EP3818509B1 - Emergency call system of a motor vehicle - Google Patents

Emergency call system of a motor vehicle Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3818509B1
EP3818509B1 EP19726959.0A EP19726959A EP3818509B1 EP 3818509 B1 EP3818509 B1 EP 3818509B1 EP 19726959 A EP19726959 A EP 19726959A EP 3818509 B1 EP3818509 B1 EP 3818509B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
microphone
emergency call
call system
capsules
digital
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Application number
EP19726959.0A
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German (de)
French (fr)
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EP3818509A1 (en
Inventor
Simon Bork
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Volkswagen AG
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Volkswagen AG
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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
    • G08B25/00—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
    • G08B25/01—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems characterised by the transmission medium
    • G08B25/016—Personal emergency signalling and security systems
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
    • G08B29/00—Checking or monitoring of signalling or alarm systems; Prevention or correction of operating errors, e.g. preventing unauthorised operation
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
    • G08B29/00—Checking or monitoring of signalling or alarm systems; Prevention or correction of operating errors, e.g. preventing unauthorised operation
    • G08B29/18—Prevention or correction of operating errors
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
    • H04R1/20—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics
    • H04R1/32—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics for obtaining desired directional characteristic only
    • H04R1/326—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics for obtaining desired directional characteristic only for microphones
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
    • H04R1/20—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics
    • H04R1/32—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics for obtaining desired directional characteristic only
    • H04R1/40—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics for obtaining desired directional characteristic only by combining a number of identical transducers
    • H04R1/406—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics for obtaining desired directional characteristic only by combining a number of identical transducers microphones
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2410/00—Microphones
    • H04R2410/01—Noise reduction using microphones having different directional characteristics
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2430/00—Signal processing covered by H04R, not provided for in its groups
    • H04R2430/20—Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2430/00—Signal processing covered by H04R, not provided for in its groups
    • H04R2430/20—Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic
    • H04R2430/25—Array processing for suppression of unwanted side-lobes in directivity characteristics, e.g. a blocking matrix
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R3/00—Circuits for transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
    • H04R3/005—Circuits for transducers, loudspeakers or microphones for combining the signals of two or more microphones

