Abstract:
Operating parameters of a hands-free audio system used with a wireless communication device in a moving vehicle are adjusted or tuned in real-time and requires only two persons: one to drive the vehicle and thus provide actual usage conditions with the hands-free audio system and one to remotely tune or adjust operating parameters to optimize far end audio quality. The system is remotely tuned by transmitting audio signals from the vehicle to the far end using a first communications link to the far end and sending adjustment commands to the vehicle from the far end via a second, data link between the far end and the vehicle. In one embodiment, DTMF signals received from inside or outside the vehicle can tune or be used to diagnose the hands-free system. Test measurements obtained from within and by the hands-free audio system can also be retrieved from a remote location.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Many motor vehicles are provided with “hands-free” systems, which are essentially speaker phones that enable a driver or passenger to use his or her cell phone without having to hold the device against the user&#39;s ear. They comprise a microphone and a speaker. The microphone portion is typically a non-directional microphone designed to pick up sounds from almost anywhere inside a vehicle, including a user&#39;s voice. The speaker portion is designed to provide audio at power levels that can be heard anywhere inside the vehicle. 
         [0002]    A well-known and unfortunate characteristic of hands-free systems is their tendency to pick up background noise from inside the vehicle, a user&#39;s voice as well as audio signals, which originate from the far-end of a telephone call, output from the speaker. The background noise includes wind noise, engine noise, and road noise. A user&#39;s voice can include voice signals from anyone inside the vehicle. Audio signals output from the speaker, however, which are detected by the microphone and re-transmitted to the far end produce an undesirable sound at the far end which is known as echo. 
         [0003]    As used herein, echo refers to the re-transmission of a portion of a received signal to its origin. Stated another way, echo is the return of a transmitted signal to its source, with a delay between the time that the signal was first transmitted from the source and a portion of the signal is returned to the source. Echo is desirable in some types of systems, such as radar. Echo in a telecommunications system, however, is annoying. 
         [0004]    Most echo suppressors and echo cancellers are now embodied as the software that controls the operation of a digital signal processor. Most noise suppressors are also embodied as software. Optimizing echo suppression, echo cancellation, and noise suppression thus requires changing various parameters used by the processes that provide such operations. 
         [0005]    Since a hands free system will pick up vehicle noise when the vehicle is being operated, properly tuning a hands-free system requires the vehicle to be operated while the tuning is conducted. The vehicle must, therefore, be driven by someone, which requires a least one person. In addition to a driver, a person at the far end of a communication link is needed to monitor the quality of the signal received from the vehicle and share his or her observations of the hands-free system audio with a second person in the vehicle, who manipulates various parameters of the hands-free system and monitors various measurements from the hands-free system in order to optimize the audio quality at the far end. A method and apparatus for remote tuning and operation of a diagnostic interface for a hands-free system would be an improvement over the prior art. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0006]    In accordance with embodiments of the invention, operating parameters of a hands-free audio system used with a wireless communication device in a moving vehicle are adjusted or tuned in real-time and requires only two persons: one to drive the vehicle and thus provide actual usage conditions with the hands-free audio system and one to remotely tune or adjust operating parameters to optimize far end audio quality. The system is remotely tuned by transmitting audio signals from the vehicle to the far end using a first communications link to the far end and sending adjustment commands to the vehicle from the far end via a second, data link between the far end and the vehicle. In one embodiment, DTMF signals received from inside or outside the vehicle can tune or be used to diagnose the hands-free system. Test measurements obtained from within and by the hands-free audio system can also be retrieved from a remote location. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a system for adjusting operating parameters of a hands-free audio system used in a vehicle; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an apparatus for remotely accessing a hands-free audio system and for adjusting operating parameters of a hands-free system used in a vehicle; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of a system for remotely accessing and adjusting operating parameters of a hands-free audio system used with a wireless communications device in a vehicle; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of an alternate embodiment of a system for remotely accessing and adjusting operating parameters of a hands-free audio system used with a wireless communications device in a vehicle; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart showing steps of a method of remotely accessing and adjusting operating parameters of a hands-free audio system used with a wireless communications device in a vehicle; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart showing an alternate method of accessing and adjusting operating parameters of a hands-free audio system used with a wireless communication device in a vehicle. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]      FIG. 1  depicts a system  100  for adjusting the operating parameters of a hands-free audio system, which is used with a wireless communications device  102  in a moving vehicle  104 . The system  100  shown in  FIG. 1  comprises a wireless communications device  102 , usable by occupants of the passenger compartment or cabin of the moving vehicle  104 . The wireless communications device  102  provides two-way wireless communications that include voice communications and data communications. Both forms of communications are facilitated by a wireless network  108  that is compatible with the wireless communications device  102 . 
