System and method for personalized sound isolation in vehicle audio zones

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9773495-B2
Application number	US-201615005351-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2016
Priority date	Jan 25, 2016
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments include a vehicle comprising an audio system configured to create a plurality of audio zones within a vehicle cabin, and at least one display communicatively coupled to the audio system. The display is configured to display a separate user interface for each audio zone. Each user interface comprises an engine sound control and a cabin noise control for adjusting an audio output provided to the corresponding audio zone. Embodiments also include a method of providing user-controlled sound isolation in a plurality of audio zones within a vehicle. The method comprises presenting, for each audio zone, a user interface including an engine sound control and a cabin noise control, and generating an audio output for each audio zone based on a first value received from the engine sound control and a second value received from the cabin noise control of the corresponding user interface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle, comprising:
a wireless interface to connect to a mobile device; and
an audio system configured to:
create a plurality of audio zones within a vehicle cabin; and
display, via the mobile device communicatively coupled to the wireless interface, a separate user interface for each audio zone, each user interface comprising an engine sound control and a cabin noise control for adjusting an audio output provided to a corresponding audio zone.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the audio system includes:
an audio control module configured to generate the audio output for each audio zone based on a first value received from the engine sound control and a second value received from the cabin noise control of the corresponding user interface; and
a plurality of speakers configured to present, to each audio zone, the audio output generated for that audio zone.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the audio control module includes a noise cancellation module, and the audio output for each audio zone includes an anti-noise output signal generated by the noise cancellation module.

4. The vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the audio system further includes a plurality of receiver microphones configured to detect, for each audio zone, a cabin noise within that audio zone, and wherein the second value is a cabin noise gain for the corresponding audio zone, and wherein for each audio zone, the noise cancellation module is configured to generate a corresponding anti-noise output signal based on the cabin noise and the cabin noise gain.

5. The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the audio system further includes a plurality of error microphones configured to detect, for each audio zone, a noise cancellation error signal for that audio zone, and wherein for each audio zone, the noise cancellation module is configured to generate the corresponding anti-noise output signal based further on the noise cancellation error signal.

6. The vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the audio control module further includes an engine sound module, and the audio output for each audio zone includes an engine sound output signal generated by the engine sound module.

7. The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the audio system further includes an engine microphone positioned adjacent to a vehicle engine for detecting an engine sound, and the first value is an engine sound gain for the corresponding audio zone, and wherein for each audio zone, the engine sound module is configured to generate a corresponding engine sound output signal based on the engine sound and the engine sound gain.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the at least one display includes a separate display unit for each audio zone, each separate display unit configured to display the user interface for the corresponding audio zone.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein for each user interface, each of the engine sound control and the road noise control includes a slider control for enabling user selection of a corresponding value.

10. The vehicle of claim 1 , including a plurality of presence detectors, each of the plurality of presence detectors associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of audio zones, wherein the audio system is configured to display the separate user interface for each of the plurality of audio zones in which the plurality of presence detectors detects an occupant.

11. A method of providing user-controlled sound isolation in a plurality of audio zones within a vehicle, the method comprising:
connecting to a mobile device;
presenting, for at least one of the plurality of audio zones, a user interface including an engine sound control and a cabin noise control on the mobile device;
presenting, for the remaining ones of the plurality of audio zones, the user interface including the engine sound control and the cabin noise control on a display of the vehicle; and
generating an audio output for each audio zone based on a first value received from the engine sound control and a second value received from the cabin noise control of a corresponding user interface.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first value is an engine sound gain and the second value is a cabin noise gain.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising: providing the audio output for each audio zone to a plurality of speakers directed towards the audio zone.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the audio output for each audio zone includes an anti-noise signal, and wherein generating the audio output for each audio zone includes generating the anti-noise signal based on the second value and a cabin noise detected by a plurality of receiver microphones directed towards a corresponding audio zone.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the anti-noise signal for each audio zone is generated based further on a noise cancellation error signal detected by a plurality of error microphones directed towards the audio zone.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the audio output for each audio zone further includes an engine sound signal, and wherein generating the audio output for each audio zone further includes generating the engine sound signal based on the first value and an engine noise detected by an engine microphone adjacent to a vehicle engine.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein generating the audio output for each audio zone includes combining the anti-noise signal, the engine sound signal, and a user-selected audio signal.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein presenting, for the remaining ones of the plurality of audio zones, the user interface including the engine sound control and the cabin noise control on a display of the vehicle further comprises presenting, for the remaining ones of the plurality of audio zones in which a presence detector detects an occupant, the user interface for the corresponding ones of the plurality of audio zones including the engine sound control and the cabin noise control on a display of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Macneille Perry Robinson
• Miloser James Andrew
• Acosta Jorge
• Marsman Eric

Classifications

• G10K2210/3046

  Multiple acoustic inputs, multiple acoustic outputs · CPC title

• H04R2499/13

  Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles · CPC title

• H04R3/00 Primary

  Circuits for transducers (arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound G10K15/08; amplifiers H03F) · CPC title

• H04R2410/05

  Noise reduction with a separate noise microphone · CPC title

• G10K2210/12

  Rooms, e.g. ANC inside a room, office, concert hall or automobile cabin · CPC title