Microphone array arrangement structure in vehicle cabin

• US 9,426,553 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2012
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Access Corp. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Access Corp. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Iwai, Shiro, Nakadai, Kazuhiro, Tsujino, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Sniezek, Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US14/356,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20140286504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/12 Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/02 Casings; Cabinets ; Supports therefor; Mountings therein H04R1/28 takes precedence ; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/083 Special constructions of mouthpieces
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/20 Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics for stereophonic purpose H04R5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/326 for microphones H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/405 Non-uniform arrays of transducers or a plurality of uniform arrays with different transducer spacing
• 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

Abstract

A microphone array arrangement structure in a vehicle cabin is provided with multiple microphones arranged in a convex line. The microphones include a first microphone, and the direction of the axis of the first microphone faces the mouth of the driver. The microphone array arrangement structure is provided with covers housing the microphones and having multiple holes. The front surface of the covers form a convexly curved line, and each of the microphones is fixed inside of a cover to correspond to one of the holes.

Claims

1. A microphone array arrangement structure in a vehicle cabin, comprising a plurality of microphones,

wherein the plurality of microphones are all provided within a single housing and arranged in a convexly curved line, the plurality of microphones including:

a first microphone, an axial direction of the first microphone facing a mouth of a driver seated in a driver seat of the vehicle cabin;

a second microphone, an axial direction of the second microphone facing a mouth of an assistant seated in a passenger seat of the vehicle cabin; and

a cover housing the plurality of microphones and having a plurality of holes formed in a front surface of the cover, the front surface of the cover formed in the convexly curved line, and each of the plurality of microphones is mounted on a substrate which is secured directly to an inner side of the front surface of the cover at a location corresponding to one of the plurality of holes,

wherein

the plurality of holes includes a set of holes that are bilaterally symmetrical about a center line of the vehicle cabin, the axial direction of the first microphone faces the mouth of the driver via one of the laterally symmetrical set of holes, and the axial direction of the second microphone faces the mouth of the assistant via another one of the laterally symmetrical set of holes, and

the microphone array further comprising a plurality of seals provided between the plurality of microphones and the plurality of holes, one of the plurality of seals corresponding to one of the plurality of holes and preventing entry of sound from other than the one hole into a single microphone among the plurality of microphones.

2. The microphone array arrangement structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of microphones is used in delay-and-sum beamforming.

3. The microphone array arrangement structure according to claim 1, wherein the first microphone is a microphone at a first end of the plurality of microphones along the convexly curved line, and the second microphone is a microphone at a second end of the plurality of microphones along the convexly curved line, the second end being opposite to the first end.

4. The microphone array arrangement structure according to claim 3, wherein the assistant is seated in a front row passenger seat of the vehicle cabin.

5. The microphone array arrangement structure according to claim 3, wherein the first microphone is provided to be a first microphone from among the plurality of microphones to receive a sound input from the mouth of the driver, and the second microphone is provided to be a first microphone from among the plurality of microphones to receive a sound input from the mouth of the assistant.

6. The microphone array arrangement structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of microphones consists of:

the first microphone;

the second microphone, the axial direction of the second microphone facing the mouth of the assistant seated in a front row passenger seat of the vehicle cabin;

a third microphone, an axial direction of the third microphone facing a mouth of a driver-side rear-seat assistant seated in a rear row passenger seat on a driver-side of the vehicle cabin; and

a fourth microphone, an axial direction of the fourth microphone facing a mouth of a passenger-side rear-seat assistant seated in a rear row passenger seat on a passenger-side of the vehicle cabin.

7. The microphone array arrangement structure according to claim 6, wherein the first microphone is a microphone at a first end of the plurality of microphones along the convexly curved line, and the second microphone is a microphone at a second end of the plurality of microphones along the convexly curved line, the second end being opposite to the first end.

8. The microphone array arrangement structure according to claim 7, wherein the first microphone is provided to be a first microphone from among the plurality of microphones to receive a sound input from the mouth of the driver, the second microphone is provided to be a first microphone from among the plurality of microphones to receive a sound input from the mouth of the assistant, the third microphone is provided to be a first microphone from among the plurality of microphones to receive a sound input from the mouth of the driver-side rear-seat assistant, and the fourth microphone is provided to be a first microphone from among the plurality of microphones to receive a sound input from the mouth of the passenger-side rear-seat assistant.

9. The microphone array arrangement structure according to claim 6, wherein the first microphone is provided to be a first microphone from among the plurality of microphones to receive a sound input from the mouth of the driver, the second microphone is provided to be a first microphone from among the plurality of microphones to receive a sound input from the mouth of the assistant, the third microphone is provided to be a first microphone from among the plurality of microphones to receive a sound input from the mouth of the driver-side rear-seat assistant, and the fourth microphone is provided to be a first microphone from among the plurality of microphones to receive a sound input from the mouth of the passenger-side rear-seat assistant.

10. The microphone array arrangement structure according to claim 1, wherein the first microphone is provided to be a first microphone from among the plurality of microphones to receive a sound input from the mouth of the driver, and the second microphone is provided to be a first microphone from among the plurality of microphones to receive a sound input from the mouth of the assistant.