A vehicle-mounted audio system, an audio projection method and a vehicle

Abstract

This invention discloses a vehicle audio system, an audio projection method, and a vehicle. The system includes: a first communication module for connecting to a first audio terminal; a second communication module for connecting to a second audio terminal; and a speaker for playing first projected audio from the first audio terminal and / or second projected audio from the second audio terminal. According to the vehicle audio system, audio projection method, and vehicle provided by this invention, two modules, a first communication module and a second communication module, are provided to connect to different audio terminals respectively. Audio from different audio terminals can be played in a mixed manner or individually, thereby increasing the applicable scenarios of the vehicle audio system and improving the driving and riding experience for drivers and passengers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of audio-visual equipment technology, and more specifically to a vehicle audio system, an audio projection method, and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of the automotive industry and consumer electronics technology, the connection between in-vehicle entertainment systems and mobile phones has become increasingly common. Currently, many in-vehicle entertainment systems support multiple connection methods such as Bluetooth, USB, AUX, CarPlay, and CarLife, allowing users to easily connect their mobile phones to the in-vehicle entertainment system and enjoy music, videos, and other media in the car.

[0003] The current limitation of connecting audio terminals to the vehicle's infotainment system is that only one audio terminal can be connected, which cannot meet the driving and riding experience requirements of drivers and passengers. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The summary section introduces a series of simplified concepts, which will be further explained in detail in the detailed description section. The summary section of this invention is not intended to limit the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor is it intended to determine the scope of protection of the claimed technical solution.

[0005] This invention provides a vehicle audio system, comprising:

[0006] The first communication module is used to connect to the first audio terminal;

[0007] The second communication module is used to connect to the second audio terminal;

[0008] A speaker for playing the first projected audio from the first audio terminal and / or the second projected audio from the second audio terminal.

[0009] For example, the first communication module includes a Bluetooth module for connecting a single first audio terminal; the second communication module includes a Wi-Fi module for connecting one or more second audio terminals.

[0010] For example, the in-vehicle audio system includes a mixing projection mode and an exclusive projection mode:

[0011] In the mixed projection mode, the first projected audio from the first audio terminal and the second projected audio from the second audio terminal are played.

[0012] In the exclusive projection mode, the first projected audio or one of the second projected audios from the first audio terminal is played.

[0013] For example, the vehicle audio system includes a first audio terminal priority mode:

[0014] In the first audio terminal priority mode, the speaker always plays the first projected audio from the first audio terminal.

[0015] For example, the first audio terminal priority mode can be enabled by manually selecting or by default.

[0016] For example, the vehicle audio system includes a first audio terminal call mode:

[0017] In the first audio terminal call mode, the speaker only plays the call of the first audio terminal, and during the call, the first projected audio and the second projected audio are muted or paused;

[0018] When the first audio terminal call mode ends, the speaker continues to play the first projected audio and / or the second projected audio.

[0019] For example, the first audio terminal call mode is automatically triggered by an incoming call.

[0020] For example, when one or more second audio terminals terminate their connection with the vehicle audio system, the first communication module automatically activates to connect the first audio terminal to the vehicle audio system and play the first projected audio from the first audio terminal.

[0021] For example, the first audio terminal includes a mobile terminal used by the driver, and the second audio terminal includes a mobile terminal or microphone used by the passenger.

[0022] The present invention also provides an audio projection method, applied to any of the above-described vehicle audio systems, comprising:

[0023] Connect the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal;

[0024] Obtain mode instructions from the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal;

[0025] Play the first projected audio from the first audio terminal and / or the second projected audio from the second audio terminal based on the mode instruction.

[0026] For example, connecting the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal includes:

[0027] Activate the first communication module to connect to the first audio terminal; and / or

[0028] Start the second communication module and connect to the second audio terminal through the second communication module.

[0029] For example, obtaining mode instructions from the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal includes:

[0030] Obtain the mixing projection mode or exclusive projection mode from the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal; or...

[0031] Obtain the first audio terminal priority mode from the first audio terminal; or...

[0032] For example, the audio projection method further includes obtaining a first audio terminal call mode from the vehicle audio system.

[0033] The present invention also provides a vehicle including any of the vehicle audio systems described above.

[0034] According to the in-vehicle audio system, audio projection method, and vehicle provided by the present invention, two modules are provided: a first communication module and a second communication module, which are respectively connected to different audio terminals. Audio from different audio terminals can be played in a mixed manner or played individually, thereby increasing the applicable scenarios of the in-vehicle audio system and improving the driving and riding experience of the driver and passengers. Attached Figure Description

[0035] The following drawings, which are incorporated herein by reference as part of this invention, are provided for understanding the invention. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and their descriptions, serving to explain the principles of the invention.

