VEHICLE NOISE REGULATION CONTROL AND PROCEDURES

Abstract

A vehicle with sound monitoring, comprising a cabin interior configured to carry one or more occupants, an interior microphone located in the cabin interior for detecting interior sound, a navigation device for detecting a geographic location of the vehicle, and a controller for determining sound ordinance rules with a sound limit based on a detected location, the controller further determining an exterior sound level based on the detected interior sound with the interior microphone, the controller further generating an output indicative of the detected exterior sound level relative to the sound limit.

Description

AREA OF REVELATION

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to vehicle-related sound monitoring, and more particularly relates to monitoring and providing notification or control of sound on a vehicle according to sound requirements. GENERAL STATE OF THE ART

[0002] Motor vehicles typically emit a variety of sounds, such as sounds generated by the engine in various operating modes, exhaust, tire friction, an audio / music / radio system, a horn, sounds from commercial units, and other sound sources. Vehicles may operate in geographic areas subject to local sound ordinances or other rules or recommendations. It would be desirable to provide monitoring and notification or control of sounds in accordance with sound regulations while driving in local geographic areas. SUMMARY OF REVELATION

[0003] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a sound monitoring system for a vehicle includes a cabin interior configured to carry one or more occupants, an interior microphone located in the cabin interior for detecting interior sound, a navigation device for detecting a geographical location of the vehicle, and a controller configured to determine a sound level limit based on the detected location, the controller further determining an exterior sound level based on the detected interior sound, the controller further generating an output indicative of the determined exterior sound level relative to the sound level limit.

[0004] Embodiments of the first aspect of the present disclosure may include any one or a combination of the following features: - the controller generates a notification if the specified external sound level is not within the sound level limit; - the controller controls one or more devices to control the external sound level based on the comparison; - the controller controls the one or more devices to change the external sound level if the determined external sound is not within the sound level limits; - the one or more devices include at least one of a window and a sunroof; - the one or more devices include at least one of an audio device and a horn; - the one or more devices comprise an engine of the vehicle or a sound generator for electric vehicles; - the sound level limit is determined by a sound ordinance; - the interior microphone is configured to receive voice commands from a driver of the vehicle or is used in an active noise cancellation system; - the sound transfer function estimates the external sound; and - the sound transfer function determines the outside sound level based on the detected inside sound and the condition of one or more windows or the glass sunroof.

[0005] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method for monitoring sound of a motor vehicle includes detecting an interior sound level with an internal microphone located in a cabin interior of the motor vehicle, determining an exterior sound outside the cabin interior based on the detected interior sound, determining a geographic location of the motor vehicle, determining one or more sound boundaries for the determined geographic location, comparing the determined exterior sound to the one or more sound boundaries, and generating an output indicative of the comparison of the exterior sound to the one or more sound boundaries.

[0006] Embodiments of the second aspect of the present disclosure may include any one or a combination of the following features: - the step of notifying an occupant of the vehicle when the external sound level does not comply with one or more sound limits; - the step of controlling one or more devices on the vehicle when the exterior sound level does not comply with the one or more sound limits in order to adjust the exterior sound; - the one or more devices include at least one of the vehicle window and glass sunroof; - the at least one device includes a horn or an audio device on the vehicle; - the one or more devices comprise an engine of the vehicle or an artificial sound generator for electric vehicles; - one or more sound limits are based on a sound ordinance; - a sound transfer function estimates the external sound; and - the sound transfer function determines the outside sound level based on the detected inside sound and the condition of one or more windows or the glass sunroof.

[0007] These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present disclosure will be better understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following description, claims, and accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The following applies in the drawings: Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a motor vehicle equipped with a sound monitoring and control system according to one embodiment; Fig. 2 is a perspective side view of a portion of the cabin interior of the motor vehicle shown in Fig. 1 is shown; Fig. 3 is an elevated perspective view of a geographic area including roadways and buildings subject to noise ordinances, according to an example; Fig. 4 is a block diagram of the sound monitoring and control system according to an example; and Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a routine for detecting sound and notifying a driver of excessive sound in accordance with a local sound ordinance, according to one example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to designate the same or similar parts. In the drawings, the depicted structural elements are not to scale, and certain components are enlarged relative to other components for emphasis and clarity.

