System and method for in-vehicle voice calling

Abstract

Embodiments are disclosed for providing a voice call to a user of a motor vehicle. As an example, a method includes, in response to a voice call, routing the voice call to at least one of a plurality of telephone zones based on at least one of a user input and a source of the voice call, the plurality of telephone zones included in a cabin of a motor vehicle. In this way, acoustic interference with the voice call can be reduced while primary system audio can continue to be played for non-selected telephone zones.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of vehicle speaker systems. Background Technology

[0002] Many vehicles include in-vehicle infotainment systems for providing media to users, such as music, navigation assistance, talk radio, virtual personal assistants, etc. Furthermore, in-vehicle infotainment systems can enable users to receive and make voice calls (e.g., telephone calls) hands-free, which can increase satisfaction. For example, incoming audio from a voice call can be broadcast via the vehicle's speakers, and outgoing audio from the voice call can be captured via the vehicle's microphones. However, due to reliance on the vehicle's speakers and microphones, sound quality may be degraded compared to using headphones. Additionally, when more than one user is in the vehicle, a voice call may be intended for only one user who may desire privacy while making the call. Noise from other users may degrade audio quality during a voice call. Furthermore, in-vehicle infotainment systems may not allow multiple users to make and receive voice calls simultaneously, which could reduce user satisfaction. Therefore, there is a need for systems and methods that allow individual users to make and receive voice calls without degrading audio quality or reducing user privacy. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The inventors of this document have recognized the problems mentioned above and have developed systems and methods for at least partially solving these problems. For example, one method includes: in response to a voice call, routing the voice call to at least one of a plurality of telephone areas, the plurality of telephone areas being included in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, based on at least one of user input and the source of the voice call.

[0004] As an example, a motor vehicle may receive voice calls via multiple sources. For instance, a mobile phone may be communicatively coupled to the vehicle's in-vehicle computing system, and calls received by the mobile phone may be routed to the vehicle. As another example, the in-vehicle computing system may receive voice calls directly via a wireless network. To provide voice calls to desired users, the in-vehicle computing system may select at least one telephone zone within the vehicle. For example, the vehicle compartment may include multiple telephone zones, each including at least one microphone and at least one speaker, enabling personalized media experiences, such as personalized voice call experiences, to be provided to each user of the vehicle. Thus, the in-vehicle computing system may route voice calls to at least one selected telephone zone. As an example, incoming voice call audio may be broadcast on the speaker in at least one telephone zone, and outgoing voice call audio may be captured via the microphone in at least one telephone zone. During a voice call, incoming voice call audio may not be provided to other telephone zones (e.g., unselected telephone zones), and outgoing voice call audio may not be captured via the microphones in other telephone zones. Furthermore, the main system audio may be compressed, and the main system audio gain may be reduced.

[0005] In this way, voice calls can be made to the vehicle's primary user while other users continue to enjoy the main system audio stream, such as music. Furthermore, by providing voice calls only to a subset of the phone areas, voice call privacy is increased, allowing the primary user more freedom to converse. For example, increased voice call privacy can increase user satisfaction. Additionally, by continuing to provide main system audio to unselected phone areas, the media experience of other users in the vehicle is not interrupted, which increases user enjoyment. By applying signal processing to the incoming and outgoing voice call audio and by adjusting the main system audio, acoustic interference to the voice call can be reduced, thus increasing the audio quality of the voice call. Therefore, a subset of passengers in the vehicle can make voice calls while other passengers can continue listening to other media, such as music. Furthermore, by applying signal processing techniques and by adjusting each microphone and speaker differently to reduce acoustic interference, the audio quality of the voice call can be increased. Overall, customer satisfaction can be increased.

[0006] The advantages and other advantages and features described herein will become readily apparent from the following detailed description, either alone or in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0007] It should be understood that the above description is provided to present a simplified version of a series of concepts further described in the detailed embodiments. This is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is uniquely defined by the claims following the detailed embodiments. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to solutions to any of the deficiencies described above or in any part of this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0008] This disclosure can be better understood by referring to the following description of non-limiting embodiments, in which:

[0009] Figure 1 An exemplary partial view of a vehicle compartment according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0010] Figure 2 A block diagram of an exemplary in-vehicle computing system for a vehicle according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0011] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an exemplary vehicle compartment is shown, comprising multiple telephone zones, each including multiple speakers and microphones;

[0012] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of signal processing for a voice call according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0013] Figure 5 A high-level flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for adjusting the audio system of a motor vehicle to facilitate voice calls is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0014] As described above, an in-vehicle entertainment system can route voice calls to one or more of multiple different telephone zones within the vehicle and can adjust the vehicle's audio system to reduce sound interference. For example, the vehicle may include a computing system and multiple telephone zones, each including a dedicated speaker and microphone. In some examples, the computing system and audio system may be included in, for example, […]. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The vehicle system described allows multiple vehicle passengers to receive voice calls and interact with media via an audio system. Furthermore, the telephone area can be located within the vehicle cabin, such as... Figure 3 As shown. (This can be based on...) Figure 4 The signal stream shown is used to process the incoming and outgoing voice call audio. Furthermore, as... Figure 5 As shown in the method, the vehicle's computing system can direct voice calls to a selected telephone area while adjusting the already played media (e.g., music) so that the user experience is not interrupted and no acoustic interference to the voice call is increased. In this way, voice calls can be delivered to the selected telephone area.

[0015] Figure 1 An exemplary partial view of an environment of one type of audio customization system (the interior of a passenger compartment 100 of a vehicle 102 in which a driver and / or one or more passengers may sit) is shown. Figure 1Vehicle 102 may be a motor vehicle including drive wheels (not shown) and an internal combustion engine 104. The internal combustion engine 104 may include one or more combustion chambers that receive intake air via an intake passage and exhaust combustion gases via an exhaust passage. Vehicle 102 may be a road vehicle, as well as other types of vehicles. In some examples, vehicle 102 may include a hybrid propulsion system including an energy conversion device operable to absorb energy from vehicle motion and / or the engine and convert the absorbed energy into an energy form suitable for storage by an energy storage device. Vehicle 102 may include an all-electric vehicle incorporating a fuel cell, solar capture elements, and / or other energy storage systems for powering the vehicle.

[0016] As shown, the dashboard 106 may include various displays and controls accessible to the human driver (also referred to as the user) of the vehicle 102. For example, the dashboard 106 may include user input devices such as a touchscreen 108 for an in-vehicle computing system 109 (e.g., an infotainment system), an audio system control panel, and an instrument cluster 110. The touchscreen 108 may receive user input to the in-vehicle computing system 109 for controlling audio output, visual display output, user preferences, control parameter selection, etc. Furthermore, additional user interfaces, not shown, may exist in other parts of the vehicle, such as near at least one passenger seat. For example, the vehicle may include a row of rear seats with at least one touchscreen controlling the in-vehicle computing system 109. Figure 1 The exemplary system shown includes audio system controls executable via a user interface (such as touchscreen 108) of the in-vehicle computing system 109, without a separate audio system control panel. However, in other embodiments, the vehicle may include an audio system control panel that may include controls for conventional vehicle audio systems such as radios, CD / DVD players, MP3 players, etc. The audio system controls may include features for controlling one or more aspects of audio output via speakers 112 of the vehicle speaker system. For example, the in-vehicle computing system or audio system controls may control the volume of the audio output, the sound distribution between the individual speakers of the vehicle speaker system, the equalization of the audio signal, and / or any other aspect of the audio output. In other examples, the in-vehicle computing system 109 may adjust radio station selection, playlist selection, audio input source (e.g., from a radio, CD, or MP3), etc., based on user input received directly via touchscreen 108 or based on data about the user (such as the user's physical condition and / or environment) received via external device 150 and / or mobile device 128.

[0017] Additionally, the in-vehicle computing system 109 can adjust the audio output volume or power output level, activate which speakers, and generate signals for sound at the speakers in response to the output from the sound processor for external sound 113.

