The Communication Technology Group of the University of Zaragoza (Spain) working together with the European Technological Center of Lear Corporation in Valls (Spain) are developing a Cabin Communication System (CCS) to improve the communication among passangers in mini-vans, sedans, and sport utility vehicles.

Wind, road and engine noise and distance beween passengers make difficult the communication inside vehicles. The cabin communication system has the goal of increase the intelligibility of the passangers communications without increase the noise, allowing the simultaneous use of the high fidelity audio equipment. We understand as passangers communications both the communication among passangers inside the vehicle and the communication with outside people using a cellular phone.

The following picture shows one of the main problems in cabin communications:

the driver must often look away from the road and passangers move out of normal seating positions.

Please, place the mouse over the picture to see the solution.

The proposed solution include:

1. Overhead mounted microphones
2. Advanced Digital Signal Processing
3. Front voices played out of rear audio speakers
4. Rear voices played out of front audio speakers

1. Voice Memo
2. Enhanced Hands-free Cellular Phone with conferece call or individual call selection

Advanced Digital Signal Processing Techniques for the Cabin Communication System:

EUROSPEECH-2001

1. Advanced FIR Adaptive filtering for echo cancellation
2. Wiener filtering for echo suppression
3. Wiener filtering for noise suppression
4. Automatic Gain Control depending on the signal level and vehicle speed
5. Howling detection and suppression

A hand-free telephone system is included to allow the simultaneous use of the inside communications capabilities of the CCS with a cellular phone.