# US 2019/0320259 A1 · Microphone system for a motor vehicle with dynamic directivity > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0320259 A1 - Document ID: US20190320259A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/345,561 - Filed: 2017-10-17 - Published: 2019-10-17 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-02 - Assignees: Audi AG - Applicants: Audi AG - Inventors: Martin PERL - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190320259A1 ## CPC - H04R 1/20: Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics (for stereophonic purpose H04R5/00) - H04R 1/406: {microphones} - H04R 1/32: for obtaining desired directional characteristic only {(specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/40)} - H04R 25/40: {Arrangements for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic} - H04R 2201/40: Details of arrangements for obtaining desired directional characteristic by combining a number of identical transducers covered by H04R1/40 but not provided for in any of its subgroups - H04R 2410/01: Noise reduction using microphones having different directional characteristics - H04R 2430/20: Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic (H04R2203/12 takes precedence) - H04R 2430/23: Direction finding using a sum-delay beam-former - H04R 2499/13: Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles - H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K) ## Abstract The disclosure relates to a microphone system for a motor vehicle, comprising a microphone housing in which a first microphone, a second microphone and a third microphone are disposed, with a signal processing device, which is designed to process respective signals provided by the microphones, wherein the signal processing device is configured to receive the signals of the first and the second microphones in a first operating mode in such a way that a driver directivity, which is oriented towards a first position of a driver's seat of the motor vehicle is provided, and the signals of the second and third microphones in that a passenger directivity, which is aligned with a first position of a passenger's seat of the motor vehicle is provided in the first operating mode, wherein the signal processing device is configured to process the signals of the first and the third microphones in a second operating mode in such a way that an alternative driver directivity is provided, which is oriented towards a second position of the driver's seat, or to process the signals of the second and third microphones in the second operating mode so as to provide an alternative front seat passenger directivity, which is oriented towards a second position of the front passenger's seat; to minimize a variation in signal quality in the presence of a variation of the size of a driver or front passenger. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 -10. (canceled) ### Claim 11 A microphone system for a motor vehicle, comprising: a microphone housing in which a first microphone, a second microphone, and a third microphone are disposed; and a signal processing device which is configured to process signals provided by the first, second and third microphones, wherein the signal processing device is configured to: in a first operating mode, process the signals of the first microphone and the second microphone to create a driver directivity in producing a driver signal, wherein the driver directivity is an orientation towards a first driver position of a driver's seat of the motor vehicle, and process the signals of the second microphone and the third microphone to create a front seat passenger directivity in producing a front seat passenger signal, wherein the front seat passenger directivity is an orientation towards a first passenger position of a front passenger's seat of the motor vehicle; in a second operating mode, process the signals of the first microphone and the third microphone to create an alternative driver directivity, wherein the alternative driver directivity is an orientation towards a second driver position of the driver's seat, or process the signals of the second microphone and the third microphone to generate an alternative front seat passenger signal based on an alternative front seat passenger directivity, wherein the alternative front seat passenger directivity is an orientation towards a second passenger position of the front passenger's seat; detect a signal-to-noise ratio of the driver signal and a signal-to-noise ratio of the front seat passenger signal in the first operating mode; detect a signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative driver signal and a signal-to-noise ratio alternative front seat passenger signal in the second operating mode; compare the signal-to-noise ratio of the driver signal and the signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative driver signal; compare the signal-to-noise ratio of the front seat passenger signal and the signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative front seat passenger signal; and switch to the first operating mode if the signal-to-noise ratio of the driver signal exceeds the signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative driver signal, or if the signal-to-noise ratio of the front seat passenger signal exceeds the signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative front seat passenger signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The microphone system according to claim 11, wherein the first microphone, the second microphone, and the third microphones are omnidirectional pressure microphones. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The microphone system according to claim 11, wherein the first microphone, the second microphone, and the third microphone are disposed at the corners of an obtuse isosceles triangle with an angle of at least 100°. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The microphone system according to claim 11, wherein the signal processing device is further configured to: process the signal of the first microphone and a mixed signal of the second microphone and third microphone in a further operating mode such that a further alternative driver directivity is made available, wherein the further alternative driver directivity is oriented towards a further position of the driver's seat between the first position and the second positions of the driver's seat; and process the signal of the third microphone and a mixed signal of the first microphone and the second microphone in the further operating mode such that a further alternative front seat passenger directivity is made available, wherein the further alternative front seat passenger directivity is oriented towards a further position of front passenger's seat between the first position and the second position of the front passenger's seat. