Chas2

Here is an excerpt from the July Acura ServiceNews describing the new microphone set up for HFL and Voice Recognition. Cool stuff

New Microphone Assembly Improves Voice Command Recognition
Currently Applies To: ’09 RL, ’09 TL, and ’09 TSX with navigation system

Voice command recognition for the navigation
system and HandsFreeLink® (HFL) has taken a big
leap in performance with the introduction of a new
ceiling console microphone assembly. This
assembly, which consists of two microphones
mounted side-by-side along with a microcomputer,
handles signal processing for the navigation system,
HFL, and active noise cancellation (ANC) (if
equipped). This helps filter out competing noises so
the navigation system or HFL can better understand
the driver’s voice commands and there’s less of
those annoying “Pardon” or “Please repeat”
responses.

When you press the applicable Talk button on the
steering wheel and give a voice command after the
beep, your voice actually reaches the left
microphone just a fraction of a second sooner than it
reaches the right one that’s farther away. The
microcomputer uses the timing of these two signals
to recognize and respond to your commands.
Competing noises (passenger voices, wind noise
from open windows, noise from dashboard vents and
side vents, etc.) simply get filtered out.

Because of the way things work, any passenger
voice commands get ignored. And this could be
mistaken by service clients for a voice command
recognition problem, which, of course, it’s not. The
navigation system and HFL are made to respond to
voice commands from just one person—and that’s
the driver. But that doesn’t mean your passengers
are treated like complete mutes, either. Once you’ve
placed or received a call with HFL, the microphone
assembly makes adjustments so that any of your
passengers can also join in on the call