Hands-free communication system for use in automotive vehicle
First Claim
1. A hands-free communication system for use in an automotive vehicle for communicating with an on-board mobile phone, the hands-free system comprising:
- means for determining a specific location for each of a plurality of speakers mounted on the automotive vehicle when an ignition switch of the automotive vehicle is turned on;
means for checking whether a center speaker mounted on an instrument panel of the automotive vehicle is included in the speakers mounted on the automotive vehicle based on the specific location of each of the speakers determined by the determining means; and
means for selecting at least one speaker, from which sounds transmitted from the on-board mobile phone are outputted, from among the plurality of speakers mounted on the automotive vehicle based only on the specific locations of the plurality of speakers on the automotive vehicle without communication from a user and regardless of information about a communicating party with which external communication out of the automotive vehicle is made through the hands-free communication system;
whereinthe selecting means selects the center speaker when the checking means determines that the center speaker is included in the plurality of speakers mounted on the automotive vehicle such that a speaker in a driver'"'"'s eye line is selected.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A hands-free system, through which a driver communicates without using hands with an on-board mobile phone such as a cell phone, is mounted on an automotive vehicle. Plural speakers including a center speaker installed in an instrument panel and door speakers each installed in each door are mounted on the vehicle. Whenever the center speaker is mounted on the vehicle, the center speaker is selected as a speaker from which voices transmitted from the mobile phone are outputted. Only when the center speaker is not mounted, the door speakers are selected. When the center speaker is selected, the voices transmitted from the mobile phone can be heard from a direction to which a driver'"'"'s eye line is directed. Accordingly, the driver is able to hear the speaker sounds from the natural direction for him/her.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A hands-free communication system for use in an automotive vehicle for communicating with an on-board mobile phone, the hands-free system comprising:
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means for determining a specific location for each of a plurality of speakers mounted on the automotive vehicle when an ignition switch of the automotive vehicle is turned on; means for checking whether a center speaker mounted on an instrument panel of the automotive vehicle is included in the speakers mounted on the automotive vehicle based on the specific location of each of the speakers determined by the determining means; and means for selecting at least one speaker, from which sounds transmitted from the on-board mobile phone are outputted, from among the plurality of speakers mounted on the automotive vehicle based only on the specific locations of the plurality of speakers on the automotive vehicle without communication from a user and regardless of information about a communicating party with which external communication out of the automotive vehicle is made through the hands-free communication system;
whereinthe selecting means selects the center speaker when the checking means determines that the center speaker is included in the plurality of speakers mounted on the automotive vehicle such that a speaker in a driver'"'"'s eye line is selected. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 18, 21, 24, 25)
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8. A hands-free communication system for use in an automotive vehicle for communicating with an on-board mobile phone, the hands-free system comprising:
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means for determining a specific location for each of a plurality of speakers mounted on the automotive vehicle; means for checking whether a center speaker mounted on an instrument panel of the automotive vehicle is included in the speakers mounted on the automotive vehicle based on the specific location of each of the plurality of speakers determined by the determining means; and means for selecting at least one speaker, from which sounds transmitted from the on-board mobile phone are outputted, from among the plurality of speakers mounted on the automotive vehicle based only on the specific locations of the plurality of speakers on the automotive vehicle without communication from a user and regardless of information about a communicating party with which external communication out of the automotive vehicle is made through the hands-free communication system;
whereinthe selecting means always selects the center speaker when the checking means determined the center speaker is included in the speakers mounted in the automotive vehicle such that a speaker in a driver'"'"'s eye line is selected. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 19, 22)
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13. A method for selecting at least one speaker from a plurality of speakers of a hands-free communication system mounted on an automotive vehicle, the method comprising:
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obtaining a specific location of each of the plurality of speakers mounted on the vehicle after an ignition switch of the automotive vehicle has been turned on; checking whether a center speaker mounted on an instrument panel of the automotive vehicle is included in the plurality of speakers based on the specific location of each of the plurality of speakers; selecting at least one speaker of the plurality of speakers from which sounds are outputted based only on the specific locations of the plurality of speakers on the automotive vehicle without communication from a user and regardless of information about a communicating party which is made through the hands-free communication system; and selecting the center speaker when the checking step determines that the center speaker is included in the plurality of speakers such that a speaker in a driver'"'"'s eye line is selected. - View Dependent Claims (14, 17, 20, 23)
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Specification