Johnson Controls earns patent for wireless communication technology in cars

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Thanks to innovative communications technology developed by Holland-based Johnson Controls, cell phone users can communicate wirelessly through their car's audio system, and now that communication system has earned a U.S. patent.

The technology, under the BlueConnect trademark, has been marketed widely in the U.S. and other countries. It allows drivers or passengers to make and receive calls hands-free, using the vehicle's audio system via an electronic control module and microphone mounted in an overhead console.

The control module contains a voice recognition system, a noise cancellation system, and a Bluetooth chipset. The driver's phone can be place anywhere in the car during use. And BlueConnect requires no monthly subscription fee.

"We are pleased to have been awarded a patent on our hands-free system," says Loick Griselain, vice president of product management. "We believe in value-added innovations that ultimately bring differentiated products to our customers' vehicles."

Source: Johnson Controls

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].