[0010] For the purposes of description in this document, the terms “top”, “bottom”, “right”, “left”, “back”, “front”, “vertical”, “horizontal” and derivatives thereof refer to the concepts in their orientation in Fig. 1. However, it is to be understood that the concepts may assume various alternative orientations unless expressly stated otherwise. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the following description are merely exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Thus, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics are not to be considered limiting with respect to the embodiments disclosed herein unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

[0011] The presently illustrated embodiments primarily involve combinations of method steps and equipment components associated with a motor vehicle sound monitoring and control system and method. Accordingly, the equipment components and method steps are represented in the drawings by conventional symbols where appropriate, with only those specific details relevant to an understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure being shown, so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the description herein. Furthermore, like reference numerals represent like elements in the description and drawings.

[0012] As used herein, the term "and / or," when used in a listing of two or more elements, means that each of the listed elements may be employed individually, or any combination of two or more of the listed elements may be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and / or C, the composition may contain only A; only B; only C; A and B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination.

[0013] herein, reference terms such as first and second, upper and lower, and the like are used merely to distinguish one entity or act from another entity or act, without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or acts. The terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, procedure, article, or device that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent in such a process, procedure, article, or device. An element that "comprises a...' does not exclude, without further limitation, the presence of additional identical elements in the process, procedure, article or device incorporating that element.

[0014] As used herein, the term "about" means that amounts, sizes, formulations, parameters, and other quantities and properties are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and / or greater or lesser if desired, and may reflect tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement errors, and the like, and other factors known to those skilled in the art. When the term "about" is used to describe a value or an endpoint of a range, the disclosure should be understood to include the specific value or endpoint being referenced. Regardless of whether a numerical value or an endpoint of a range includes "about" in the description, the numerical value or endpoint of a range is intended to include two embodiments: one modified by "about" and one not modified by "about."It is further understood that the endpoints of each of the domains are significant both relative to the other endpoint and independently of the other endpoint.

[0015] The terms "substantially," "substantially," and variations thereof, as used herein, are intended to indicate that a described characteristic is equal to or approximately equal to a value or description. For example, a "substantially planar" surface is intended to mean that a surface is flat or approximately flat. Furthermore, "substantially" is intended to mean that two values ​​are equal to or approximately equal. In some embodiments, "substantially" may refer to values ​​within about 10% of each other, such as within about 5% of each other, or within about 2% of each other.

[0016] As used herein, the terms "the," "the," "a," or "a" or "an" mean "at least one" and are not intended to be limited to "only one" unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to "a component" includes embodiments having two or more such components, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0017] In relation to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, an automobile or motor vehicle 10 is illustrated, generally in the form of a passenger vehicle, incorporating a sound monitoring and control system and method according to one embodiment. The motor vehicle 10 includes a body 12 defining a cabin interior 20 and generally supported on a plurality of wheel and tire assemblies 14 connected to the axles of the motor vehicle 10. The body 12 includes a plurality of passenger doors 16, shown with front and rear doors located on each of the opposite lateral sides of the motor vehicle 10. Each of the passenger doors 16 may include a power window 18 that may be power driven to move between an upper closed position and a lower open position, and intermediate positions between the open and closed positions.The body 12 may also include a roof-mounted window referred to as a power-operated glass sunroof 19 located at the top of the roof 15 of the body 12.

[0018] The cabin interior 20 defines a passenger compartment that includes a plurality of seat assemblies 22, which in the example shown includes a pair of front seat assemblies 22 separated by a space including a center console, and a rear row of seats that may include a plurality of seat assemblies. It should be understood that the motor vehicle 10 may include more or fewer seat assemblies and various other storage options and accessories according to other examples.