         [0014]    In the vehicle  104 , the hands-free audio system  105  comprises a microphone  112  or multiple microphones (only one shown) and a loudspeaker  114  or multiple loudspeakers (one shown). The microphone  112  transduces or “picks up” audio-frequency signals from within the passenger compartment or interior  103  of the vehicle  104  and provides electrical signals representing those audio signals to the wireless communications device  102  via a controller  130  for the hands-free audio system  105 . The microphone  112  thus picks up road noise, wind noise, and engine noise caused by the vehicle being driven about as well as audio signals output from loudspeakers  114  in the cabin  103 , including audio signals that are returned from the far end of a telecommunications path, such signals being referred to as “echo.” 
         [0015]    The loudspeaker  114  portion of the hands-free system  105  receives electrical signals in the audio-frequency range from the wireless communications device  102  via the controller  130  for the hands-free audio system  105 . The loudspeaker  114  transduces those electrical signals into sound waves or audio signals  113  that can be heard throughout the passenger compartment  103  of the vehicle  104 . 
         [0016]    Audio signals  113  picked up by the microphone  112  are converted to electrical signals that are provided first to the controller  130 . The electrical signals representing the audio signals are provided to the wireless communications device  102 . The wireless communications device  102  transmits radio frequency signals containing the electrical signals obtained from the microphone to the wireless communications network  108  where they are routed from the network  108  to a conventional telephone switching system  120 . 
         [0017]    The telephone switching system or network  120  switches or routes the audio signals  113  obtained from the vehicle  104  to a conventional telephone handset  122 , which is located at a distant location  124 , i.e. a location remotely located away from the vehicle  104  at a distance, D. The voice-frequency communications  113  that take place between a person in the vehicle  104  and a person at the distant/remote location  124  thus takes place via a first communications link or channel identified in  FIG. 1  by reference numeral “ 116 .” 
         [0018]    In addition to the first wireless communications link  116 , the system depicted in  FIG. 1  establishes a second link identified by reference numeral “ 126 .” The second link  126  is established between the vehicle  104  and a computer  128  located at the remote location  124 . The second link  126  carries bi-directional data, i.e., zeroes and ones, exchanged between the computer  128  at the remote location  124  and the hands-free audio system controller  130  located in the vehicle  104  and which is coupled to the wireless communications device  102  in the vehicle  104 . The communications device  102  in the vehicle  104  is thus capable of both data communications and audio communications. 
         [0019]    Information in the form of data can be exchanged between the wireless communications device  102  in the vehicle  104  and the computer  128  through the separate data link  126 . Commands  132  for the hands-free audio system controller  130  can thus be provided to the controller  130  in the vehicle  104  from the computer  128  simply by sending the commands  132  to the controller  130  via the wireless communications device  102 . Similarly, messages can be sent from the hands-free controller  130  to the remote computer  128 . The second data link  116  thus allows the remote computer  128  to communicate with the hands-free controller  130  and vice versa. 
         [0020]    In order to tune or adjust the hands-free system  105  from the remote location  124 , a voice call is placed to the handset  122  at the remote location  124 , or a voice call is placed to the wireless communications device  102  from the handset  122  at the remote location  124 . A person using the handset  122  at the remote location  124  is thus able to hear noise and voice signals picked up by the hands-fee system in the vehicle  104 . Such person is also able to detect echo that might be caused by the hands-free system  105 . 
         [0021]    Operational parameters of the hands-free system  105  can be changed by the person at the remote location  124  using the computer  128  that is coupled to the controller  130  for the hands-free system through the second data link  126 . A person using the computer  128  can also send a message to the controller  130  in the vehicle  104 , which causes the controller  130  to send a separate message or data back to the computer  128 . A person using the computer  128  can thus query the controller  130  for information regarding hands-free system performance. Information that can be retrieved from controller  130  by way of a query sent to the controller  130  from the computer  128  can include, but is not limited to, data on echo return loss (ERL), which is a measure of the amplitude of the echo signal in the microphone  112 , echo return loass enhancement (ERLE), which is a measure of the echo attenuation achieved by echo cancellation processes and a noise floor (NF) which is a measurement of the background noise level in the passenger compartment  103 . Stated another way, the data connection to the hands-free audio system enables the transmission of commands to the wireless communications device  102  in the vehicle  104 , which is coupled to the controller  130  for the hands-free system. The system  100  shown in  FIG. 1  thus enables the remote configuration or tuning of a hands-free system in a moving vehicle using only two people: a driver for the vehicle and a technician at the remote location  124  who can change operating parameters of the hands-free audio system  110  in real time in order to optimize the performance of the hands-free system in the vehicle. The ability to send commands to the hands-free audio system  110  from the remote location  124  thus enables a person at the remote location to tune or adjust the hands-free audio system to his liking and remotely monitor key measurements from the hands-free system itself. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an apparatus  200  for adjusting operating parameters of a hands-free audio system for a wireless communications device in a moving vehicle and which is capable of retrieving information from such a hands-free system. The apparatus  200  comprises a microphone  202 , or multiple microphones, and a speaker  204 , or multiple speakers, which are coupled to an audio hardware interface  206 . For the microphone  202 , the audio hardware interface  206  comprises a conventional analog-to-digital (A/D) convertor  208 . The A/D converter  208  receives analog voltages and outputs binary numbers that represent the analog voltages. For the speaker  204  the interface  206  comprises a conventional digital-to-analog (D/A) convertor  210 . The D/A converter receives binary numbers and outputs an analog voltage signal. 
