Patent ID: 7466828

Claim:
A vehicle audio system comprising: a plurality of audio sources; audio signal output means for providing an audio signal supplied by a selected audio source, the audio signal output means including at least a headphone for a rear seat of a vehicle, and a speaker for the reproduction of deep bass disposed in the vicinity of the rear seat, said headphone and said speaker each capable of reproducing a signal from a different one of the plurality of audio sources simultaneously; an audio output selector for selectively switching the audio signal from the selected audio source to connect said audio signal to said audio signal output means; and a controller for controlling said audio output selector, said controller operable to check for a plurality of predetermined conditions and judge that one of the plurality of predetermined conditions exists when said controller detects predetermined input information corresponding to said one of the plurality of predetermined conditions, wherein, if the controller detects said predetermined input information while the audio signal is being provided from said deep bass reproduction speaker, then said controller automatically (1) controls the audio output selector such that said selector interrupts the connection of said audio signal to said deep bass reproduction speaker and stops reproducing said deep bass, and (2) supplies a first audio signal previously supplied to a rear seat speaker and a second audio signal previously supplied to said deep bass reproduction speaker to a mixer, said mixer mixing the first and second audio signals with a third audio signal previously supplied to a front seat speaker to generate a mixed signal, and thereafter the mixed signal is supplied to said front seat speaker, whereby the sound field formed after said controller detects said predetermined information becomes substantially identically to that formed before the detection of said predetermined information.