JP3190554U - In-car conversation device - Google Patents

Abstract

An in-vehicle conversation device that efficiently collects the voice of a speaker, does not amplify and amplify other sounds such as car audio, and does not give uncomfortable feeling to the listener.
In an in-car conversation apparatus including a speaker 14 that collects sound with a microphone 10 installed in a vehicle, amplifies the collected sound, and amplifies the amplified sound, the microphone is directed toward a speaker. The superdirective microphone is characterized in that the speaker is installed outside the sound collection range of the superdirective microphone.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle conversation apparatus that collects sound with a microphone installed in a vehicle, amplifies the collected sound with an amplification circuit, and amplifies the amplified sound with a speaker.

  Conventionally, Patent Document 1 describes howling that occurs when a person sitting in a front seat and a rear seat of an automobile assists in conversation and a part of a loud sound from a speaker is returned to a microphone. In order to prevent, a microphone installed on the ceiling of the vehicle and a speaker that amplifies the sound collected by the microphone, the microphone is installed outside the vehicle than the speaker, A vehicle interior conversation assisting device is disclosed in which the sound collection range is directed to the outside of the vehicle.

JP 2010-83452 A

  However, in the in-vehicle conversation assisting device disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the sound collection range of the microphone faces the front of the vehicle, the front seat side when the volume of the car navigation device or the car audio is increased The sound of the speakers, particularly the speaker installed in the center of the dashboard, is collected and transmitted to the listener, which may cause discomfort to the listener.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and while collecting the voice of the speaker efficiently, does not amplify and amplify other sounds, and thus does not cause discomfort to the listener. It is another object of the present invention to provide an in-car conversation device that can further suppress howling.

The in-car conversation device of the present invention is
In an in-car conversation device that collects sound with a microphone installed in a car, amplifies the collected sound with an amplifier circuit, and amplifies the amplified sound with a speaker.
The microphone is a super-directional microphone directed to the speaker;
The speaker is installed outside the sound collection range of the super-directional microphone.

  According to the in-car conversation device of the present invention, since the microphone is a super-directional microphone directed to the speaker, the voice of the speaker is efficiently collected and other sounds are not collected much. Thereby, it is possible to talk comfortably without collecting and amplifying the sound of the car navigation device or the car audio. In addition, since the speaker is installed outside the sound collection range of the super-directional microphone, it is possible to suppress howling without providing a howling prevention circuit. Here, the super-directional microphone is intended to be a microphone having a sharper directivity than a microphone having directivity only in front of the axial direction of the microphone, which is called a unidirectional microphone. The range means a range indicated by a curve representing the sensitivity of the microphone called a polar pattern.

A preferred example of the in-car conversation device of the present invention is:
The speaker is installed on a headrest of a seat where a listener sits.

  According to a preferable example of the in-car conversation device of the present invention, since the speaker is installed on the headrest of the seat where the listener sits, the distance between the speaker and the ear of the listener is short, and the volume of the sound that is amplified from the speaker Even if it is made small, it can be heard sufficiently. In addition, since the volume of the sound that is amplified from the speaker can be reduced, the occurrence of howling due to the reflected sound can also be suppressed. Here, the headrest is intended to include a rod-like leg portion for fixing the headrest to the seat back unless otherwise described (the same applies hereinafter).

A preferred example of the in-car conversation device of the present invention is:
The super-directional microphone is installed in front of the speaker by attachment means that can be arbitrarily directed toward the speaker.

  According to a preferred example of the in-car conversation device of the present invention, since the super-directional microphone is installed in front of the speaker by the attachment means that can be directed arbitrarily to the speaker, the utterance from the speaker Can be collected directly, the amplified and amplified sound can be made clear, and the microphone can be easily directed to the speaker.

A preferred example of the in-car conversation device of the present invention is:
The super-directional microphone is installed on a headrest of a seat by an attachment means that can be arbitrarily directed toward a speaker.

  According to a preferred example of the in-car conversation device of the present invention, the super-directional microphone is installed on the headrest of the seat of the vehicle by means of an attachment means that can be arbitrarily directed toward the speaker. A microphone can be arbitrarily directed to a speaker sitting in a seat next to the seat, a seat behind the seat, and a seat diagonally behind the seat, and a single microphone can handle a wide range of seats. it can.