         [0023]    Digital signals  212  sent to and received from the audio hardware interface  206  from the microphone  202  and speaker  204  respectively are provided to a “hands-free module”  205 , which in a preferred embodiment comprises one or more computer programs (computer program instructions and data or parameters) stored in a non-transitory memory device  207  that is coupled to a hands-free controller  216  embodied as a conventional microcontroller or microprocessor. When the program instructions  205  are executed, they cause the processor  216  to perform echo cancellation, echo suppression, and noise suppression operations on the digital data  212  that represents audio signals detected by the microphone  202 , at least some of which are provided to the microphone  202  by the loud speaker  204 . 
         [0024]    A diagnostic interface module  218 , also comprising computer program instructions, decodes the digital data  222  from the data connection interface  220  into a data format  214  that the hands-free module  205  can process. Additionally, the diagnostic interface module  218  can receive data  214  from the hands-free module  205  and encode and send that data  222  to the data connection interface  220 . 
         [0025]    The diagnostic interface module  218  is coupled to a data connection interface which is preferably embodied as digital data connection  222 . It couples the hands-free controller  216  to a conventional cellular telephone  224 . 
         [0026]    The data connection interface  220  sends data signals to, and receives data signals from, a computer  230 , not part of the apparatus  200  because it is located at a remote location. The data is exchanged between the computer  230  and the apparatus  200  via a data network, such as the Internet  232  and a wireless service provider not shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0027]    A connection to a data network can be provided by a connection to a wireless communications network (not shown in  FIG. 2 ) which is provided through the cell phone  224 . Data signals received from the computer  230  can include commands to the hands-free system controller  216 , which cause the controller  216  to collect hands-free system performance data and cause the controller  216  to send such information back to the computer  230  where it can be used to optimize the hands-free system. 
         [0028]    A diagnostic server  240  handles connections from multiple remote computers to multiple vehicles. Each hands-free system in multiple vehicles registers with the server  240 . When the “client” application to control a hands-free system in a vehicle is launched, on a remote computer  128 , the user can choose which vehicle to connect to. The server  240  will also maintain a log of all data sent back and forth between the hands-free system in a vehicle and the remote computer  128 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 3  depicts a preferred embodiment of an apparatus  300  for adjusting the operating parameters of a hands-free system used with a wireless communications device in a moving vehicle and for retrieving information from the hands-free system. The apparatus  300  depicted in  FIG. 3  differs from the apparatus depicted in  FIG. 2  by the absence of the diagnostic server  240 . The apparatus  300  depicted in  FIG. 3  is otherwise the same as the apparatus  200  shown in  FIG. 2 . Additional description of the elements shown in  FIG. 3  is, therefore, omitted for brevity. 
         [0030]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of another alternate embodiment of an apparatus  400  for adjusting operating parameters of a hands-free audio system used with a wireless communications device in a moving vehicle and for retrieving information from the hands-free system. The hands-free system  400  is essentially the same as the hands-free system  200  shown in  FIG. 2  and the hands-free system  300  shown in  FIG. 3  except that in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , commands are sent to the controller  216  for the hands-free system  400  as dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signals  406  that originate from a cell phone  404  that is typically located at a remote location  408  that is away from the vehicle where the hands-free system is being used. 
         [0031]    DTMF signals  406  from the cell phone  404  are routed through a wireless communications network  410  to a second cell phone  412 , which is coupled to the apparatus  400  through a Bluetooth transceiver  414  or other network access device (NAD) built into the vehicle but which is not a cell phone with, having, or using a Bluetooth link. The Bluetooth connection thus forwards the DTMF signals and the numbers they represent directly to the controller  216 . The diagnostic and interface module  218 , which is preferably implemented as computer program instructions, decodes the DTMF tones and constructs from them a series of digits. The alternate embodiment depicted in  FIG. 4  thus enables changing or adjusting one or more operating parameters of a hands-free audio system in a moving vehicle from a remote location using either a conventional telephone or a cell phone. 
