Motor vehicle audio system

• US 9,344,788 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2014
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Barksdale, Tobe Zetelmo, Holmi, Douglas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-See
• Application Number:
  US14/463,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20160057520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 381/86, 381 17- 23, 381/63, 381104-107, 381/109, 381/302, 381/310
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/023 in a chair, pillow
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/13 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/308 Electronic adaptation dependent on speaker or headphone connection

Abstract

A motor vehicle audio system, and a method of operating such a system. There is at least one rear far-field speaker that is located behind a front seat of the motor vehicle, and at least one near-field speaker located in front of the far-field speaker and close to an intended position of a listener'"'"'s head. There is an audio signal processor configured to detect when the rear far-field speaker is shut off while the near-field speaker remains on, and in response automatically increase the output energy of the near-field speaker.

Claims

1. A method of operating a motor vehicle audio system that has at least one rear far-field speaker that is located behind a front seat of the motor vehicle, and that also has at least one near-field speaker located in front of the far-field speaker and close to an intended position of a listener'"'"'s head, the method comprising:

detecting when the rear far-field speaker is shut off while the near-field speaker remains on; and

in response

automatically increasing the output energy of the near-field speaker.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically increasing the output energy of the near-field speaker comprises operating the near-field speaker so as to at least partially replace the audio energy lost when the rear far-field speaker was shut off.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein operating the near-field speaker so as to at least partially replace the audio energy lost when the rear far-field speaker was shut off comprises operating the near-field speaker so as to deliver approximately the same audio energy to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener'"'"'s position as was delivered before the far-field speaker was shut off.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein operating the near-field speaker so as to deliver approximately the same audio energy to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener'"'"'s position as was delivered before the far-field speaker was shut off comprises adjusting an equalization of the near field speaker.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a transfer function from each far-field speaker that was shut off to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener'"'"'s position is known, and wherein automatically increasing the output energy of the near-field speaker comprises operating the near-field speaker so as to approximate the transfer functions from each far-field speaker that was shut off, to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener'"'"'s position.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the front seat of the motor vehicle comprises a driver headrest and a passenger headrest, and wherein the motor vehicle audio system comprises a pair of near-field speakers in each front seat headrest.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the motor vehicle audio system comprises a plurality of rear far-field speakers, and wherein automatically increasing the output energy of the near-field speaker comprises operating the pair of near-field speakers in a headrest so as to approximately replace the audio energy lost at the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener'"'"'s position.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the motor vehicle audio system comprises a user-operated switch that is part of an audio head unit and that can be operated so as to shut off the far-field speaker.

9. A motor vehicle audio system, comprising:

at least one rear far-field speaker that is located behind a front seat of the motor vehicle;

at least one near-field speaker located in front of the far-field speaker and close to an intended position of a listener'"'"'s head; and

an audio signal processor configured to detect when the rear far-field speaker is shut off while the near-field speaker remains on, and in response automatically increase the output energy of the near-field speaker.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the audio signal processor automatically increases the output energy of the near-field speaker by operating the near-field speaker so as to at least partially replace the audio energy lost when the rear far-field speaker was shut off.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein operating the near-field speaker so as to at least partially replace the audio energy lost when the rear far-field speaker was shut off comprises operating the near-field speaker so as to deliver approximately the same audio energy to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener'"'"'s position as was delivered before the far-field speaker was shut off.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein operating the near-field speaker so as to deliver approximately the same audio energy to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener'"'"'s position as was delivered before the far-field speaker was shut off comprises adjusting an equalization of the near field speaker.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein a transfer function from each far-field speaker that was shut off to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener'"'"'s position is known, and wherein the audio signal processor automatically increases the output energy of the near-field speaker by operating the near-field speaker so as to approximate the transfer functions from each far-field speaker that was shut off, to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener'"'"'s position.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the front seat of the motor vehicle comprises a driver headrest and a passenger headrest, and wherein the at least one near-field speaker comprises a pair of near-field speakers in each front seat headrest.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the at least one far-field speaker comprises a plurality of rear far-field speakers, and wherein the audio signal processor automatically increases the output energy of the near-field speaker by operating the pair of near-field speakers in a headrest so as to approximately replace the audio energy lost at the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener'"'"'s position.

16. The system of claim 9 further comprising a user-operated switch that is part of an audio head unit and that can be operated so as to shut off the far-field speaker.