[0036] In the attached image:

[0037] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of a vehicle audio system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 The physical channel established between the audio terminal and the vehicle audio system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the audio data stream and control data stream according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 This is an audio projection UI interface according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0041] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention can be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, certain technical features well-known in the art have not been described in order to avoid obscuring the invention.

[0042] It should be understood that the invention can be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, providing these embodiments will make the disclosure thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, for clarity, the dimensions and relative dimensions of layers and regions may be exaggerated. The same reference numerals denote the same elements throughout.

[0043] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. When used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms “comprising” and / or “including,” when used in this specification, identify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups. When used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of the associated listed items.

[0044] To fully understand this invention, detailed steps and structures will be presented in the following description to illustrate the technical solution proposed by this invention. Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in detail below; however, in addition to these detailed descriptions, the invention may have other embodiments.

[0045] The current limitation of connecting audio terminals to in-vehicle systems is that only one audio terminal can be connected at a time, which cannot meet the needs of both the driver and passengers. For example, the driver can connect their phone to the in-vehicle system via Bluetooth, which allows them to answer calls and play music. However, if a passenger wants to play music from their phone through the in-vehicle audio system, there are limitations. First, the driver's phone must be disconnected from the in-vehicle system via Bluetooth, and then the passenger's phone must be connected via Bluetooth. If the driver receives a call at this time, they will not be able to make the call through the in-vehicle communication system, causing significant inconvenience to the driver. Answering the call directly with the phone would also pose a safety hazard. Alternatively, if a mutual friend of the driver and passenger calls the passenger and the passenger wants to share the call through the in-vehicle audio system so that the driver can also participate, the passenger cannot directly share the call via Bluetooth because the driver's phone is already connected to the in-vehicle system.

[0046] To address the limitation of existing car audio systems that can only connect to one audio terminal via Bluetooth, this invention provides a car audio system 100, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it includes:

[0047] The first communication module 110 is used to connect to the first audio terminal 210;

[0048] The second communication module 120 is used to connect to the second audio terminal 220;

[0049] Speaker 130 is used to play the first projected audio from the first audio terminal 210 and / or the second projected audio from the second audio terminal 220.

[0050] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, the first communication module 110 can only be used to connect a single first audio terminal 210, while the second communication module 210 can be used to connect one or more second audio terminals 220. Specifically, the first audio terminal 210 includes, but is not limited to, a mobile terminal (e.g., a mobile phone) used by the driver, and the second audio terminal 220 includes, but is not limited to, a mobile terminal (e.g., a mobile phone) or a microphone used by the passenger.

[0051] In one embodiment, the communication method between the first communication module 110 and the second communication module 120 can be wired or wireless communication, such as Bluetooth (BT), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Near Field Communication (NFC), Wi-Fi, Infrared Point-to-Point Communication (IrDA), microwave, 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G, etc. Preferably, the first communication module 110 is a Bluetooth module for connecting a single audio terminal; the second communication module is a Wi-Fi module for connecting more than one audio terminal.

[0052] For example, a first physical channel for transmitting audio data and control data between the first audio terminal 210 and the vehicle audio system 100 is established based on the first communication module 110, and a second physical channel for transmitting audio data and control data between the second audio terminal 220 and the vehicle audio system 100 is established based on the second communication module 120. Furthermore, a third physical channel can be further established between the first audio terminal 210 and the vehicle audio system 100 for transmitting call data; and a fourth physical channel can be further established between the second audio terminal 220 and the vehicle audio system 100 for transmitting call data.

[0053] In one embodiment, the first projected audio includes projected audio from various streaming media applications of the first audio terminal, such as, but not limited to, navigation, audio, and video, and the data of the first projected audio is transmitted through a first physical channel; the second projected audio includes projected audio from various streaming media applications of the second audio terminal, such as, but not limited to, navigation, audio, and video, and the data of the second projected audio is transmitted through a second physical channel. The call data of the first audio terminal is transmitted through a third physical channel, and the call data of the second audio terminal is transmitted through a fourth physical channel.

[0054] In one embodiment, such as Figure 2As shown, a physical channel is established between the vehicle audio system 100 and the audio terminals 210 / 220 via the first communication module 110 or the second communication module 120. This channel includes an audio data path 310 and a control data path 320. Through the audio data path 310, the audio terminal can project audio to the vehicle audio system 100, such as the downlink audio flow from the mobile phone to the speaker of the vehicle audio system 100 and the uplink audio flow from the vehicle microphone to the mobile phone via the vehicle audio system 100. Through the control data path 320, the vehicle audio system 100 can logically convert control data into parameters for the downlink mixer and the uplink router, thereby implementing the audio projection strategy.