[0018] In some embodiments, the in-vehicle computing system 109, or a plurality of hardware components such as touchscreen 108, display screen 111, various control dials, knobs and buttons, memory, processor, and any interface components (e.g., connectors or ports), may form an integrated host unit mounted in the vehicle's dashboard 106. The host unit may be fixedly or removably attached to the dashboard 106. In additional or alternative embodiments, one or more hardware components of the in-vehicle computing system 109 may be modular and may be mounted in multiple locations within the vehicle.

[0019] The passenger compartment 100 may include one or more sensors for monitoring the vehicle, the user, and / or the environment. For example, the passenger compartment 100 may include: one or more seat-mounted pressure sensors configured to measure pressure applied to the seat to determine the presence of a user; door sensors configured to monitor door activity; humidity sensors for measuring the humidity of the passenger compartment; and microphones for receiving user input in the form of voice commands to enable the user to make voice calls and / or measure ambient noise in the passenger compartment 100, etc. It will be understood that the aforementioned sensors and / or one or more additional or alternative sensors may be located in any suitable location within the vehicle. For example, sensors may be located in the engine compartment, on the exterior surfaces of the vehicle, and / or other suitable locations to provide information about vehicle operation, surrounding conditions, the user of the vehicle, etc. Information about the surrounding conditions of the vehicle, the vehicle status, or the vehicle driver may also be received from sensors located outside the vehicle or sensors separate from the vehicle (i.e., not parts of the vehicle system) (such as sensors coupled to external devices 150 and / or moving devices 128).

[0020] The vehicle compartment 100 may also include one or more user objects, such as mobile devices 128, stored in the vehicle before, during, and / or after travel. Mobile devices 128 may include smartphones, tablets, laptops, portable media players, and / or any suitable mobile computing device. Mobile devices 128 may be connected to an in-vehicle computing system via a communication link 130. The communication link 130 may be wired (e.g., via Universal Serial Bus [USB], Mobile High Definition Link [MHL], High Definition Multimedia Interface [HDMI], Ethernet, etc.) or wireless (e.g., via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Near Field Communication [NFC], cellular connection, etc.) and configured to provide bidirectional communication between the mobile device and the in-vehicle computing system. Mobile devices 128 may include one or more wireless communication interfaces for connecting to one or more communication links (e.g., one or more of the exemplary communication links described above). The wireless communication interface may include: one or more physical devices, such as antennas or ports, coupled to data lines to carry transmitted or received data; and one or more modules / drivers for operating the physical devices according to other devices in the mobile device. For example, communication link 130 can provide sensor and / or control signals from various vehicle systems (such as vehicle audio systems, climate control systems, etc.) and touchscreen 108 to mobile device 128, and can provide control and / or display signals from mobile device 128 to in-vehicle systems and touchscreen 108. Communication link 130 can also provide power from the in-vehicle power supply to mobile device 128 to charge the internal battery of the mobile device.

[0021] The in-vehicle computing system 109 may also be communicatively coupled to additional devices operated and / or accessed by a user but located outside the vehicle 102, such as one or more external devices 150. In the depicted embodiment, the external device is located outside the vehicle 102, but it will be understood that in alternative embodiments, the external device may be located inside the vehicle compartment 100. The external device may include a server computing system, a personal computing system, a portable electronic device, an electronic wristband, an electronic headband, a portable music player, an electronic activity tracker, a pedometer, a smartwatch, a GPS system, etc. The external device 150 may be connected to the in-vehicle computing system via a communication link 136, which may be wired or wireless, as discussed with reference to communication link 130, and the external device is configured to provide bidirectional communication between the external device and the in-vehicle computing system. For example, the external device 150 may include one or more sensors, and the communication link 136 may transmit sensor output from the external device 150 to the in-vehicle computing system 109 and the touchscreen 108. External device 150 may also store and / or receive information about background data, user behavior / preferences, operating rules, etc., and may transmit such information from external device 150 to in-vehicle computing system 109 and touch screen 108.

[0022] The in-vehicle computing system 109 can analyze input received from external devices 150, mobile devices 128, sound processors for external sound 113, and / or other input sources, and select settings for various in-vehicle systems (e.g., climate control systems or audio systems), provide output via touchscreen 108 and / or speakers 112, communicate with mobile devices 128 and / or external devices 150, and / or perform other actions based on evaluation. In some embodiments, all or part of the evaluation may be performed by mobile devices 128 and / or external devices 150.

[0023] In some implementations, one or more of the external devices 150 may be communicatively coupled to the in-vehicle computing system 109 indirectly via the mobile device 128 and / or another of the external devices 150. For example, communication link 136 may communicatively couple an external device 150 to the mobile device 128, such that output from the external device 150 is relayed to the mobile device 128. Data received from the external device 150 may then be aggregated at the mobile device 128 with data collected by the mobile device 128, and the aggregated data may then be transmitted to the in-vehicle computing system 109 and the touchscreen 108 via communication link 130. Similar data aggregation may occur at a server system and then be transmitted to the in-vehicle computing system 109 and the touchscreen 108 via communication links 136 / 130.

[0024] Figure 2A block diagram of an in-vehicle computing system 109 configured and / or integrated within vehicle 102 is shown. The in-vehicle computing system 109 may perform one or more of the methods described herein in some embodiments. In some examples, the in-vehicle computing system 109 may be a vehicle infotainment system configured to provide information-based media content (audio and / or visual media content, including entertainment content, navigation services, etc.) to vehicle users to enhance the operator's in-vehicle experience. The vehicle infotainment system may include or be coupled to various vehicle systems, subsystems, hardware components, and software applications and systems integrated into or capable of being integrated into vehicle 102 to enhance the in-vehicle experience for the driver and / or passengers.

[0025] The in-vehicle computing system 109 may include one or more processors, including an operating system processor 214 and an interface processor 220. The operating system processor 214 may execute an operating system on the in-vehicle computing system and control the input / output, display, playback, and other operations of the in-vehicle computing system. The interface processor 220 may interface with the vehicle control system 230 via an inter-vehicle system communication module 222.

[0026] The inter-vehicle system communication module 222 can output data to other vehicle systems 231 and vehicle control elements 261, and also receive data input from other vehicle components and systems 231, 261, for example, via the vehicle control system 230. When outputting data, the inter-vehicle system communication module 222 can provide signals via a bus corresponding to any state of the vehicle, the vehicle's surrounding environment, or the output of any other information source connected to the vehicle. Vehicle data output may include, for example, analog signals (such as current speed), digital signals provided by individual information sources (such as clocks, thermometers, position sensors such as GPS sensors), and digital signals propagated through vehicle data networks (such as an engine controller area network (CAN) bus for transmitting engine-related information, a climate control CAN bus for transmitting climate control-related information, and a multimedia data network for transmitting multimedia data between multimedia components in the vehicle). For example, the onboard computing system 109 can retrieve from the engine CAN bus the vehicle's current speed estimated by wheel sensors, the vehicle's power status via the vehicle's battery and / or power distribution system, the vehicle's ignition status, etc. Alternatively, other interfacing methods such as Ethernet may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0027] The in-vehicle computing system 109 may include a non-volatile storage device 208 to store data such as instructions executable by processors 214 and 220 in a non-volatile form. Storage device 208 may store application data, including pre-recorded audio, to enable the in-vehicle computing system 109 to run applications to connect to a cloud-based server and / or collect information for transmission to the cloud-based server. The applications may retrieve information collected by vehicle systems / sensors, input devices (e.g., user interface 218), data stored in volatile storage device 219A or non-volatile storage device (e.g., memory) 219B, devices communicating with the in-vehicle computing system (e.g., mobile devices connected via Bluetooth links), etc. The in-vehicle computing system 109 may also include volatile memory 219A. Volatile memory 219A may be random access memory (RAM). Non-transitory storage devices, such as non-volatile storage device 208 and / or non-volatile memory 219B, may store instructions and / or code that, when executed by a processor (e.g., operating system processor 214 and / or interface processor 220), control the in-vehicle computing system 109 to perform one or more of the actions described in this disclosure.