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an emergency call system in a motor vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1.
  • a 2 B or A 2 bus the automotive audio bus
  • a 2 B or A 2 bus the automotive audio bus
  • the digital microphones have the possibility to implement a beamformer and thus implement a speaker differentiation in the vehicle according to the driver and passenger, with beamforming meaning that the digital microphone has an intended directional characteristic.
  • the bus master and thus also the calculation of the beamformer, will be taken over by the infotainment system. If the bus master is no longer active, for example if the infotainment system fails in the event of an accident, beamforming will no longer take place. In this case, only one of the digital microphones is used, but this no longer has a directional characteristic due to a lack of control and is therefore omnidirectional, i.e. it has a spherical characteristic.
  • the pamphlet DE 10 2015 205 686 A1 an emergency reporting device in a motor vehicle for manually and/or automatically reporting an emergency to a reporting center, wherein at least one hands-free communication device consisting of at least one microphone and at least one loudspeaker can be used for communication with a reporting center.
  • the at least one microphone is arranged in a first plane and the at least one loudspeaker is arranged separately from the microphone in a second plane.
  • the second level is in a usual direction of travel of the motor vehicle behind the first level.
  • the at least one microphone has at least one area of higher or highest input sensitivity and at least one area of lower or lowest input sensitivity.
  • the microphone faces the second level with the area of lower or lowest input sensitivity.
  • the pamphlet DE 10 2010 034 237 A1 provides a microphone system for a motor vehicle, which comprises a plurality of microphone devices distributed in the motor vehicle, each of which has at least one microphone with a predetermined directional characteristic.
  • the microphone system also includes at least one data transport network and at least one central processing unit.
  • the microphone devices which are connected to the data transport network, each have a clock generator and are designed to output a digital signal.
  • the central processing unit has a clock generator and is communicatively coupled to the data transport network, with the central processing unit being able to execute an algorithm for calculating at least one directivity of the microphones from the digital signals.
  • the data transport network is a digital vehicle bus system that transmits the digital signals from the microphone devices to the central processing unit, with at least one of the components, microphone devices and central processing unit, including a synchronization device for clock synchronization of the clock generators.
  • the pamphlet DE 10 2013 019 194 A1 relates to a microphone device for detecting a sound signal in a motor vehicle. At least two microphones are connected to a processing circuit and, in a first processing mode, a digital output signal is generated which contains each microphone signal individually.
  • a docking unit sends out the output signal over a communication bus.
  • the coupling unit is designed to receive at least one predetermined control command via the communication bus and to output it to a control device of the processing circuit, which is designed to switch the processing circuit between the first processing mode and a second processing mode as a function of the at least one control command, with the output signal generated in the second processing mode differs from the output signal generated in the first processing mode.
  • the pamphlet DE 10 2007 014 816 A1 relates to a communication system in a vehicle, which has at least two microphones and loudspeakers, which are arranged in a vehicle at the boundary surfaces of the interior. In each case one loudspeaker and at least one microphone are combined in a compact electroacoustic unit, which can also contain an amplifier unit.
  • the electroacoustic unit is connected to at least one other electroacoustic unit of the same type via an electrical transmission path, with the electroacoustic units each having at least one microphone with a directional characteristic with bipolar sinks.
  • the loudspeaker and microphone are spatially closely adjacent, with the latter or its acoustic radiation being located in the region of the bipolar depressions of the microphone in order to avoid feedback between the microphone and the adjacent loudspeaker.
  • the invention is therefore based on the object of realizing an emergency call system in a digital microphone of a motor vehicle with a directional characteristic in which background noise is reduced.
  • the emergency call center can receive both the driver and, if necessary, the passenger is better.
  • the at least two microphone capsules are preferably arranged in a horizontal plane of the vehicle, it being possible in particular for the two microphone capsules to be arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. This improves the separation between the driver and front passenger, since the eight-characteristic extends symmetrically to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
  • the bus master is preferably implemented by an infotainment system of the motor vehicle, which means that a separate bus master is unnecessary.
  • the common signals of the two microphone capsules connected in series with each other with reverse polarity are fed directly to an online connection unit for further processing, the online connection unit providing access to an emergency call center in the event of an emergency and the online connection unit feeding the common signals of the microphone capsules to the emergency call center .
  • the emergency call system also preferably has at least one emergency call loudspeaker so that the emergency call center can communicate with the driver or the passenger in an emergency.
  • the emergency loudspeaker is preferably arranged on the axis of symmetry of the two microphone capsules in the direction of travel of the vehicle in front of the microphone capsules. In this way, sound input from the emergency call loudspeaker to the microphone capsules that are connected with each other with reverse polarity is minimized.
  • the emergency speaker is located in the vehicle's defrost duct, creating a more diffuse sound field in conjunction with the microphone and the figure-of-eight pattern.
  • the emergency loudspeaker can be arranged on the instrument panel in the center position or behind the driver and front passenger.
  • 1 1 shows a digital microphone 1 which is arranged in a motor vehicle (not shown) and is connected to an infotainment system 2 of the motor vehicle via a bus 3 .
  • the automotive audio bus, or A 2 bus for short, is used as bus 3, with infotainment system 2 simultaneously taking on the role of bus master in this example.
  • a beamformer can be implemented with a digital microphone, which makes it possible to distinguish between the driver and the passenger, since the reception characteristics of a digital microphone can be controlled and changed as a function of the spatial angle.
  • the digital microphone 1 comprises three microphone capsules 4, 5 and 6, each connected, taking into account their polarities "+” and "-", via connections 4+, 4-, 5+, 5-, 6+ and 6- to an A/D -Converter 7 are connected, in which the conversion of the analog signals from the microphone capsules 4, 5, 6 into digital signals takes place.
  • the three microphone signals of the A/D converter 7 is fed to an A 2 B interface 8 which places the digital microphone signals on the A 2 bus 3 .
  • the A 2 bus 3 feeds the digital microphone signals to the infotainment system 2 via an A 2 B interface 9 for further processing.
  • the infotainment system 2 has a beamforming device 10, which generates control signals, by means of which the directional characteristic of the digital microphone 1 can be adjusted. These control signals are fed to the digital microphone 1 from the infotainment system 2 via the A 2 bus 3 .
  • FIG. 2 shows the beamforming, ie the generation of a specific directional characteristic 11 by the digital microphone 1 in detail, for the sake of simplicity only the three microphone capsules 4, 5 and 6 of the digital microphone 1 with their connections 4+, 4-, 5+, 5- , 6+ and 6- are shown.
  • a specific directional characteristic 11 can be achieved with the two lobes 12 and 13 shown, with one lobe 12 on the driver 14 and the other lobe 13 on the passenger 15 directs. In this way, on the part of the in 1 illustrated infotainment system 2, a selection between driver 14 and front passenger 15 can be made.
  • the bus master embodied by the infotainment system 2 is no longer active, which can be the case if, for example, the infotainment system 2 fails in an accident, then beamforming no longer takes place and the specific directional characteristic 11 of the digital microphone 1 is absent due to a lack of one corresponding control is no longer available. Even if the digital microphone 1 is still active, it is no longer possible to distinguish between the driver 14 and the passenger 15 in the event of an accident, since the digital microphone 1 no longer has a directional characteristic and is therefore omnidirectional, i.e. it has a spherical characteristic, with the spherical characteristic for each Microphone capsule 4, 5, 6 applies.
  • the emergency call loudspeaker can echo back into the microphone 1 . It is also conceivable that the three microphone capsules 4, 5 and 6 have a different directional characteristic after being decoupled from the infotainment system 2, for example a cardioid characteristic.
  • FIG. 3 shows the digital microphone 1 and its connection to the infotainment system 2 analogously 1 , where the same reference symbols have the same meaning as in 1 have, so that for their explicit explanation on the 1 is referenced.
  • infotainment system 2 there is an online connection unit 20 which also has access to the A 2 bus via an A 2 B interface 21 and establishes the connection to the outside world via mobile radio.
  • the upper microphone capsule 4 is connected to the lower microphone capsule 6 in series with reverse polarity.
  • This is realized by the negative connection 6- of the lower microphone capsule 6 being led out via a connection 19 and the positive connection 6+ of the lower microphone capsule 6 being connected to the negative connection 4- of the upper microphone capsule 4 via a connection 17 and the signals of the poritive connection 4+ of the upper microphone capsule 4 is led out of the digital microphone 1 via a further separate connection 18 .
  • the common signals present on the outgoing connections 18 and 19 of the microphone capsules 4, 6 connected in series with reverse polarity are supplied to an online connection unit 20, in which the common signals are further processed.
  • These analog signals from the microphone capsules 4, 6 connected in series with reversed polarity can be forwarded analogously in the online connection unit 20 or they are converted into digital signals via an A/D converter (not shown) and as such, in an emergency, to a remote receiver by radio transfer.
  • the online connection unit 20 can also be connected to the A 2 bus 3 via an A 2 B interface 21 and, if there is no interference, can be used to transmit the digital information from the digital microphone 1 to the outside world.
  • the online connection unit 20 can also act as the bus master and take over the beamfroming. If the computing capacity for calculating the beamforming in the online connection unit 20 is not sufficient, the online connection unit 20 can still control the A 2 bus and use the microphone signals in digital form from the A 2 bus, since all signals are still available. By simply negating a microphone signal from microphone 6 and then adding it to microphone signal 4.
  • the digital microphone 1 is arranged with the microphone capsules 4, 5 and 6 in front of the driver 14 or 15 passenger. Therefore, in the vehicle plane, the upper microphone capsule 4 is arranged on the left-hand side of the vehicle, the middle microphone capsule 5 is arranged in the middle of the vehicle and the lower microphone capsule 6 is arranged on the right-hand side of the vehicle.
  • each microphone capsule 4 , 6 has an omnidirectional characteristic 23 , 24 .
  • the two omnidirectional characteristics 23, 24 result in 4 figure-of-eight characteristic 22 shown when the two microphone capsules 4, 6 are on one level. Due to the figure-of-eight characteristic 22 generated by the two microphone capsules 4, 6, a certain directional effect in the direction of the driver 14 and passenger 15 can still be seen, although not as pronounced as in the controllable case 2 .
  • figure 5 shows the digital microphone 1 in an emergency, in which the two microphone capsules 4, 6 arranged in a horizontal plane of the vehicle are connected in series with each other with reverse polarity in the event of an emergency, so that the figure-of-eight characteristic 22 shown in front of the driver 14 and front passenger 15 results.
  • the figure-of-eight characteristic 22 is a result of the two spherical characteristics 23, 24 of the two microphone capsules 4, 6 and an acoustic dipole is created.
  • An emergency loudspeaker 26 is preferably arranged on the longitudinal axis 25 of the vehicle in the direction of travel 27 in front of the two microphone capsules 4, 6, with the arrangement not being mandatory. Other arrangements, for example between driver 14 and front passenger 15 or in the second row of seats behind, are conceivable. Due to the figure-of-eight characteristic 22 due to the symmetrical arrangement of the microphone capsules 4, 6 in the vehicle, not only static background noises are compensated from the outset, but also the sound inputs compensated by the emergency loudspeaker 26 if this is installed on the zero axis of the arrangement of the microphone capsules 4, 6, in the example of figure 5 is formed by the vehicle longitudinal axis 25, the so-called center position of the vehicle cockpit.
  • Another way of arranging the emergency loudspeaker 26 is to arrange it in the defrost air duct of the vehicle, which enables more homogeneous sound propagation in the vehicle.

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Description

Die Erfindung betrifft ein eine Notrufsystem in einem Kraftfahrzeug gemäß dem Oberbegriff des Anspruchs 1.The invention relates to an emergency call system in a motor vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1.