         [0032]    Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that DTMF signals sent to the Bluetooth transceiver  414  from the far end cell phone  404  will be indistinguishable from DTMF signals sent to the Bluetooth transceiver  414  from the near end cell phone  412 . In another alternate embodiment of the system  400  shown in  FIG. 4 , commands to adjust operating parameters of a hands-free audio system originate from a cell phone  412  inside the vehicle instead of a cell phone or conventional telephone located away from the vehicle. In such an embodiment, the controller  216  receives the same sequence of DTMF signals through the Bluetooth connection  414  and transfers the sequence of DTMF signals to the diagnostic and interface module  218 , regardless of where the DTMF signals originate. The module  218  decodes the DTMF tones and constructs from them a series of digits. 
         [0033]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram showing steps of a method  500  of remotely adjusting the operating parameters of a hands-free audio system used with a wireless communications device in a moving vehicle. At step  502 , a voice communication link is established between the wireless communications device in the moving vehicle and a second communications device, such as a conventional telephone, located at a remote location away from the moving vehicle. As described above, the first communication link is a conventional voice path established with the hands-free audio system which will inherently pick up background noise, speech, and signals received from the remote location. 
         [0034]    In step  504 , a data link is established between the wireless communications device or cell phone in the vehicle and a computer at the remote location. For the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , however, a data link is not required. The data link enables the computer at the remote location to send commands to the phone in the vehicle, which is coupled to the controller for the hands-free audio system. Commands from the remote location can thus be sent to the controller for the hands-free audio system enabling the remote location to take direct control of the controller for the hands-free audio system and adjust its operation based upon received audio at the remote location and measurements sent by the hands-free system to the remote user. 
         [0035]    After the voice channel is established in step  502  and after the data link is established in step  504 , the method  500  thereafter simply requires a person at the remote location to monitor the quality of audio signals received from the vehicle and monitor various measurements received from the hands-free system. Step  506  thus depicts the evaluation of received audio at the remote location by a user or in an alternate embodiment, a computer provided with appropriate audio processing circuitry well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0036]    Finally, at step  508 , using a computer, a person at the remote location transmits commands from the computer to the controller for the audio system in the vehicle using the data link. The user at the remote location is thus able to tune or align the parameters of the hands-free system to optimize audio quality in real time. 
         [0037]      FIG. 6  is a block diagram showing steps of a method  600  of remotely or locally adjusting the operating parameters of a hands-free audio system using DTMF signals, e.g., from within the vehicle using a cell phone inside the vehicle or from a distant location using a cell phone, conventional telephone, or a DTMF tone generator. At step  602 , a voice communication link is established between the wireless communications device in the moving vehicle and a second communication device, such as a conventional telephone, located at a remote location away from the moving vehicle. 
         [0038]    At step  604 , the audio at the remote location is evaluated by a person at the remote location listening to the audio transmitted from the vehicle. Based on the quality of the audio at the remote location, commands to adjust the hands-free system might be given to adjust the hands free system. 
         [0039]    At step  606 , a decision is made whether to adjust the hands-free system from inside the vehicle or from a remote location. At step  608 , commands to adjust the hands-free system, embodied as one or more DTMF tones, are sent to the hands-free system from a remote location via the voice link established at step  602 . Alternatively, commands to adjust the hands-free system are sent to the hands-free system from a near location, e.g., a cell phone in the vehicle. In either case, commands to adjust the hands-free system are sent to the system in the form of DTMF signals. 
         [0040]    DTMF signals are well known to those of ordinary skill in the telephone art. Those of ordinary skill in the art also know that DTMF signals can be generated by conventional telephones and cell phones as well as test equipment that is specifically designed to generate DTMF signals. The term “DTMF signal generator” should therefore be construed to include a conventional telephone, a cell phone, as well as any other device that can generate DTMF tones. 
         [0041]    In each embodiment described above, the commands sent from the computer at the remote location to the controller for the hands-free audio system include information or instruction that causes the controller for the hands-free audio system to change parameters or data used by one or more control algorithms for the hands-free audio system. Such algorithms are provided by the controller for the hands-free audio system executing program instructions stored in non-transitory memory that is coupled to the controller. Digital signal processing algorithms cause the controller to process digital signal signals to change, for example, a noise attenuation factor, change a digital filter cut-off frequency or change a digital delay time that is provided by the hands-free audio system between signals detected at a microphone and that are broadcast from a loud speaker in the vehicle. Other algorithms can cause the controller to change other parameters. 
         [0042]    The foregoing description is for purposes of illustration only. The true scope of the invention is set forth in the following claims.