MOTOR-VEHICLE VOICE-ASSISTANCE APPARATUS

Abstract

A voice assistance device (1) for motor vehicles, which can be arranged in the interior of the motor vehicle, has a display (2), which is configured on the front of the voice assistance device (1), at least one microphone (3), which is disposed in or on the display (2), and a loudspeaker, by means of which audio signals of the voice assistance device (1) can be output into the interior of the motor vehicle. In order to achieve the best possible sound in the interior of the motor vehicle, the invention proposes that the loudspeaker has a sound outlet opening (4) which is arranged on the front side of the voice assistance device (1) comprising the display (2) and the microphone (3).

Claims

1. A motor-vehicle voice-assistance apparatus for use inside a motor vehicle, comprising: a housing having a front side; a display screen on the front side of the housing; a microphone in or on the display screen; and a speaker that can output audio signals from the voice-assistance apparatus into the interior of the motor vehicle, the speaker having a sound outlet opening on the front side of the voice-assistance apparatus carrying the display screen and the microphone.

2. The voice-assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sound outlet opening of the speaker is closer to an outer edge of the front side of the voice-assistance apparatus than the display screen or the microphone.

3. The voice-assistance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sound outlet opening of the speaker annularly surrounds the display screen and the microphone.

4. The voice-assistance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sound outlet opening occupies essentially all of the front side of the voice-assistance apparatus between the outer edge of the display screen, including the microphone and the outer edge of the front side of the voice-assistance apparatus.

5. The voice-assistance apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the front side of the housing is round and the sound outlet opening of the speaker is a circular ring of the front side face of the voice-assistance apparatus.

6. The voice-assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising; an electronic analog-digital converter for suppressing disturbances, interference, etc. during operation of the microphone and the speaker or excluding the speaker's useful signal from the microphone signal.

7. The voice-assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing has an inner edge on the front side of the voice-assistance apparatus that outwardly delimits the sound outlet opening of the speaker.

Description

[0011] In the following, the invention is explained in greater detail with the help of an embodiment making reference to the drawing whose sole FIGURE is a perspective view of an embodiment of a motor-vehicle voice-assistance apparatus according to the invention.

[0012] An embodiment of a motor-vehicle voice assistance apparatus 1 shown in the single FIGURE is in the interior of a motor vehicle that is not otherwise shown. In the case of the embodiment of the voice-assistance apparatus according to the invention shown in FIG. 1, said voice-assistance apparatus is provided with a mount 9 that for example holds the voice-assistance apparatus 1 inside a windscreen of the motor vehicle.

[0013] The embodiment of the voice-assistance apparatus 1 shown in the drawing includes a display screen 2 on or forming the front side of the voice-assistance apparatus 1, a microphone 3 within the area of the front side of the voice-assistance apparatus 1 occupied by the display screen 2 in the illustrated embodiment of the voice-assistance apparatus according to the invention, and a speaker that cannot be seen in the drawing, that can emit audio signals from the voice-assistance apparatus 1 into the interior of the motor vehicle.

[0014] It should be noted that more than one microphone 3 may also be provided in different embodiments of the voice-assistance apparatus according to the invention.

[0015] As shown in the perspective view of the voice-assistance apparatus 1, a sound outlet opening 4 of the speaker is on the front side of the speech assistant device 1. The sound outlet opening 4 is therefore arranged or configured along with the display screen 2 and the microphone 3 on the front side of the voice-assistance apparatus according to the invention shown in the single FIGURE.

[0016] An outer edge 5 of the embodiment of the voice-assistance apparatus 1 according to the invention shown in the single FIGURE is formed by an inner edge 8 of a housing 7 of the voice-assistance apparatus 1. The inner edge 8 of the housing 7 outwardly delimits the sound outlet opening 4 of the speaker of the voice-assistance apparatus 1 that is not shown in the drawing on the front side thereof.

[0017] In the illustrated embodiment, the sound outlet opening 4 of the speaker of the voice-assistance apparatus 1 is configured in the form of a radially outer circular ring 6 of the front-side face of the voice-assistance apparatus 1.

[0018] This circular ring 6 forming the sound outlet opening 4 surrounds the circular display screen 2 on which the microphone 3 is provided.

[0019] The sound outlet opening 4 of the speaker of the voice-assistance apparatus 1 therefore surrounds the display screen 2 on the front side of the voice-assistance apparatus 1.

[0020] In order to guarantee interference-free operation of the voice-assistance apparatus 1, the apparatus is equipped with an electronic analog-digital converter that is not shown in the drawing. This analog-digital converter can suppress or balance possible disturbances, interference, etc. during operation of the microphone 3 and the speaker by excluding a useful signal of the speaker from the microphone signal.