System and method for creating personalized sound zones

• US 20060262935A1
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Goose, Stuart, Arman, Farshid
• Granted Patent: US 8,126,159 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/17
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/002 Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field H04S7/30

Abstract

Speakers deployed in a space and divided into groups associated with different zones produce a mix of sounds that create internal noise pollution and, combined with external noise, an unpleasant environment for occupants. The present invention contemplates sound systems and methods for creating personalized sound zones to address these and related problems.

Claims

1. A sound system for creating personalized sound zones, comprising:

one or more audio sources;

speakers each of which is related to one or more sound zones that are associated with a space;

a transducer operative to pick up noise in a particular sound zone, the picked up noise including undesired audio from any of the audio sources and/or the voice of an occupant in another sound zone; and

a noise suppressor operative to produce a noise suppression value from a correlation between any noise picked up in the particular sound zone and audio input from the audio sources for that sound zone and, based on a desired sound level of the audio input in that sound zone, to apply the noise suppression value for suppressing the picked up noise and rendering that sound zone substantially free of the picked up noise.

2. A sound system as in claim 1, further comprising:

an audio router with a control element and one or more channels for routing audio inputs from the audio sources to the one or more sound zones; and

one or more consoles with display and user interface for selecting audio inputs from among the audio sources and a destination from one or more sound zones.

3. A sound system as in claim 2, wherein the control element is either logic or a processor or controller associated with program code.

4. A sound system as in claim 2, further comprising a mixer operative to mix one or more audio inputs routed via the audio router such that each of the one or more sound zones has a virtual mixer for mixing audio inputs associated therewith.

5. A sound system as in claim 2, wherein each of the one or more sound zones has a predetermined configuration in which they cover the space or any portion thereof.

6. A sound system as in claim 5, wherein the one or more consoles include a primary console and any number of secondary consoles, the primary console having further user interface for activating a master control and for selecting among the predetermined sound zone configurations.

7. A sound system as in claim 1, wherein each of the sound zones has a transducer that is placed within a predetermined distance from an occupants'"'"' ear and/or mouth.

8. A sound system as in claim 1, wherein the transducer is a microphone.

9. A sound system as in claim 1, wherein the noise suppression component uses a delay after audio source activation to optimize suppression of the picked up noise.

10. A sound system for creating personalized sound zones, comprising:

one or more audio sources producing audio inputs;

speakers each of which being related to one or more sound zones that are associated with a space;

a mixer operative to mix one or more audio inputs such that each of the one or more sound zones has a virtual mixer for mixing audio inputs associated therewith.

a transducer operative to pick up noise in a particular sound zone; and

a noise suppressor operative to leverage audio inputs to the particular sound zone for suppressing the picked up noise and rendering that sound zone substantially free of the picked up noise.

11. A sound system as in claim 10, further comprising:

an audio router with a control element and one or more channels for routing, via the mixer, audio inputs from the audio sources to the one or more sound zones; and

one or more consoles with display and user interface for selecting audio inputs from among the audio sources and a destination from one or more sound zones.

12. A sound system as in claim 11, wherein the control element is either logic or a processor or controller associated with program code.

13. A sound system as in claim 10, wherein the picked up noise includes undesired audio from any of the audio sources and/or the voice of an occupant in another sound zone;

14. A method in a sound system for creating personalized sound zones, comprising:

configuring a space to have one or more sound zones;

picking up noise in a particular sound zone, the picked up noise including undesired audio from any audio source in the space and/or the voice of an occupant in another sound zone;

leveraging an audio input to the particular sound zone for suppressing the picked up noise in that zone, including by;

producing a correlation coefficient from a correlation between the picked up noise in the particular sound zone and the audio input for that sound zone, and

applying the correlation coefficient based on a desired sound level of the audio input in that sound zone.

15. A method as in claim 14, wherein, for a plurality of sound zones, the noise suppression is performed for each zone based on the audio input to such sound zone so as to render that sound zone substantially free of the noise picked up in it.

16. A method as in claim 14, wherein the noise is picked up with a microphone in the particular zone.

17. A method as in claim 14, wherein the noise emanates from speakers in the space.