The present application relates to the field of audio input systems in vehicles. More specifically, the disclosure relates to audio input systems that can be incorporated into an emblem, such as on a steering wheel.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, appended claims, and the accompanying exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, which are briefly described below.
According to various exemplary embodiments, vehicles may incorporate one or more microphones to support hands-free and voice activation applications. The microphones may be incorporated in vehicle headliners, steering column shafts, rear view mirrors, and other locations on the instrument panel or A-pillar trim. Some microphones may serve as a primary driver voice input while others may be used to collect cockpit background sound to support noise cancellation. These microphones may be optimized to collect sounds from a specific angle (directional) or from any angle (omni-directional) depending on the number of microphones, the location of the microphones, and the audio input system design. The majority in-vehicle audio input system may support voice input from the driver and/or other passengers in the vehicle. According to one exemplary embodiment, one or more microphones may be positioned within a gap formed between the steering wheel frame and the airbag hub as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,374,203, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Airbags are provided in vehicles to restrain occupants in the event of a vehicle crash. It is desirable to retain the integrity of airbag module components, such as a cover (sometimes referred to as a deployment door), an emblem, and/or other decorative features placed on the surface of the deployable cover, during deployment of the airbag. It is desirable to reduce the likelihood of any such components becoming detached during airbag deployment and becoming projectiles. Any features incorporated with the airbag module should have robust attachment methods to withstand deployment forces throughout various environmental conditions. Attributes that can facilitate retention during deployment include low mass and increased flexibility of various features.
Microphones of audio input systems are not currently used on the cover or door of an airbag module. Incorporating one or more microphones on the door or cover of the airbag module may provide a low mass audio input suitable for withstanding the high energy of airbag deployment. A vehicle driver audio input microphone array may be integrated within an emblem element affixed on the surface of an airbag cover in the center hub of a steering wheel assembly. Such emblems (e.g., a flexible emblem) may be composed of plastic and/or metal and incorporate a vehicle nameplate or OEM insignia with the emblem center positioned at the center of the steering axis of rotation. The emblem may resist shattering and reduce the likelihood of emblem and/or airbag cushion damage due to sharp edges formed during airbag deployment. The emblem may withstand automotive environmental and lifetime specifications and be sufficiently thin and low mass as to not affect airbag deployment. Typically, the airbag is designed so that the emblem remains affixed to the cover as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,097,199, which is herein incorporated by reference. The emblem may be relocated to a new position after deployment of the airbag. The tear seams on the airbag cover and the routing and placement of components associated with the microphone system can be designed so that the microphone system can be intact and potentially functional after the deployment of the airbag.
In an exemplary embodiment, a microphone array can be attached to an airbag cover and/or emblem or, alternatively, positioned between the cover and emblem, therefore providing a microphone array positioned for increased accuracy in receiving driver commands. The power source for the microphone array may be located in a remote non-critical area of the airbag module or other part of the vehicle.
Referring to
Referring to
One or more microphones 18 may be located or mounted on any of the emblem 40, the PCB 44, and/or the wiring harness 48. Each of the microphones 18 are electrically coupled to the wiring harness and PCB 44 and receive power from the power source 11 and send signals representative of audio inputs to the electronic processing system 13. While four microphones 18 are illustrated, according to other embodiments, more or less microphones may be used. If more than one microphone 18 is included, each microphone 18 can be apportioned to serve as a primary driver audio input (directional or omni-directional), a secondary driver audio input for symmetric phase noise cancellation, or as a background noise input (directional or omni-directional) depending on the audio quality and electronics required. Depending on circuit requirements and size, additional audio electronics (digital and/or analog) may be packaged within the emblem 40 itself in order to optimize the audio signal. The output could be either digital or analog depending on the steering wheel electronics and clockspring characteristics.
According to some exemplary embodiments, the electrical connections between the microphones 18 and the power source and electronic processing system may be similar to the electronic connections in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/979,952, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The electrical connections may provide power and an audio signal path from the one or more microphones 18 to the electronic processing system.
