Harman, a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., is showcasing new connected car, audio and connectivity services for drivers and passengers.
As voice commands emerge as a new trend in the automotive market, clear in-vehicle communication is becoming necessary. At CES 2019, which is taking place this week in Las Vegas, Harman is demonstrating its new Premium Communication technology. It uses smart audio and acoustic signal processing to personalize the sonic environment and provide clear communication for all vehicle occupants — whether through a voice assistant or a phone call.
The platform is based on Harman’s open network development technology called Audioworx that is scalable and modular across vehicle segments. The Premium Communication platform includes:
- In-car communication (ICC) — providing clear communication for all vehicle occupants.
- Clear Chat — featuring far-end noise cancellation for improved clarity in phone calls and voice commands.
- Personal communication zones — allowing each vehicle occupant to have his or her own communication channels.
- Multi-voice personal assistant capability — allowing each vehicle occupant to use the voice assistant either at once or simultaneously.
“ICC will provide clear, safe, two-way communications between all occupants in the vehicle,” Tom Rivers, VP of global marketing for connected cars at Harman told Electronics360. “ICC is always on, it is an adaptive feature so that all conversations can be clear. The drivers can communicate with passengers in the car without having to turn their head, raising their voice or screaming in their seat.”
Rivers said Clear Chat is enabled by noise cancellation in cars using beam-forming microphones, echo cancellation and noise reduction algorithms so people on the other end of the phone only hear a voice.
“This can be a job saver as employees or bosses won’t know if you are in the car or sitting in an office,” Rivers said.
Click here to check out Electronics360’s full coverage of CES 2019.
