Johnson Controls optimizes acoustics in vehicle interiors / Design freedom thanks to new flat speaker technology

Burscheid, Germany (ots/PROTEXT) - In the future, audiospeakers will no longer have to be integrated into car doors.This is made possible by the new flat speaker technology fromJohnson Controls, one of the world's leading suppliers ofautomotive interior systems. Audio-specialists at JohnsonControls and Philips Sound Solutions have developed variousintegration solutions based on a patent from the company NXT.This new system eliminates the need for traditional car audiospeakers. It offers automakers greater freedom in the design offuture interiors and at the same time saves on weight. Consumersbenefit from better acoustics and additional in-car storagespace. Johnson Controls will present the new flat speakers forthe first time from 9-21 September at the International MotorShow (IAA) in Frankfurt.

New technology enables invisible integration

The flat speakers are integrated into the interior atvarious positions, invisible to the car's occupants. Using aspecial technique, Johnson Controls can install these tiny flatspeakers into the substrate materials of the doors, for example.The substrate materials themselves are used as a membrane whichtransports sound into the car interior - making conventionalaudio speakers superfluous. This saves weight, opens upadditional storage options and substantially improves theoverall acoustics in the car interior. With the flat speakertechnology, there is no longer any need for openings in the cardoors, meaning that less exterior noise penetrates into the carinterior, thus further optimizing acoustic performance in theinterior.

Lower weight and greater design flexibility

With the new flat speaker technology, greater designflexibility is provided since conventional audio speakers are nolonger necessary. "In the future, the space normally taken up byspeakers in the door area can be used, for example, as storagespace for compact disks, trash bins, first-aid kits, or for theintegration of electronic products. Furthermore, we save one totwo kilos of weight", explained Olimpia Migliore, ProductManager Acoustics & Audio at Johnson Controls. The soundengineers at Johnson Controls and Philips Sound Solutions testedvarious substrate and surface materials and a variety ofinstallation positions. They concluded that the flat speakertechnology could be used with almost all common materials withno loss of audio quality. However, to ensure that the flatspeaker technology is integrated optimally into the interior,Johnson Controls must be included early in the developmentprocess of a new vehicle model. The package advantage of thesmall sound transducers makes it possible to integrate them notonly into doors but also into unconventional zones in thevehicle interior, such as the overhead, instrument panel orpillar trim. This can enhance the perception of "surroundingsound" in the interior.

Three-quarters of all test subjects favor flat speakers

The results of a recent consumer research study carried outby Johnson Controls indicated a very high level of acceptance ofthe new technology: seventy-five percent of the respondents saidthey would purchase the flat speaker system. They particularlypraised the extremely good audio quality and the new designoptions made possible by flat speakers. Some also said that sincespeaker covers are no longer needed with the new system, surfaceswould be easier to keep clean. And as potential thieves would nolonger be able to assess the value of the car's stereo systemwith a quick glance through the window, the new technology wouldalso provide protection against theft.

Comparing acoustics at the IAA

Visitors to the IAA will be able to directly compare thesound of the flat speaker system with that of conventional audiospeakers at Booth B16 in Hall 5.1. Johnson Controls will bepresenting a lower medium segment vehicle model that is equippedwith both technologies. Guests can switch from one sound systemto the other and hear for themselves the kind of high-qualitysound generated by the flat speakers.

The new technology will be available for series productionin model year 2007.

Johnson Controls, Inc. is a global market leader inautomotive systems and facility management and control. In theautomotive market, it is a leading supplier of seating andinterior systems and batteries. For non-residential facilities,Johnson Controls provides building control components and systemsand facility management services. Johnson Controls (New YorkStock Exchange: JCI), founded in 1885, has its headquarters inMilwaukee, Wisconsin. The European headquarters is in Burscheid,Germany. Its sales for 2002 totaled 20.1 billion US-Dollars, theAutomotive Systems Group alone accounting for 15 billion US-Dollars of this figure. In the current "Industry Week" businessmagazine rankings, Johnson Controls has been listed as one ofthe top 100 best run companies in the world for the fifth timein succession. ots Original Text Service: Johnson Controls GmbH Internet:http://www.presseportal.de Further information is available from: Johnson Controls GmbH Automotive Group Astrid SchafmeisterIndustriestr. 20-30 51399 Burscheid Germany Tel.: +49 2174 65-3189 Fax: +49 2174 65-3219 Email:astrid.schafmeister@jci.com

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