A preferred example of the in-car conversation device of the present invention is:
The superdirective microphone, the amplifier circuit, and the speaker as a single independent set, comprising a plurality of the sets,
The speaker is installed outside the sound collection range of the superdirective microphones of the same set.

  According to a preferred example of the in-vehicle conversation device of the present invention, since a plurality of superdirective microphones, amplifier circuits, and speakers are provided as one independent set, superdirective microphones and speakers can be assigned to a plurality of passengers. It is possible to make two-way conversations loud from each other's speakers. In addition, since the speakers are installed outside the sound collection range of the same set of microphones, the sound amplified from the speakers is not fed back to the same set of amplifier circuits, and howling can be suppressed.

A preferred example of the in-car conversation device of the present invention is:
The super-directional microphone, the amplifier circuit, and the speaker are configured to be retrofitted to a completed vehicle.

  According to a preferred example of the in-car conversation device of the present invention, the super-directional microphone, the amplifier circuit, and the speaker are retrofitted to the completed vehicle. Can be installed.

  As described above, according to the in-car conversation device of the present invention, the voice of the speaker is efficiently collected, and other sounds are not amplified and amplified, so that the listener is not uncomfortable. And howling can be suppressed.

It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the super directional microphone and speaker of the in-vehicle conversation apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is another figure which shows arrangement | positioning of a super-directional microphone and a speaker. It is another figure which shows arrangement | positioning of a super-directional microphone and a speaker. It is a figure which shows the place which installed the super-directional microphone in the sun visor of a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the place which installed the super-directional microphone in the headrest of the seat of a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the place which installed the speaker in the headrest of the seat of a vehicle.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle conversation device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the arrangement of superdirective microphones and speakers of an in-car conversation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are other views showing the arrangement of superdirective microphones and speakers. 4 is a diagram showing a super directional microphone installed on a vehicle sun visor, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a super directional microphone installed on a headrest of a vehicle seat, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the place installed in the headrest of a seat.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the in-car conversation device according to the present embodiment includes a super-directional microphone 10, a speaker 14, and an amplifier circuit (not shown). The broken line shown in FIG. 1 represents the sound collection range CR of the super-directional microphone 10 and the loudspeaker direction LD of the speaker 14. Superdirective microphone 10, speaker 14, and amplifier circuit are configured to be retrofitted to a vehicle completed by attachment means, for example, a vehicle after sales.

  Superdirective microphone 10 is a microphone having a sharp directivity with an angle of about 60 degrees or less in front of the microphone in the axial direction, and a so-called shotgun microphone can be adopted. The super-directional microphone 10 is installed in the vehicle by an attachment means that can be directed in the direction of the speaker, and a known microphone stand or the like can be adopted as the attachment means. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a microphone stand 12 fixed with a band 13 or the like is attached to a sun visor 24 in a passenger seat so that the direction thereof can be arbitrarily changed. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the microphone stand 12 fixed to the headrest 21 of the vehicle seat with a band 13 or the like can be attached so that the direction thereof can be arbitrarily changed. Although not shown, it can also be attached to a dashboard, center console, etc. using a microphone stand or the like.

  Further, as other attachment means of the super-directional microphone 10, a flexible member that can hold the shape thereof, for example, a microphone holder provided with a stand tube, an interlock tube, or the like can be adopted. A microphone holder or the like can be installed on the headrest 21 or the leg 26 of the headrest. In this way, the super-directional microphone 10 installed in the passenger seat can be directed not only to the passenger in the rear seat but also to the passenger's mouth of the passenger seat. When the super-directional microphone 10 is directed in an arbitrary direction by the attaching means, the super-directional microphone 10 is not directed to the existing car audio speaker, and the car audio speaker is prevented in order to prevent amplification of unnecessary sound. Is preferably outside the sound collection range CR of the super-directional microphone 10.

  The amplifying circuit amplifies the audio signal collected by the super-directional microphone 10, and can employ a known amplifier or the like, and can be installed under the seat of the driver's seat.