Im Zuge der Digitalisierung wird in Kraftfahrzeugen vermehrt der Automotive Audio Bus, abgekürzt A2B oder A2Bus, Verwendung finden, bei dem es die Möglichkeit zum Einsatz von digitalen Mikrofonen gibt. Die digitalen Mikrofone haben die Möglichkeit einen Beamformer zu realisieren und somit eine Sprecherunterscheidung im Fahrzeug nach Fahrer und Beifahrer umzusetzen, wobei Beamforming bedeutet, dass das digitale Mikrofon eine vorgesehene Richtcharakteristik aufweist.In the course of digitization, the automotive audio bus, abbreviated A 2 B or A 2 bus, will be increasingly used in motor vehicles, with which there is the possibility of using digital microphones. The digital microphones have the possibility to implement a beamformer and thus implement a speaker differentiation in the vehicle according to the driver and passenger, with beamforming meaning that the digital microphone has an intended directional characteristic.

Aktuell ist vorgesehen, dass der Busmaster, und somit auch die Berechnung des Beamformers, vom Infotainmentsystem übernommen wird. Sollte der Busmaster nicht mehr aktiv sein, fällt also beispielsweise bei einem Unfall das Infotainmentsystem aus, findet auch kein Beamforming mehr statt. In diesem Fall wird nur noch eines der digitalen Mikrofone genutzt, welches dann aber mangels Ansteuerung keine Richtcharakteristik mehr besitzt und somit omnidirektional ist, also eine Kugelcharakteristik aufweist.It is currently planned that the bus master, and thus also the calculation of the beamformer, will be taken over by the infotainment system. If the bus master is no longer active, for example if the infotainment system fails in the event of an accident, beamforming will no longer take place. In this case, only one of the digital microphones is used, but this no longer has a directional characteristic due to a lack of control and is therefore omnidirectional, i.e. it has a spherical characteristic.

Für die Umsetzung von Notrufsystemen in Fahrzeugen ist dies jedoch kontraproduktiv, da der Notruflautsprecher in das Mikrofon aufgrund der Kugelcharakteristik des Mikrofons zurückschallen kann.However, this is counterproductive for the implementation of emergency call systems in vehicles, since the emergency call loudspeaker can echo back into the microphone due to the omnidirectional characteristic of the microphone.

So betrifft die Druckschrift DE 10 2015 205 686 A1 eine Notfall-Meldevorrichtung in einem Kraftfahrzeug zur manuellen und/oder automatischen Meldung eines Notfalls an eine Meldezentrale, wobei zur Kommunikation mit einer Meldezentrale wenigstens eine aus wenigstens einem Mikrofon und wenigstens einem Lautsprecher bestehende Freihand-Kommunikationseinrichtung nutzbar ist. Dabei wird vorgeschlagen, dass das wenigstens eine Mikrofon in einer ersten Ebene und der wenigstens eine Lautsprecher getrennt vom Mikrofon in einer zweiten Ebene angeordnet ist. Die zweite Ebene befindet sich in einer gewöhnlichen Fahrtrichtung des Kraftfahrzeugs hinter der ersten Ebene . Ferner weist das wenigstens eine Mikrofon wenigstens einen Bereich höherer oder höchster Eingangsempfindlichkeit und wenigstens einen Bereich niedrigerer oder niedrigster Eingangsempfindlichkeit auf. Das Mikrofon ist mit dem Bereich niedrigerer oder niedrigster Eingangsempfindlichkeit der zweiten Ebene zugewandt. Durch eine derartige Anordnung können gute akustische Entkopplungen zwischen Mikrofon und Lautsprecher realisiert und gute akustische Eigenschaften der Notfall-Meldevorrichtung erreicht werden.So affects the pamphlet DE 10 2015 205 686 A1 an emergency reporting device in a motor vehicle for manually and/or automatically reporting an emergency to a reporting center, wherein at least one hands-free communication device consisting of at least one microphone and at least one loudspeaker can be used for communication with a reporting center. It is proposed that the at least one microphone is arranged in a first plane and the at least one loudspeaker is arranged separately from the microphone in a second plane. The second level is in a usual direction of travel of the motor vehicle behind the first level. Furthermore, the at least one microphone has at least one area of higher or highest input sensitivity and at least one area of lower or lowest input sensitivity. The microphone faces the second level with the area of lower or lowest input sensitivity. With such an arrangement, good acoustic decoupling can be achieved between the microphone and the loudspeaker, and good acoustic properties of the emergency signaling device can be achieved.

Die Druckschrift DE 10 2010 034 237 A1 stellt ein Mikrofonsystem für ein Kraftfahrzeug bereit, das eine Mehrzahl von im Kraftfahrzeug verteilten Mikrofoneinrichtungen umfasst, die jeweils zumindest ein Mikrofon mit einer vorgegebenen Richtcharakteristik aufweisen. Das Mikrofonsystem umfasst ferner zumindest ein Datentransportnetzwerk und zumindest eine zentrale Recheneinheit. Die Mikrofoneinrichtungen, die mit dem Datentransportnetzwerk verbunden sind, weisen jeweils einen Taktgenerator auf und sind ausgebildet, ein digitales Signal auszugeben. Die zentrale Recheneinheit weist einen Taktgenerator auf und ist mit dem Datentransportnetzwerk kommunikativ gekoppelt, wobei durch die zentrale Recheneinheit ein Algorithmus zur Berechnung von zumindest einer Richtwirkung der Mikrofone aus den digitalen Signalen ausführbar ist. Dabei ist das Datentransportnetzwerk ein digitales Fahrzeug-Bussystem, das die digitalen Signale von den Mikrofoneinrichtungen an die zentrale Recheneinheit überträgt, wobei zumindest eine der Komponenten Mikrofoneinrichtungen und zentrale Recheneinheit eine Synchronisiereinrichtung zur Taktsynchronisierung der Taktgeneratoren umfasst.The pamphlet DE 10 2010 034 237 A1 provides a microphone system for a motor vehicle, which comprises a plurality of microphone devices distributed in the motor vehicle, each of which has at least one microphone with a predetermined directional characteristic. The microphone system also includes at least one data transport network and at least one central processing unit. The microphone devices, which are connected to the data transport network, each have a clock generator and are designed to output a digital signal. The central processing unit has a clock generator and is communicatively coupled to the data transport network, with the central processing unit being able to execute an algorithm for calculating at least one directivity of the microphones from the digital signals. The data transport network is a digital vehicle bus system that transmits the digital signals from the microphone devices to the central processing unit, with at least one of the components, microphone devices and central processing unit, including a synchronization device for clock synchronization of the clock generators.