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The microphone system according claim 11, wherein the signal processing device is further configured to: process a selected directivity signal according to an interference directivity signal so that the interference directivity signal is partly blocked out from the selected directivity signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The microphone system according to claim 11 further comprising a fourth microphone disposed in the microphone housing, wherein the signal processing device is further configured to: process the signals of the first and the fourth microphones in a third operating mode such that a third driver directivity is made available, wherein the third driver directivity is oriented towards a third position of the driver's seat or the signals of the fourth and the third microphone in the third operating mode such that a third front seat passenger directivity is made available, wherein the third front seat passenger directivity is oriented towards a third position of the front passenger's seat, wherein the second position of the driver's seat is located between the first and the third position of the driver's seat and the second position of the front passenger's seat is located between the first and the third position of the passenger's seat. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The microphone system according to claim 16, wherein the first, the third, and the fourth microphones are disposed at respective corners of another isosceles triangle, with the fourth microphone being positioned at an apex of the other isosceles triangle. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The microphone system according to claim 11, wherein the signal processing device is further configured to: process the signal of the first microphone and a mixed signal of the fourth and third microphones in a fourth operating mode such that a further alternative driver directivity is prepared, where the further alternative driver directivity is oriented towards a further position of the driver's seat between the second and the third position of the driver's seat or the signal of the third microphone and a mixed signal of the first and the fourth microphone in the fourth operating mode such that a further alternative front seat passenger directivity is prepared, where the further alternative front seat passenger directivity is oriented towards a further position of the front passenger's seat between the second and the third positions of the front passenger's seat. ### Claim 19 A motor vehicle comprising a microphone system comprising a microphone housing in which a first microphone, a second microphone, and a third microphone are disposed, and a signal processing device which is configured to process signals provided by the microphones, wherein the signal processing device is configured to: in a first operating mode, process the signals of the first microphone and the second microphone to create a driver directivity in producing a driver signal, wherein the driver directivity is an orientation towards a first driver position of a driver's seat of the motor vehicle, and process the signals of the second microphone and the third microphone to create a front seat passenger directivity in producing a front seat passenger signal, wherein the front seat passenger directivity is an orientation towards a first passenger position of a front passenger's seat of the motor vehicle; in a second operating mode, process the signals of the first microphone and the third microphone to create an alternative driver directivity, wherein the alternative driver directivity is an orientation towards a second driver position of the driver's seat, or process the signals of the second microphone and the third microphone to generate an alternative front seat passenger signal based on an alternative front seat passenger directivity, wherein the alternative front seat passenger directivity is an orientation towards a second passenger position of the front passenger's seat; detect a signal-to-noise ratio of the driver signal and a signal-to-noise ratio of the front seat passenger signal in the first operating mode; detect a signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative driver signal and a signal-to-noise ratio alternative front seat passenger signal in the second operating mode; compare the signal-to-noise ratio of the driver signal and the signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative driver signal; compare the signal-to-noise ratio of the front seat passenger signal and the signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative front seat passenger signal; and switch to the first operating mode if the signal-to-noise ratio of the driver signal exceeds the signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative driver signal, or if the signal-to-noise ratio of the front seat passenger signal exceeds the signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative front seat passenger signal. ### Claim 20 A method for operating a microphone system of a motor vehicle, wherein the microphone system includes a microphone housing, in which a first microphone, a second microphone, and a third microphone are disposed, and a signal processing device, which is configured to process signals provided by the microphones, the method comprising: in a first operating mode, processing the signals of the first microphone and the second microphone to create a driver directivity in producing a driver signal, wherein the driver directivity is an orientation towards a first driver position of a driver's seat of the motor vehicle, and processing the signals of the second microphone and the third microphone to create a front seat passenger directivity in producing a front seat passenger signal, wherein the front seat passenger directivity is an orientation towards a first passenger position of a front passenger's seat of the motor vehicle; in a second operating mode, processing the signals of the first microphone and the third microphone to create an alternative driver directivity, wherein the alternative driver directivity is an orientation towards a second driver position of the driver's seat, or processing the signals of the second microphone and the third microphone to generate an alternative front seat passenger signal based on an alternative front seat passenger directivity, wherein the alternative front seat passenger directivity is an orientation towards a second passenger position of the front passenger's seat; detecting a signal-to-noise ratio of the driver signal and a signal-to-noise ratio of the front seat passenger signal in the first operating mode; detecting a signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative driver signal and a signal-to-noise ratio alternative front seat passenger signal in the second operating mode; comparing the signal-to-noise ratio of the driver signal and the signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative driver signal; comparing the signal-to-noise ratio of the front seat passenger signal and the signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative front seat passenger signal; and switching to the first operating mode if the signal-to-noise ratio of the driver signal exceeds the signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative driver signal, or if the signal-to-noise ratio of the front seat passenger signal exceeds the signal-to-noise ratio of the alternative front seat passenger signal.