said speakers being controllable based on the determined positions of the occupants such that at least one of said speakers directs sounds toward each of the occupants.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, further comprising a monitoring system for determining the presence of occupants in said seating positions, each of said speakers is arranged to direct sound only to a respective seating position, said speakers being controllable based on the determined presence of any occupants to cause only those of said speakers which direct sound to an occupied seating position to be operative while those of said speakers which direct sound to an unoccupied seating position are not operative.

5. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein said monitoring system is structured and arranged to determine the position of the head or ears of each occupant, said sound generating means being adjustable based on the determined position of the head or ears of each occupant.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said sound generating means comprising a plurality of sets of two ultrasonic frequency generators, one of said ultrasonic frequency generators in each of said sets generating ultrasonic waves which mix with ultrasonic waves generated by the other of said ultrasonic frequency generators in said set to thereby create new audio frequencies.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein said sets of ultrasonic frequency generators are controlled independently of one another so that each of the occupants is able to have different new audio frequencies created.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a system for determining the position of the occupant'"'"'s mouth, said sound generating means being part of a communications system which also includes an adjustable directional microphone arranged to be adjusted to be oriented toward the determined position of the occupant'"'"'s mouth such that when the occupant talks, sounds are received by said microphone.

9. A method for controlling audio reception by occupants of a passenger compartment of the vehicle, comprising:

defining a plurality of seating positions in an interior of the vehicle;

providing a hypersonic sound generator for generating audio sounds for each seating positions; and

generating different audio sounds for each seating position via the hypersonic sound generators.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the position of occupants in the seating positions relative to the sound generators;

adjusting the sound generator for each seating position based on the determined position of the occupant in the seating position such that different sounds are audible to each occupant.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the sound generators include speakers, further comprising controlling the speakers based on the determined positions of the occupants such that at least one speaker directs sounds toward each occupant.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining the presence of occupants in the seating positions;

directing sound from each speaker only to a respective seating position; and

controlling the speakers based on the determined presence of any occupants such that only those speakers which direct sound to an occupied seating position are operative while speakers which direct sound to an unoccupied seating position are not operative.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the position of a head or ears of the occupants in the seating positions relative to the sound generators;

adjusting the sound generator for each seating position based on the determined position of the head or ears of the occupant in the seating position such that different sounds are audible to each occupant.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of providing the sound generator comprises providing a plurality of sets of two ultrasonic frequency generators, one of the ultrasonic frequency generators in each of the sets generating ultrasonic waves which mix with ultrasonic waves generated by the other of the ultrasonic frequency generators in that set to thereby create new audio frequencies.

15. A method for determining the acoustic spectral characteristics of an interior of a passenger compartment for a particular occupancy of the passenger compartment, comprising:

broadcasting a series of notes or tones into the passenger compartment when the passenger compartment has a particular occupancy;

measuring the response of the broadcast series of notes or tones; and

adjusting notes emitted by at least one speaker in volume based on the measured response so that all sounds have uniform response.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

monitoring the occupancy of the passenger compartment to determine a change thereof; and

broadcasting a series of notes or tones whenever the occupancy of the passenger compartment is determined to have changed.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of broadcasting a series of notes or tones comprises broadcasting an entire scale.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the response to the broadcast series of notes or tones is measured via at least one microphone.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of adjusting the notes comprises selectively amplifying some notes.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of adjusting the notes comprises selectively suppressing amplification of some notes.