[0019] The cabin interior 20 is configured to accommodate a driver and one or more passengers as occupants within the motor vehicle 10. A steering wheel 24 is located in front of a driver's seat configured to accommodate a driver, and may include an audible horn switch 26. The horn switch 26 may enable the generation of an increased sound level from the horn, which is set to a high decibel level, upon activation of the horn switch 26 by the driver of the motor vehicle 10. The motor vehicle 10 is further configured to include one or more microphones, including an interior microphone 30, located within the cabin interior 20.The interior microphone 30 may be located on an instrument panel, in a rearview mirror assembly or a mount therefor, in the roof 15, or elsewhere within the cabin interior 20 of the motor vehicle 10 in a position suitable for detecting sound within the cabin interior 20 of the motor vehicle 10. According to one example, the interior microphone 30 may be a microphone positioned and configured to receive audible spoken voice commands from a driver or one of the passengers of the motor vehicle 10. For a microphone configured to receive audible sound from a driver, the interior microphone 30 may detect commands spoken by the driver, such as input commands with instructions for performing one or more functions, or may be used in an active noise cancellation system.The interior microphone 30 is configured to detect sound and determine a sound level of the sound detected in the cabin interior 20. The motor vehicle 10 is further configured to estimate external sound in the immediate environment outside the motor vehicle 10 based on the detected interior sound. The external sound is estimated near the exterior of the motor vehicle 10 using a transfer function. The transfer function may estimate the external sound based on known sound transmission characteristics of the vehicle, which may vary depending on the sound insulation and the condition of the windows and the glass sunroof. As a result, the interior microphone 30 may be used to detect a level of the external sound. It is understood that more than one interior microphone may be used and that one or more exterior microphones may be used.

[0020] The motor vehicle 10 is also equipped with a human-machine interface (HMI) in the form of a display 34, which is shown generally in front of and between the two front row seat assemblies 22. The display 34 may include a touchscreen display for receiving user input and providing a display output. The display 34 may be operatively coupled to or integrated with a module containing audio controls 36, which may be used to control audio output by an audio system having one or more audio speakers 28. Other HMIs, such as switches on the steering wheel, may be employed. It is understood that the cabin interior 20 may be equipped with a plurality of audio speakers for outputting audio generated by one or more audio devices.

[0021] The motor vehicle 10 is equipped with a navigation location determining device in the form of a global positioning system (GPS) receiver 32. The GPS receiver 32 may be located within or on the body 12 of the motor vehicle 10, such as on the roof 15. The GPS receiver 32 receives GPS signals from a plurality of satellites and can determine the geographic location of the motor vehicle 10. Additionally, the GPS signals may provide time of day and date, i.e., season, data. The determined geographic location and time and date information may be used to determine appropriate sound level limits in accordance with local rules or ordinances.

[0022] In relation to Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a geographic area 40 having a roadway 42 upon which the motor vehicle 10 may travel. The geographic area 40 also includes a plurality of buildings 44. The buildings 44 may include specialty buildings such as a hospital, school, residential facility, specialty clinic, and other types of buildings that may wish to maintain sound levels below a certain level. The geographic area 40 may be subject to sound level rules or regulations adopted pursuant to a local ordinance. Local ordinances may prescribe maximum sound levels for a local city, county, state, or other geographic area and may require limitations on the maximum allowable sound level, which may vary depending on the season and time of day.For example, in close proximity to a hospital, school, or specialty clinic, rules or regulations regarding sound levels may be required. Local ordinances or other rules may also stipulate a minimum sound level, such as for electric vehicles that would otherwise produce no engine noise.

[0023] To accommodate noise regulations or ordinances, motor vehicle 10 is equipped with a vehicle noise monitoring and control system 50 and method. The noise monitoring system 50 of motor vehicle 10 detects the noise level inside the cabin of motor vehicle 10 and determines an estimated noise level in the environment outside the vicinity of motor vehicle 10. Motor vehicle 10 also obtains, stores, or determines any applicable noise regulation ordinances or rules currently in effect within the geographic area in which motor vehicle 10 is located. The noise monitoring control system and method can determine the location of motor vehicle 10 and, thus, the geographic area of ​​interest, and look up and determine the noise regulation ordinances and rules currently in effect within the appropriate geographic area.It is understood that sound control ordinances and rules may be stored in memory or downloaded when the vehicle travels from one geographic area to another geographic area. In response to detecting an excessive sound level above the acceptable sound ordinance or other regulation or rules, the motor vehicle 10 may generate an output to notify the driver and other occupants of the motor vehicle 10 of the inadequate or excessive sound levels. The driver of the motor vehicle 10 may then control one or more functions or features on the motor vehicle 10 to control and change the sound level to an acceptable level that complies with the sound limit.For example, motor vehicle 10 may automatically take action to control one or more devices or functions on motor vehicle 10 to reduce the sound level to a level below the sound limit in applicable rules or regulations. For example, motor vehicle 10 may automatically reduce the sound generated by an audio system, reduce engine sound output, or close one or more power windows or the power sunroof on motor vehicle 10 to reduce the sound level of the audio system heard outside the vehicle.

