vehicle

Abstract

We will improve the technology for controlling vehicle acoustics. [Solution] A vehicle comprising a control unit, a first speaker unit, and a second speaker unit, wherein the control unit causes the first speaker unit to output a first acoustic signal, and when the first acoustic signal is output from the first speaker unit, the control unit causes the second speaker unit to output a second acoustic signal having a different phase from the first acoustic signal, thereby reducing the sound based on the first acoustic signal at a target location outside the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in order to avoid disturbing people outside the vehicle due to the loud sound of a car audio device, a technique for setting the volume of sound inside the vehicle is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that the volume is lowered when the window or door is opened while the vehicle is traveling at a low speed or stopped.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There is also a need to maintain an acoustic space inside the vehicle and enjoy music with a loud sound, and there is room for improvement in the technology for controlling the vehicle's acoustics.

[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the technology for controlling the acoustics of a vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a vehicle including a control unit, a first speaker unit, and a second speaker unit, wherein the control unit outputs a first acoustic signal to the first speaker unit, and when the first acoustic signal is being output from the first speaker unit, outputs a second acoustic signal having a different phase from the first acoustic signal to the second speaker unit to reduce the sound based on the first acoustic signal at a target position outside the vehicle.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, it is possible to improve the technology for controlling vehicle acoustics. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows a schematic configuration of a vehicle according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a diagram to explain the target location. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same or corresponding parts will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0010] The vehicle 10 according to this embodiment is any type of automobile, such as a gasoline vehicle, diesel vehicle, BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle). The vehicle 10 may be capable of moving by autonomous driving. Autonomous driving includes, for example, levels 1 to 5 as defined by the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), but is not limited to these and may be defined arbitrarily.

[0011] First, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and details will be described later. The vehicle 10 includes a first speaker unit 15A and a second speaker unit 15B. The vehicle 10 outputs a first acoustic signal to the first speaker unit 15A. When the first acoustic signal is output from the first speaker unit 15A, the vehicle 10 outputs a second acoustic signal, which has a different phase from the first acoustic signal, to the second speaker unit 15B, thereby reducing the sound based on the first acoustic signal at a target location outside the vehicle.

[0012] The target location is any location outside the vehicle 10, and includes, for example, the area near the end of the door D of the vehicle 10 that is furthest from the vehicle 10 when the door D of the vehicle 10 is opened. Figure 2 is a view of the vehicle 10 from above in the vertical direction. Referring to Figure 2, the area R as the target location is indicated by a dashed line. Area R is, for example, the location outside the vehicle 10 where a person is standing when the door D of the vehicle 10 is opened and a person is about to get into the vehicle 10. The target location is not limited to this and may be any location around the vehicle 10. The area R, which is the target location or a set of target locations, where the sound based on the first acoustic signal is reduced, may have any shape or size. In this embodiment, the first speaker unit 15A is provided inside the vehicle 10, and the second speaker unit 15B is provided at the end of the door D of the vehicle 10. The positions of the first speaker section 15A and the second speaker section 15B are not limited to these; for example, the second speaker section 15B may be provided at any location, such as the side of the vehicle 10 on the outside of the vehicle 10. The first and second acoustic signals include signals representing music, voice, or both music and voice. The second acoustic signal has a different phase from the first acoustic signal. This different phase includes, but is not limited to, an inverse phase shifted by 180° from the sound wave of the first acoustic signal. When the sound waves of the first and second acoustic signals interfere, their amplitudes cancel each other out, reducing the sound based on the first acoustic signal at the target location. According to this embodiment, the sound at the target location can be reduced without reducing the volume of the first acoustic signal emitted from the first speaker section 15A inside the vehicle 10. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both the maintenance of the acoustic space inside the vehicle and the prevention of sound leakage to the outside of the vehicle. Consequently, it is possible to improve the technology for controlling the acoustics of a vehicle.

[0013] Next, the configuration of the vehicle 10 will be described in detail with reference to Figure 1. The vehicle 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, an input / output unit 14, a first speaker unit 15A, a second speaker unit 15B, a door sensor unit 16, and an error microphone 17.

[0014] The control unit 11 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. "CPU" is an abbreviation for central processing unit. "GPU" is an abbreviation for graphics processing unit. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA or ASIC. "FPGA" is an abbreviation for field-programmable gate array. "ASIC" is an abbreviation for application specific integrated circuit. The control unit 11 controls each part of the vehicle 10 and executes processes related to the operation of the vehicle 10.

