Apparatus for providing environmental noise compensation for a synthesized vehicle sound

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10414337-B2
Application number	US-201314083846-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2013
Priority date	Nov 19, 2013
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

In at least one embodiment, an apparatus for generating a simulated vehicle sound is provided. At least one parameter module receives a first driver throttle signal and to transmit a first input signal indicative of a first simulated vehicle sound. An engine sound generator block audibly generates a first simulated vehicle sound in response to the first input signal. An engine sound removal block is operably coupled to a microphone that receives a first microphone input signal. The first microphone input signal includes first environmental noise associated with a vehicle exterior environment and the first simulated vehicle sound. The engine sound removal block is configured to filter the first simulated vehicle sound from the first microphone input signal to determine the first environmental noise. The engine sound generator generates a second simulated vehicle sound that is louder than the first environmental noise.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for generating a simulated vehicle sound, the apparatus comprising:
at least one parameter module configured to receive a first driver throttle signal indicative of a first position of a throttle for a vehicle and to transmit a first input signal indicative of a first simulated vehicle sound in response to at least the first driver throttle signal;
an engine sound generator block configured to audibly generate a first simulated vehicle sound in response to the first input signal;
an engine sound removal block for being operably coupled to a microphone that receives a first microphone input signal, the first microphone input signal including a first environmental noise associated with an environment exterior to the vehicle and the first simulated vehicle sound, the engine sound removal block being configured to:
filter the first simulated vehicle sound from the first microphone input signal to determine the first environmental noise; and
generate a first output signal indicative of the first environmental noise;

wherein the engine sound generator block includes:
an amplifier including a first input and a second input, the amplifier being configured to: (i) receive a summer signal at the first input, (ii) receive the first output signal at the second input; and (iii) provide an output to a speaker to generate a second simulated vehicle sound in response to the summer signal and the first output signal, and
a summer circuit configured to transmit the summer signal, wherein the summer signal corresponds to a sum of tonal information and noise information for the second simulated vehicle sound,

a delay compensation circuit configured to transmit a static delay value to the engine sound removal block in response to the tonal information and the noise information for the second simulated vehicle sound,
wherein the engine sound removal block is further configured to filter the first simulated vehicle sound from the first microphone input signal upon an expiration of the static delay value, and
wherein the engine sound removal block includes an inverse filter block and a spectral weighting block to compensate for propagation delays attributed to reflections of the first simulated vehicle sound from surrounding vehicles or buildings.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one parameter module is further configured to receive a second driver throttle signal indicative of a second position of the throttle for the vehicle and to transmit a second input signal indicative of the second simulated vehicle sound.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the engine sound generator block is further configured to audibly generate the second simulated vehicle sound in response to the second input signal and the first output signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the engine sound removal block is further configured to receive a second microphone input signal from the microphone, the second microphone input signal including a second environmental noise associated with the environment exterior to the vehicle and the second simulated vehicle sound.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the engine sound removal block is further configured to filter the second simulated vehicle sound from the second microphone input signal to determine the second environmental noise and to generate a second output signal indicative of the second environmental noise.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one parameter module is configured to receive a vehicle speed signal indicative of a speed for the vehicle and to transmit the first input signal indicative of the first simulated vehicle sound in response to the first driver throttle signal and the vehicle speed signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one parameter module comprises a tonal parameters module for storing a plurality of tones associated with a plurality of simulated engine revolutions per minute (RPM), respectively, wherein the first driver throttle signal is indicative of a particular simulated engine RPM at a particular fundamental frequency.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one parameter module comprises a noise parameters module for storing a plurality of engine sounds associated with a plurality of simulated engine revolutions per minute (RPM), respectively, wherein the first driver throttle signal is indicative of a particular simulated engine RPM at a particular volume and spectral density.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a filter configured to remove short term noise included in the first environmental noise such that the engine sound generator block generates the second simulated vehicle sound independent of the short term noise.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the engine sound generator block includes tonal information corresponding to various tones associated with a plurality of simulated engine revolutions per minute (RPM).

11. An apparatus for generating a simulated vehicle sound, the apparatus comprising:
at least one parameter module configured to receive a first vehicle speed signal indicative of a first speed of a vehicle and to transmit a first input signal indicative of a first simulated vehicle sound in response to at least the first vehicle speed signal;
an engine sound generator block configured to audibly generate a first simulated vehicle sound in response to the first input signal,
an engine sound removal block for being operably coupled to a microphone that receives a first microphone input signal, the first microphone input signal including a first environmental noise associated with an environment exterior to the vehicle and the first simulated vehicle sound, the engine sound removal block being configured to:
filter the first simulated vehicle sound from the first microphone input signal to determine the first environmental noise; and
generate a first output signal indicative of the first environmental noise,

wherein the engine sound generator block includes:
an amplifier including a first input and a second input, the amplifier being configured to: (i) receive a summer signal at the first input, (ii) receive the first output signal at the second input; and (iii) provide an output to a speaker to generate a second simulated vehicle sound in response to the summer signal and the first output signal, and
a summer circuit configured to transmit the summer signal, wherein the summer signal corresponds to a sum of tonal information and noise information for the second simulated vehicle sound; and

a delay compensation circuit configured to transmit a static delay value to the engine sound removal block in response to the tonal information and the noise information for the second simulated vehicle sound,
wherein the engine sound removal block is further configured to filter the first simulated vehicle sound from the first microphone input signal upon an expiration of the static delay value, and
wherein the engine sound removal block includes an inverse filter block and a spectral weighting block to compensate for propagation delays attributed to reflections of the first simulated vehicle sound from surrounding vehicles or buildings.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the at least one parameter module is further configured to receive a second vehicle speed signal indicative of a second speed of the vehicle and to transmit a second input signal indicative of the second simulated vehicle sound.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the engine sound generator block is further configured to audibly generate the second simulated vehicle sound in response to the second input signal and

Assignees

• Harman Int Ind

Inventors

• Kreifeldt Richard
• Kirsch James

Classifications

• H04R2499/13

  Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles · CPC title

• H03G3/32

  the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level · CPC title

• B60Q5/008 Primary

  for signaling silent vehicles, e.g. for warning that a hybrid or electric vehicle is approaching · CPC title

• G10K15/02

  Synthesis of acoustic waves (synthesis of speech G10L13/00) · CPC title

• B60C5/008

  Low pressure tyres, e.g. for all terrain vehicles · CPC title