[0024] The motor vehicle sound monitoring and control system 50 has the illustration in Fig. 4, a controller 52 may include a microprocessor 54 and a memory 56. It should be understood that the controller 52 may employ a shared or dedicated controller and may include other analog and / or digital circuitry. A control routine 100 for executing the method and one or more sound ordinance rules 200 and a sound transmission function 300 are stored in the memory 56 and executed by the microprocessor 54. The sound ordinance rules 200 may be initially stored in advance in a memory or may be periodically or continuously downloaded to the motor vehicle 10 and may be received from communication towers and satellites, such as cell towers, and from other vehicles via vehicle-to-vehicle communication.The sound transfer function 300 may include an algorithm that estimates the external sound in the environment near the exterior of the motor vehicle 10 based on the detected interior sound and other parameters, such as whether one or more windows or a sunroof in the motor vehicle 10 are open. The algorithm may include known sound insulation properties of the vehicle acquired during testing.

[0025] The controller 52 receives and processes inputs, including the audio input signal detected by the interior microphone 30 and the navigation data, including location, date, and time data, from the GPS receiver 32. The controller 52 processes the detected interior sound with the transfer function to estimate an exterior sound in the outdoor environment near the motor vehicle 10. The controller 52 processes the interior sound detected by the interior microphone 30 and the navigation data and generates one or more outputs, which may include notifications to the display 34 indicating the sound level's compliance with local ordinances or rules for that geographic area. Additionally, the controller 52 may output the notifications and other data to the display 34 and / or a portable device, such as a phone 21.The controller 52 may control devices such as the audio controls 36 to control the audio output through the audio speakers 28. The controller 52 may further control sound-generating devices such as the horn 27, which is turned on by the horn switch 26, to reduce the sound emitted by the horn 27 when turned on to prevent the horn 27 from exceeding audible sound limits. The controller 52 may further control the power windows 18 to control the sound level in the outside environment. The controller 52 may further control the glass sunroof 19 to further control the sound levels in the outside environment. Furthermore, the controller 52 may control the vehicle engine 58 to prevent the engine from generating excessive sound or squealing the tires to an extent that the sound would exceed the sound limits.The controller 52 may also control exterior sound generators on an electric vehicle to increase exterior sound, particularly when ambient sound is excessive.

[0026] With reference to Fig.5 illustrates the control routine 100 or method according to one example. The control routine 100 begins at step 102 and proceeds to step 104 to detect the vehicle location, date, and time of day. This data may be provided by one or more devices, such as a radio, a cellular phone, or a navigation device such as a GPS receiver. The routine 100 then proceeds to step 106, where, if data is available, the routine 100 downloads or reads the local ordinance sound data for the sound limits. Next, at step 108, if no data is available, the routine 100 uses historical information and evaluates it against strict sound rules.Next, at step 110, routine 100 measures the exterior sound using the vehicle's interior microphone and a transfer function to essentially estimate the exterior sound taking vehicle attenuation and filtering into account. Control routine 100 then proceeds to decision step 112 to determine if the estimated exterior sound of the vehicle is louder than the regulatory sound limit and, if not, returns to step 104. If the exterior sound estimated from the vehicle is louder than the regulatory limit allows, control routine 100 then proceeds to step 114 to notify the driver to provide an alphanumeric message, a voice message, an icon, etc., and may further provide a controller to control one or more devices or vehicle functions to reduce the sound emitted by motor vehicle 10.

[0027] Accordingly, the motor vehicle sound monitoring and control system 50 and method advantageously utilize an interior microphone 30 within the cabin interior 20 of the motor vehicle 10 to determine and estimate the exterior sound, to monitor the sound level, and to determine whether the sound complies with the rules or regulations of local ordinances. The control system 50 and method may further advantageously notify the driver of the non-compliant sound and may control one or more devices on the motor vehicle 10 to adjust the sound to a level to meet the regulated sound level.

[0028] It is to be understood that variations and modifications may be made to the foregoing structure without departing from the concepts of the present disclosure, and it is further understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless such claims expressly state otherwise by their language.