[0015] The storage unit 12 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or at least two combinations thereof. The semiconductor memory is, for example, RAM or ROM. "RAM" is an abbreviation for random access memory. "ROM" is an abbreviation for read-only memory. The RAM is, for example, SRAM or DRAM. "SRAM" is an abbreviation for static random access memory. "DRAM" is an abbreviation for dynamic random access memory. The ROM is, for example, EEPROM. "EEPROM" is an abbreviation for electrically erasable programmable read-only memory. The storage unit 12 functions, for example, as a main memory, auxiliary memory, or cache memory. The storage unit 12 stores information used for the operation of the vehicle 10 and information obtained by the operation of the vehicle 10. For example, the storage unit 12 may store system programs, application programs, and databases. The information stored in the storage unit 12 may be updatable with information obtained from the network via the communication unit 13.

[0016] The communication unit 13 includes at least one communication interface. The communication interface is, for example, a LAN interface, or an interface compatible with a mobile communication standard such as LTE, 4G, or 5G. "LTE" is an abbreviation for Long Term Evolution. "4G" is an abbreviation for 4th generation. "5G" is an abbreviation for 5th generation. The communication unit 13 receives data used for the operation of the vehicle 10 and transmits data obtained by the operation of the vehicle 10.

[0017] The input / output unit 14 includes at least one input / output interface. The input / output interface includes a touch screen provided integrally with the display. The input / output unit 14 receives an operation for inputting information used for the operation of the vehicle 10 and outputs information obtained by the operation of the vehicle 10. Instead of being provided in the vehicle 10, the input / output unit 14 may be connected to the vehicle 10 as an external input device. As a connection method, for example, any method such as USB, HDMI (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used. The input / output unit 14 may be constituted by a separate input unit and output unit without being integrated. In this case, the input unit includes at least one input interface such as a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, or a microphone. The output unit includes at least one output interface such as a display or a speaker.

[0018] Each of the first speaker unit 15A and the second speaker unit 15B outputs sound based on the acoustic signal output from the control unit 11.

[0019] The door sensor unit 16 detects the opening and closing of the door D of the vehicle 10 and the opening degree θ of the door D. The door sensor unit 16 outputs information indicating that the door D is open or closed and information indicating the opening degree θ of the door D to the control unit 11.

[0020] The error microphone 17 detects the sound output from the first speaker unit 15A and the second speaker unit 15B and the ambient sound. At least one error microphone 17 is provided at an arbitrary location within a predetermined distance from the target position. For example, the error microphone 17 may be provided at a position on the door D where it is farthest from the vehicle 10 when the door D is open. The error microphone 17 may be provided at an arbitrary position such as the inside of the door D of the vehicle 10 or the side surface of the vehicle 10. The error microphone 17 can output a detection signal indicating the detected sound to the control unit 11 in real time.

[0021] The functions of the vehicle 10 are realized by executing the program according to this embodiment on a processor corresponding to the control unit 11. In other words, the functions of the vehicle 10 are realized by software. The program causes the computer to perform the operations of the vehicle 10, thereby causing the computer to function as the vehicle 10. That is, the computer functions as the vehicle 10 by performing the operations of the vehicle 10 according to the control program.

[0022] The program can be stored on a non-temporary computer-readable medium. In this embodiment, the non-temporary computer-readable medium is ROM. However, it is not limited to ROM, and non-temporary computer-readable mediums include, for example, magnetic recording devices, optical discs, and magneto-optical recording media. The program is distributed, for example, by selling, transferring, or lending a portable medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM on which the program is stored. "DVD" is an abbreviation for digital versatile disc. "CD-ROM" is an abbreviation for compact disc read only memory. The program may also be stored in the server's storage and distributed by transferring the program from the server to other computers. The program may also be provided as a program product.

[0023] A computer, for example, once stores a program stored in a portable medium or a program transferred from a server in a main memory device. Then, the computer reads the program stored in the main memory device with a processor and executes processing according to the read program with the processor. The computer may directly read a program from a portable medium and execute processing according to the program. The computer may sequentially execute processing according to the received program each time a program is transferred from a server to the computer. Processing may be executed by a so-called ASP-type service that realizes functions only by execution instructions and result acquisition without transferring a program from a server to a computer. "ASP" is an abbreviation of application service provider. A program includes information for use in processing by an electronic computer and that conforms to the program. For example, data that is not a direct instruction to a computer but has a property of defining the processing of the computer corresponds to "that which conforms to the program".

