JP-7857085-B2 - System and method for in-vehicle voice calls

JP7857085B2JP 7857085 B2JP7857085 B2JP 7857085B2JP-7857085-B2

Inventors

マックスウェルウィリス
クリストファーマイケルトレステイン
クリスルドウィグ

Assignees

ハーマンインターナショナルインダストリーズインコーポレイテッド

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20210507
Priority Date: 20200623

Claims (15)

Responding to a voice call, routing the voice call to at least one of a plurality of telephone zones based on user input and at least one of the source of the voice call, wherein the plurality of telephone zones are included in the cabin of a vehicle. Adjusting each of the audio gains for the main system's audio source so that they differ with respect to the telephone zones of the plurality of telephone zones, based on the location of the at least one telephone zone within the cabin of the vehicle, wherein the adjustment includes ducking and compressing the audio of the main system while continuing to route the voice call to the at least one telephone zone. Adjusting the speaker settings for each speaker in each of the plurality of telephone zones , wherein adjusting the speaker settings for each speaker in each of the plurality of telephone zones includes adjusting the speaker settings for each speaker in at least one telephone zone based on the relative positions of other speakers in the cabin of the automobile . Methods that include...
The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of telephone zones is equipped with a microphone, and the microphone of at least one telephone zone to which the voice call is routed is activated, and the microphones of the other telephone zones among the plurality of telephone zones are deactivated.
The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of telephone zones is equipped with a microphone, and the input acquired from the microphones of each of the plurality of telephone zones other than the at least one telephone zone to which the voice call is routed is subtracted from the sound output by the speaker in the at least one telephone zone to which the voice call is routed.
The method according to claim 1, further comprising outputting the reverse of the audio from the main system's audio source to a speaker in the at least one telephone zone to which the voice call is routed.
Based on the user input and the source of the voice call, routing the voice call to at least one of the plurality of telephone zones is: Selecting at least one of the plurality of telephone zones based on the user input and the source of the voice call, To provide the incoming audio from the voice call to the at least one telephone zone via the speaker of the at least one telephone zone, To acquire outgoing audio relating to the voice call from the at least one telephone zone via the microphone of the at least one telephone zone, Based on the location of the at least one telephone zone, signal processing is applied to the incoming audio and the outgoing audio, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, including the method described in any one of claims 1 to 4.
Based on the user input and the source of the voice call, at least one of the plurality of telephone zones is selected. Depending on the source of the voice call, which is the first mobile device, the at least one phone zone is selected based on the identifier of the first mobile device, Depending on the source of the voice call, which is a second mobile device, the system selects at least one phone zone based on the identifier of the second mobile device, An application of the automobile's computing system, wherein the voice call includes metadata related to the voice call, and the selection of at least one telephone zone based on the related metadata depending on the source of the voice call, Select the first telephone zone in accordance with the user input corresponding to the first telephone zone of the plurality of telephone zones, In response to the user input corresponding to the first and second telephone zones of the plurality of telephone zones, both the first and second telephone zones are selected. The method according to claim 5, including the method described in claim 5.
The method according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of telephone zones includes at least one microphone and at least one speaker.
Providing the incoming audio from the voice call to the at least one telephone zone via the speaker of the at least one telephone zone is to The incoming audio is routed to the mixer in the telephone zone, Broadcasting the incoming audio through the speaker in at least one of the telephone zones, The method according to claim 5, including the method described in claim 5.
To acquire the outgoing audio relating to the voice call from the at least one telephone zone via the microphone of the at least one telephone zone, The aforementioned outgoing audio is routed to a speech processor, The aforementioned outgoing audio is transmitted via a wireless network, The method according to claim 5, including the method described in claim 5.
Based on the location of the at least one telephone zone, signal processing is applied to the incoming audio and the outgoing audio, The method according to claim 5, further comprising applying echo cancellation and beamforming to the outgoing sound.
A computing system, A first telephone zone located inside the cabin of an automobile, wherein the first telephone zone includes a first microphone and a first speaker, A second telephone zone located within the cabin of the automobile, wherein the second telephone zone includes a second microphone and a second speaker, User input devices and, A processor connected to the aforementioned computing system in a communicative manner, In response to a voice call, the system selects one of the first telephone zone and the second telephone zone based on user input from the user input device and the source of the voice call. In accordance with the selection of the first telephone zone, incoming voice call audio is routed to the first speaker, outgoing telephone audio is acquired from the first microphone, and outgoing telephone audio is not acquired from the second microphone. Depending on the selection of the second telephone zone, the incoming voice call audio is routed to the second speaker, the outgoing telephone audio is acquired from the second microphone, and the outgoing telephone audio is not acquired from the first microphone. In response to detecting the audio source of the main system, the audio gain related to the audio source of the main system is reduced and the audio source of the main system is compressed. Based on the position of the first speaker relative to the second speaker, the first speaker is adjusted, Based on the position of the first speaker relative to the second speaker, the second speaker is adjusted, Adjusting the speaker settings of the first speaker and the second speaker, A storage device that stores instructions executable by the processor to perform the following: A computing system equipped with [a specific feature/equipment].
The aforementioned storage device In response to detecting the audio source of the main system and selecting the first telephone zone, the reverse of the audio from the audio source of the main system is output to the first speaker. In response to detecting the audio source of the main system and selecting the second telephone zone, the reverse of the audio from the audio source of the main system is output to the second speaker. To execute, The computing system according to claim 11, which stores further instructions that can be executed by the processor.
In order to acquire the outgoing telephone audio from the first microphone, the storage device, To apply beamforming and echo cancellation to the telephone audio output from the first microphone, The computing system according to claim 11 or 12, which stores further instructions that can be executed by the processor.
In order to acquire the outgoing telephone audio from the second microphone, the storage device, To apply beamforming and echo cancellation to the outgoing telephone audio from the second microphone, The computing system according to claim 11 or 12, which stores further instructions that can be executed by the processor.
The computing system according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the source of the voice call is a mobile phone communicatively coupled to the computing system.