[0028] The in-vehicle computing system 109 may include multiple microphones 202 to: receive voice commands from a user; measure ambient noise in the vehicle; determine whether the audio from the vehicle's speakers has been tuned according to the vehicle's acoustic environment, etc. Furthermore, multiple microphones 202 can be used to make voice calls. The voice processing unit 204 can process voice commands, such as those received from the multiple microphones 202. In some embodiments, the in-vehicle computing system 109 may also be able to use microphones included in the vehicle's audio system 232 to receive voice commands and sample ambient vehicle noise.

[0029] The in-vehicle computing system 109 may include one or more additional sensors in its sensor subsystem 210. For example, sensor subsystem 210 may include cameras, such as a rearview camera for assisting a user in parking the vehicle and / or a cabin camera for recognizing the user (e.g., using facial recognition and / or user gestures). Sensor subsystem 210 of in-vehicle computing system 109 may communicate with and receive input from various vehicle sensors and may further receive user input. For example, input received by sensor subsystem 210 may include gear position, transmission clutch position, accelerator pedal input, brake input, transmission selector position, vehicle speed, engine speed, mass airflow through the engine, ambient temperature, intake air temperature, etc., as well as inputs from climate control system sensors (such as heat transfer fluid temperature, antifreeze temperature, fan speed, passenger compartment temperature, desired passenger compartment temperature, ambient humidity, etc.), inputs from audio sensors that detect voice commands issued by the user, inputs from a remote key sensor that receives commands from the vehicle's remote key and optionally tracks the geographical location / proximity of the remote key. While some vehicle system sensors can communicate with sensor subsystem 210 independently, other sensors can communicate with both sensor subsystem 210 and vehicle control system 230, or indirectly with sensor subsystem 210 via vehicle control system 230.

[0030] The navigation subsystem 211 of the in-vehicle computing system 109 can generate and / or receive navigation information, such as location information (e.g., via GPS sensors and / or other sensors from sensor subsystem 210), route guidance, traffic information, point of interest (POI) identification, and / or provide other navigation services to the driver. The navigation subsystem 211 may include input / output terminals 280, including analog-to-digital converters, digital inputs, digital outputs, network outputs, radio frequency transmission devices, etc.

[0031] The external device interface 212 of the in-vehicle computing system 109 may be capable of coupling to and / or communicating with one or more external devices 150 located outside the vehicle 102. Although the external devices are depicted as being located outside the vehicle 102, it will be understood that they may be temporarily housed within the vehicle 102, such as when a user is operating the vehicle 102 while simultaneously operating the external devices. In other words, the external devices 150 are not integrated with the vehicle 102. External devices 150 may include mobile devices 128 (e.g., connected via Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi Direct, or other wireless connections) or alternative devices 252 with Bluetooth functionality. Mobile devices 128 may be mobile phones, smartphones, wearable devices / sensors, or other portable electronic devices capable of communicating with the in-vehicle computing system via wired and / or wireless communication. Other external devices include external services 246. For example, the external devices may include off-board devices separate from and located outside the vehicle. Other external devices include external storage devices 254, such as solid-state drives, pen drives, USB drives, etc. Without departing from the scope of this disclosure, the external device 150 may communicate wirelessly or via a connector with the vehicle computing system 109. For example, the external device 150 may communicate with the vehicle computing system 109 via the external device interface 212 via network 260, universal serial bus (USB) connection, direct wired connection, direct wireless connection and / or other communication links.

[0032] External device interface 212 may provide a communication interface enabling the in-vehicle computing system to communicate with mobile devices associated with the driver's contacts. For example, external device interface 212 may enable the establishment of voice calls with and / or the sending (e.g., via cellular communication networks) of text messages (e.g., SMS, MMS, etc.) to mobile devices associated with the driver's contacts. External device interface 212 may additionally or alternatively provide a wireless communication interface enabling the in-vehicle computing system to synchronize data with one or more devices in the vehicle (e.g., the driver's mobile device) via Wi-Fi Direct.

[0033] One or more applications 244 may be operable on mobile device 128. As an example, mobile device application 244 may be operable to aggregate user data regarding user interactions with the mobile device. For example, mobile device application 244 may aggregate data regarding: music playlists listened to by the user on the mobile device, voice call records (including the frequency and duration of voice calls answered by the user), location information (including frequently visited locations and the amount of time spent at each location), etc. Application 244 may transmit the collected data to external device interface 212 via network 260. Additionally, specific user data requests may be received at mobile device 128 from in-vehicle computing system 109 via external device interface 212. These specific data requests may include requests to determine the user's geographical location, the ambient noise level and / or music genre at the user's location, and the ambient weather conditions (temperature, humidity, etc.) at the user's location. Mobile device application 244 can send control commands to components (e.g., microphones, amplifiers, etc.) or other applications on mobile device 128 (e.g., navigation applications) to enable the collection of requested data or the implementation of requested adjustments to components on the mobile device. Mobile device application 244 can then relay the collected information back to in-vehicle computing system 109.

[0034] Similarly, one or more applications 248 may be able to operate on external service 246. As an example, external service application 248 may be operable to aggregate and / or analyze data from multiple data sources. For instance, external service application 248 may aggregate data from one or more social media accounts of a user, data from an in-vehicle computing system (e.g., sensor data, log files, user input, etc.), data from internet queries (e.g., weather data, POI data), etc. The collected data may be transmitted to another device and / or analyzed by the application to determine the context of the driver, vehicle, and environment and to perform actions based on said context (e.g., requesting / sending data to other devices).

[0035] The vehicle control system 230 may include controls for controlling aspects of various vehicle systems 231 involved in different in-vehicle functions. These may include, for example, aspects of controlling the vehicle audio system 232 for providing audio entertainment to vehicle occupants, aspects of the climate control system 234 for meeting the cooling or heating needs of the vehicle occupants' cabin, and aspects of the telecommunications system 236 for enabling vehicle occupants to establish telecommunications connections with others.

[0036] Audio system 232 may include one or more acoustic reproduction devices, including electromagnetic transducers such as speaker 235. Vehicle audio system 232 may be passive or active, such as by including a power amplifier. In some examples, in-vehicle computing system 109 may be the only audio source for the acoustic reproduction devices, or there may be other audio sources connected to the audio reproduction system (e.g., external devices such as mobile phones). Connections from any such external devices to the audio reproduction devices may be analog, digital, or any combination of analog and digital technologies.

[0037] The climate control system 234 can be configured to provide a comfortable environment within the passenger compartment or cabin of vehicle 102. The climate control system 234 includes components for controlled ventilation, such as vents, heaters, air conditioners, integrated heaters, and air conditioning systems. Other components connected to the heating and air conditioning equipment may include a windshield defrosting and defogging system capable of cleaning the windshield, and a ventilation air filter for cleaning outside air entering the passenger compartment through fresh air inlets.

[0038] The vehicle control system 230 may further include: controls for adjusting settings of various vehicle controls 261 (or vehicle system control elements) related to auxiliary components in the engine and / or vehicle compartment, such as steering wheel controls 262 (e.g., steering wheel-mounted audio system controls, cruise control, windshield wiper controls, headlight controls, turn signal controls, etc.); instrument panel controls; microphones; accelerator / brake / clutch pedals; gear shift levers; door / window controls located in the driver's or passenger's door; seat controls; cabin light controls; audio system controls; cabin temperature controls, etc. Vehicle controls 261 may also include internal engine and vehicle operation controls (e.g., engine controller module, actuators, valves, etc.), which are configured to receive instructions via the vehicle's CAN bus to change the operation of one or more of the engine, exhaust system, transmission, and / or other vehicle systems. Control signals may also control audio output at one or more speakers 235 of the vehicle's audio system 232. For example, the control signals can adjust audio output characteristics such as volume, equalization, audio image (e.g., an audio signal configuration that produces an audio output that appears to the user to originate from one or more defined locations), audio distribution among multiple speakers, etc. Similarly, the control signals can control the vents, air conditioning, and / or heaters of the climate control system 234. For example, the control signals can increase the supply of cooling air to a specific section of the vehicle compartment.