[0024] Some or all functions of the vehicle 10 may be realized by a programmable circuit or a dedicated circuit as the control unit 11. That is, some or all functions of the vehicle 10 may be realized by hardware.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 3, the operation of the vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0026] In S1 of FIG. 3, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 outputs a first acoustic signal via the first speaker unit 15A. The first acoustic signal may be prestored in the storage unit 12 and may be a signal specified by the user via the input / output unit 14.

[0027] In S2, the control unit 11 determines whether the door D of the vehicle 10 is open or closed. The control unit 11 may determine whether the door D is open or closed based on the information output from the door sensor unit 16 indicating whether the door D is open or closed. If it determines that the door D is open, the control unit 11 proceeds to S3. The control unit 11 repeats the operation of S2 until it determines that the door D is open.

[0028] In S3, the control unit 11 determines the opening degree θ of door D. In this embodiment, the control unit 11 determines the opening degree θ of door D based on the information indicating the opening degree θ of door D output from the door sensor unit 16.

[0029] In S4, the control unit 11 generates a second acoustic signal by changing at least one of the phase and amplitude of the first acoustic signal based on the opening degree θ of the door D, and outputs the generated second acoustic signal from the second speaker unit 15B. Any method may be used to determine the degree of change in phase and amplitude. For example, a predetermined algorithm may be stored in the memory unit 12 in advance, with the opening degree θ of the door D and the degree to which at least one of the phase and amplitude is changed as parameters, and the control unit 11 may use this algorithm to generate a second acoustic signal by changing the first acoustic signal. Since the direction in which the second speaker unit 15B provided in the door D outputs sound changes depending on the opening degree θ of the door D, the algorithm includes parameters that take this direction into consideration. For example, the control unit 11 may decide to increase the amplitude as the opening degree θ of the door D is larger. Similarly, the control unit 11 may decide to decrease the amplitude as the opening degree θ of the door D is smaller. The control unit 11 generates the second acoustic signal with the determined amplitude. For example, the control unit 11 may analyze the first acoustic signal using any frequency analysis method, determine the extent to which at least one of the phase and amplitude is changed for each frequency component, and generate a second acoustic signal.

[0030] As shown in S3 and S4, the control unit 11 controls the second speaker unit 15B to output a second sound signal when the door D of the vehicle 10 is open, and controls the second speaker unit 15B not to output a second sound signal when the door D of the vehicle 10 is closed. The control unit 11 changes at least one of the phase and amplitude of the second sound signal according to the opening degree θ of the door D.

[0031] In S5, the control unit 11 acquires the detection signal from the error microphone 17.

[0032] In S6, the control unit 11 continues to output the second acoustic signal from the second speaker unit 15B while changing at least one of the phase and amplitude of the second acoustic signal so as to reduce the sound based on the detection signal of the error microphone 17. The control unit 11 may change at least one of the phase and amplitude of the second acoustic signal using an adaptive filter and an adaptive algorithm for updating the parameters of the adaptive filter.

[0033] In S7, the control unit 11 determines whether the output of the first sound signal has stopped or whether door D has closed. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines that the output of the first sound signal has stopped when it receives information from the input / output unit 14 provided in the vehicle 10 indicating that the user has operated the input / output unit 14 and selected the button to stop the music. The control unit 11 determines that door D has closed when it receives information from the door sensor unit 16 indicating that door D has closed. In this case, the control unit 11 terminates its processing. If it determines that the output of the first sound signal has not stopped and door D has not closed, the control unit 11 returns to step S5.

[0034] As described above, the vehicle 10 according to this embodiment is a vehicle comprising a control unit 11, a first speaker unit 15A, and a second speaker unit 15B. The control unit 11 causes the first speaker unit 15A to output a first acoustic signal, and when the first acoustic signal is output from the first speaker unit 15A, it causes the second acoustic signal, which has a different phase from the first acoustic signal, to output to the second speaker unit 15B, thereby reducing the sound based on the first acoustic signal at a target location outside the vehicle. According to this embodiment, the sound at the target location can be reduced even if the person riding in the vehicle 10 does not reduce the volume of the first acoustic signal emitted from the first speaker unit 15A. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both the maintenance of the acoustic space inside the vehicle and the prevention of sound leakage to the outside of the vehicle. Thus, it is possible to improve the technology for controlling the acoustics of a vehicle.