[0055] For example, the vehicle audio system 100 also includes a system-on-chip (SoC) 140, a digital signal processor (DSP) 150, an amplifier 160, etc. The SoC receives a first projected audio and / or a second projected audio, which is then processed by a mixer, a DSP, and an amplifier (PA) before being played through a speaker.

[0056] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, after the audio terminals 210 / 220 are connected to the vehicle audio system 100 through the first communication module 110 or the second communication module 120, they can transmit audio data and control data to the system-on-a-chip (SoC) 140 through the audio data path 310 and the control data path 320. The audio data on the SoC is transmitted to the digital signal processor (DSP) 150 through the audio interface (DAI), and the control data is transmitted to the microcontroller unit (MCU) through the serial peripheral interface (SPI). The microcontroller unit (MCU) then converts the control data into control instructions for the digital signal processor (DSP) 150 and sends them to the digital signal processor (DSP) 150 through the serial peripheral interface (SPI). The control data mainly controls the mixer 151 and the router 152 in the digital signal processor (DSP) 150 to implement the projection strategy. The audio data from the microphone is the opposite of the audio data from the mobile phone. It is transmitted from the digital signal processor (DSP) 150 to the system on-chip (SoC) 140 through the audio interface. The SoC 140 then converts it into an audio stream and sends it to the audio terminal 210 / 220 via WiFi.

[0057] For example, the vehicle audio system includes a mixed projection mode and an exclusive projection mode: in the mixed projection mode, a first projected audio from the first audio terminal and a second projected audio from the second audio terminal are played; in the exclusive projection mode, the first projected audio from the first audio terminal or the second projected audio from one or more of the second audio terminals are played.

[0058] In one embodiment, such as Figure 4 As shown, audio projection can be manually enabled in the UI of the audio terminal. The projection modes are displayed in the UI of both the first and second audio terminals, including mixing mode and exclusive mode.

[0059] In one embodiment, taking a first audio terminal, a second audio terminal A, and a second audio terminal B as examples, when all three audio terminals are in mixing mode, the projected audio from the first audio terminal, the projected audio from the second audio terminal A, and the projected audio from the second audio terminal B are played; when one of the first audio terminal, the second audio terminal A, or the second audio terminal B switches to exclusive projection mode, for example, when the second audio terminal A switches to exclusive projection mode, only the projected audio from the second audio terminal A is played.

[0060] For example, the projection strategy of the vehicle audio system also includes a first audio terminal priority mode: in the first audio terminal priority mode, the speaker always plays the first projected audio of the first audio terminal.

[0061] Optionally, the UI of the first audio terminal 210 may also display a priority mode option (not shown), while the UI of the second audio terminal does not display a priority mode option. The priority mode of the first audio terminal can be enabled manually or by default.

[0062] In one embodiment, when the first audio terminal is in priority mode, regardless of whether the second audio terminal is in mixing mode or exclusive mode, the speaker always plays the first projected audio from the first audio terminal. Specifically, when the first audio terminal is in both priority and exclusive modes, the second audio terminal cannot project audio, and the speaker only plays the projected audio from the first audio terminal. When the first audio terminal is in both priority and mixing modes, the second audio terminal can project audio. Taking a second audio terminal including a second audio terminal A and a second audio terminal B as an example, when both second audio terminal A and second audio terminal B are in audio projection mode and both projection methods are mixing, the speaker plays the projected audio from the first audio terminal, the projected audio from second audio terminal A, and the projected audio from second audio terminal B. When both second audio terminal A and second audio terminal B are in audio projection mode, and the projection method of second audio terminal A is exclusive while the projection method of second audio terminal B is mixing, the speaker plays the projected audio from the first audio terminal and the projected audio from second audio terminal A. When the second audio terminal B changes its projection method from mixing to exclusive, the speaker starts playing the projected audio from the first audio terminal and the projected audio from second audio terminal B. The switching between mixed mode and exclusive mode is achieved by adjusting the parameters of mixer 151.

[0063] In one embodiment, when the first audio terminal disables priority mode, the vehicle audio system plays audio only according to the projection method. Taking the second audio terminal, comprising second audio terminal A and second audio terminal B, as an example, when both the first and second audio terminals A are in mixed mode and the second audio terminal B is in exclusive mode, the speaker only plays the projected audio from the second audio terminal B. When the second audio terminal A switches to exclusive mode, the speaker only plays the projected audio from the second audio terminal A.

