Responding to HVAC-induced vehicle microphone buffeting

• US 10,462,567 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Amman, Scott Andrew, Norton, Alan, Wheeler, Joshua, Puskorius, Gintaras Vincent, Rangarajan, Ranjani
• Primary Examiner(s): Blair, Kile O
• Application Number:
  US15/290,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20180103318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/07 Mechanical or electrical reduction of wind noise generated by wind passing a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/004 for microphones H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/02 for preventing acoustic reaction , i.e. acoustic oscillatory feedback specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/453
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for responding to HVAC-induced vehicle microphone buffeting. An example disclosed vehicle includes a microphone, a speaker, and a buffeting detector. The example microphone is electrically coupled to an input of a voice-activated system. The example speaker is located on a front driver side of the vehicle. The example buffeting detector, when a button is activated, determines a buffeting factor of a signal captured by the microphone. Additionally, the example buffeting detector, in response to the buffeting factor satisfying a threshold, activates a relay to electrically couple the speaker to the input of the voice-activated system.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a microphone;

a speaker; and

a buffeting detector to;

in response to an activation event;

generate a first buffeting factor by performing a fast Fourier transform on a signal captured on the microphone to generate a frequency domain signal, and calculating a root-mean-squared value of the frequency domain signal over a frequency range;

generate a second buffeting factor based on a fluctuation strength of the signal; and

in response to the first buffeting factor satisfying a first threshold and the second buffeting factor satisfying a second threshold, electrically couple the speaker to an input of a voice-activated system, wherein the second threshold is an average of a plurality of fluctuation strengths of the signal over a first predetermined period.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the speaker is a tweeter.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the speaker is integrated into an interior door handle assembly of the front driver side of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the activation event is activation of a push-to-talk button, and wherein the buffeting detector is to monitor the signal captured by the microphone when the push-to-talk button is activated, and not monitor the signal captured by the microphone when the push-to-talk button is not activated.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein when the speaker is coupled to the input of the voice-activated system, the relay uncouples the microphone from the input of the voice-activated system.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein to determine the second buffeting factor, the buffeting detector is to:

apply a low-pass filter to the signal captured on the microphone, the low-pass filter having a cutoff frequency at a frequency of interest; and

calculate a decibel level of the filtered signal as a function of time.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the frequency of interest is 20 Hz.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the activation event is when a root-mean-squared value of a signal captured by the microphone in a frequency range between 300 Hz to 3400 Hz is greater than a threshold.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the microphone is:

(1) positioned on a roof of the vehicle; and

(2) positioned directly above a front window of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the buffeting detector electrically couples the speaker to the input only when:

(1) the first buffeting factor satisfies the first threshold; and

(2) the second buffeting factor satisfies the second threshold.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a push-to-talk button, wherein the buffeting detector generates the second buffering factor in response to a second predetermined period elapsing subsequent to an actuation of the push-to-talk button.

12. A method to detect buffeting of a microphone electrically coupled to a voice-activated system of a vehicle, the method comprising:

when a button is activated;

generating a first buffeting factor by performing a fast Fourier transform on the signal captured on the microphone to generate a frequency domain signal, and calculating a root-mean-squared value the frequency domain signal between a first frequency of interest and a second frequency of interest;

generating a second buffeting factor based on a fluctuation strength of the signal; and

in response to the first buffeting factor satisfying a first threshold and the second buffeting factor satisfying a second threshold, activating a relay to electrically couple a speaker in a door handle assembly to the input of the voice-activated system, wherein the second threshold is an average of a plurality of fluctuation strengths of the signal over a first predetermined period.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the speaker is a tweeter.

14. The method of claim 12, including monitoring the signal captured by the microphone when the button is activated, and not monitoring the signal captured by the microphone when the button is not activated.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein when the speaker is coupled to the input of the voice-activated system, the relay uncouples the microphone from the input of the voice-activated system.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first frequency of interest is 0 Hz, and the second frequency of interest is 1000 Hz.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the second buffeting factor includes:

applying a low-pass filter to the signal captured on the microphone, the low-pass filter having a cutoff frequency at a frequency of interest; and

calculating a decibel level of the filtered signal as a function of time.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the frequency of interest is 20 Hz.