  Returning to FIG. The speaker 14 amplifies the sound signal amplified by the amplifier circuit, and is installed outside the sound collection range CR of the superdirectional microphone 10. This is because the speaker 14 is installed outside the sound collection range CR of the super-directional microphone 10, thereby preventing the sound amplified from the speaker 14 from being collected again by the super-directional microphone 10. This is because generation can be suppressed. As shown in FIG. 6, the speaker 14 is installed on the headrest 20 of the seat where the listener sits by using a known attachment means such as a band 13. The speaker 14 is provided with a knob 16 for adjusting the volume and sound quality, so that the listener can adjust the sound volume and sound quality as desired.

  Moreover, it can also install in the headrest 20 of a seat, or the leg part 26 of a headrest using the member which has the flexibility mentioned above and can hold | maintain the shape as another attachment means of a speaker. By installing in this way, the speaker can be brought closer to the ears of the listener by bending a member that is flexible and can retain its shape, and the volume of sound output from the speaker can be further reduced. At the same time, it becomes easier to hear even for people with hearing loss. In such a case, the speaker is preferably made smaller.

  Next, based on the function of each component described above, a method for using the in-car conversation device of this embodiment will be described.

  First, with reference to FIG. 1, a method of using the in-car conversation device when the driver is hard of hearing or the like and it is difficult to hear the voices of other passengers will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, in this method of use, the super-directional microphone 10 is directed from the sun visor 24 in the front passenger seat toward the front passenger seat and from the driver seat and the headrests 20 and 21 in the front passenger seat to the respective rear seats. Is installed. Note that three super directional microphones 10 are not necessarily required, and one or two super directional microphones 10 may be used depending on the number of passengers. By using and attaching, one super-directional microphone 10 may be directed in the direction of the speaker each time.

  In addition, the speaker 14 is installed facing the front on the headrest 20 of the driver's seat, which is outside the sound collection range CR of the superdirectional microphone 10, and the speaker 14 is installed at the ear of the listener. It is possible to hear the voice that has been amplified even at a low volume.

  By installing in this way, the sound emitted by passengers other than the driver is collected by the super-directional microphone 10, amplified by the amplifier circuit, and amplified by the speaker 14 at the driver's ear, The driver can easily listen to other passengers' conversations.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2, a method of using the in-car conversation device when the passenger sitting on the right rear seat is difficult to hear due to hearing loss or the like will be described. The broken line shown in FIG. 2 represents the sound collection range CR of the super-directional microphone 10 and the loudspeaker direction LD of the speaker 14. As shown in FIG. 2, in this method of use, the super-directional microphone 10 is directed from the sun visor 24 in the passenger seat toward the passenger seat, from the headrest 20 in the driver seat toward the driver, and further in the passenger seat. From the headrest 21 toward the rear seat. Note that three super-directional microphones 10 are not necessarily required in the same manner as described above.

  The speaker 14 is installed facing the front on the headrest 22 of the right rear seat, which is outside the sound collection range CR of the superdirectional microphone 10. The effect of installing the speaker 14 at the ear of the listener is the same as the above-described usage method.

  By installing in this way, the sound emitted by the passengers other than the right rear seat is collected by the super-directional microphone 10, amplified by the amplifier circuit, and from the speaker 14 at the ear of the passenger in the right rear seat. By speaking out, it is possible to easily hear the conversations of other passengers.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a method of using the in-car conversation device when the interior of the vehicle is wide and it is difficult to talk between the front seat and the rear seat will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, in this method of use, one super-directional microphone 10, speaker 14, and amplifier circuit and the other super-directive microphone 11, speaker 15, and amplifier circuit are configured as independent sets. ing. Moreover, the speaker is installed outside the sound collection range of the same set of super-directional microphones. The broken lines in the figure indicate the sound collection range CR of one set of superdirective microphones 10 and the loudness direction LD of the speaker 14, and the two-dot chain line indicates the other set of superdirective microphones 11. The sound collection range CR2 and the loudspeaker direction LD2 of the speaker 15 are shown.

  One set of super-directional microphones 10 is installed on the dashboard 25 and is directed to the driver's seat, and the other set of speakers 14 is installed on the headrest 23 of the left rear seat and is directed forward. Yes. The other set of super-directional microphones 11 is installed on the passenger seat headrest 21 and is directed to the left rear seat. Similarly, the other set of speakers 15 is installed on the driver seat headrest 20 and forward. Is directed.

