Patent ID: 8483403

Claim:
An audio system for a vehicle having seat positions, said audio system comprising: a respective loudspeaker array mounted at each of a plurality of seat positions; a microphone mounted in the vehicle with respect to a first seat position of the plurality of seat positions so that the microphone detects speech from an occupant of the first said seat position and outputs signals corresponding to the detected speech; and processing circuitry between the microphone and each said respective loudspeaker array, wherein, for the first seat position, the processing circuitry receives the signals corresponding to the detected speech from the occupant of the first seat position and drives a respective loudspeaker array at each of one or more other seat positions of the plurality of seat positions to directionally radiate first acoustic energy corresponding to the detected speech to said one or more other seat position and to directionally radiate second acoustic energy to the first seat position so that the second acoustic energy is below a level that causes audio feedback, wherein the processing circuitry does not drive the respective loudspeaker array at the first seat position to radiate acoustic energy corresponding to the speech detected from the occupant of the first seat position.