Description

This disclosure relates to the field of in-vehicle speaker systems. Many vehicles include in-vehicle information and entertainment systems to provide media for users, such as music, navigation assistance, talk radio, and virtual personal assistants. Furthermore, these systems may allow users to make and receive voice calls (e.g., telephone calls) hands-free. This can increase user satisfaction. For example, incoming voice calls may be broadcast through the vehicle's speakers, and outgoing voice calls may be captured by the vehicle's microphones. However, relying on the vehicle's speakers and microphones may result in lower sound quality compared to using a headset. Additionally, if there are two or more users in the vehicle, voice calls may be intended for only one user, who may desire privacy during the call. Noise from other users may reduce the audio quality during the voice call. Moreover, in-vehicle information and entertainment systems may not allow multiple users to make and receive voice calls simultaneously, which can reduce user satisfaction. Therefore, there is a need for systems and methods that enable individual users to make and receive voice calls without reducing voice quality or compromising user privacy. The following are illustrative partial diagrams of a vehicle cabin according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.The following are block diagrams illustrating an exemplary in-vehicle computing system in a vehicle according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.A schematic diagram of an exemplary vehicle cabin is shown, including multiple telephone zones equipped with multiple speakers and microphones.A schematic diagram of signal processing related to a voice call according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.This document presents a high-level flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for adjusting a vehicle's voice system to prompt voice calls. As described above, the in-vehicle entertainment system may route voice calls to one or more of the vehicle's individual phone zones and may adjust the vehicle's audio system to reduce sound interference. For example, a vehicle may include a computing system and multiple phone zones, each containing its own speaker and microphone. In some embodiments, the computing system and audio system may be included in the vehicle system, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, so that multiple vehicle occupants may receive voice calls and interact with media via the audio system. Furthermore, the phone zones may be located within the vehicle cabin, as shown in Figure 3. Incoming and outgoing voice call audio may be processed according to the signal flow shown in Figure 4. Furthermore, as shown in the method in Figure 5, the vehicle's computing system may direct voice calls to selected phone zones while adjusting already playing media (e.g., music) so as not to disrupt the user experience and to avoid increased sound interference with the voice calls. In this way, voice calls may be delivered to selected phone zones. Figure 1 shows an exemplary partial view of one type of environment for a voice customization system, which is the interior of the cabin 100 of a vehicle 102, where a driver and/or one or more occupants may be seated. The vehicle 102 in Figure 1 may be an automobile including drive wheels (not shown) and an internal combustion engine 104. The internal combustion engine 104 may include one or more combustion chambers, which may receive intake air through intake passages and exhaust combustion gases through exhaust passages. The vehicle 102 may be a road vehicle, among other types of vehicles. In some embodiments, the vehicle 102 may include a hybrid propulsion system including an energy conversion device that is operable to absorb energy from the vehicle's operation and/or engine and convert the absorbed energy into an energy form suitable for storage by an energy storage device. The vehicle 102 may include a fully electric vehicle incorporating a fuel cell, solar energy acquisition element, and/or other energy storage system for powering the vehicle. As shown in the illustration, the instrument panel 106 may include various displays and controls accessible to the human driver (also referred to as the user) of the vehicle 102. For example, the instrument panel 106 may include user input devices such as a touchscreen 108 for the in-vehicle computing system 109 (e.g., an information and entertainment system), a voice system control panel, and a composite instrument 110. The touchscreen 108 may receive user input to the in-vehicle computing system 109 to control voice output, visual display output, user preferences, selection of control parameters, etc. Furthermore, additional user interfaces, not shown, may be located in other parts of the vehicle, such as proximal to at least one passenger seat. For example, the vehicle may include a row of back seats having at least one touchscreen for controlling th