Method for preventing a voice from being intercepted

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12418356-B2
Application number	US-202118258094-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2021
Priority date	Dec 16, 2020
Publication date	Sep 16, 2025
Grant date	Sep 16, 2025

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for preventing the voice of at least one person in a vehicle from being intercepted. At least one loudspeaker in the vehicle is activated, wherein the at least one loudspeaker is used to generate audio signals which have at least one frequency that is higher than the threshold frequency for sound that is audible to the at least one person, and the audio signals are used to interfere with the reception of a signal by means of at least one microphone when the at least one person uses their voice to articulate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for protecting a voice of at least one person in a vehicle from being intercepted, the method comprising:
activating at least one loudspeaker in the vehicle;
generating audio signals with the at least one loudspeaker, wherein the audio signals have at least one frequency higher than a threshold frequency for sound that is audible to the at least one person; and
in response to the at least one person using their voice to articulate a sound signal, using the generated audio signals to interfere with a reception of the sound signal by a first microphone or a second microphone,
wherein the sound signal is nevertheless picked up by the second microphone and interference protection for the second microphone is deactivated, if the at least one person manually activates an activation switch.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising securing, from interception, a conversation between several persons in the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising securing, from interception, the voice of the at least one person in an interior of the vehicle by the at least one loudspeaker directed into the interior.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising activating the at least one loudspeaker by the at least one person.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising directing the at least one loudspeaker towards a position of the first microphone or the second microphone.

6. A system for preventing a voice of at least one person in a vehicle from being intercepted, the system comprising:
a first microphone;
a second microphone;
at least one loudspeaker in the vehicle, wherein the at least one loudspeaker is configured to generate, upon activation, audio signals having at least one frequency higher than a threshold frequency for sound that is audible to the at least one person;
wherein the audio signals are configured to interfere with a reception of a sound signal by one of the first microphone or the second microphone, wherein the sound signal is generated by the voice of the at least one person, and
wherein the sound signal is nevertheless picked up by the second microphone if the at least one person deactivates interference protection of the second microphone by manual activation of an activation switch.

7. The system of claim 6 , further comprising an independent control unit configured to control the at least one loudspeaker.

8. The system of claim 6 , further comprising an independent electrical power supply configured to supply the at least one loudspeaker with electrical energy.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Bock Florian
• Grabowski Michael

Classifications

• H04K3/42

  characterized by the control of the jamming frequency or wavelength · CPC title

• H04K2203/22

  for communication related to vehicles · CPC title

• H04K2203/12

  for acoustic communication · CPC title

• H04K2203/34

  involving multiple cooperating jammers · CPC title

• H04K3/41 Primary

  characterized by the control of the jamming activation or deactivation time (control of jamming activation and deactivation time only for the purpose of alternating between jamming mode and target monitoring mode H04K3/45) · CPC title