Die Druckschrift DE 10 2013 019 194 A1 betrifft eine Mikrofonvorrichtung zum Erfassen eines Schallsignals in einem Kraftfahrzeug. An eine Verarbeitungsschaltung sind zumindest zwei Mikrofone angeschlossen und in einem ersten Verarbeitungsmodus wird ein digitales Ausgabesignal erzeugt, welches jedes Mikrofonsignal einzeln enthält. Eine Ankoppeleinheit sendet das Ausgabesignal über einen Kommunikationsbus aus. Die Ankoppeleinheit ist dazu ausgelegt, über den Kommunikationsbus zumindest einen vorbestimmten Steuerbefehl zu empfangen und an eine Steuereinrichtung der Verarbeitungsschaltung auszugeben, die dazu ausgelegt ist, in Abhängigkeit von dem zumindest einen Steuerbefehl die Verarbeitungsschaltung zwischen dem ersten Verarbeitungsmodus und einem zweiten Verarbeitungsmodus umzuschalten, wobei sich das im zweiten Verarbeitungsmodus erzeugte Ausgabesignal von dem im ersten Verarbeitungsmodus erzeugten Ausgabesignal unterscheidet.The pamphlet DE 10 2013 019 194 A1 relates to a microphone device for detecting a sound signal in a motor vehicle. At least two microphones are connected to a processing circuit and, in a first processing mode, a digital output signal is generated which contains each microphone signal individually. A docking unit sends out the output signal over a communication bus. The coupling unit is designed to receive at least one predetermined control command via the communication bus and to output it to a control device of the processing circuit, which is designed to switch the processing circuit between the first processing mode and a second processing mode as a function of the at least one control command, with the output signal generated in the second processing mode differs from the output signal generated in the first processing mode.

Die Druckschrift DE 10 2007 014 816 A1 betrifft ein Kommunikationssystem in einem Fahrzeug, welches wenigstens zwei Mikrofone und Lautsprecher aufweist, die in einem Fahrzeug an den Grenzflächen des Innenraums angeordnet sind. Jeweils ein Lautsprecher und wenigstens ein Mikrofon sind dabei in einer kompakten elektroakustischen Baueinheit vereint, welche gleichzeitig eine Verstärkereinheit enthalten kann. Die elektroakustische Baueinheit ist dabei auf einem elektrischen Übertragungsweg mit wenigstens einer weiteren gleichartigen elektroakustischen Baueinheit verbunden, wobei die elektroakustischen Baueinheiten jeweils mindestens ein Mikrofon einer Richtcharakteristik mit bipolaren Senken aufweisen. Zum Erzielen einer kompakten elektroakustischen Baueinheit sind Lautsprecher und Mikrofon räumlich dicht angrenzend ausgeführt, wobei zur Vermeidung von Rückkopplungen zwischen Mikrofon und dem angrenzenden Lautsprecher dieser bzw. dessen akustische Abstrahlung sich im Bereich der bipolaren Senken des Mikrofons befindet.The pamphlet DE 10 2007 014 816 A1 relates to a communication system in a vehicle, which has at least two microphones and loudspeakers, which are arranged in a vehicle at the boundary surfaces of the interior. In each case one loudspeaker and at least one microphone are combined in a compact electroacoustic unit, which can also contain an amplifier unit. The electroacoustic unit is connected to at least one other electroacoustic unit of the same type via an electrical transmission path, with the electroacoustic units each having at least one microphone with a directional characteristic with bipolar sinks. In order to achieve a compact electro-acoustic unit, the loudspeaker and microphone are spatially closely adjacent, with the latter or its acoustic radiation being located in the region of the bipolar depressions of the microphone in order to avoid feedback between the microphone and the adjacent loudspeaker.

Der Erfindung liegt daher die Aufgabe zugrunde, ein Notrufsystem bei einem digitalen Mikrofon eines Kraftfahrzeugs mit einer Richtcharakteristik zu realisieren, bei dem Störgeräusche vermindert werden.The invention is therefore based on the object of realizing an emergency call system in a digital microphone of a motor vehicle with a directional characteristic in which background noise is reduced.

Diese Aufgabe wird durch ein Notrufsystem mit den Merkmalen des Anspruchs 1 gelöst. Bevorzugte Ausgestaltungen der Erfindung sind Gegenstand der Unteransprüche.This problem is solved by an emergency call system with the features of claim 1. Preferred configurations of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

Das erfindungsgemäße Notrufsystem eines Kraftfahrzeugs umfasst ein digitales Mikrofon, welches über einen Automotive Audio Bus, kurz A2Bus, mit einem Busmaster verbunden ist und von diesem zur Bereitstellung einer vorgegebenen Richtcharakteristik angesteuert wird, wobei

  • das digitale Mikrofon mindestens zwei Mikrofonkapseln aufweist,
  • die mindestens zwei Mikrofonkapseln symmetrisch zueinander angeordnet sind,
  • das digitale Mikrofon in Fahrrichtung vor dem Ort des Fahrers und dem Ort des Beifahrers angeordnet ist, und
  • bei einem Ausfall des Busmasters zwei Mikrofonkapseln verpolt seriell miteinander verschaltet werden, so dass eine gemeinsame Achtcharakteristik erzeugt wird, und die gemeinsamen Signale der zwei verpolt seriell verschalteten Mikrofonkapseln aus dem digitalen Mikrofon zur weiteren Verarbeitung herausgeführt werden.
The emergency call system of a motor vehicle according to the invention includes a digital microphone, which is connected via an automotive audio bus, A 2 bus for short, to a bus master and is controlled by the latter to provide a predetermined directional characteristic
  • the digital microphone has at least two microphone capsules,
  • the at least two microphone capsules are arranged symmetrically to each other,
  • the digital microphone is arranged in front of the driver's location and the front passenger's location in the direction of travel, and
  • if the bus master fails, two microphone capsules are connected in series with each other with reverse polarity, so that a common figure-of-eight characteristic is generated, and the common signals of the two microphone capsules connected in series with reverse polarity are fed out of the digital microphone for further processing.

Durch die Erzeugung einer Achtcharakteristik der beiden miteinander verpolt verschalteten Mikrofonkapseln wird zumindest eine ausreichende Ausrichtung auf den Fahrer und den Beifahrer erzielt, so dass im Notfall bei einem Ausfall des Busmasters und damit des gesamten A2Bus die Notrufzentrale der Empfang von sowohl Fahrer als auch gegebenenfalls Beifahrer besser ist.By generating an eight-characteristic of the two microphone capsules connected with each other with reverse polarity, at least a sufficient orientation towards the driver and the passenger is achieved, so that in an emergency, if the bus master and thus the entire A 2 bus fails, the emergency call center can receive both the driver and, if necessary, the passenger is better.

Vorzugsweise sind die mindestens zwei Mikrofonkapseln in einer horizontalen Ebene des Fahrzeugs angeordnet, wobei insbesondere die beiden Mikrofonkapseln symmetrisch zur Fahrzeuglängsachse angeordnet sein können. Dadurch wird die Trennung zwischen Fahrer und Beifahrer verbessert, da die Achtcharakteristik sich symmetrisch zur Fahrzeuglängsachse erstreckt.The at least two microphone capsules are preferably arranged in a horizontal plane of the vehicle, it being possible in particular for the two microphone capsules to be arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. This improves the separation between the driver and front passenger, since the eight-characteristic extends symmetrically to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

Vorzugsweise ist der Busmaster durch ein Infotainment-System des Kraftfahrzeugs realisiert, wodurch ein separater Busmaster unnötig ist.The bus master is preferably implemented by an infotainment system of the motor vehicle, which means that a separate bus master is unnecessary.