[0039] Control elements located outside the vehicle (e.g., controls for safety systems) may also be connected to the computing system 109, for example, via communication module 222. The control elements of the vehicle control system may be physically and permanently located on and / or within the vehicle for receiving user input. In addition to receiving control commands from the onboard computing system 109, the vehicle control system 230 may also receive input from one or more external devices 150 operated by the user (such as from mobile device 128). This allows for control of various aspects of the vehicle system 231 and vehicle controls 261 based on user input received from external devices 150.

[0040] The in-vehicle computing system 109 may also include an antenna 206. Antenna 206 is shown as a single antenna, but in some embodiments it may include one or more antennas. The in-vehicle computing system may obtain broadband wireless internet access via antenna 206 and may also receive broadcast signals such as radio, television, weather, traffic, etc. The in-vehicle computing system may receive location signals, such as GPS signals, via one or more antennas 206. The in-vehicle computing system may also receive wireless commands via antenna 206 or via infrared or other means through suitable receiving devices. In some embodiments, antenna 206 may be included as part of audio system 232 or telecommunications system 236. For example, antenna 206 may receive voice calls (e.g., telephone calls). Additionally, antenna 206 may provide AM / FM radio signals to external device 150 (e.g., to mobile device 128) via external device interface 212.

[0041] Users can control one or more components of the in-vehicle computing system 109 via user interface 218. User interface 218 may include displays such as those shown on a touchscreen. Figure 1 The user interface 108 includes a graphical user interface such as a touchscreen 108 and / or user-actuated buttons, switches, knobs, dials, sliders, etc. For example, user-actuated elements may include steering wheel controls, door and / or window controls, dashboard controls, audio system settings, climate control system settings, etc. Users can also interact with one or more applications of the in-vehicle computing system 109 and the mobile device 128 via the user interface 218. In addition to receiving the user's vehicle setting preferences on the user interface 218, the user interface 218 can also display the vehicle settings selected by the in-vehicle control system to the user. Notifications and other messages (e.g., received messages) and navigation assistance can be displayed to the user on the user interface's display. User preferences / information and / or responses to presented messages can be executed via user input to the user interface.

[0042] As explained above, computing systems can be included in vehicle systems, such as... Figure 1The vehicle 102 contains an in-vehicle computing system 200. Furthermore, as described above, the in-vehicle computing system 200 can route voice calls (such as voice calls from a cellular network) to a user via the vehicle system's speakers and microphones. Specifically, incoming call audio can be broadcast on the vehicle speakers, and outgoing call audio can be captured via the vehicle microphones. The in-vehicle computing system can detect incoming voice calls from several sources. As an example, a mobile device (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 2 The mobile device 128 can receive voice calls, and the mobile device is communicatively coupled to the in-vehicle computing system via a wireless and / or wired connection. For example, the mobile device can be paired with the in-vehicle computing system via a Bluetooth connection. Therefore, the vehicle system's speakers and microphones can be used during voice calls to allow hands-free calling during vehicle operation. As another example, the in-vehicle computing system can receive voice calls directly via a mobile communication network. As another example, the in-vehicle computing system can receive voice calls such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls on wireless networks such as Wi-Fi networks and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) networks. Furthermore, the user can make (e.g., initiate) a voice call via controls on the in-vehicle computing system. As an example, the user can make a voice call via a touchscreen (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 2 The user can input a command on the touchscreen 108 to initiate a voice call. As another example, the user can give a voice command to initiate a voice call. When a voice call is detected, the incoming telephone audio can be reproduced via one or more speakers of the audio system 232, and the outgoing telephone audio can be captured via one or more microphones of the audio system 232.

[0043] While more than one passenger may be present in the vehicle, a voice call may be intended for only a subset of passengers present in the vehicle. For example, four passengers may be in the vehicle when an incoming voice call is detected, but the voice call may be intended for only one passenger in the vehicle. As another example, three passengers may be in the vehicle when a voice call is initiated, but the voice call may be intended for only two passengers in the vehicle. In these examples, in-vehicle voice calls may interrupt other media reproduced by the audio system 232. For example, music streaming may be paused or muted during a voice call, which may reduce the enjoyment and satisfaction of vehicle passengers not included in the voice call. Furthermore, in existing vehicle systems, all passengers in the vehicle may hear the voice call, which may reduce the privacy of the user directly making the voice call. In addition, voices from other users may degrade the audio quality during the voice call. The problems described above can be addressed by providing a vehicle with multiple telephone zones, which can provide a degree of audio isolation for each user during a voice call. As an example, the vehicle system may include multiple telephone zones for providing voice calls to multiple users in order to reduce acoustic interference between each of the multiple users. For example, each telephone zone may include at least one speaker and at least one microphone, and signal processing techniques can be used to reduce acoustic interference between telephone zones. Therefore, voice call audio can be routed to at least one selected telephone zone, while passengers in unselected telephone zones can continue listening to other audio. In this way, the benefits of hands-free in-vehicle voice calling can be provided without compromising user privacy or reducing the audio quality of voice calls.

[0044] therefore, Figure 3 A block diagram of vehicle 300 is shown, which may be in Figure 1 The vehicle 102 shown includes multiple telephone zones and an onboard computing system 340. For example, Figure 2 The in-vehicle computing system 109 can be used as the in-vehicle computing system 340. Figure 3 In the example shown, vehicle 300 includes a first telephone area 310, a second telephone area 312, a third telephone area 314, and a fourth telephone area 316. Vehicle 300 also includes a front side 338 and a rear side 336. Vehicle 300 can be a car, truck, boat, etc. Furthermore, although a vehicle with four seats is shown, other configurations including more or fewer seats may be used.

[0045] Furthermore, each of the first telephone zone 310, the second telephone zone 312, the third telephone zone 314, and the fourth telephone zone 316 may include at least two microphones and at least two loudspeakers. As shown, the first telephone zone 310 includes a first microphone 318, a second microphone 319, a first loudspeaker 320, and a second loudspeaker 321. The second telephone zone 312 includes a third microphone 323, a fourth microphone 322, a third loudspeaker 325, and a fourth loudspeaker 324. The third telephone zone 314 includes a fifth microphone 326, a sixth microphone 327, a fifth loudspeaker 328, and a sixth loudspeaker 329. The fourth telephone zone 316 includes a seventh microphone 331, an eighth microphone 333, a seventh loudspeaker 334, and an eighth loudspeaker 332. Furthermore, the first seat 302 of the vehicle 300 may be positioned in the first telephone zone 310, the second seat 304 may be positioned in the second telephone zone 312, the third seat 306 may be positioned in the third telephone zone 314, and the fourth seat 308 may be positioned in the fourth telephone zone 316. Specifically, each telephone zone includes two microphones positioned to capture user audio and two speakers positioned to provide sound to the user. For example, the microphones may be positioned to capture user audio from a user located in the telephone zone without significant interference from users located in other telephone zones. Furthermore, the speakers may be positioned to provide audio (e.g., from an in-vehicle computing system, such as media) without interrupting audio in another telephone zone. As an example, the two speakers in each telephone zone may be coupled to the seat in the telephone zone. For example, the first speaker 320 and the second speaker 321 may be fixedly coupled to the first seat 302 of the first telephone zone 310. Specifically, each of the first speaker 320 and the second speaker 321 may be positioned near the user's head when the user is seated in the first seat 302, such as near the headrest of the first seat 302. As another example, the first microphone 318 and the second microphone 319 may be configured with beamforming, which reduces acoustic interference from other users' voices and media. Although Figure 3 The illustration shows each telephone zone comprising two microphones and two speakers, but in some examples, each telephone zone may include more or fewer microphones and more or fewer speakers. For example, multiple speakers may be arranged in each telephone zone to increase audio quality, and multiple microphones may be arranged to reduce audio interference during microphone use.

[0046] In some examples, at least one user may be located in a seat in each telephone zone. For example, a first user may be located in the first seat 302 of the first telephone zone 310, a second user may be located in the second seat 304 of the second telephone zone 312, a third user may be located in the third seat 306 of the third telephone zone 314, and a fourth user may be located in the fourth seat 308 of the fourth telephone zone 316. However, in other examples, a user may not be located in each telephone zone. As an example, a first user may be located in the first seat 302 of the first telephone zone 310 and a third user may be located in the third seat 306 of the third telephone zone 314, but no user may be located in either the second seat 304 or the fourth seat 308. In other examples, only a single user may be present in the vehicle. In other examples, more than one user may be located in each telephone zone.

