DUAL MICROPHONE NEAR FIELD VOICE ENHANCEMENT

• US 20190069084A1
• Filed: 07/27/2018
• Published: 02/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: SULLIVAN, JR., CHRISTOPHER LEE
• Granted Patent: US 10,219,072 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/401 2D or 3D arrays of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/20 Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic H04R2203/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/023 in a chair, pillow

Abstract

A dual microphone near field voice enhancement arrangement in a motor vehicle includes a seat having a headrest with two opposite lateral sides. Each of two microphones is mounted on a respective one of the two opposite lateral sides of the headrest. Each microphone produces a respective microphone signal indicative of sounds within a passenger compartment . An electronic processor receives the microphone signals. The processor calculates a time delay between the microphone signals, and uses the calculated time delay to estimate amplitudes of the microphone signals. The processor applies a respective time delay to each of the microphone signals based on the calculated time delay to produce two time-aligned signals. The processor applies a respective gain to each of the time-aligned microphone signals based on the estimated amplitudes to produce two time-aligned and gain corrected signals. The processor sums the time-aligned and gain corrected signals.

Claims

1. A dual microphone near field voice enhancement arrangement in a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising:

a seat including a headrest, the headrest having two opposite lateral sides;

two microphones, each said microphone being mounted on a respective one of the two opposite lateral sides of the headrest, each said microphone being configured to produce a respective microphone signal indicative of sounds within a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle; and

an electronic processor communicatively coupled to the microphones and configured to;

receive the microphone signals;

calculate a time delay between the microphone signals;

use the calculated time delay to estimate amplitudes of the microphone signals;

apply a respective time delay to each of the microphone signals based on the calculated time delay to produce two time-aligned signals;

apply a respective gain to each of the time-aligned microphone signals based on the estimated amplitudes to produce two time-aligned and gain corrected signals; and

sum the time-aligned and gain corrected signals.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 further comprising a loudspeaker communicatively coupled to the electronic processor and configured to emit audible sounds based on the sum of the time-aligned and gain corrected signals.

3. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein each of the two microphones is replaced by a respective array of microphones, each said array of microphones being mounted on a respective one of the two opposite lateral sides of the headrest.

4. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the two microphones are replaced by first order endfire beamformers.

5. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the electronic processor is configured to perform a cross-correlation procedure to calculate the time delay between the microphone signals.

6. A dual microphone near field voice enhancement method for a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

providing a seat including a headrest in the motor vehicle, the headrest having two opposite lateral sides;

mounting each of two microphones on a respective one of the two opposite lateral sides of the headrest;

producing a respective microphone signal from each of the microphones, the microphone signals being indicative of sounds within a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle;

calculating a time delay between the microphone signals;

using the calculated time delay to estimate amplitudes of the microphone signals;

applying a respective time delay to each of the microphone signals based on the calculated time delay to produce two time-aligned signals;

applying a respective gain to each of the time-aligned microphone signals based on the estimated amplitudes to produce two time-aligned and gain corrected signals; and

summing the time-aligned and gain corrected signals.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising emitting audible sounds based on the sum of the gain corrected signals.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein each of the two microphones is replaced by a respective array of microphones, each said array of microphones being mounted on a respective one of the two opposite lateral sides of the headrest.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the two microphones are replaced by first order endfire beamformers.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising performing a cross-correlation procedure to calculate the time delay between the microphone signals.

11. A dual microphone near field voice enhancement arrangement in a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising:

two microphones, a first said microphone being mounted to the left of a human driver of the motor vehicle, and a second said microphone being mounted to the right of the human driver, each said microphone being configured to produce a respective microphone signal indicative of sounds within a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle;

an electronic processor communicatively coupled to the microphones and configured to;

receive the microphone signals;

calculate a time delay between the microphone signals;

use the calculated time delay to estimate amplitudes of the microphone signals;

apply a respective time delay to each of the microphone signals based on the calculated time delay to produce two time-aligned signals;

apply a respective gain to each of the time-aligned microphone signals based on the estimated amplitudes to produce two time-aligned and gain corrected signals; and

sum the time-aligned and gain corrected signals; and

a loudspeaker communicatively coupled to the electronic processor and configured to emit audible sounds based on the sum of the gain corrected signals.

12. The arrangement of claim 11 wherein each of the two microphones is replaced by a respective array of microphones, each said array of microphones being mounted on a respective one of the two opposite lateral sides of the driver.

13. The arrangement of claim 11 wherein the two microphones are replaced by first order endfire beamformers.

14. The arrangement of claim 11 wherein the electronic processor is configured to perform a cross-correlation procedure to calculate the time delay between the microphone signals.