Harman Becker Automotive Systems Gmbh

Nikos Zafeiropoulos

Markus E Christoph

Gerhard Pfaffinger

Juergen Zollner

Vasudev Kandade Rajan

Koukias Stamatios

Methods and systems are provided for automatic noise control. Automatic noise control includes controlling a shadow noise control transfer function based on a shadow error signal and a filtered or unfiltered reference signal, generating the shadow error signal based on a filtered or unfiltered shadow anti-noise signal and an error signal, and substituting the noise control transfer function by the shadow noise control transfer function if the shadow error signal is smaller than the error signal.

Automatic noise control

An active road noise control system method for a vehicle includes picking up noise at a multiplicity of positions in or on the vehicle and generating a multiplicity of noise sense signals representative of road noise originating from a road noise source in or at the vehicle, and processing, according to a beamforming scheme, the multiplicity of noise sense signals to generate a reference signal and to provide a sensitivity characteristic for picking up the noise that comprises one main lobe directed to the road noise source. The system and method further includes iteratively and adaptively processing the reference signal to provide a noise reducing signal, and generating at one or more positions in an interior of the vehicle, from the noise reducing signal, noise reducing sound at a listening position in the interior of the vehicle.

Active road noise control

A system for generating silent zones at a listening position comprises a first loudspeaker disposed at a first position and configured to radiate sound that corresponds to a sound signal. A first microphone picks up noise radiated by a noise source to the listening position and generates a first microphone signal. A second loudspeaker disposed at a second position that radiates sound. A second microphone that generates a second microphone signal. A third microphone disposed at a third position that generates a third microphone signal. An active noise cancellation (ANC) controller that receives the third microphone signal and at least one of the first and second microphone signals and that provides a loudspeaker input signal. A distance between the third position and the first position equals a distance between the third position and the second position such that the first, second and third microphones form corners of an isosceles triangle.

Silent zone generation

An active road noise control system and method for a vehicle includes generating a microphone sense signal representative of road noise occurring in or at a wheel well of the vehicle, and iteratively and adaptively processing the microphone sense signal to provide a noise reducing signal. The system and method further include generating from the noise reducing signal with a headrest loudspeaker arrangement disposed in a headrest in an interior of the vehicle, noise reducing sound at a listening position in the interior of the vehicle.

In at least one embodiment, a computer-program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium that is programmed to perform selective active noise cancellation (ANC) for a vehicle is provided. The computer-program product comprising instructions to determine an amount of noise present in a first zone and a second zone and to selectively drive only at least one first loudspeaker in the first zone to generate a first cancellation field to cancel road noise and/or engine noise if the amount of noise in the first zone is greater than the amount of noise in the second zone. The computer-program product comprising instructions to selectively drive only at least one second loudspeaker in the second zone to generate the second cancellation field to cancel road noise and/or engine noise if the amount of noise in the second zone is greater than the amount of noise in the first zone.

Selective noise cancellation for a vehicle

A system for generating a silent zone at a listening position is provided. The system includes a loudspeaker, an error microphone, a microphone array, and a noise controller. The loudspeaker is configured to radiate sound that corresponds to a sound signal. The error microphone is configured to pick up noise radiated by a noise source and the sound radiated by the loudspeaker via a secondary path. The microphone array is configured to pick up noise radiated by a noise source and the sound from the loudspeaker. The microphone array is configured to generate corresponding array signals. The noise controller is configured to receive a noise signal representative of noise radiated by the noise source and to filter the noise signal with a controllable noise reduction transfer function. The noise controller is further configured to control the noise reduction transfer function based on the noise signal and a virtual error signal.

An active noise cancellation system and method, in which an active noise controller generates an anti-noise signal based on an error signal, and a loudspeaker operatively coupled to the active noise controller converts the anti-noise signal into anti-noise sound. An acoustic error sensor operatively coupled to the active noise controller picks up sound and converts the picked-up sound into the error signal. The acoustic error sensor is disposed at a front face of the loudspeaker.

Active noise cancellation

A noise and vibration measurement arrangement, system, and method are disclosed. The arrangement is configured to operate with an active road noise control system. The arrangement includes an energy harvester, an acceleration sensor, a signal processor, and a signal transmitter. The energy harvester obtains electrical energy from an ambient energy source. The acceleration sensor is configured to generate a sense signal. The signal processor is configured to provide a processed sense signal. The signal processor includes a normal mode of operation and an energy saving mode of operation. The signal transmitter includes a normal mode of operation and an energy saving mode. The energy controller evaluates the electrical energy from the energy harvester to operate in the energy saving mode when the electrical energy is below a predetermined energy level and to operate in the normal mode when the electrical energy is above the predetermined energy level.

Wireless noise and vibration sensing

A noise and vibration sensor arrangement which is configured to operate with a road noise control system, and includes four acceleration sensors each configured to generate at least one output signal representative of at least one of accelerations, motions and vibrations that act on the respective acceleration sensor. The arrangement includes a vehicle subframe structure having a shape that is axisymmetric to a first axis and that has a maximum extent along a second axis. The first and the second axis are perpendicular. The four sensors are attached to the subframe structure at positions that correspond to four corners of a virtual rectangle. The virtual rectangle has two perpendicular centerlines, one of the centerlines being in line with the first axis of the subframe structure. The extent of the virtual rectangle along the other centerline is less than fifty percent of the subframe structure's maximum extent along the second axis.

Noise and vibration sensing

The present disclosure provides a method for determining an arrangement of reference sensors for active road noise control (ARNC) in a vehicle with an automatic calibration system. The method includes mounting a plurality of vibrational sensors on a plurality of structure elements of the vehicle to generate a plurality of vibrational input signals and mounting at least one microphone inside a cabin of the vehicle to capture at least one acoustic input signal. The method further includes determining an arrangement of reference sensors from the plurality of vibrational sensors by determining a subset of vibrational sensors which sense the main mechanical inputs of road noise contributing to the at least one acoustic input signal.

Method and system for selecting sensor locations on a vehicle for active road noise control

An exemplary engine noise control includes directly picking up engine noise from an engine of a vehicle at a pick-up position to generate a sense signal representative of the engine noise, and active noise control filtering to generate a filtered sense signal from the sense signal. The control further includes converting the filtered sense signal from the active noise control filtering into anti-noise and radiating the anti-noise to a listening position in an interior of the vehicle. The filtered sense signal is configured so that the anti-noise reduces the engine noise at the listening position.

Growing community of inventors

Straubing, Germany

Nikos Zafeiropoulos