PAZ: In-Vehicle Personalized Audio Zones

The modern vehicle has evolved into a multimedia hub, becoming a vital integration and delivery point for a panoply of media and devices. However, the resulting in-vehicle noise pollution created by this multitude of services has significant potential to become annoying to all vehicle occupants. This problem motivated the authors to build a system that enables the configuration of in-vehicle personalized audio zones (PAZs) that don't require earphones. The PAZ system comprises a novel user interface, custom-designed headrests, and an infotainment noise-control subsystem. The performance evaluations of PAZ in a BMW 5 series sedan delivered approximately 20 decibels of isolation, which resulted in an overwhelmingly positive subjective experience for the occupants. PAZ not only ameliorates noise pollution, but also provides a unique solution to sound personalization via configurable audio zones and individual media selection that doesn't require headphones.