[0047] Therefore, in Figure 3 The vehicle 300 shown includes a computing system and four telephone zones, each including at least two microphones and at least two speakers. Each speaker and each microphone is communicatively coupled to the computing system. Furthermore, audio can be provided independently to each telephone zone. Specifically, audio of a voice call (e.g., incoming audio from a voice call) can be provided independently to each telephone zone. For example, incoming audio from a voice call can be provided to a selected telephone zone via at least two speakers in the telephone zone, and outgoing audio of the voice call can be captured from the telephone zone via the microphones in the selected telephone zone. Furthermore, the operation of each speaker and each microphone can be adjusted based on vehicle operating conditions to regulate vehicle noise. For example, the speaker volume of each speaker in the vehicle can be adjusted based on vehicle speed, vehicle acceleration, and sensed ambient noise. Additionally, each speaker can be adjusted differently based on ambient noise in each telephone zone and audio signals to other telephone zones. For example, based on the volume and type of media played by the fifth speaker 328 and the sixth speaker 329 of the third telephone zone 314, each of the seventh speaker 334 and the eighth speaker 332 can be adjusted differently to reduce interference and increase customer satisfaction. For example, each speaker in the telephone zone can be adjusted differently based on its position relative to the other speakers in the vehicle. For example, as will be explained below, the operation of the speakers and microphones in each telephone zone can be adjusted during a voice call.

[0048] Furthermore, in some examples, two or more telephone areas can be combined into a single telephone area in response to user input. For example, a user can input a request to combine two adjacent telephone areas, allowing the user to interact with additional speakers and microphones. As another example, a user can input a request to combine two telephone areas, enabling multiple users to participate in a voice call.

[0049] It should be noted that, Figure 3The telephone area configuration shown is a non-limiting example of telephone area configuration. In other embodiments of this disclosure, the vehicle may have more or fewer telephone areas, and the telephone areas may be arranged differently. As an example, the vehicle may have two telephone areas, three telephone areas, five telephone areas, etc. As another example, the number of speakers and microphones in each telephone area may vary. As an example, the first telephone area may have three speakers and three microphones, while the second telephone area may have one speaker and two microphones. As another example, the telephone area may include a single microphone equipped with beamforming to capture telephone audio without significant interference.

[0050] For example, an in-vehicle computing system (e.g., in-vehicle computing system 109) can route a voice call directly to at least one selected telephone area, such that the incoming call audio (e.g., the incoming audio from the voice call) is reproduced only through the speakers of the at least one selected telephone area, and the outgoing call audio (e.g., the outgoing audio from the voice call) is captured only through the microphones of the at least one selected telephone area. Therefore, the voice call is not routed to other telephone areas of the vehicle (e.g., unselected telephone areas), such that the incoming call audio is not reproduced through the speakers of the unselected telephone areas, and the outgoing call audio is not captured through the microphones of the unselected telephone areas. For example, a user can select at least one telephone area for the voice call via a user input device, such as a touchscreen (e.g., Figure 2 The user interface 218 is a touchscreen. By routing voice calls to at least one selected telephone area instead of routing voice calls to unselected telephone areas, other media can continue to play in the unselected telephone areas. As an example, when a voice call is routed to at least one selected telephone area, main system audio (e.g., music) can be provided to the unselected telephone areas.

[0051] To avoid acoustic interference between telephone zones, signal processing can be applied. For example, during a voice call, the main system audio can be downsampled (e.g., the volume of the main system audio can be reduced proportionally to the volume of the voice call), and the main system audio signal can be compressed to reduce transients. Furthermore, specific processing techniques, such as echo cancellers and beamformers, can be applied to the microphones in at least one selected telephone zone to capture audio only from the selected telephone zone while eliminating audio interference from other areas of the vehicle. For example, microphones in unselected telephone zones can be muted, and audio from microphones in unselected telephone zones can be excluded from capture. Because the frequency range of the voice call is limited to a set range, additional filtering to reduce acoustic interference is not required. As another example, microphones in unselected telephone zones can be left unmute, and audio from microphones in unselected telephone zones can be captured for use as a cancellation signal. For example, this cancellation signal can be used to cancel audio from unselected telephone zones inadvertently picked up by microphones in selected telephone zones via propagation within the vehicle. Specifically, the cancellation signal can be used during signal processing of the transmitted audio.

[0052] As a first non-limiting example, when the main system audio is playing music, it can be... Figure 3The vehicle's onboard computing system 340 detects a first voice call. Specifically, the first voice call may be an incoming voice call directed to a mobile phone coupled to the onboard computing system via a Bluetooth connection, and the onboard computing system may prompt the user to select a phone zone for the voice call. The user may select a second phone zone, causing the first voice call to be routed to the second phone zone 312. For example, the user may select the second phone zone 312 via touchscreen input and voice command. Therefore, the incoming audio from the first voice call can be reproduced via the third speaker 325 and the fourth speaker 324 of the second phone zone 312, and the outgoing audio of the first voice call can be captured by the third microphone 323 and the fourth microphone 322 of the second phone zone 312. During the first voice call, signal processing can reduce acoustic interference to the outgoing call audio from other areas of the vehicle. For example, techniques such as beamforming and echo cancellation can be applied to the outgoing call audio captured by the third microphone 323 and the fourth microphone 322. Other microphones in the vehicle may not capture the audio. Furthermore, while the main system audio (e.g., music) continues to play via speakers in unselected telephone zones (e.g., first telephone zone 310, third telephone zone 314, and fourth telephone zone 316), the audio gain of the main system audio is reduced (e.g., lowered), and the main system audio is compressed. In some examples, the main system audio is lowered differently for each speaker in the unselected telephone zone based on the proximity of the speaker to the second telephone zone 312. For example, the audio gain of the second speaker 321 may be reduced more than that of the fifth speaker 328. In this way, the user of the second telephone zone 312 can make voice calls without interrupting the main system audio used by other users in the vehicle, and without acoustic interference from the main system audio and / or from other users in the vehicle.

[0053] As a second non-limiting example, a user can initiate a second voice call, such as a VoIP voice call, via a touchscreen interface of an in-vehicle computing system. Furthermore, the user can select a first telephone zone 310 and a third telephone zone 314 for the voice call. Therefore, the in-vehicle computing system 340 routes the second voice call to the first telephone zone 310 and the third telephone zone 314. For example, the incoming call audio from the second voice call is reproduced via a first speaker 320, a second speaker 321, a fifth speaker 328, and a sixth speaker 329. Furthermore, the outgoing call audio is captured via a first microphone 318, a second microphone 319, a fifth microphone 326, and a sixth microphone 327. Similar to the first voice call, signal processing techniques can be applied to reduce acoustic interference to the second voice call. In some examples, due to the relative positioning of the telephone zones, the main system audio can be lowered differently during the second voice call. For example, the main system audio can be lowered more in telephone zones closer to the first and second telephone zones, and adjustments can be made differently for each speaker in each telephone zone. Adjusting each speaker differently can reduce sound wave interference while maintaining audio quality for each user.

[0054] Furthermore, the first and second voice calls can overlap, such that at least a portion of each of the first and second voice calls occurs substantially simultaneously. For example, during the overlap between the first and second voice calls, the first voice call can be routed to the second telephone zone 312, the second voice call can be routed to the first telephone zone 310 and the third telephone zone 314, and the main system audio (e.g., music) can continue playing in the fourth telephone zone 316. For example, the main system audio can be routed differently to reduce interference between the main system audio and each of the first and second voice calls.

[0055] As another example, additional phone zones can be added to a voice call during the call. For instance, a user can choose to add an additional user (e.g., a user in an unselected phone zone) to the voice call, and can input a command to add the additional phone zone via at least one of touchscreen input and voice command. For example, in response to such a command, the in-vehicle computing system can route the voice call to the additional phone zone.