Weiter bevorzugt werden die gemeinsamen Signale der zwei verpolt seriell miteinander verschalteten Mikrofonkapseln direkt einer Online-Verbindungseinheit zur Weiterverarbeitung zugeführt, wobei die Online-Verbindungseinheit den Zugriff auf eine Notrufzentrale im Fall eines Notfalls bereitstellt und die Online-Verbindungseinheit die gemeinsamen Signale der Mikrofonkapseln der Notrufzentrale zuführt.More preferably, the common signals of the two microphone capsules connected in series with each other with reverse polarity are fed directly to an online connection unit for further processing, the online connection unit providing access to an emergency call center in the event of an emergency and the online connection unit feeding the common signals of the microphone capsules to the emergency call center .

Weiter bevorzugt weist das Notrufsystem mindestens einen Notruflautsprecher auf, damit die Notrufzentrale mit dem Fahrer oder dem Beifahrer im Notfall kommunizieren kann.The emergency call system also preferably has at least one emergency call loudspeaker so that the emergency call center can communicate with the driver or the passenger in an emergency.

Vorzugsweise ist der Notruflautsprecher auf der Symmetrieachse der beiden Mikrofonkapseln in Fahrtrichtung des Fahrzeugs vor den Mikrofonkapseln angeordnet. Auf diese Weise werden Schalleinträge des Notruflautsprechers auf die verpolt miteinander verschalteten Mikrofonkapseln minimiert.The emergency loudspeaker is preferably arranged on the axis of symmetry of the two microphone capsules in the direction of travel of the vehicle in front of the microphone capsules. In this way, sound input from the emergency call loudspeaker to the microphone capsules that are connected with each other with reverse polarity is minimized.

In einer anderen Ausführungsform ist der Notruflautsprecher im Defrostkanal des Fahrzeugs angeordnet, wodurch ein diffuseres Schallfeld im Zusammenhang mit dem Mikrofon und der Achtcharakteristik erzeugt wird.In another embodiment, the emergency speaker is located in the vehicle's defrost duct, creating a more diffuse sound field in conjunction with the microphone and the figure-of-eight pattern.

Ferner kann der Notruflautsprecher auf der Instrumententafel in der Centerposition oder hinter Fahrer und Beifahrer angeordnet sein.Furthermore, the emergency loudspeaker can be arranged on the instrument panel in the center position or behind the driver and front passenger.

Ferner muss zwischen den verpolt seriell erschalteten Mikrofonkapseln und dem Notruflautsprecher eine entsprechende Distanz und somit eine akustische Laufzeit vorhanden sein, damit in der nachgeschalteten digitalen Signalverarbeitung eine Echokompensation ermöglicht werden kann.Furthermore, there must be an appropriate distance between the microphone capsules, which are connected in series with reverse polarity, and the emergency call loudspeaker, and thus an acoustic propagation time, so that echo compensation can be made possible in the downstream digital signal processing.

Eine bevorzugte Ausführungsform der Erfindung wird nachfolgend anhand der Zeichnungen erläutert. Dabei zeigt

Fig. 1
ein digitales Mikrofonsystem mit A2B-Bus,
Fig. 2
das Beamforming des digitalen Mikrofonsystems mit Ausrichtung auf den Fahrer und Beifahrer,
Fig. 3
die Verwendung des digitalen Mikrofonsystems als Notruf,
Fig. 4
die Achtcharakteristik des Mikrofonsystems in einem Notfall, und
Fig. 5
die Anordnung eines Notruflautsprechers im Mikrofonsystem in Zusammenhang mit einem Notfall.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is explained below with reference to the drawings. while showing
1
a digital microphone system with A 2 B bus,
2
the beamforming of the digital microphone system aimed at the driver and front passenger,
3
the use of the digital microphone system as an emergency call,
4
the figure-of-eight characteristic of the microphone system in an emergency, and
figure 5
the arrangement of an emergency loudspeaker in the microphone system in connection with an emergency.

Fig. 1 zeigt ein in einem Kraftfahrzeug (nicht dargestellt) angeordnetes digitales Mikrofon 1, welches mit einem Infotainment-System 2 des Kraftfahrzeugs über einen Bus 3 verbunden ist. Dabei kommt als Bus 3 der Automotive Audio Bus, kurz A2Bus, zum Einsatz, wobei das Infotainment-System 2 in diesem Beispiel gleichzeitig die Rolle des Busmasters übernimmt. Mit einem digitalen Mikrofon kann ein Beamformer realisiert werden, wodurch eine Sprecherunterscheidung zwischen Fahrer und Beifahrer möglich ist, da die Empfangscharakteristik eines digitalen Mikrofons steuerbar ist und als Funktion des Raumwinkels verändert werden kann. 1 1 shows a digital microphone 1 which is arranged in a motor vehicle (not shown) and is connected to an infotainment system 2 of the motor vehicle via a bus 3 . The automotive audio bus, or A 2 bus for short, is used as bus 3, with infotainment system 2 simultaneously taking on the role of bus master in this example. A beamformer can be implemented with a digital microphone, which makes it possible to distinguish between the driver and the passenger, since the reception characteristics of a digital microphone can be controlled and changed as a function of the spatial angle.

Im Beispiel der Fig. 1 umfasst das digitale Mikrofon 1 drei Mikrofonkapseln 4, 5 und 6, die jeweils unter Berücksichtigung ihrer Polaritäten "+" und "-" über Verbindungen 4+, 4-, 5+, 5-, 6+ und 6- mit einem A/D-Wandler 7 verbunden sind, in dem die Umwandlung der analogen Signale der Mikrofonkapseln 4, 5, 6 in digitale Signale erfolgt. Die drei Mikrofonsignale des A/D-Wandlers 7 werden einem A2B-Interface 8 zugeführt, der die digitalen Mikrofonsignale auf den A2Bus 3 legt.In the example of 1 For example, the digital microphone 1 comprises three microphone capsules 4, 5 and 6, each connected, taking into account their polarities "+" and "-", via connections 4+, 4-, 5+, 5-, 6+ and 6- to an A/D -Converter 7 are connected, in which the conversion of the analog signals from the microphone capsules 4, 5, 6 into digital signals takes place. The three microphone signals of the A/D converter 7 is fed to an A 2 B interface 8 which places the digital microphone signals on the A 2 bus 3 .

Der A2Bus 3 führt die digitalen Mikrofonsignale dem Infotainment-System 2 über ein A2B-Interface 9 zur weiteren Bearbeitung zu. Das Infotainment-System 2 verfügt über eine Beamforming-Einrichtung 10, welches Steuersignale erzeugt, mittels der die Richtcharakteristik des digitalen Mikrofons 1 eingestellt werden kann. Diese Steuersignale werden dem digitalen Mikrofon 1 vom Infotainment-System 2 über den A2Bus 3 zugeführt.The A 2 bus 3 feeds the digital microphone signals to the infotainment system 2 via an A 2 B interface 9 for further processing. The infotainment system 2 has a beamforming device 10, which generates control signals, by means of which the directional characteristic of the digital microphone 1 can be adjusted. These control signals are fed to the digital microphone 1 from the infotainment system 2 via the A 2 bus 3 .

