In-vehicle conversation device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12570197-B2
Application number	US-202418624560-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2024
Priority date	Apr 7, 2023
Publication date	Mar 10, 2026
Grant date	Mar 10, 2026

Abstract

An in-vehicle conversation device amplifies a sound of a passenger collected by a front row microphone by a front row sound amplifier and outputs the sound from speakers and provided more outward than a head position of a passenger of a back row seat relative to the microphone, amplifies a sound of a passenger collected by a back row microphone by a back row sound amplifier and outputs the sound from speakers and provided more outward than a head position of a passenger of a front row seat relative to the microphone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An in-vehicle conversation device for a conversation between a passenger in one of a plurality of front row seats and a passenger in one of a plurality of back row seats in a vehicle in which a plurality of rows of seats are arranged along a moving direction of the vehicle, wherein the plurality of front row seats include a front row left seat and a front row right seat, and the plurality of back row seats include a back row left seat and a back row right seat, the in-vehicle conversation device comprising:
a front row sound collector provided at a position that is in front of and between the front row left seat and the front row right seat, and is configured to collect a sound produced by the passenger in the one of the plurality of front row seats;
a back row sound collector provided at a position that is in front of and between the back row left seat and the back row right seat, and is configured to collect a sound produced by the passenger in the one of the plurality of back row seats;
a plurality of outer speakers including:
a front row left seat speaker provided in or near a headrest of the front row left seat and more outward than a head position of a passenger in the front row left seat relative to the front row sound collector;
a front row right seat speaker provided in or near a headrest of the front row right seat and more outward than a head position of a passenger in the front row right seat relative to the front row sound collector;
a back row left seat speaker provided in or near a headrest of the back row left seat and more outward than a head position of a passenger in the back row left seat relative to the back row sound collector; and
a back row right seat speaker provided in or near a headrest of the back row right seat and more outward than a head position of a passenger in the back row right seat relative to the back row sound collector;

a front row sound amplifier configured to amplify the sound collected by the front row sound collector and to output an amplified sound from the back row left seat speaker and from the back row right seat speaker;
a back row sound amplifier configured to amplify the sound collected by the back row sound collector and to output an amplified sound from the front row left seat speaker and from the front row right seat speaker; and
a plurality of inner speakers, each provided in or near a headrest of each seat of the plurality of front row seats and the plurality of back row seats, more inward than a head position of a passenger relative to the front row sound collector or the rear row sound collector,
wherein a first sound output corresponding to a sound collected by the front row sound collector and the back row sound collector is generated using only the plurality of outer speakers among the plurality of outer speakers and the plurality of inner speakers.

2 . The in-vehicle conversation device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a passenger detector configured to detect presence or absence of a passenger in each seat of the front row seats and the back row seats; and an output stop controller configured to stop the sound output to one or more speakers among the front row left seat speaker, the front row right seat speaker, the back row left seat speaker, and the back row right seat speaker, the one or more speakers corresponding to seats in which no passenger is detected to be present by the passenger detector.

3 . The in-vehicle conversation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a second sound output other than the first sound output is generated using both the plurality of outer speakers and the plurality of inner speakers.

Assignees

• Alps Alpine Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ito Ryo

Classifications

• H04R2499/13

  Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles · CPC title

• H04R5/023

  in a chair, pillow · CPC title

• H04R3/005

  for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407) · CPC title

• B60N2/002

  Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon (detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266) · CPC title

• H04R27/00

  Public address systems (circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; {monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007}; amplifiers H03F) · CPC title