[0056] To better describe the signal processing and signal routing described above, Figure 4 A high-level block diagram 400 is shown for providing main system audio and voice calls to the telephone area in the vehicle. For example, Figure 4The diagram illustrates signal processing for routing telephone calls to a selected telephone area, including transmitting outgoing call audio and receiving incoming call audio. As shown, the selected telephone area includes a telephone area microphone 402 for capturing audio from the user during a voice call. As an example, the selected telephone area could be... Figure 4 The second telephone area 312, and the telephone area microphone 402 may include a third microphone 323 and a fourth microphone 322. As shown, audio signals from the telephone area microphone 402 can be transmitted to a voice processor 404. For example, the voice processor 404 may be such as Figure 2 The vehicle-mounted computing system 109 is a component of the vehicle-mounted computing system and can be configured to process audio signals from the telephone area microphone 402 and then output call audio. Specifically, signal processing can be applied to reduce acoustic interference from other users and / or other media played in the vehicle. As an example, echo cancellation can be applied to the audio signal from the telephone area microphone 402. As another example, beamforming can be applied to the audio signal from the telephone area microphone 402. As yet another example, equalization (EQ) can be used to reduce unwanted noise outside the frequency range of human speech.

[0057] After the audio signal from the telephone microphone 402 is processed by the voice processor 404, an audio signal can be output as outgoing call audio 406. For example, the outgoing call audio can be transmitted wirelessly via a wireless network 416. As an example, the outgoing call audio can be transmitted via a cellular network of a mobile device communicatively coupled to the in-vehicle computing system. As another example, the vehicle's communication module (e.g., inter-vehicle system communication module 222) can transmit the outgoing call audio 406 to the desired recipient.

[0058] In addition, such as Figure 4As shown, incoming call audio 408 received from wireless network 416 can be transmitted to telephone area mixer 410. For example, telephone area mixer 410 can control the speaker level of each selected telephone area. Furthermore, the telephone area mixer may include a seat tuner for adjusting the speaker settings of each speaker in each telephone area selected for voice calls. For example, the telephone area mixer may route voice calls to selected telephone area speakers and may not route voice calls to speakers in unselected telephone areas. Additionally, the incoming call audio can be adjusted for each speaker in the selected telephone area based on the relative position of other speakers via the seat tuner. For example, speaker volume can be increased or decreased to reduce acoustic interference to other users. Next, the incoming call audio is transmitted to telephone area speakers 414 with determined settings and provided to the user. For example, the incoming call audio can be reproduced via speakers in at least one selected telephone area and not via speakers in unselected telephone areas. In some examples, the voice processor 404 and the telephone area mixer 410 are communicatively coupled to synchronize the incoming call audio and the outgoing call audio and reduce any echo effects from either the incoming call audio or the outgoing call audio.

[0059] In some examples, multiple voice calls can be routed to the telephone area. As a non-limiting example, the first voice call can be routed to... Figure 3 The first telephone zone 310, and the second voice call can be routed to the fourth telephone zone 316.

[0060] Next, in Figure 5 A high-level flowchart of an exemplary method 500 for adjusting audio destined for multiple telephone areas is shown. Specifically, regarding... Figure 1 and Figure 2 Method 500 is described using an in-vehicle entertainment system, which includes an in-vehicle computing system 200. However, in other examples, method 500 may be executed by other computing systems. Furthermore, relative to... Figure 3 The vehicle system's telephone area and Figure 4 The signal processing techniques used to describe method 500 are described. Instructions for executing method 500 may be stored in the non-transitory memory of the onboard computing system (e.g., in...). Figure 2 The storage device 208 shown is used. Therefore, it can be processed by a processor (e.g., Figure 2 The operating system processor 214) is based on stored instructions and combines them with those from sensors in the vehicle system (such as those mentioned above). Figure 2 and Figure 3 The sensor described receives signals to perform method 500.

[0061] At step 502, method 500 includes monitoring incoming voice calls. For example, method 500 may monitor incoming voice calls from multiple sources. As an example, an incoming voice call may originate from a user's mobile device, such as a mobile phone, and may be routed to an in-vehicle computing system. It should be noted that in some examples, more than one mobile phone may be communicatively coupled to the in-vehicle computing system. As another example, the in-vehicle computing system may receive voice calls directly via a network connection or via a Bluetooth connection with a mobile phone. Furthermore, method 500 may monitor user-initiated voice calls. As an example, a user may initiate a voice call via a mobile device connected to the in-vehicle computing system via Bluetooth, or may use an input device of the in-vehicle computing system (e.g., one of touchscreen input and voice commands) to initiate a voice call.

[0062] At step 504, method 500 includes determining whether a voice call has been detected. For example, if the controller determines that a user has initiated a voice call, method 500 may determine that a voice call has been detected. Furthermore, if the controller detects an incoming voice call, method 500 may determine that a voice call has been detected. If the controller determines that the user is not initiating a voice call and no voice call is incoming, the controller may determine that no voice call has been detected.

[0063] If method 500 determines that no voice call was detected at 504 (“No”), then method 500 proceeds to step 506 and includes not adjusting the system audio. For example, if no voice call is detected, the system audio may be instructed not to be adjusted. For example, the controller may not prompt the user to select a telephone area, may not route telephone audio to the selected telephone area, and may not adjust the system audio to reduce acoustic interference to the voice call.

[0064] If method 500 determines that a voice call is detected at 504 (“Yes”), then method 500 proceeds to step 508 and includes selecting at least one desired telephone area. For example, method 500 may select at least one desired telephone area based on user input. As an example, the user may input the desired telephone area via an input device, such as a touchscreen, button, voice command, etc. For example, one or both of a display device and a voice alert may prompt the user to input the desired telephone area, and the controller may monitor the response from the user. As an example, the user may select one or more telephone areas for a voice call. When the user selects multiple telephone areas, the selected telephone areas may be combined, such as regarding Figure 3As described above. Furthermore, in some examples, if the user does not respond to the input prompt, a default phone area may be selected as the desired phone area. As another example, the controller may select the desired phone area based on the source of the voice call. For example, the controller may determine at least one desired phone area based on the mobile device receiving the voice call. As an example, the controller may consult a predetermined lookup table that associates the mobile device with a phone area. As another example, the controller may determine the location of the mobile device receiving the voice call and may select the phone area closest to the determined location. For example, the controller may determine the location of the mobile device via Bluetooth, NFC, or another method of locating the mobile device. As another example, the incoming voice call may include associated metadata, and the controller may select the desired phone area based on the associated metadata. As an example, the associated metadata may include the intended recipient of the voice call, and the controller may determine the phone area associated with the intended recipient of the voice call. It should be noted that more than one phone area may be selected.

[0065] At step 510, method 500 includes routing a voice call to at least one selected telephone area. For example, routing a voice call to at least one selected telephone area may include delivering incoming call audio to a speaker in at least one selected telephone area and capturing outgoing call audio from a microphone in at least one selected telephone area. In an example, the call audio (incoming) may be routed only to the selected area without routing to other areas. Furthermore, the method may capture outgoing call audio only from the selected telephone area without capturing it from other areas.

[0066] At step 512, method 500 includes applying signal processing to microphones and speakers in selected telephone areas. For example, speaker settings in selected telephone areas may be adjusted to reduce acoustic interference from other users, thereby increasing the privacy of the user receiving the voice call. Additionally, audio previously played in the telephone areas may be muted or reduced to reduce acoustic interference. As another example, microphone settings in at least one selected telephone area may be adjusted to reduce acoustic interference. For example, microphones from at least one selected telephone area may be activated to capture outgoing telephone audio, and microphones from unselected telephone areas may be muted to reduce interference. In the example, instead of completely muting microphones in unselected areas, any input captured from those unselected areas may be subtracted from the corresponding audio data from the microphones in the selected areas to actively eliminate unwanted input. In one example, in the speakers of the selected areas, active noise cancellation may be used based on audio content played on speakers in unselected areas from the vehicle entertainment system, since this audio content is known a priori, allowing the playback of the opposite of said audio at the speakers in the selected areas to actively cancel the output of the speakers in the unselected areas. The system can use known phase delays and amplitude gains between the zones (such as pre-mapping based on cabin acoustics) for this type of active cancellation.