  Here, when the driver makes a sound, the sound is collected by one set of super-directional microphones 10 installed on the dashboard 25, amplified by an amplifier circuit, and installed on the headrest 23 of the left rear seat. The sound is amplified from one set of speakers 14. At this time, the sound amplified from one set of speakers 14 can be collected by the other set of super-directional microphones 11 installed on the headrest 21 of the passenger seat, but the amplifier circuit is independent for each set. Therefore, direct feedback is not required, and since the speaker 14 is installed at the ear of the listener, it is not necessary to output a large volume and it is difficult for howling to occur.

  Further, even when the passenger in the left rear seat makes a sound, the sound is collected and amplified by the other set of super-directional microphones 11 installed in the headrest 21 of the passenger seat, so that the headrest 20 of the driver seat Can be collected by the superdirective microphone 10 of one set installed on the dashboard 25, but the howling is suppressed for the same reason. be able to.

  By installing a plurality of independent super-directional microphones 10 and 11, amplifier circuits, and speakers 14 and 15 in this way, howling can be performed even among passengers sitting at separate positions such as the front seat and the rear seat. Can be suppressed and conversation can be facilitated.

  As described above, according to the in-car conversation device of the present embodiment, the direction of the speaker can be arbitrarily changed using the super-directional microphone, so that the voice of the speaker can be collected efficiently, Other sounds such as car audio are not amplified and amplified, and the listener is not uncomfortable. Further, since the speaker is installed outside the sound collection range of the super-directional microphone, howling can be suppressed without providing a howling prevention circuit, and the cost can be reduced. In addition, since the speaker is installed near the listener's ears, it can be heard sufficiently even at a relatively low volume, can prevent howling due to reflected sound, and can cause discomfort to other passengers. Absent.

  In addition, since the super-directional microphone and speaker are installed on the sun visor, dashboard, seat headrest, etc. using the attachment means, the in-vehicle conversation device can be easily installed even after the vehicle is completed and sold. . Also, by changing the layout of superdirective microphones and speakers, or using multiple sets of superdirective microphones, speakers, and amplifier circuits, conversation assistance for the hearing impaired, conversation assistance between the front seat and the rear seat, etc. , Can take a variety of usage.

  The above-described embodiment of the in-car conversation device is an exemplification of the present invention, and the configuration can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the present invention includes changing the left and right of the installation location of the super-directional microphone and the speaker, and talking in each seat in a vehicle having three or more rows of seats. In addition, a speaker can be embedded in the headrest, and three or more sets including a super-directional microphone, a speaker, and an amplifier circuit can be used. Further, the number of super-directional microphones and speakers can be set to be equal to or greater than the number of the above-described embodiments.

10.11 .. Super directional microphone, 12 .. Microphone stand, 13 .. Band, 14, 15 ... Speaker, 16 .. Knob 20, 21, 22, 23 .. Headrest, 24 .. Sun visor, 25.・ ・ Dashboard, 26 ・ ・ Headrest leg CR, CR2 ・ ・ Sound collection range, LD, LD2

Claims (6)

In an in-car conversation device that collects sound with a microphone installed in a car, amplifies the collected sound with an amplifier circuit, and amplifies the amplified sound with a speaker.
The microphone is a super-directional microphone directed to the speaker;
An in-car conversation device, wherein the speaker is installed outside the sound collection range of the super-directional microphone.   The in-vehicle conversation device according to claim 1, wherein the speaker is installed on a headrest of a seat on which a listener sits.   The in-vehicle conversation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the super-directional microphone is installed in front of the speaker by an attaching unit that can be directed in the direction of the speaker.   The in-vehicle conversation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the super-directional microphone is installed on a headrest of a seat by an attaching unit that can be arbitrarily directed toward a speaker. The superdirective microphone, the amplifier circuit, and the speaker as a single independent set, comprising a plurality of the sets,
The in-vehicle conversation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the speaker is installed outside a sound collection range of the superdirective microphones of the same set.   The in-vehicle conversation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the super-directional microphone, the amplifier circuit, and the speaker are configured to be retrofitted to a completed vehicle.

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