Using external sounds to alert vehicle occupants of external events and mask in-car conversations

• US 9,870,764 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2016
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Marti, Stefan, Di Censo, Davide, Juneja, Ajay
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): MORTELL, JOHN F
• Application Number:
  US15/260,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20160379621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 9/00 Reinforcements or ply arrangement of pneumatic tyres inserts having reinforcing means B60C5/08; bead structure, e.g. turnup or overlap construction, B60C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/1754 Speech masking
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 15/02 Synthesis of acoustic waves synthesis of speech G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/12821 Rolling noise; Wind and body noise
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3043 Phase locked loops [PLL]
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3047 Prediction, e.g. of future values of noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/12 for acoustic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/22 for communication related to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/41 characterized by the control of the jamming activation or deactivation time control of jamming activation and deactivation time only for the purpose of alternating between jamming mode and target monitoring mode H04K3/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/43 characterized by the control of the jamming power, signal-to-noise ratio or geographic coverage area
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/45 characterized by including monitoring of the target or target signal, e.g. in reactive jammers or follower jammers for example by means of an alternation of jamming phases and monitoring phases, called "look-through mode"
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/46 characterized in that the jamming signal is produced by retransmitting a received signal, after delay or processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/825 by jamming
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/23 Direction finding using a sum-delay beam-former
• 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: H04S 2400/11 Positioning of individual sound objects, e.g. moving airplane, within a sound field H04S2420/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/15 Aspects of sound capture and related signal processing for recording or reproduction

Abstract

An audio processing system may selectively identify certain environmental sounds and playing back these sounds, or a representation of these sounds, in the vehicle'"'"'s cabin. The audio processing system may filter the environmental sounds to identify a particular sound that matches an event such as a bouncing ball, squealing tires, footsteps, and the like. The audio processing system may then provide an audio alert to an occupant in the vehicle. For example, the system may process the identified sound (e.g., amplify and/or isolate the sound) and use a speaker to output the processed sound into the interior of the vehicle. In another embodiment, the audio processing system may use environmental sounds as an audio masking sound for creating privacy zones within the vehicle. The audio processing system may filter the environmental sounds to identify a continuous sound which is then output to generate the privacy zones.

Claims

1. A vehicle audio system, comprising:

an audio detector configured to detect ambient sound external to a vehicle; and

an audio processor configured to;

receive one or more signals associated with the ambient sound from the audio detector,

process the one or more signals to identify one or more continuous sounds included in the ambient sound, and

transmit a masking sound to one or more speakers to generate a privacy zone within the interior of the vehicle, wherein the masking sound is acquired from the one or more continuous sounds.

2. The vehicle audio system of claim 1, wherein the audio processor is configured to generate the privacy zone within the interior of the vehicle by transmitting the masking sound to a first set of speakers proximate to a first occupant of the vehicle, and not transmitting the masking sound to a second set of speakers proximate to a second occupant of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle audio system of claim 1, wherein the one or more continuous sounds comprise at least one of wind noise, weather element noise, engine noise, and tire noise.

4. The vehicle audio system of claim 1, wherein the audio processor is configured to process the one or more signals to identify the one or more continuous sounds by detecting at least one of a repetitive pattern included in the ambient sound and a sound having a substantially constant amplitude.

5. The vehicle audio system of claim 1, wherein the audio processor is configured to generate the masking sound by looping an audio signal associated with the one or more continuous sounds.

6. The vehicle audio system of claim 1, wherein the audio processor is configured to generate the privacy zone upon determining that a masking mode has been activated by an occupant of the vehicle.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor, configure the processor to perform the steps of:

detecting ambient sound external to a vehicle;

identifying one or more continuous sounds included in the ambient sound; and

transmitting a masking sound to one or more speakers to generate a privacy zone within an interior of the vehicle, wherein the masking sound is acquired from the one or more continuous sounds.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein generating the privacy zone within the interior of the vehicle comprises transmitting the masking sound to a first set of speakers proximate to a first occupant of the vehicle, and not transmitting the masking sound to a second set of speakers proximate to a second occupant of the vehicle.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the one or more continuous sounds comprise at least one of wind noise, weather element noise, engine noise, and tire noise.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein identifying the one or more continuous sounds comprises detecting at least one of a repetitive pattern included in the ambient sound and a sound having a substantially constant amplitude.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising generating the masking sound by looping an audio signal associated with the one or more continuous sounds.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the privacy zone is generated in response to determining that a masking mode has been activated by an occupant of the vehicle.

13. A method for generating a privacy zone within a vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting ambient sound external to a vehicle;

identifying one or more continuous sounds included in the ambient sound; and

transmitting a masking sound to one or more speakers to generate a privacy zone within an interior of the vehicle, wherein the masking sound is acquired from the one or more continuous sounds.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the one or more continuous sounds comprises detecting at least one of a repetitive pattern included in the ambient sound and a sound having a substantially constant amplitude.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating the masking sound by looping an audio signal associated with the one or more continuous sounds.