Control device and method for automatically adapting an artificial engine sound

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12361920-B2
Application number	US-202017917766-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2020
Priority date	Apr 7, 2020
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

A control device for a sound-system of a vehicle with an engine is configured to control the sound-system to generate an artificial engine sound, to monitor longitudinal and/or lateral vehicle acceleration, and to adapt the generated artificial engine sound as a function of the longitudinal and/or lateral vehicle acceleration. A corresponding method adapts an artificial engine sound for a vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control device for a sound-system of a vehicle with an engine,
the control device being configured to:
control the sound-system to generate an artificial engine sound,
monitor real-time longitudinal and/or lateral vehicle acceleration,
adapt the generated artificial engine sound as a function of the longitudinal and/or lateral vehicle acceleration,
calculate an aggressiveness index as a function of the longitudinal and/or lateral vehicle acceleration, and
adapt the artificial engine sound as a function of said aggressiveness index,

wherein the aggressiveness index is a weighted sum of the longitudinal and lateral vehicle acceleration calculated in real-time from outputs of longitudinal and lateral vehicle accelerator sensors which are connectable to the control device.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control device is configured to adapt the artificial engine sound by at least one of:
adapting an overall sound pressure level determined by a sum of all harmonic orders of the artificial engine sound, and
adapting a frequency balance determined by a sound pressure levels of individual harmonic orders of the artificial engine sound.

3. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control device is configured to increase at least one of a sound pressure level and a sound pressure of a main firing order of the artificial engine sound as a function of an increase of longitudinal and/or lateral vehicle acceleration.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control device is configured to, in case the monitored longitudinal and/or lateral vehicle acceleration exceeds a predetermined initial threshold, activate the artificial engine sound generation.

5. The control device according to claim 4 , wherein
the control device is configured to subsequently adapt the artificial engine sound as a function of the longitudinal and/or lateral vehicle acceleration.

6. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the control device is configured to compare the aggressiveness index to a plurality of predefined successive index thresholds and play a preprogrammed variation of artificial engine sound depending on the aggressiveness index in reference to the plurality of predefined successive index thresholds.

7. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the artificial engine sound corresponds to a virtual engine with an increasable rotation per minute during acceleration, in case the real engine of the vehicle is operable with a constant saturated rotation per minute during acceleration of the vehicle, or
the virtual engine speed corresponds to a frequency of a sound of the real engine, in case the rotation per minute of the real engine of the vehicle increases during acceleration of the vehicle.

8. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the artificial engine sound comprises one or more orders which are superimposed on orders of an actual engine sound generated by the engine of the vehicle, and/or
the artificial engine sound corresponds to a step shift pattern of a virtual engine with a fixed gear transmission, and a frequency of a dominant order of the artificial engine sound is increased until a frequency maximum, before a virtual up-shift is performed.

9. The control device according to claim 8 , wherein
the dominant order of the artificial engine sound blends at the frequency maximum with a main firing order of the actual engine sound or with one of its harmonics, and/or
the step shift pattern of the virtual engine presents substantially a sawtooth profile, wherein during acceleration of the vehicle successive sawteeth of the step shift pattern are increasingly lengthened in time.

10. The control device according to claim 8 , wherein
during acceleration of the engine of vehicle, the artificial engine sound blends with the actual engine sound, such that the frequency of the dominant order of the artificial engine sound matches a frequency progression of the equal order of the actual engine sound.

11. A sound system for a vehicle with an engine comprising:
a speaker system or at least one electromagnetic shaker or a combination thereof, to generate an artificial engine sound, and
the control device according to claim 1 .

12. A vehicle comprising:
an engine,
a longitudinal and/or lateral vehicle accelerator sensor, and
a sound system according to claim 11 .

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Europe
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Raymaekers Christopher

Classifications

• B60Q5/005

  automatically actuated · CPC title

• B60Q9/00

  Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 {, e.g. haptic signalling} · CPC title

• G10K15/02 Primary

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