SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DIRECTIONALLY RADIATING SOUND

• US 20080273714A1
• Filed: 07/19/2007
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Hartung, Klaus
• Granted Patent: US 9,560,448 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/86
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/78 Detection of presence or absence of voice signals switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/025 Arrangements for fixing loudspeaker transducers, e.g. in a box, furniture
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/323 for loudspeakers H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2203/12 Beamforming aspects for stereophonic sound reproduction with loudspeaker arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/023 in a chair, pillow
• 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 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

An audio system for a vehicle has at least one source of audio signals. A respective directional loudspeaker array is mounted at each seat position and coupled to the at least one source. The at least one source includes a microphone that detects speech from an occupant of the first seat position. Processing circuitry receives signals from the microphone that correspond to the detect speech and drives each second respective loudspeaker array at the other seat positions to radiate acoustic energy corresponding to the detected speech. The processing circuitry processes magnitude and phase of the signals from the microphone to each second directional loudspeaker array so that each second directional loudspeaker array directionally radiates first acoustic energy to the seat position at which the second directional loudspeaker array is located and so that second acoustic energy radiated from the second directional array to the first seat position is less than the first acoustic energy according to a predetermined criteria.

Claims

1. An audio system for a vehicle having a plurality of seat positions, said audio system comprising:

at least one source of audio signals;

a respective directional loudspeaker array mounted at each seat position and coupled to the at least one source so that the audio signals drive the respective directional loudspeaker array to radiate acoustic energy;

wherein the at least one source includes a microphone mounted in the vehicle with respect to each first said seat position so that the microphone detects speech from an occupant of the first seat position and outputs signals corresponding to the detected speech;

processing circuitry between the at least one source and each said respective directional loudspeaker array, wherein the processing circuitry receives the signals from the microphone that correspond to speech detected at the first seat position and drives each second respective loudspeaker array at the other seat positions of the plurality of seat positions to radiate acoustic energy corresponding to the detected speech, and wherein the processing circuitry processes magnitude and phase of the signals from the microphone to each second directional loudspeaker array so that each second directional loudspeaker array directionally radiates first acoustic energy to the seat position at which the second directional loudspeaker array is located and so that second acoustic energy radiated from the second respective directional array to the first seat position is less than the first acoustic energy according to a predetermined criteria.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the microphone comprises a plurality of discrete microphones disposed at respective said seat positions so that each respective microphone detects speech from an occupant of the seat position at which it is disposed and outputs discrete signals corresponding to the detected speech, and wherein the processing circuitry determines the seat location from which signals corresponding to detected speech originates by identifying the discrete signal.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein the processing circuit does not drive the respective loudspeaker array at the first seat position to radiate acoustic energy corresponding to the detected speech.

4. The system as in claim 1, comprising a plurality of said respective directional loudspeaker arrays mounted at each seat position, and wherein, at each said other seat position, the processing circuitry drives a said second respective loudspeaker array only if the second respective loudspeaker array is aligned between said other seat position and the first seat position.