Car Communication Performance Enhancement With Occupancy Information
AssigneePanasonic Automotive Systems America, LLC.
InventorCHRISTOPHER LEE SULLIVAN
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An in-car communication arrangement includes a plurality of microphones disposed within a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle and each producing a respective microphone signal. A loudspeaker receives at least one of the microphone signals and produces audible sounds based on the at least one microphone signal. A plurality of seat occupancy sensors each determines whether a respective seat in the passenger compartment is occupied by a human occupant. An electronic processor is communicatively coupled to the microphones, the loudspeaker and the seat occupancy sensors. The electronic processor modifies the audible sounds dependent upon at least one of the signals from the occupancy sensors.
Claims20
An in-car communication arrangement for a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising:
- a plurality of microphones disposed within a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle and each configured to produce a respective microphone signal;
- a loudspeaker configured to receive at least one of the microphone signals and produce audible sounds based on the at least one microphone signal;
- a plurality of seat occupancy sensors each configured to determine whether a respective seat in the passenger compartment is occupied by a human occupant;
- and
- an electronic processor communicatively coupled to the microphones, the loudspeaker and the seat occupancy sensors, the electronic processor being configured to modify the audible sounds dependent upon at least one of the signals from the occupancy sensors.
An in-car communication method for a motor vehicle, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of microphones within a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle;
- using each of the microphones to produce a respective microphone signal;
- producing audible sounds based on at least one of the microphone signals;
- determining which seats in the passenger compartment are occupied by a human occupant;
- and
- modifying the audible sounds, the modifying being dependent upon which seats in the passenger compartment are occupied by a human occupant.
An in-car communication arrangement for a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising:
- a plurality of microphones disposed within a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle and each configured to produce a respective microphone signal;
- a loudspeaker configured to receive at least one of the microphone signals and produce audible sounds based on the at least one microphone signal;
- and
- an electronic processor communicatively coupled to the microphones and the loudspeaker, the electronic processor being configured to:
- determine from the microphone signals which seats of the motor vehicle are occupied by a human occupant;
- and
- modify the audible sounds, the modifying being dependent upon which seats of the motor vehicle are occupied by a human occupant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.