PASSENGER IN-CAR COMMUNICATION ENHANCEMENT (TueAmSS1)

Author(s) : Klaus Linhard (DaimlerChrysler AG, Germany) Jürgen Freudenberger (DaimlerChrysler AG, Germany)

Abstract : Although luxury vehicles provide a noise reduced environment conversation between the front seats and the rear seats is difficult due to the enhanced acoustic absorption of the car cabin. Communication in other vehicles, e.g. vans, may suffer from a higher road noise level or larger distances between the passengers. Usually passengers do not feel comfortable to conduct long conversations. Frequently, the driver is tempted to turn his/her head in order to improve communication. Thus, for safety and reasons of comfort, a system which supports natural communication between passengers is desirable. In this paper we discuss such an in-car communication system. The system basically works as an intercom between the different passenger seats. We discuss the basic design issues for such a system, where our discussion is based on measurement results for the acoustic situation in-side a car. We address stability problems and the signal processing efforts for echo cancellation.

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