Referring to
A summary of the physical principals are illustrated in
The placement of the microphones 18 in a position the driver is facing during general driving (i.e., driver eyes on road) may result in voice commands from the driver having the highest possible amplitude (of voice intensity) based on a line of sight between the driver mouth and the microphones. The use of multiple microphones 18 positioned at known points from the steering wheel center line may further improve detected voice amplitude. If a driver is facing forward and the steering angle is within typical driving ranges, audio inputs reached at each microphone may be very close in phase. However for other sounds received at each of the microphones 18, such as noise from a passenger and other noise (e.g., from the road, engine, fan, wind, etc.), the phases are different because the sources of the noise are not equidistantly directed towards the microphones 18. Stereo noise cancellation techniques can be used to clarify the speech of the driver from the stereo microphones 18 to improve the audible input recognition. Because the noise is detected to be out of phase and audio input of the driver is detected to be in phase, the electronic processing system 13 may be configured to cancel or eliminate at least a portion of the “non-driver” noise from the audio output signal received from the microphones.
According to various exemplary embodiments, the microphone emblem provides the shortest acoustic path between the driver's mouth and the microphone element for improved noise reduction. Optimal driver audio input may be achieved when the driver gaze is on the forward roadway and the driver is “trained” to speak into the microphone for optimal audio or voice recognition performance. While electronic processing may be performed at the electronics 13, according to other exemplary embodiments, the processing may be performed at the source of audio input (e.g., the microphones 18). It is noted that the illustrated and described design for driver acoustical input is independent of vehicle model, size and interior layout as the driver position to the steering wheel and logo are generally the same platform by platform.
It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of the audio input system shown in the various exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited in the description. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements, the position of the elements may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments.
The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/272,751, filed Oct. 29, 2009. The foregoing provisional application is incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4126827 | Negrini | Nov 1978 | A |
4578592 | Nakazawa et al. | Mar 1986 | A |
4614839 | Umebayashi | Sep 1986 | A |
4698838 | Ishikawa et al. | Oct 1987 | A |
4729254 | Nogami et al. | Mar 1988 | A |
4850015 | Martin | Jul 1989 | A |
5319803 | Allen | Jun 1994 | A |
5418836 | Yazaki | May 1995 | A |
5851022 | Yamamoto et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
6114774 | Fiegura | Sep 2000 | A |
6240347 | Everhart et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6567676 | Tsai | May 2003 | B1 |
6928614 | Everhart | Aug 2005 | B1 |
6983170 | Stulberger | Jan 2006 | B2 |
7097199 | Dearden et al. | Aug 2006 | B2 |
7106876 | Santiago | Sep 2006 | B2 |
7374203 | Hirzmann | May 2008 | B2 |
7441801 | Nakamura et al. | Oct 2008 | B2 |
7826623 | Christoph | Nov 2010 | B2 |
8102995 | Kim | Jan 2012 | B2 |
20020031234 | Wenger et al. | Mar 2002 | A1 |
20020047255 | Baume et al. | Apr 2002 | A1 |
20060125217 | Nakamura et al. | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20090121459 | Bostick et al. | May 2009 | A1 |
20090189373 | Schramm et al. | Jul 2009 | A1 |
20090192677 | Cech et al. | Jul 2009 | A1 |
20090192795 | Cech | Jul 2009 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1 493 993 | Jan 2005 | EP |
1 695 873 | Jul 2008 | EP |
2 045 140 | Jan 2010 | EP |
2 051 241 | Dec 2010 | EP |
60072421 | Apr 1985 | JP |
60076445 | Apr 1985 | JP |
03248699 | Nov 1991 | JP |
2000-177509 | Jun 2000 | JP |
2002127911 | May 2002 | JP |
2004-198702 | Jul 2004 | JP |
2008-20872 | Jan 2008 | JP |
Entry |
---|
International Preliminary Report on Patentability PCT/US2010/054414 dated May 1, 2012. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20110101654 A1 | May 2011 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61272751 | Oct 2009 | US |