Device and method for acoustic communication and/or perception in a motor vehicle

• US 20090136049A1
• Filed: 09/28/2005
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Opfer, Holger
• Application Number:
  US11/664,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20090136049A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/403 loud-speakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/02 Loudspeakers H04R19/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/04 Microphones H04R19/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles

Abstract

A device for acoustic communication and/or perception in a motor vehicle includes at least one microphone and at least one loudspeaker, which are assigned to a vehicle seat, the microphones taking the form of directional microphones, the at least one loudspeaker taking the form of a directional loudspeaker. A method is for improving the acoustic communication and/or perception in a motor vehicle.

Claims

1. to 29. (canceled)

30. A device for at least one of (a) acoustic communication and (b) acoustic perception in a motor vehicle, comprising:

at least one directional microphone corresponding to each vehicle seat of the motor vehicle; and

at least one directional loudspeaker corresponding to each vehicle seat of the motor vehicle.

31. The device according to claim 30, wherein the device is arranged as a hands-free speaking system.

32. The device according to claim 30, wherein at least two vehicle seats respectively correspond to one loudspeaker and one microphone, the device further comprising a control unit configured to at least one of (a) support a communication between individual vehicle seats and (b) block individual seats from the communication.

33. The device according to claim 30, wherein the directional loudspeaker is arranged as at least one electrostatic planar loudspeaker.

34. The device according to claim 33, wherein the electrostatic planar loudspeaker includes at least two porous layers at least one of (a) electrically conductive and (b) metallized on one side, an insulated plastic layer arranged between the porous layers, chargeable to a certain electric potential and connected in certain places to the porous layers.

35. The device according to claim 34, wherein the plastic layer includes two layers and a metal coating arranged between the two layers.

36. The device according to claim 33, wherein the directional loudspeaker includes at least two adjacent planar loudspeakers controllable by different complex transmission functions to set an emission characteristic.

37. The device according to claim 36, wherein the planar loudspeakers are arranged at least one of (a) concentrically with respect to one another and (b) side by side in the form of strips.

38. The device according to claim 30, wherein the directional microphone is arranged as an electrostatic planar microphone.

39. The device according to claim 38, wherein the directional microphone includes at least two adjacent electric planar microphones controllable by different complex receiving functions to set a reception characteristic.

40. The device according to claim 39, wherein the planar microphones are arranged concentrically with respect to one another.

41. The device according to claim 36, wherein the at least two planar loudspeakers arranged side by side are operable alternatively as (a) stereo loudspeakers and (b) directional loudspeakers.

42. The device according to claim 30, wherein at least one of (a) the directional microphones and (b) the directional loudspeakers are integrated into a roofliner.

43. The device according to claim 42, wherein the at least one of (a) the directional microphones and (b) the directional loudspeakers are integrated into the roofliner WITH a quick-change frame, two panel sides of at least one of (a) the directional loudspeaker and (b) the directional microphone having different themes.

44. The device according to claim 42, wherein the roofliner is made of a panel material of at least one of (a) an electrostatic planar loudspeaker and (b) a planar microphone.

45. The device according to claim 44, wherein the panel material is structured to define regions as at least one of (a) directional microphones, (b) directional loudspeakers and (c) supply lines.

46. The device according to claim 30, wherein individual acoustic signals are suppliable to individual directional loudspeakers of the vehicle seats.

47. The device according to claim 46, wherein crosstalk noises from other vehicle seats are at least one of (a) maskable and (b) extinguishable by additional acoustic signals.

48. The device according to claim 32, wherein an acoustic channel is settable between two vehicle seats.

49. The device according to claim 48, wherein other vehicle seats are disengaged from the communication by at least one of (a) interference and (b) masking signals.

50. A method for at least one of (a) acoustic communication and (b) acoustic perception in a motor vehicle, comprising:

supplying individual acoustic signals to individual directional loudspeakers, of a device, corresponding vehicle seats of the motor vehicle, the device including at least one directional microphone corresponding to each vehicle seat of the motor vehicle and at least one directional loudspeaker corresponding to each vehicle seat of the motor vehicle.

51. The method according to claim 50, further comprising at least one of (a) masking and (b) extinguishing crosstalk noises from other vehicle seats by additional acoustic signals via the directional loudspeaker.

52. A method for at least one of (a) acoustic communication and (b) acoustic perception in a motor vehicle, comprising:

establishing an acoustic channel between at least to vehicle seats of the motor vehicle with a device that includes at least one directional microphone corresponding to each vehicle seat of the motor vehicle and at least one directional loudspeaker corresponding to each vehicle seat of the motor vehicle.

53. The method according to claim 52, further comprising:

measuring, by a control unit, a level of ambient noises; and

adapting at least one of (a) a volume and (b) a frequency response of acoustic signals of the directional loudspeakers in the acoustic channel to the level of the ambient noises.

54. The method according to claim 52, further comprising:

at least one of measuring and estimating crosstalk from the vehicle seats engaged in the acoustic channel to other vehicle seats; and

at least one of extinguishing and masking the crosstalk with acoustic signals emitted via the directional loudspeakers of the other vehicle seats.

55. The method according to claim 54, further comprising activating the method by an input.

56. The method according to claim 55, further comprising:

picking up an acoustic signal on a first vehicle seat engaged in the acoustic channel by the directional microphone corresponding to the first vehicle seat;

emitting the picked-up acoustic signal amplified via the directional loudspeaker corresponding to the first vehicle seat; and

emitting the picked-up acoustic signal at an adapted volume via the directional loudspeaker corresponding to a second vehicle seat engaged in the acoustic channel.

57. The method according to claim 56, further comprising repeating the method for acoustic signals of the second vehicle seat engaged in the acoustic channel.

58. The method according to claim 56, further comprising repeating the method until output levels on the directional loudspeakers of the acoustic channel are in a certain proportion to at least one of (a) a detected and (b) an estimated background noise.