Integrated cellular telephone and vehicular audio system

• US 5,243,640 A
• Filed: 09/06/1991
• Issued: 09/07/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Renaissance Group IP Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Hadley, Darby E., Difiore, Nicholas L., Golden, Jeffrey N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US07/756,254
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/421, 379/441, 455/88, 381/80, 381/81, 381/86, 381/123
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/205 with control bus for exchanging commands between units
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use

Abstract

An output transducer and amplifier are shared between an audio system and a cellular Phone in an automotive vehicle. An interface arbitrates between the program audio signals and the phone audio signals to select or deselect each of the audio signals depending on the status of each audio source. When only one source is in use then normally the audio signals from that source are selected. If both sources are turned on but a phone call is not in progress, then audio signals from both sources are simultaneously presented to the output transducers after summing. When a call is in progress, only the phone audio signals are selected.

Claims

1. Apparatus for interfacing a shared output transducer with a program audio source and a telephone comprising:

input means for receiving program audio signals from said program audio source and phone audio signals from said telephone;

output means coupled to said input means for selectably coupling said program audio signals or said phone audio signals to said shared output transducer or for selectably coupling simultaneously both said program audio signals and said phone audio signals to said shared output transducer; and

control means coupled to said input means and said output means for selecting said program audio signals and said phone audio signals simultaneously when said program audio source and said telephone are both in use and a call is not in progress and for selecting only said phone audio signals when a call is in progress.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control means further selects only said phone audio signals when only said telephone is in use.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control means further selects only said program audio signals when only said program audio source is in use.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said phone audio signals occurring when a call is not in progress include tones announcing an incoming call.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said telephone includes control keys for controlling operation thereof and wherein phone audio signals occurring when a call is not in progress include tones corresponding to the depression of said control keys.

6. Apparatus for interfacing a shared output transducer with a program audio source and a telephone comprising:

summing means having a plurality of inputs and a summed output for coupling to said shared output transducer;

first switch means for receiving program audio signals from said program audio source and for controllably coupling said program audio signals to one of said inputs of said summing means;

second switch means for receiving phone audio signals from said telephone and for controllably coupling said phone audio signals to another one of said inputs of said summing means; and

control means coupled to said first switch means and said second switch means for setting said first and second switch means to couple said program audio signals and said phone audio signals simultaneously to said summing means when said program audio source and said telephone are both in use and a call is not in progress and for setting said first and second switch means to couple only said phone audio signals to said summing means when a call is in progress.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said control means includes control inputs for coupling to said program audio source and said telephone to receive control signals indicating whether said program audio source and said telephone are in use and whether a call is in progress.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising muting means coupled to said summing means for muting said summed output while neither of said program audio suorce and said telephone is in use and then for a predetermined period of time after one of said program audio source or said telephone is first put into use.

9. An entertainment and communication system comprising:

a program audio source providing program audio signals and a first control signal when said program audio source is in use;

a telephone providing phone audio signals and a second control signal when said telephone is in use and providing a third control signal when a call is in progress;

a shared transducer for converting said program audio signals and said phone audio signals into sound; and

interface means coupled to said program audio source, said telephone, and said shared transducer for summing said program audio signals and said phone audio signals when said first and second controls signals indicate that said program audio source and said telephone are in use and said third control signal indicates that a call is not in progress.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said telephone is a cellular telephone.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein said phone audio signals occurring when a call is not in progress include tones announcing an incoming call.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein said telephone includes control keys for controlling operation thereof and wherein phone audio signals occurring when a call is not in progress include tones corresponding to the depression of said control keys.

13. A method for sharing an output transducer between a program audio source and a telephone, said program audio source providing program audio signals and a first control signal when said program audio source is in use and said telephone providing phone audio signals and a second control signal when said telephone is in use and providing a third control signal when a call is in progress, said method comprising the steps of:

providing only said program audio signals to said output transducer when only said first control signal is present;

providing only said phone audio signals to said output transducer when only said second control signal is present;

providing both said program audio signals and said phone audio signals to said output transducer when said first and second control signals are present and said third control signal is absent; and

providing only said phone audio signals to said output transducer when said third control signal is present.

14. A method for selecting signals for transducing into audible sound in an entertainment and communications system including a program audio source producing program audio signals and a telephone for conducting a call and producing phone audio signals including dialing tones and ringing tones, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting only said program audio signals when only said program audio source is in use;

selecting only said phone audio signals when only said telephone is in use;

selecting said program audio signals, said dialing tones, and said ringing tones for simultaneous transducing into audible sound when both said program audio source and said telephone are in use but a call is not in progress; and

deselecting said program audio signals when a call is in progress.