[0064] For example, the vehicle audio system includes a first audio terminal call mode: in the first audio terminal call mode, the speaker only plays the call from the first audio terminal, and during the call, the first projected audio and the second projected audio are muted or paused; when the first audio terminal call mode ends, the speaker continues to play the first projected audio and / or the second projected audio. Further, the first audio terminal call mode is automatically triggered by an incoming call.

[0065] In one embodiment, regardless of whether the first audio terminal is in priority mode or whether the first and second audio terminals are in mixed mode or exclusive mode, when the first audio terminal receives a call, the first audio terminal call mode is automatically triggered. In the first audio terminal call mode, only the call content of the first audio terminal is played, and the first projected audio and the second projected audio are muted or paused. When the first audio terminal call ends, the first audio terminal call mode is automatically turned off, and the projected mode before the first audio terminal call mode was turned on is restored. The first projected audio and / or the second projected audio continue to be played according to the previous projected mode.

[0066] For example, when one or more second audio terminals terminate their connection with the vehicle audio system, the first communication module automatically activates to connect the first audio terminal to the vehicle audio system and play the first projected audio from the first audio terminal.

[0067] In one embodiment, taking the second audio terminal as including the second audio terminal A and the second audio terminal B as an example, when both the second audio terminal A and the second audio terminal B turn off audio projection, if the first audio terminal is not connected to the vehicle audio system at this time, the first communication module will automatically start to automatically connect the first audio terminal to the vehicle audio system.

[0068] This invention also provides an audio projection method, applied to the vehicle audio system described above, comprising:

[0069] Connect the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal;

[0070] Obtain mode instructions from the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal;

[0071] Play the first projected audio from the first audio terminal and / or the second projected audio from the second audio terminal based on the mode instruction.

[0072] For example, connecting the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal includes:

[0073] Activate the first communication module to connect to the first audio terminal; and / or

[0074] Start the second communication module and connect to the second audio terminal through the second communication module.

[0075] For example, obtaining mode instructions from the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal includes:

[0076] Obtain the mixing projection mode or exclusive projection mode from the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal; or...

[0077] Obtain the first audio terminal priority mode from the first audio terminal.

[0078] For example, the audio projection method further includes obtaining a first audio terminal call mode from the vehicle audio system. In one embodiment, since the projected audio and call data are transmitted through different physical channels based on different protocols, the first audio terminal call mode can be obtained directly from the vehicle audio system.

[0079] In one embodiment, playing the first projected audio from the first audio terminal and / or the second projected audio from the second audio terminal based on the mode instruction includes:

[0080] In response to the mixed projection mode or the exclusive projection mode, play the first projected audio and / or the second projected audio;

[0081] In response to the first audio terminal priority mode, the first projected audio from the first audio terminal is always played; or...

[0082] In response to the first audio terminal call mode, only the call of the first audio terminal is played, and the first projected audio and the second projected audio are muted or paused during the call. When the first audio terminal call mode ends, the speaker continues to play the first projected audio and / or the second projected audio.

[0083] The present invention also provides a vehicle including the vehicle audio system described above.

[0084] In one embodiment, the interaction process between a user and the vehicle or the vehicle's in-vehicle audio system includes:

[0085] Passengers use their mobile phones to turn on Wi-Fi, find the vehicle's hotspot, click to connect, and enter the password to confirm.

[0086] The car audio system service can be found by searching for devices using a car app on a mobile phone. Specifically, the mobile app sends a multicast or broadcast query packet. After receiving the query packet, the car audio system service should reply with its own information in a multicast or broadcast packet, which includes the car audio system's IP address, control port information, control protocol, audio stream port information, protocol information, etc.

[0087] The mobile car app and the car audio system establish a control data path, and obtain the user who has projected audio to the car audio system and display it on the app's UI.

[0088] Turn on the audio casting function in the app, and an audio data path will be established between the app and the car audio system.