[0067] At step 514, method 500 includes determining whether audio is already being played on an audio system. For example, the controller may determine whether main system audio is being played via a vehicle audio system. As an example, main system audio may be music, talk radio, movie audio, etc.

[0068] If method 500 determines that audio is already playing on the audio system at 514 (“Yes”), method 500 proceeds to 516 and includes adjusting the main system audio. For example, if the controller determines that audio is playing on the audio system, the main system gain may be adjusted to reduce acoustic interference to voice calls. For example, audio playing in other telephone zones may interfere with the outgoing call audio of a voice call. Therefore, the main system audio may be lowered (e.g., the volume may be reduced) and compressed to reduce interference. The main system audio may be adjusted differently for each speaker in each unselected telephone zone based on proximity to other speakers and microphones in the vehicle and due to vehicle noise. In some examples, the main system audio may be muted in selected telephone zones (e.g., the telephone zone receiving voice calls). Method 500 may proceed to step 518.

[0069] If method 500 determines that audio has not yet been played on the audio system at 514 (“No”), then method 500 proceeds to step 518 and includes determining whether an additional telephone area has been added. For example, during a voice call, a user may decide to add an additional telephone area to the call and may enter the command via an input device such as a touchscreen.

[0070] If method 500 determines that an additional telephone area has been added at 518 (“Yes”), then method 500 continues to 520 and includes routing voice calls to the additional telephone area. For example, the signal processing described at step 512 may be applied to the speakers and microphones of the additional telephone area. Method 500 may then continue to step 522.

[0071] If method 500 alternatively determines that no additional telephone area has been added at step 518 (“No”), then method 500 proceeds to step 522 and includes determining whether a voice call is still in progress. For example, the controller may perform a check to determine whether a voice call is ongoing.

[0072] If method 500 determines that the voice call is still in progress at step 522 (“Yes”), then method 500 proceeds to step 526 and includes audio system settings to maintain the voice call. For example, the controller may continue to sink and compress the main system audio, and may continue to route the voice call to at least one selected telephone area. Method 500 may then return to step 518.

[0073] If method 500 determines that the voice call is no longer in progress at step 522, then method 500 proceeds to step 524 and includes returning to normal audio system settings. For example, the incoming call audio may not be broadcast to the user, and the microphone in the selected telephone area may not capture the outgoing call audio. As an example, the user may have terminated the voice call. Therefore, method 500 may resume playback of the main system audio for the selected telephone area and may stop downsampling and compressing the main system audio. Method 500 may then terminate.

[0074] In this way, voice calls can be routed to one or more selected telephone zones within the vehicle system, allowing users to receive calls without interrupting media in other telephone zones. For example, when an incoming call is detected or an outgoing call is initiated, the vehicle system's onboard computing system can select at least one of the vehicle's multiple telephone zones. The incoming audio from the voice call can be routed to the speaker in at least one selected telephone zone, and the outgoing audio of the voice call can be captured by the microphone in at least one selected telephone zone. Thus, the vehicle system can provide hands-free voice calling to the user. Furthermore, the main system audio can continue to play for unselected telephone zones (e.g., telephone zones not selected for voice calls). However, the main system audio can be downsampled and compressed to reduce acoustic interference to the voice call. Additionally, beamforming and echo cancellation can be used to reduce additional acoustic interference to the outgoing call audio. Therefore, a subset of passengers in the vehicle can make voice calls while other passengers can continue listening to other media, such as music. Furthermore, the audio quality of the voice call can be improved by applying signal processing techniques and by adjusting each microphone and speaker differently to reduce acoustic interference. Overall, it can increase customer satisfaction with in-vehicle infotainment systems.

[0075] The technical advantages of this disclosure are that it can provide incoming audio from a voice call to a selected telephone area, capture outgoing audio from a voice call from a selected telephone area, and downsample and compress the main system audio to reduce acoustic interference to the voice call.

[0076] As an example, one method includes: in response to a voice call, routing the voice call to at least one of a plurality of telephone areas, the plurality of telephone areas being included in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, based on at least one of user input and the source of the voice call. In the foregoing example, additionally or optionally, routing the voice call to at least one of the plurality of telephone areas based on at least one of user input and the source of the voice call includes: selecting at least one of the plurality of telephone areas based on at least one of user input and the source of the voice call; providing incoming audio from the voice call to the at least one telephone area via a speaker of the at least one telephone area; capturing outgoing audio from the voice call from the at least one telephone area via a microphone of the at least one telephone area; and applying signal processing to each of the incoming and outgoing audio based on the location of the at least one telephone area. In one or both of the foregoing examples, additionally or optionally, selecting at least one of a plurality of telephone areas based on at least one of user input and the source of the voice call includes: selecting the at least one telephone area based on the identifier of the first mobile device in response to the source of the voice call being a first mobile device; selecting at least one telephone area based on the identifier of the second mobile device in response to the source of the voice call being a second mobile device; selecting at least one telephone area based on the associated metadata in response to the source of the voice call being an application of a computing system of a motor vehicle and the voice call including associated metadata; selecting the first telephone area in response to user input corresponding to a first telephone area among the plurality of telephone areas; and selecting both the first telephone area and the second telephone area in response to user input corresponding to a first telephone area and a second telephone area among the plurality of telephone areas. In any or all of the foregoing examples, additionally or optionally, each of the plurality of telephone areas includes at least one microphone and at least one speaker. In any or all of the foregoing examples, additionally or optionally, providing incoming audio from the voice call to the at least one telephone area via the speaker of the at least one telephone area includes: routing the incoming audio to a telephone area mixer; and broadcasting the incoming audio via the speaker of the at least one telephone area. In any or all of the foregoing examples, additionally or optionally, capturing outgoing audio of a voice call from at least one telephone area via a microphone in at least one telephone area includes: routing the outgoing audio to a voice processor; and transmitting the outgoing audio via a wireless network. In any or all of the foregoing examples, additionally or optionally, applying signal processing to each of the incoming and outgoing audio based on the location of at least one telephone area includes: applying echo cancellation and beamforming to the outgoing audio. In any or all of the foregoing examples, the method additionally or optionally further includes: adjusting the audio gain of each of the main system audio sources differently for each of the plurality of telephone areas based on the location of at least one telephone area within the vehicle compartment.

[0077] As another example, a method includes: in response to a first voice call, selecting each of a first group of telephone areas and a second group of telephone areas, each telephone area in the first group of telephone areas and each telephone area in the second group of telephone areas being located in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle; routing the first voice call to the first group of telephone areas and not routing the first voice call to the second group of telephone areas of the motor vehicle, each telephone area in the first group of telephone areas and the second group of telephone areas including at least one speaker and at least one microphone; and differentiating the main system audio for each of the first group of telephone areas and the second group of telephone areas. In the foregoing example, additionally or optionally, routing the first voice call to the first group of telephone areas includes: broadcasting the incoming voice call audio via the speaker of the first group of telephone areas; capturing the outgoing voice call audio via the microphone of the first group of telephone areas; and applying echo cancellation and beamforming to the outgoing voice call audio. In one or both of the foregoing examples, additionally or optionally, not routing the first voice call to the second group of telephone areas includes: not broadcasting the incoming voice call audio via the speaker of the second group of telephone areas; and not capturing the audio via the microphone of the second group of telephone areas. In any or all of the foregoing examples, additionally or optionally, adjusting the main system audio differently for each of the first and second telephone groups includes: compressing the main system audio; muting the main system audio used for the first telephone group; and reducing the main system audio gain for the second telephone group. In any or all of the foregoing examples, additionally or optionally, selecting each of the first and second telephone groups is based on at least one of user input and the source of the first voice call. In any or all of the foregoing examples, the method additionally or optionally includes: selecting a third telephone group in response to a second voice call, each of the third telephone groups being located in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle; routing the second voice call to the third telephone group and not routing the second voice call to each of the first and second telephone groups, the third telephone group including at least one microphone and at least one speaker; and adjusting the main system audio differently for each of the first, second, and third telephone groups. In any or all of the foregoing examples, additionally or optionally, adjusting the main system audio differently for each of the first and second telephone areas further includes adjusting the main system audio gain for each of the first and second telephone areas based on at least one of the telephone area's location and vehicle speed.