[0029] According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle with sound monitoring, comprising: a cabin interior configured to carry one or more occupants; an interior microphone located in the cabin interior for detecting interior sound; a navigation device for detecting a geographic location of the vehicle; and a controller configured to determine a sound level limit based on the detected location, the controller further determining an exterior sound level based on the detected interior sound, the controller further generating an output indicative of the determined exterior sound level relative to the sound level limit.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the controller further generates a notification when the determined outside sound level is not within the sound level limit.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the controller further controls one or more devices to control the outside sound level based on the comparison.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the controller controls the one or more devices to change the outside sound level when the determined outside sound level is not within the sound level limits.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the one or more devices include at least one of a window and a sunroof.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the one or more devices include at least one of an audio device and a horn.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the one or more devices include an engine of the vehicle or a sound generator for electric vehicles.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the sound level limit is determined by a sound ordinance.

[0037] According to one embodiment, the interior microphone is configured to receive voice commands from a driver of the vehicle or is used in an active noise cancellation system.

[0038] According to one embodiment, the sound transfer function estimates the external sound.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the sound transfer function determines the exterior sound level based on the detected interior sound and the state of one or more windows or the glass sunroof.

[0040] According to the present invention, a method for monitoring sound of a motor vehicle includes: detecting an interior sound level with an internal microphone located in a cabin interior of the motor vehicle; determining an exterior sound outside the cabin interior based on the detected interior sound; determining a geographic location of the motor vehicle; determining one or more sound boundaries for the determined geographic location; comparing the determined exterior sound to the one or more sound boundaries; and generating an output indicative of the comparison of the exterior sound to the one or more sound boundaries.

[0041] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes the step of notifying an occupant of the vehicle when the exterior sound level does not comply with the one or more sound limits.

[0042] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes the step of controlling one or more devices on the vehicle when the exterior sound level does not meet the one or more sound limits to adjust the exterior sound.

[0043] In one aspect of the invention, the one or more devices include at least one of the vehicle window and sunroof.

[0044] In one aspect of the invention, the at least one device includes a horn or an audio device on the vehicle.

[0045] In one aspect of the invention, the one or more devices include an engine of the vehicle or an artificial sound generator for electric vehicles.

[0046] In one aspect of the invention, the one or more sound limits are based on a sound ordinance.

[0047] In one aspect of the invention, a sound transfer function estimates the external sound.

[0048] In one aspect of the invention, the sound transfer function determines the exterior sound level based on the detected interior sound and the condition of one or more windows or the glass sunroof.

Claims

[1] Vehicle with sound monitoring, the vehicle comprising: a cabin interior configured to carry one or more occupants; an internal microphone located in the cabin interior for detecting internal noise; a navigation device for detecting a geographical location of the vehicle; and a controller configured to determine a sound level limit based on the detected location, the controller further determining an exterior sound level based on the detected interior sound, the controller further generating an output indicative of the determined exterior sound level relative to the sound level limit. [2] The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller further generates a notification when the determined outside sound level is not within the sound level limit. [3] The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller further controls one or more devices to control the exterior sound level based on the comparison. [4] The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the controller controls the one or more devices to change the exterior sound level when the determined exterior sound level is not within the sound level limits. [5] The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the one or more devices include at least one of a window and a sunroof. [6] The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the one or more devices include at least one of an audio device and a horn. [7] The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the one or more devices include an engine of the vehicle or a sound generator for electric vehicles. [8] A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the sound level limit is determined by a sound ordinance. [9] The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the interior microphone is configured to receive voice commands from a driver of the vehicle or is used in an active noise cancellation system. [10] A vehicle according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the sound transfer function estimates the external sound. [11] The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the sound transfer function determines the exterior sound level based on the detected interior sound and the condition of one or more windows or the glass sunroof. [12] A method for monitoring sound of a motor vehicle, the method comprising: Detecting an interior sound level with an internal microphone located in a cabin interior of the motor vehicle; Determining an external sound outside the cabin interior based on the detected internal sound; Determining a geographical location of the motor vehicle; Determining one or more sound boundaries for the specific geographical location; Comparing the determined external sound with the one or more sound boundaries; and Generating an output indicating the comparison of the exterior sound with the one or more sound boundaries.

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