Patent ID: 7466832

Claim:
A vehicle seatback audio controller, comprising: a first input configured to receive an entertainment audio signal from an entertainment audio source; a second input configured to receive a telematics audio signal from a telematics audio source; a level detector electrically coupled to the first input; a signal processor electrically coupled to the first input, the second input, the level detector, and a seatback speaker, the seatback speaker coupled to a seat of a vehicle; where the signal processor provides the telematics audio signal to the seatback speaker when the telematics audio source is active, and provides the entertainment audio signal to the seatback speaker when the telematics audio source is inactive; where a vehicle speaker receives an amplified signal of the entertainment audio signal while the telematics audio source is either inactive or active; where telematics audio from the seatback speaker is directed to a first listener position in the seat, entertainment audio from the vehicle speaker is directed to the first listener position and a second listener position located elsewhere in the vehicle, and the telematics audio from the seatback speaker and the entertainment audio from the vehicle speaker are produced in a common listener space within the vehicle; where the level detector determines an average gain signal as a function of the entertainment audio signal; and where the signal processor adjusts a level of the telematics audio signal to the seatback speaker as a function of the average gain signal.