Fig. 2 zeigt das Beamforming, also die Erzeugung eines spezifischen Richtcharakteristik 11 durch das digitale Mikrofon 1 im Detail, wobei der Einfachheit halber nur die drei Mikrofonkapseln 4, 5 und 6 des digitalen Mikrofons 1 mit ihren Verbindungen 4+, 4-, 5+, 5-, 6+ und 6- dargestellt sind. Durch die in Zusammenhang mit der Fig. 1 geschilderte Ansteuerung des digitalen Mikrofons 1 mit seinen drei Mikrofonkapseln 4, 5, 6 kann eine spezifische Richtcharakteristik 11 mit den dargestellten zwei Keulen 12 und 13 erreicht werden, wobei sich eine Keule 12 auf den Fahrer 14 und sich die andere Keule 13 auf den Beifahrer 15 richtet. Auf diese Weise kann seitens des in Fig. 1 dargestellten Infotainment-Systems 2 eine Selektion zwischen Fahrer 14 und Beifahrer 15 vorgenommen werden. 2 shows the beamforming, ie the generation of a specific directional characteristic 11 by the digital microphone 1 in detail, for the sake of simplicity only the three microphone capsules 4, 5 and 6 of the digital microphone 1 with their connections 4+, 4-, 5+, 5- , 6+ and 6- are shown. By related to the 1 By controlling the digital microphone 1 with its three microphone capsules 4, 5, 6 as described above, a specific directional characteristic 11 can be achieved with the two lobes 12 and 13 shown, with one lobe 12 on the driver 14 and the other lobe 13 on the passenger 15 directs. In this way, on the part of the in 1 illustrated infotainment system 2, a selection between driver 14 and front passenger 15 can be made.

Sollte der durch das Infotainment-System 2 verkörperte Busmaster nicht mehr aktiv sein, was der Fall sein kann, wenn beispielsweise bei einem Unfall das Infotainmentsystem 2 ausfällt, so findet auch kein Beamforming mehr statt und die spezifische Richtcharakteristik 11 des digitalen Mikrofons 1 ist mangels einer entsprechenden Ansteuerung nicht mehr vorhanden. Selbst wenn das digitale Mikrofon 1 noch aktiv ist, kann im Fall eines Unfalls nicht mehr zwischen Fahrer 14 und Beifahrer 15 unterschieden werden, da das digitale Mikrofon 1 keine Richtcharakteristik mehr besitzt und somit omnidirektional ist, also eine Kugelcharakteristik besitzt, wobei die Kugelcharakteristik für jede Mikrofonkapsel 4, 5, 6 zutrifft. Für die Umsetzung von Notrufsystemen in Fahrzeugen ist dies jedoch kontraproduktiv, da der Notruflautsprecher in das Mikrofon 1 zurückschallen kann. Es ist auch denkbar, dass die drei Mikrofonkapseln 4, 5 und 6 nach der Abkopplung vom Infotainment-System 2 eine andere Richtcharakteristik aufweisen, beispielsweise eine Nierencharakteristik.If the bus master embodied by the infotainment system 2 is no longer active, which can be the case if, for example, the infotainment system 2 fails in an accident, then beamforming no longer takes place and the specific directional characteristic 11 of the digital microphone 1 is absent due to a lack of one corresponding control is no longer available. Even if the digital microphone 1 is still active, it is no longer possible to distinguish between the driver 14 and the passenger 15 in the event of an accident, since the digital microphone 1 no longer has a directional characteristic and is therefore omnidirectional, i.e. it has a spherical characteristic, with the spherical characteristic for each Microphone capsule 4, 5, 6 applies. However, this is counterproductive for the implementation of emergency call systems in vehicles, since the emergency call loudspeaker can echo back into the microphone 1 . It is also conceivable that the three microphone capsules 4, 5 and 6 have a different directional characteristic after being decoupled from the infotainment system 2, for example a cardioid characteristic.

Fig. 3 zeigt das digitale Mikrofon 1 und dessen Verbindung mit dem Infotainment-System 2 analog zu Fig. 1, wobei gleiche Bezugszeichen die identische Bedeutung wie in Fig. 1 haben, so dass zu deren explizite Erläuterung auf die Fig. 1 verwiesen wird. Neben dem Infotainment-System 2 ist eine Online-Verbindungseinheit 20 vorhanden, die über ein A2B-Interface 21 ebenfalls auf den A2Bus Zugriff hat und die Verbindung zur Außenwelt über Mobilfunk herstellt. 3 shows the digital microphone 1 and its connection to the infotainment system 2 analogously 1 , where the same reference symbols have the same meaning as in 1 have, so that for their explicit explanation on the 1 is referenced. In addition to the infotainment system 2 there is an online connection unit 20 which also has access to the A 2 bus via an A 2 B interface 21 and establishes the connection to the outside world via mobile radio.

Sollte der durch das Infotainment-System 2 realisierte Busmaster, welcher für die Berechnung des Beamformers zuständig ist, nicht mehr zur Verfügung stehen, werden zwei der drei Mikrofonkapsel 4, 5, 6 verpolt zusammengeschaltet.If the bus master implemented by the infotainment system 2 and responsible for calculating the beamformer is no longer available, two of the three microphone capsules 4, 5, 6 are connected together with reversed polarity.

Im dargestellten Fall werden daher in der Darstellung der Fig. 3 im Fehlerfall die obere Mikrofonkapsel 4 mit der unteren Mikrofonkapsel 6 verpolt seriell miteinander verschaltet. Dies wird realisiert, indem der negative Anschluss 6- der unteren Mikrofonkapsel 6 über eine Verbindung 19 herausgeführt wird und der positive Anschluss 6+ der unteren Mikrofonkapsel 6 über eine Verbindung 17 mit dem negativen Anschluss 4- der oberen Mikrofonkapsel 4 verbunden wird und die Signale des poritiven Anschlusses 4+ der oberen Mikrofonkapsel 4 über eine weitere separate Verbindungen 18 aus dem digitalen Mikrofon 1 herausgeführt wird. Die auf den herausführenden Verbindungen 18 und 19 der verpolt seriell verschalteten Mikrofonkapseln 4, 6 liegenden gemeinsamen Signale werden einer Online-Verbindungseinheit 20 zugeführt, in welcher die gemainsamen Signale weiter verarbeitet werden. Diese Analogsignale der verpolt seriell verschalteten Mikrofonkapseln 4, 6 können in der Online-Verbindungseinheit 20 analog weiter geleitet werden oder sie werden in digitale Signale über einen A/D-Wandler (nicht dargestellt) umgewandelt und als solche im Notfall zu einem entfernten Empfänger per Funk übertragen.In the case shown, therefore, in the representation of the 3 in the event of an error, the upper microphone capsule 4 is connected to the lower microphone capsule 6 in series with reverse polarity. This is realized by the negative connection 6- of the lower microphone capsule 6 being led out via a connection 19 and the positive connection 6+ of the lower microphone capsule 6 being connected to the negative connection 4- of the upper microphone capsule 4 via a connection 17 and the signals of the poritive connection 4+ of the upper microphone capsule 4 is led out of the digital microphone 1 via a further separate connection 18 . The common signals present on the outgoing connections 18 and 19 of the microphone capsules 4, 6 connected in series with reverse polarity are supplied to an online connection unit 20, in which the common signals are further processed. These analog signals from the microphone capsules 4, 6 connected in series with reversed polarity can be forwarded analogously in the online connection unit 20 or they are converted into digital signals via an A/D converter (not shown) and as such, in an emergency, to a remote receiver by radio transfer.