[0035] As described above, in the vehicle 10 according to this embodiment, the control unit 11 controls the second speaker unit 15B to output a second sound signal when the door D of the vehicle 10 is open, and controls the second speaker unit 15B not to output a second sound signal when the door D of the vehicle 10 is closed. Since there is no need to output a second sound signal from the second speaker unit 15B when the door D is closed, this embodiment makes it possible to streamline the processing of the control unit 11. Therefore, it is possible to improve the technology for controlling the sound of the vehicle.

[0036] As described above, in the vehicle 10 according to this embodiment, the second speaker unit 15B is located in the door D, and the control unit 11 changes at least one of the phase and amplitude of the second acoustic signal according to the opening degree θ of the door D. According to this embodiment, the control unit 11 can generate a second acoustic signal to reduce the sound based on the first acoustic signal with greater precision according to the opening degree θ of the door D. Therefore, it is possible to improve the technology for controlling the acoustics of the vehicle.

[0037] As described above, in the vehicle 10 according to this embodiment, the control unit 11 decides to increase the amplitude of the second acoustic signal as the opening angle θ of the door D increases, and to decrease the amplitude of the second acoustic signal as the opening angle θ of the door D decreases. According to this embodiment, it is possible to effectively reduce the sound caused by the first acoustic signal at the target location by considering both the case where the opening angle θ of the door D is large and the case where it is small. Therefore, it is possible to improve the technology for controlling the acoustics of the vehicle.

[0038] As described above, the vehicle 10 according to this embodiment further includes an error microphone 17 provided in the door D, and the control unit 11 changes at least one of the phase and amplitude of the second acoustic signal in response to the detection signal from the error microphone 17. This allows the control unit 11 to generate a second acoustic signal with a changed phase or amplitude value to reduce the first acoustic signal at the target location with greater accuracy, based on the detection signal acquired in real time. Thus, it becomes possible to reduce the sound based on the first acoustic signal at the target location with greater accuracy.

[0039] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, two or more blocks described in the block diagram may be combined, or one block may be divided. Instead of executing two or more steps described in the flowchart in chronological order as described, they may be executed in parallel or in a different order, depending on the processing capacity of the device performing each step, or as necessary. Other modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0040] As a variation of the present disclosure, both the first speaker unit 15A and the second speaker unit 15B may be provided at predetermined locations inside the vehicle 10. For example, the first speaker unit 15A and the second speaker unit 15B may be provided to output sound in different directions from each other. Different directions include directions opposite to each other in the horizontal direction. In this case, due to the interference of sound waves, sound based on the first acoustic signal is heard in areas less than a predetermined distance from the first speaker unit 15A and the second speaker unit 15B, and in areas greater than the predetermined distance, the sound based on the first acoustic signal is reduced due to the interference of sound waves. The first speaker unit 15A and the second speaker unit 15B may be provided, for example, near the heads of passengers, including the driver. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10 vehicles 11 Control Unit 12 Storage section 13 Communications Department 14 Input / output section 15A First speaker section 15B First speaker section 16 Door sensor unit 17 Error Microphone

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising a control unit, a first speaker unit, and a second speaker unit, The control unit, The first sound signal is output to the first speaker section. A vehicle that, when a first sound signal is output from the first speaker unit, outputs a second sound signal to the second speaker unit having a different phase from the first sound signal, thereby reducing the sound based on the first sound signal at a target location outside the vehicle.

2. A vehicle according to claim 1, A vehicle wherein the control unit controls the second speaker unit to output the second acoustic signal when the vehicle door is open, and controls the second speaker unit not to output the second acoustic signal when the vehicle door is closed.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, The second speaker unit is located in the door. The control unit changes at least one of the phase and amplitude of the second acoustic signal according to the degree of door opening in the vehicle.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3, A vehicle in which the control unit determines that the amplitude of the second acoustic signal increases as the degree of door opening increases, and the amplitude of the second acoustic signal decreases as the degree of door opening decreases.

5. A vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 4, The vehicle is further equipped with an error microphone, The control unit changes at least one of the phase and amplitude of the second acoustic signal in response to the detection signal from the error microphone.

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