[0089] The system sends control signals to the car audio system's mixer according to the desired projection method (mixing or exclusive use, default mixing), adjusting the mixer parameters to achieve the desired mixing or exclusive effect. Specifically, the driver's phone audio enters the audio processing module via Bluetooth by default, while the passenger's phone audio enters via Wi-Fi. Both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi channels simultaneously enter the mixer, and the mixer's output is connected to the speakers. When the driver and passengers select the mixed projection method, the system enables mixing for the corresponding channel on the mixer, mixing the input audio from the driver and other passengers before sending it to the speakers. When passengers select exclusive projection, the system cancels mixing for the driver and passenger's input channels, only enabling their own corresponding mixing channel. In this case, the speakers can only hear the audio from their own phone. Furthermore, the driver can enable a priority mode to always mix the Bluetooth channel, for example, to always keep navigation or background music playing. Furthermore, to ensure driving safety and the timeliness of driver communication, a call-triggered call mode can be implemented. This allows the driver to continue using the in-vehicle audio system even when a passenger is in exclusive projection mode and a call comes in, preventing the loss of important information. Each passenger corresponds to one input channel of the mixer, and the system can be set to a maximum value, for example, supporting a maximum of three passengers simultaneously projecting onto the audio system. If this number is exceeded, a message will be displayed indicating that projection is full and no more passengers can join.

[0090] The mobile app intercepts the output audio data through the system interface and sends it to the car audio system through the established audio data path. The car audio system also sends the input from the microphone to the mobile app through the audio data path. The mobile app then replaces the received audio data with the phone's system audio input.

[0091] When a passenger turns off audio projection, the app sends a control signal to cancel the mixing on that terminal, and the phone disconnects the audio data path and control data path. Specifically, when the last passenger cancels Wi-Fi projection, if it is currently dedicated projection, the Bluetooth channel needs to be restored to the default mixing state to ensure that the driver's Bluetooth channel is in normal working order. For example, if a call comes in at this time, the entire vehicle can still ring to indicate the incoming call.

[0092] According to the in-vehicle audio system, audio projection method, and vehicle provided by the present invention, two modules are provided: a first communication module and a second communication module, which are respectively connected to different audio terminals. Audio from different audio terminals can be played in a mixed manner or played individually, thereby increasing the applicable scenarios of the in-vehicle audio system and improving the driving and riding experience of the driver and passengers.

[0093] The present invention has been described through the above embodiments. However, it should be understood that the above embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention to the scope of the described embodiments. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and many more variations and modifications can be made based on the teachings of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A car audio system, characterized in that, include: The first communication module is used to connect to the first audio terminal; The second communication module is used to connect to the second audio terminal; A speaker for playing the first projected audio from the first audio terminal and / or the second projected audio from the second audio terminal; The first audio terminal includes a mobile terminal used by the driver, and the second audio terminal includes a mobile terminal or microphone used by the passenger. The vehicle audio system includes a first audio terminal priority mode and / or a first audio terminal call mode: In the first audio terminal priority mode, the speaker always plays the first projected audio from the first audio terminal; In the first audio terminal call mode, the speaker only plays the call of the first audio terminal, and during the call, the first projected audio and the second projected audio are muted or paused; when the first audio terminal call mode ends, the speaker continues to play the first projected audio and / or the second projected audio.

2. The vehicle audio system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first communication module includes a Bluetooth module for connecting a single first audio terminal; the second communication module includes a Wi-Fi module for connecting one or more second audio terminals.

3. The vehicle audio system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The in-vehicle audio system includes a mixing projection mode and an exclusive projection mode: In the mixed projection mode, the first projected audio from the first audio terminal and the second projected audio from the second audio terminal are played. In the exclusive projection mode, the first projected audio from the first audio terminal or the second projected audio from one of the second audio terminals is played.

4. The vehicle audio system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first audio terminal priority mode can be enabled manually or by default.

5. The vehicle audio system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first audio terminal's call mode is automatically triggered upon receiving a call.

6. The vehicle audio system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, When one or more second audio terminals terminate their connection with the vehicle audio system, the first communication module automatically activates to connect the first audio terminal to the vehicle audio system and play the first projected audio from the first audio terminal.

7. An audio projection method, applied to the vehicle audio system according to any one of claims 1-6, comprising: Connect the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal; Obtain mode instructions from the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal; Play the first projected audio from the first audio terminal and / or the second projected audio from the second audio terminal based on the mode instruction.

8. The audio projection method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, Connecting the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal includes: Activate the first communication module to connect to the first audio terminal; and / or Start the second communication module and connect to the second audio terminal through the second communication module.

9. The audio projection method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, Obtaining mode instructions from the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal includes: Obtain the mixing projection mode or exclusive projection mode from the first audio terminal and / or the second audio terminal; or... Obtain the first audio terminal priority mode from the first audio terminal.

10. The audio projection method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, Also includes: The first audio terminal call mode is obtained from the vehicle audio system.

11. A vehicle, characterized in that, The vehicle audio system included in any one of claims 1-6.

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