Die Online-Verbindungseinheit 20 kann weiterhin über ein A2B-Interface 21 mit dem A2Bus 3 verbunden sein und im ungestörten Fall zum Übertragen der digitalen Informationen des digitalen Mikrofons 1 an die Außenwelt dienen.The online connection unit 20 can also be connected to the A 2 bus 3 via an A 2 B interface 21 and, if there is no interference, can be used to transmit the digital information from the digital microphone 1 to the outside world.

Als Alternative zu dem beanspruchten Gegenstand, und somit nicht erfiindungsgemäss, ist es ferner möglich, dass bei einem Ausfall des Infotainment-Systems 2 die Online-Verbindungseinheit 20 auch den Busmaster realisiert und das Beamfroming übernehmen kann. Sollte die Rechnerkapazität zur Berechung des Beamformings in der Online-Verbindungseinheit 20 nicht ausreichen, kann die Online-Verbindungseinheit 20 den A2Bus immer noch steuern und die Mikrofonsignale in digitaler Form vom A2Bus nutzen, da alle Signale immer noch vorhanden sind . Durch eine einfache Negation eines Mikrofonsignal vom Mikrofon 6 und eine anschließende Addition zum Mikrofonsignal 4.As an alternative to the claimed subject matter, and thus not according to the invention, it is also possible that in the event of a failure of the infotainment system 2, the online connection unit 20 can also act as the bus master and take over the beamfroming. If the computing capacity for calculating the beamforming in the online connection unit 20 is not sufficient, the online connection unit 20 can still control the A 2 bus and use the microphone signals in digital form from the A 2 bus, since all signals are still available. By simply negating a microphone signal from microphone 6 and then adding it to microphone signal 4.

Die Bezeichnungen "oben" und "unten" beziehen sich auf die in der Fig. 3 dargestellte Anordnung. Wie sich aus der Darstellung der Fig. 2 ergibt, ist das digitale Mikrofon 1 mit den Mikrofonkapseln 4, 5 und 6 vor dem Fahrer 14, bzw. Beifahrer 15 angeordnet. Daher ist in der Fahrzeugebene die obere Mikrofonkapsel 4 auf der linken Seite des Fahrzeugs, die mittlere Mikrofonkapsel 5 fahrzeugmittig und die untere Mikrofonkapsel 6 auf der rechten Seite des Fahrzeugs angeordnet.The designations "above" and "below" refer to the 3 arrangement shown. As can be seen from the presentation of 2 results, the digital microphone 1 is arranged with the microphone capsules 4, 5 and 6 in front of the driver 14 or 15 passenger. Therefore, in the vehicle plane, the upper microphone capsule 4 is arranged on the left-hand side of the vehicle, the middle microphone capsule 5 is arranged in the middle of the vehicle and the lower microphone capsule 6 is arranged on the right-hand side of the vehicle.

Fig. 4 zeigt die Wirkung der verpolten seriellen Verschaltung der beiden Mikrofonkapseln 4 und 6. Wie bereits in Zusammenhang mit der Fig. 3 ausgeführt, wird der positive Abschluss 6+ der unteren, also in Fahrtrichtung rechten Mikrofonkapsel 6 mit dem neativen Anschluss 4- der oberen, also in Fahrtrichtung linken Mikrofonkapsel 4 verbunden und der negative Anschuss 6- der unteren Mikrofonkapsel 6 sowie der positive Anschluss 4+ der oberen Mikrofonkapsel werden als Verbindungen 18 und 19 herausgeführt. Da mangels Busmaster keine Ansteuerung der beiden Mikrofonkapseln 4 und 6 erfolgt, weist jede Mikrofonkapsel 4, 6 jeweils eine Kugelcharakteristik 23, 24 auf. Durch die verpolte serielle Verschaltung der beiden Mikrofonkapseln 4, 6 resultiert aus den beiden Kugelcharakteristiken 23, 24 die in Fig. 4 dargestellte Achtcharakteristik 22, wenn sich die beiden Mikrofonkapseln 4, 6 auf einer Ebene befinden. Durch die von den beiden Mikrofonkapselns 4, 6 erzeugte Achtcharakteristik 22 ist noch eine gewissse Richtwirkung in Richtung von Fahrer 14 und Beifahrer 15 erkennbar, wenn auch nicht so ausgeprägt wie im ansteuerbaren Fall der Fig. 2. 4 shows the effect of the reversed series connection of the two microphone capsules 4 and 6. As already mentioned in connection with the 3 executed, the positive terminal 6+ of the lower, i.e. right in the direction of travel, microphone capsule 6 is connected to the negative connection 4- of the upper, i.e. left in the direction of travel, microphone capsule 4 and the negative connection 6- of the lower microphone capsule 6 and the positive connection 4+ of the upper microphone capsule are brought out as connections 18 and 19. Since the two microphone capsules 4 and 6 are not controlled due to the lack of a bus master, each microphone capsule 4 , 6 has an omnidirectional characteristic 23 , 24 . Due to the reversed polarity of the two microphone capsules 4, 6, the two omnidirectional characteristics 23, 24 result in 4 figure-of-eight characteristic 22 shown when the two microphone capsules 4, 6 are on one level. Due to the figure-of-eight characteristic 22 generated by the two microphone capsules 4, 6, a certain directional effect in the direction of the driver 14 and passenger 15 can still be seen, although not as pronounced as in the controllable case 2 .

Fig. 5 zeigt das digitale Mikrofon 1 in einem Notfall, bei dem die beiden in einer horizontalen Fahrzeugebene angepordneten Mikrofonkapseln 4, 6 im Fall eines Notfalls verpolt seriell miteinander verschaltet sind, so dass sich die dargestellte Achtcharakteristik 22 vor dem Fahrer 14 und Beifahrer 15 ergibt. Dabei ist die Achtcharakteristik 22 eine Folge der beiden Kugelcharakteristiken 23, 24 der beiden Mikrofonkapseln 4, 6 und es entsteht ein akustischer Dipol. figure 5 shows the digital microphone 1 in an emergency, in which the two microphone capsules 4, 6 arranged in a horizontal plane of the vehicle are connected in series with each other with reverse polarity in the event of an emergency, so that the figure-of-eight characteristic 22 shown in front of the driver 14 and front passenger 15 results. The figure-of-eight characteristic 22 is a result of the two spherical characteristics 23, 24 of the two microphone capsules 4, 6 and an acoustic dipole is created.

