Motor vehicle audio system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9344788-B2
Application number	US-201414463956-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2014
Priority date	Aug 20, 2014
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

A motor vehicle audio system, and a method of operating such a system. There is at least one rear far-field speaker that is located behind a front seat of the motor vehicle, and at least one near-field speaker located in front of the far-field speaker and close to an intended position of a listener's head. There is an audio signal processor configured to detect when the rear far-field speaker is shut off while the near-field speaker remains on, and in response automatically increase the output energy of the near-field speaker.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a motor vehicle audio system that has at least one rear far-field speaker that is located behind a front seat of the motor vehicle, and that also has at least one near-field speaker located in front of the far-field speaker and close to an intended position of a listener's head, the method comprising:
detecting when the rear far-field speaker is shut off while the near-field speaker remains on; and in response
automatically increasing the output energy of the near-field speaker.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically increasing the output energy of the near-field speaker comprises operating the near-field speaker so as to at least partially replace the audio energy lost when the rear far-field speaker was shut off.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein operating the near-field speaker so as to at least partially replace the audio energy lost when the rear far-field speaker was shut off comprises operating the near-field speaker so as to deliver approximately the same audio energy to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener's position as was delivered before the far-field speaker was shut off.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein operating the near-field speaker so as to deliver approximately the same audio energy to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener's position as was delivered before the far-field speaker was shut off comprises adjusting an equalization of the near field speaker.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a transfer function from each far-field speaker that was shut off to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener's position is known, and wherein automatically increasing the output energy of the near-field speaker comprises operating the near-field speaker so as to approximate the transfer functions from each far-field speaker that was shut off, to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener's position.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the front seat of the motor vehicle comprises a driver headrest and a passenger headrest, and wherein the motor vehicle audio system comprises a pair of near-field speakers in each front seat headrest.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the motor vehicle audio system comprises a plurality of rear far-field speakers, and wherein automatically increasing the output energy of the near-field speaker comprises operating the pair of near-field speakers in a headrest so as to approximately replace the audio energy lost at the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener's position.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the motor vehicle audio system comprises a user-operated switch that is part of an audio head unit and that can be operated so as to shut off the far-field speaker.

9. A motor vehicle audio system, comprising:
at least one rear far-field speaker that is located behind a front seat of the motor vehicle;
at least one near-field speaker located in front of the far-field speaker and close to an intended position of a listener's head; and
an audio signal processor configured to detect when the rear far-field speaker is shut off while the near-field speaker remains on, and in response automatically increase the output energy of the near-field speaker.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the audio signal processor automatically increases the output energy of the near-field speaker by operating the near-field speaker so as to at least partially replace the audio energy lost when the rear far-field speaker was shut off.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein operating the near-field speaker so as to at least partially replace the audio energy lost when the rear far-field speaker was shut off comprises operating the near-field speaker so as to deliver approximately the same audio energy to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener's position as was delivered before the far-field speaker was shut off.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein operating the near-field speaker so as to deliver approximately the same audio energy to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener's position as was delivered before the far-field speaker was shut off comprises adjusting an equalization of the near field speaker.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein a transfer function from each far-field speaker that was shut off to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener's position is known, and wherein the audio signal processor automatically increases the output energy of the near-field speaker by operating the near-field speaker so as to approximate the transfer functions from each far-field speaker that was shut off, to the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener's position.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the front seat of the motor vehicle comprises a driver headrest and a passenger headrest, and wherein the at least one near-field speaker comprises a pair of near-field speakers in each front seat headrest.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the at least one far-field speaker comprises a plurality of rear far-field speakers, and wherein the audio signal processor automatically increases the output energy of the near-field speaker by operating the pair of near-field speakers in a headrest so as to approximately replace the audio energy lost at the expected location of each ear of a front seat listener's position.

16. The system of claim 9 further comprising a user-operated switch that is part of an audio head unit and that can be operated so as to shut off the far-field speaker.

Assignees

• Bose Corp

Inventors

• Barksdale Tobe Zetelmo
• Holmi Douglas J

Classifications

• B60N2/879

  with additional features not related to head-rest positioning, e.g. heating or cooling devices or loudspeakers · CPC title

• H04R1/028 Primary

  associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles · CPC title

• H04R2420/07

  Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones · CPC title

• H04R2499/13

  Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles · 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