[0078] As another example, a computing system includes: a first telephone area located in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, the first telephone area including a first microphone and a first speaker; a second telephone area located in the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, the second telephone area including a second microphone and a second speaker; a user input device; a processor communicatively coupled to the computing system; and a storage device storing instructions executable by the processor to perform the following operations: in response to a voice call, selecting one of the first telephone area and the second telephone area based on at least one of user input from the user input device and the source of the voice call; in response to selecting the first telephone area, routing incoming voice call audio to the first speaker, capturing outgoing call audio from the first microphone, and not capturing outgoing call audio from the second microphone; and in response to selecting the second telephone area, routing incoming voice call audio to the second speaker, capturing outgoing call audio from the second microphone, and not capturing outgoing call audio from the first microphone. In the foregoing examples, additionally or optionally, the storage device stores other instructions executable by a processor to perform the following operations: reducing the audio gain of the main system audio source and compressing the main system audio source in response to detecting the main system audio source; adjusting the first speaker based on the position of the first speaker relative to the second speaker; and adjusting the second speaker based on the position of the first speaker relative to the second speaker. In one or both of the foregoing examples, additionally or optionally, in order to capture the transmitted call audio from the first microphone, the storage device stores other instructions executable by a processor to perform the following operations: applying beamforming and echo cancellation to the call audio transmitted from the first microphone. In any or all of the foregoing examples, additionally or optionally, in order to capture the transmitted call audio from the second microphone, the storage device stores other instructions executable by a processor to perform the following operations: applying beamforming and echo cancellation to the call audio transmitted from the second microphone. In any or all of the foregoing examples, additionally or optionally, the source of the voice call is a mobile phone communicatively coupled to the computing system.

[0079] The description of the embodiments has been presented for illustrative and descriptive purposes. Suitable modifications and changes to the embodiments can be made in light of the foregoing description, or such suitable modifications and changes can be obtained through practical methods. For example, unless otherwise indicated, one or more of the described methods can be performed by suitable means and / or combinations of means, such as those referenced. Figure 1The described telematics unit 30. The method can be executed by using a combination of one or more logical devices (e.g., a processor) and one or more additional hardware elements, such as storage devices, memories, hardware network interfaces / antennas, switches, actuators, clock circuits, etc. The described method and associated actions can also be performed in various orders other than those described in this application, in parallel, and / or simultaneously. The described system is exemplary in nature and may include additional elements and / or omit elements. The subject matter of this disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and sub-combinations of the various systems and configurations disclosed with other features, functions, and / or properties.

[0080] As used herein, an element or step described in the singular and followed by the word "a" should be understood to not exclude multiple said elements or steps, unless such exclusion is specified. Furthermore, references to "an embodiment" or "an example" in this disclosure are not intended to be construed as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the described features. The terms "first," "second," and "third," etc., are used merely as illustrative marks and are not intended to impose numerical requirements or a particular order on their objects. The appended claims specifically point to subject matter deemed novel and non-obvious from the foregoing disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for in-vehicle voice calling, the method comprising: In response to a voice call, the voice call is routed to at least one of a plurality of telephone areas, the plurality of telephone areas being included in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, based on at least one of user input and the source of the voice call; Based on the location of the at least one telephone area in the compartment of the motor vehicle, the audio gain of each of the plurality of telephone areas other than the at least one telephone area is adjusted differently for each of the other telephone areas, wherein the adjustment includes sinking and compressing the main system audio source while continuing to route the voice call to the at least one telephone area; Routing the voice call to at least one of the plurality of telephone areas based on at least one of the user input and the source of the voice call includes: At least one of the plurality of telephone areas is selected based on at least one of the user input and the source of the voice call; The incoming audio from the voice call is provided to the at least one telephone area via a speaker; Capture the outgoing audio of the voice call from the at least one telephone area via a microphone in the at least one telephone area; and Signal processing is applied to each of the incoming audio and the outgoing audio based on the location of the at least one telephone zone; Selecting at least one of the plurality of telephone areas based on at least one of the user input and the source of the voice call includes: In response to the fact that the source of the voice call is a first mobile device, the at least one telephone area is selected based on the identifier of the first mobile device; In response to the fact that the source of the voice call is a second mobile device, the at least one telephone area is selected based on the identifier of the second mobile device; The source of the voice call is an application of the vehicle's computing system and the voice call includes associated metadata, based on which the at least one telephone area is selected; In response to the user input corresponding to a first telephone area among the plurality of telephone areas, the first telephone area is selected; and In response to the user input corresponding to the first and second telephone areas among the plurality of telephone areas, both the first and second telephone areas are selected.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of telephone zones includes at least one microphone and at least one speaker, and the method further includes adjusting microphone settings in each of the plurality of telephone zones.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the incoming audio from the voice call to the at least one telephone area via the speaker of the at least one telephone area comprises: The incoming audio is routed to the telephone area mixer; as well as The incoming audio is broadcast via the speaker of the at least one telephone area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the outgoing audio of the voice call from the at least one telephone area via the microphone of the at least one telephone area comprises: The outgoing audio is routed to the voice processor; as well as The outgoing audio is transmitted via a wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein applying signal processing to each of the incoming audio and the outgoing audio based on the location of the at least one telephone area comprises: Echo cancellation and beamforming are applied to the transmitted audio.

6. A computing system for in-vehicle voice calls, the computing system comprising: A first telephone area, located in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, includes a first microphone and a first speaker; The second telephone area is located in the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, and the second telephone area includes a second microphone and a second speaker. User input device; A processor, which is communicatively coupled to the computing system; as well as A storage device storing instructions executable by the processor to perform the following operations: In response to a voice call, one of the first telephone area and the second telephone area is selected based on at least one of user input from the user input device and the source of the voice call; In response to selecting the first telephone zone, the incoming voice call audio is routed to the first speaker, the outgoing call audio from the first microphone is captured, and the outgoing call audio from the second microphone is not captured; as well as In response to selecting the second telephone zone, the incoming voice call audio is routed to the second speaker, the outgoing call audio from the second microphone is captured, and the outgoing call audio from the first microphone is not captured; The audio gain of the main system audio source is adjusted differently for the first and second telephone areas based on the location of the selected telephone area in the vehicle compartment, wherein the adjustment includes reducing the audio gain of the main system audio source and compressing the main system audio source. Selecting at least one of the plurality of telephone areas based on at least one of the user input and the source of the voice call includes: In response to the fact that the source of the voice call is a first mobile device, the at least one telephone area is selected based on the identifier of the first mobile device; In response to the fact that the source of the voice call is a second mobile device, the at least one telephone area is selected based on the identifier of the second mobile device; The source of the voice call is an application of the vehicle's computing system and the voice call includes associated metadata, based on which the at least one telephone area is selected; In response to the user input corresponding to a first telephone area among the plurality of telephone areas, the first telephone area is selected; and In response to the user input corresponding to the first and second telephone areas among the plurality of telephone areas, both the first and second telephone areas are selected.

7. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the storage device stores other instructions executable by the processor to perform the following operations: Adjust the first speaker based on its position relative to the second speaker; and The second speaker is adjusted based on the position of the first speaker relative to the second speaker.

8. The computing system of claim 6, wherein, in order to capture the outgoing call audio from the first microphone, the storage device stores additional instructions executable by the processor to perform the following operations: Beamforming and echo cancellation are applied to the outgoing call audio from the first microphone.

9. The computing system of claim 6, wherein, in order to capture the outgoing call audio from the second microphone, the storage device stores additional instructions executable by the processor to perform the following operations: Beamforming and echo cancellation are applied to the outgoing call audio from the second microphone.

10. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the source of the voice call is a mobile phone communicatively coupled to the computing system.

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