DIRECTIONALLY RADIATING SOUND IN A VEHICLE

• US 20080273712A1
• Filed: 05/04/2007
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Hartung, Klaus, Eichfeld, Jahn Dmitri
• Granted Patent: US 8,325,936 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/86
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/11 Positioning of individual sound objects, e.g. moving airplane, within a sound field H04S2420/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/13 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/03 Application of parametric coding in stereophonic audio systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/002 Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle loudspeaker system in a vehicle including directional loudspeakers. One directional loudspeaker radiates sound at a first seating position and another loudspeaker radiates sound at a second seating position. The directional loudspeakers may be used with other vehicle loudspeakers to control spatial perceptions.

Claims

1. An audio system for a vehicle, comprising:

a directional loudspeaker mounted to a vehicle seat, behind the intended location of the head of an occupant of the vehicle seat and substantially equidistant from the intended position of the two ears of an occupant of the vehicle seat;

the directional loudspeaker for radiating a first channel signal directionally so that the direction toward the intended location of a first ear position of an occupant of the vehicle seat is a high radiation direction and radiating a second channel signal directionally so that the direction toward the intended location of a second ear position of an occupant of the vehicle seat is a high radiation direction;

a forward mounted loudspeaker mounted forward of the directional loudspeaker for radiating at least one of the first channel and the second channel;

signal processing circuitry for modifying the audio signal to at least one of the directional loudspeaker and the forward mounted loudspeaker to modify spatial perception.

2. An audio system according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuitry includes circuitry for delaying the audio signal to one of the directional loudspeaker and the forward mounted loudspeaker.

3. An audio system according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuitry includes circuitry that modifies audio signals so that the directional loudspeaker dominates spatial perception in one frequency band and so that the forward mounted loudspeaker dominates spatial perception in another frequency band.

4. An audio system according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuitry includes circuitry that modifies audio signals so that the forward mounted loudspeaker dominates spatial perception.

5. An audio system according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuitry includes circuitry that modifies audio signals so that the directional loudspeaker dominates spatial perception

6. An audio system according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuitry includes circuitry that modifies audio signals so that the directional loudspeaker dominates left/right spatial perception and the front speaker dominates front/rear spatial perception.

7. An audio system according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuitry comprises circuitry for time delaying an audio signal to one of the directional loudspeaker and the forward mounted loudspeaker

8. An audio system according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuitry comprises circuitry for attenuating the audio signal to one of the directional loudspeaker and the forward mounted loudspeaker.

9. An audio system according to claim 1, wherein the forward mounted loudspeaker is for radiating a combination of the first channel and the second channel.

10. An audio system for a vehicle comprising:

a directional loudspeaker mounted an a vehicle seat, behind the intended location of the head position of an occupant of the vehicle seat and substantially equidistant from the position of the two ears of an occupant of the vehicle seat;

the directional loudspeaker for radiating a left channel signal and a right channel signal with a first directional pattern;

the directional loudspeaker further for radiating a surround channel with a second directional pattern.

11. An audio system according to claim 10, further comprising audio processing circuitry and additional loudspeakers to cause the acoustic image of the source of left channel radiation and right channel radiation to appear forward of the acoustic image of left surround channel radiation and right surround channel radiation.

12. A method for operating a vehicle audio system, comprising:

directionally radiating, from a loudspeaker mounted to a vehicle seat, behind the intended location of the head of an occupant of the vehicle seat and substantially equidistant from the intended position of the two ears of an occupant of the vehicle seat, a first channel so that the direction toward the intended location of a first ear position of an occupant of the vehicle seat is a high radiation direction;

directionally radiating from the loudspeaker, a second channel signal so that the direction toward the intended location of a second ear position of an occupant of the vehicle seat is a high radiation direction;

non-directionally radiating, from a loudspeaker mounted forward of the directional loudspeaker, at least one of the first channel and the second channel;

and processing the audio signal to at least one of the directional loudspeaker and the forward mounted loudspeaker to modify spatial perception.

13. An audio, system according to claim 12, wherein the processing includes delaying the audio signal to one of the directional loudspeaker and the forward mounted loudspeaker.

14. An audio system according to claim 12, wherein the signal processing results in the directional loudspeaker dominating spatial perception in one frequency band and in the forward mounted loudspeaker dominating spatial perception in another frequency band.

15. An audio system according to claim 12, wherein the signal processing causes the forward mounted loudspeaker to dominate spatial perception.

16. An audio system according to claim 12, wherein the signal processing causes the directional loudspeaker to dominate spatial perception

17. An audio system according to claim 12, wherein the signal processing causes the directional loudspeaker to dominate left/right spatial perception and the front speaker to dominate front/rear spatial perception.

18. An audio system, according to claim 12, wherein the signal processing comprises time delaying an audio signal to one of the directional loudspeaker and the forward mounted loudspeaker

19. An audio system according to claim 12, wherein the signal processing comprises attenuating the audio signal to one of the directional loudspeaker and the forward mounted loudspeaker.

20. An audio system according to claim 12, further comprising radiating a combination of the first channel and the second channel from a center channel forward mounted speaker.