Gentex Develops New Microphone for the Automotive Industry
ZEELAND, Mich., Dec. 18, 2001/PRNewswire/ -- You already look in the mirror
while driving, but soon you'll be talking to it, thanks in part to a new
microphone technology integrated into your vehicle's interior rearview mirror.
Gentex Corporation (Nasdaq: GNTX), the Zeeland, Michigan-based
manufacturer of automatic-dimming rearview mirrors and commercial fire
protection products, has developed a new microphone designed specifically for
the automotive environment. With more and more automotive manufacturers
looking to include hands-free cell phones, navigation systems and other voice-
activated services in the vehicle, Gentex decided to engineer a custom
microphone to support these functions.
"We found you can't simply modify a typical off-the-shelf microphone and
think it's going to function properly in a vehicle," said Ken La Grand,
Gentex's executive vice president. "The automotive environment is just too
harsh. So, about two years ago, we hired a complete microphone development
team -- about 90 years of combined experience -- and set out to develop from
scratch a high-performance microphone dedicated for use inside the vehicle."
Several automotive manufacturers have already adopted the Gentex
microphone technology and are currently working to integrate it into their
vehicles. DaimlerChrysler was the first to announce that it will use a Gentex
microphone as part of the Chrysler Group's recently announced hands-free,
voice-recognition communications system, which the company plans to factory-
install on various vehicles beginning in early 2003.
In order to accurately transmit the human voice, in-vehicle microphones
have to account for road vibration, air movement, blower noise,
electromagnetic noise generated by the vehicles own electrical currents, and
additional sounds coming from the radio and other vehicle occupants.
Automotive microphones also have to withstand moisture and extreme
temperatures ranging from -40 degrees to 185 degrees Fahrenheit.
To tackle these unique demands, Gentex's new, proprietary microphone
technology incorporates a variety of design elements. For starters, Gentex's
new microphone technology is completely water resistant. The entire
microphone cavity is sealed to keep moisture out, and the Company has designed
a special protective grill, or mesh screen, that sheds water away from the
microphone element.
Because microphones work best when they're engineered to function within a
specific, known environment, Gentex's microphone is integrated into the top of
one of the Company's automatic-dimming rearview mirrors. Gentex is able to
fine-tune the microphone's acoustical properties for optimum performance
because rearview mirrors are in the driver's natural "line-of-speech," and
they're located in approximately the same position in every vehicle.
"By integrating the microphone into our mirrors, we also control the
installation process, which means we know the microphone is going to function
properly in the car," said La Grand. "It also allows us to automate the
assembly process, which further assures a quality product and yields
predictable, consistent microphone performance characteristics."
Air blowing from the vehicle's defroster can generate noise as it flows
over a microphone. To prevent air- movement-induced disturbances, Gentex
developed a proprietary air deflector that redirects air movement away from
the microphone.
Microphones can also pick up unwanted interference from the vehicle's own
electrical currents. Vehicle components such as alternators, power windows
and sunroof motors can produce an electrical "hum" that can be picked up by a
microphone. Gentex has developed a method of canceling the electromagnetic
noise generated by the vehicle's own electrical currents.
Gentex's new microphone technology also exceeds automotive temperature-
range specifications, and is protected against RF (radio frequency) signals
generated by cell phones and other electronic devices.
La Grand believes Gentex's foray into the automotive microphone business
shouldn't surprise anyone. "Microphone development is a natural extension of
our business because Gentex is first and foremost an electronics company," he
said. "Our specialty is delivering advanced electronic features through the
rearview mirror. Our goal is to turn the mirror into a strategic electronic
module, and since microphones are becoming an integral part of the vehicle,
they're becoming an integral part of our business."
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