Vorzugsweise ist auf der Fahrzeuglängsachse 25 ein Notruflautsprecher 26 in Fahrtrichtung 27 vor den beiden Mikrofonkapsel 4, 6 angeordnet, wobei die Anordnung nicht zwingend ist. Andere Anordnungen, beispielsweise zwischen Fahrer 14 und Beifahrer 15 oder in der zweiten Sitzreihe dahinter sind denkbar. Bedingt durch die Achtcharakteristik 22 aufgrund der symmetrischen Anordnung der Mikrofonkapseln 4, 6 im Fahrzeug werden nicht nur statische Störgeräusche von vornherein kompensiert sondern auch noch die Schalleinträge vom Notruftlautsprecher 26 kompensiert, wenn dieser auf der Nullachse der Anordnung der Mikrofonkapseln 4, 6 verbaut ist, die im Beispiel der Fig. 5 durch die Fahrzeuglängsache 25 gebildet wird, der sogenannten Centerposition des Fahrzeugcockpits.An emergency loudspeaker 26 is preferably arranged on the longitudinal axis 25 of the vehicle in the direction of travel 27 in front of the two microphone capsules 4, 6, with the arrangement not being mandatory. Other arrangements, for example between driver 14 and front passenger 15 or in the second row of seats behind, are conceivable. Due to the figure-of-eight characteristic 22 due to the symmetrical arrangement of the microphone capsules 4, 6 in the vehicle, not only static background noises are compensated from the outset, but also the sound inputs compensated by the emergency loudspeaker 26 if this is installed on the zero axis of the arrangement of the microphone capsules 4, 6, in the example of figure 5 is formed by the vehicle longitudinal axis 25, the so-called center position of the vehicle cockpit.

Eine andere Möglichkeit der Anordnung des Notruflautsprechers 26 ist dessen Anordnung im Defrostluftkanal des Fahrzeugs, wodurch eine homogenere Schallausbreitung im Fahrzeug ermöglicht wird .Another way of arranging the emergency loudspeaker 26 is to arrange it in the defrost air duct of the vehicle, which enables more homogeneous sound propagation in the vehicle.

BezugszeichenlisteReference List

11
Digitales MikrofonDigital Microphone
22
Infotainment-SystemInfotainment system
33
Automotive Audio Bus, auch als A2B oder A2Bus bezeichnetAutomotive Audio Bus, also known as A 2 B or A 2 Bus
44
Mikrofonkapselmicrophone capsule
4+4+
Positiver Anschlusspositive connection
4-4-
Negativer Anschlussnegative connection
55
Mikrofonkapselmicrophone capsule
5+5+
Positiver Anschlusspositive connection
5+5+
Negativer Anschlussnegative connection
66
Mikrofonkapselmicrophone capsule
6+6+
Positiver Anschlusspositive connection
6-6-
Negativer Anschlussnegative connection
77
A/D-WandlerA/D converter
88th
A2B-InterfaceA 2 B interface
99
A2B-InterfaceA 2 B interface
1010
Beamforming-Einrichtungbeamforming facility
1111
spezifische Richtcharakteristikspecific directional characteristics
1212
Strahlkeulebeam lobe
1313
Strahlkeulebeam lobe
1414
Fahrerdriver
1515
Beifahrerpassenger
1616
Verbindungconnection
1717
Verbindungconnection
1818
Verbindungconnection
1919
Verbindungconnection
2020
Online-Verbindungs-Einheitonline connection unit
2121
A2B-InterfaceA 2 B interface
2222
Achtcharakteristik NotfallEight characteristic emergency
2323
KugelcharakteristikOmnidirectional
2424
KugelcharakteristikOmnidirectional
2525
Fahrzeuglängsachsevehicle longitudinal axis
2626
Notruflautsprecheremergency speaker
2727
Fahrtrichtungdriving direction

Claims (11)

  1. Emergency call system of a motor vehicle having a digital microphone (1) that is connected to a bus master via an Automotive Audio Bus (3) and is controlled by said bus master to provide a predefined directional characteristic, wherein the digital microphone comprises at least two microphone capsules (4, 5, 6), the at least two microphone capsules (4, 6) are arranged symmetrically with respect to one another and the digital microphone (1) is arranged in front of the location of the driver (14) and the location of the front-seat passenger (15) in the direction of travel, characterized in that
    if the bus master fails then two microphone capsules (4, 6) are connected in series with one another with reverse polarity, as a result of which a joint figure-of-eight characteristic (22) is produced, and the joint signals of the two microphone capsules (18, 19) connected in series with reverse polarity are routed out of the digital microphone (1) for further processing.
  2. Emergency call system according to Claim 1, characterized in that the at least two microphone capsules (4, 6) are arranged in a horizontal plane of the vehicle.
  3. Emergency call system according to either of the preceding claims, characterized in that the two microphone capsules (4, 6) are arranged symmetrically with respect to the vehicle longitudinal axis (25).
  4. Emergency call system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bus master is realized by an infotainment system (2).
  5. Emergency call system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the joint signals of the two microphone capsules (4, 6) connected in series with one another with reverse polarity are supplied to an online connection unit (20) for further processing.
  6. Emergency call system according to Claim 5, characterized in that the online connection unit (20) supplies the joint signals to an emergency call centre.
  7. Emergency call system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the emergency call system comprises at least one emergency call loudspeaker (26).
  8. Emergency call system according to Claim 7, characterized in that the emergency call loudspeaker (26) is arranged in front of the microphone capsules on the axis of symmetry of the two microphone capsules (4, 6) in the direction of travel (27) of the vehicle.
  9. Emergency call system according to Claim 7, characterized in that the emergency call loudspeaker (26) is arranged in the defrost channel of the vehicle.
  10. Emergency call system according to Claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the emergency call loudspeaker (26) is arranged on the dashboard in the centre position.
  11. Emergency call system according to Claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the emergency call loudspeaker (26) is arranged behind the driver (14) and the front-seat passenger (15).
EP19726959.0A 2018-07-03 2019-05-23 Emergency call system of a motor vehicle Active EP3818509B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE102018210934.6A DE102018210934A1 (en) 2018-07-03 2018-07-03 Emergency call system of a motor vehicle
PCT/EP2019/063396 WO2020007529A1 (en) 2018-07-03 2019-05-23 Emergency call system of a motor vehicle

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EP3818509A1 EP3818509A1 (en) 2021-05-12
EP3818509B1 true EP3818509B1 (en) 2022-07-06

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EP19726959.0A Active EP3818509B1 (en) 2018-07-03 2019-05-23 Emergency call system of a motor vehicle

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DE102010034237A1 (en) * 2010-08-07 2011-10-06 Daimler Ag Microphone system for generating microelectromechanical system microphone with respect to acoustic sources within motor car, has CPU coupled with network, where microphone device or CPU includes synchronizer for synchronization of generator
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DE102015205686A1 (en) * 2015-03-30 2016-10-06 Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft Emergency reporting device in a motor vehicle

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WO2020007529A1 (en) 2020-01-09
EP3818509A1 (en) 2021-05-12

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