Audio system for a motor vehicle

• US 8,792,872 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Kleinstueck, Lutz
• Primary Examiner(s): WASHINGTON, ERIKA ALISE
• Application Number:
  US13/683,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20130130671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

An audio system for a motor vehicle is provided. The system includes a radio with loudspeakers for outputting a sound pattern. The radio comprises a data connection with an engine control of the vehicle. The system also includes a mobile telephone with computer functionality, including a data connection with the radio via which audio data is transferable from the mobile telephone to the radio, and further data is transferable from the radio to the mobile telephone. This results in a sound pattern being generated which is an artificial driving noise.

Claims

1. An audio system for a motor vehicle comprising:

a radio with loudspeakers for outputting a sound pattern, the radio including a data connection to an engine control of the motor vehicle and the radio receives data relating to a current state of driving of the motor vehicle from the engine control; and

a mobile telephone with computer functionality that includes a data connection to the radio, the mobile telephone receives the data relating to the current state of driving of the motor vehicle from the radio, and the mobile telephone generates an artificial driving noise based on the data relating to the current state of driving of the motor vehicle and transmits the artificial driving noise to the radio over the data connection,

wherein the radio receives the artificial driving noise from the mobile telephone and outputs a sound pattern based on the artificial driving noise.

2. The audio system according claim 1, wherein the sound pattern is generated from further audio data provided by the mobile telephone.

3. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein the data connection from the mobile telephone to the radio is a wireless connection.

4. The audio system according claim 3, wherein the wireless connection is configured as a wireless LAN connection.

5. The audio system according claim 3, wherein the wireless connection is configured as a Bluetooth connection.

6. A motor vehicle, comprising:

an electric drive with an engine control;

a radio with loudspeakers for outputting a sound pattern, the radio including a data connection to the engine control of the motor vehicle and the radio receives data relating to a current state of driving of the motor vehicle from the engine control; and

a mobile telephone with computer functionality that includes a data connection to the radio, the mobile telephone receives the data relating to the current state of driving of the motor vehicle from the radio, and the mobile telephone generates an artificial driving noise based on the data relating to the current state of driving of the motor vehicle and transmits the artificial driving noise to the radio over the data connection,

wherein the radio receives the artificial driving noise from the mobile telephone and outputs a sound pattern based on the artificial driving noise.

7. A method for generating a sound pattern in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, comprising the following:

receiving data relating to a current state of driving of the motor vehicle from an engine control at a radio of the motor vehicle;

transmitting the data relating to the current state of driving of the motor vehicle from the radio to a mobile telephone with computer functionality over a data connection;

generating with the mobile telephone first audio data as an input signal for a radio based on the data relating to the current state of driving of the motor vehicle, wherein the first audio data relates to an artificial driving noise;

generating a sound pattern from the first audio data by the radio; and

outputting the sound pattern by means of loudspeakers.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

providing second audio data; and

generating the sound pattern from the first audio data and second audio data.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the second audio data is provided by the mobile telephone as a further input signal to the radio.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein transfer of the first audio data and second audio data from the mobile telephone to the radio is effected wirelessly.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the sound pattern is manipulable by a user.

12. A computer program product, comprising:

a tangible computer-readable medium readable by a computer unit of an audio system of a motor vehicle and storing instructions for execution by the computer unit for performing a method comprising;

receiving data relating to a current state of driving of the motor vehicle from an engine control at a radio of the motor vehicle;

transmitting the data relating to the current state of driving of the motor vehicle from the radio to a mobile telephone with computer functionality over a data connection;

providing, with the mobile telephone with computer functionality, first audio data as an input signal for the radio, wherein the first audio data relates to an artificial driving noise generated by the mobile telephone based on the data relating to the current state of driving of the motor vehicle;

generating a sound pattern from the first audio data by the radio; and

outputting the sound pattern by means of loudspeakers.