Noise control system, method and apparatus, and vehicle

Abstract

A noise control system, method and apparatus, and a vehicle, a computer-readable storage medium and a program product, which relate to the technical field of noise control and are used for implementing active noise cancellation in a stationary vehicle scenario. The noise control system, i.e., a noise cancellation system (10), comprises a reference sensor (100), an error sensor (200) and a loudspeaker (300), wherein the reference sensor (100) is disposed outside a cabin, and the error sensor (200) and the loudspeaker (300) are disposed inside the cabin. The noise cancellation system (10) can use ambient noise outside a cabin as a reference signal, and determine, on the basis of the reference signal and noise heard by a user inside the cabin, anti-phase noise for noise cancellation for the user inside the cabin, such that while comprehensively taking actual listening conditions of the user inside the cabin into consideration, active noise cancellation can be performed on the ambient noise outside the cabin in a targeted manner. Even when a vehicle is in a stationary scenario, the noise impact of a noise source outside the cabin on the user inside the cabin can still be effectively reduced, the acoustic environment within the cabin is purified, and the riding experience of the user is improved.

Description

A noise control system, method, apparatus and vehicle

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411194424.6, filed on August 28, 2024, entitled "A Noise Control System, Method, Apparatus and Vehicle", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of noise control technology, and in particular to a noise control system, method, apparatus and vehicle. Background Technology

[0004] With the rapid development of intelligent cockpit technology, cars are no longer just a means of transportation for users, but are increasingly becoming a second home integrating entertainment, leisure, and other functions. Users are also placing higher demands on the quietness of the in-car environment. To improve the sound insulation of cars, more and more vehicles are equipped with double-layered laminated soundproof glass. However, double-layered laminated soundproof glass is only effective at insulating mid-to-high frequency noise and cannot effectively reduce low-frequency noise. In response, many studies have focused on active noise cancellation (ANC) technology as a method to reduce in-car noise.

[0005] The basic principle of ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) technology is to generate an anti-phase noise equal to the external noise to cancel it out, thereby achieving noise reduction within the cabin. ANC technology has a good control effect on low-frequency noise. However, current mainstream ANC technologies are mainly for active noise cancellation of road noise, wind noise, and vehicle engine (also known as range extender) noise. These scenarios involve the vehicle being started or in motion, where the noise source is either the vehicle itself or caused by its movement. This noise reduction method is not applicable to stationary vehicle scenarios because the noise sources in a stationary scenario differ significantly from those in a moving or starting scenario. Currently, there is no active noise cancellation technology specifically designed for stationary vehicle scenarios.

[0006] In summary, how to achieve active noise reduction in stationary vehicle scenarios is a pressing technical problem that needs to be solved in the field of in-vehicle noise control. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This application provides a noise control system, method, apparatus, and vehicle for achieving active noise reduction in stationary vehicle scenarios.

[0008] In a first aspect, this application provides a noise control system, including a reference sensor, an error sensor, and a loudspeaker. The reference sensor is located outside the cockpit, while the error sensor and the loudspeaker are located inside the cockpit. When the noise control system is in operation, the reference sensor is used to collect a first noise outside the cockpit, the error sensor is used to collect a second noise inside the cockpit, and the loudspeaker is used to play inverse noise, which is determined based on the first noise outside the cockpit and the second noise inside the cockpit.

[0009] In the above noise control system, since the reference sensor is located outside the cabin and the error sensor is located inside the cabin, the first noise can be understood as the ambient noise outside the cabin, and the second noise can be understood as the noise heard by the user inside the cabin. Based on this, the noise control system actually uses the ambient noise outside the cabin as a reference signal and combines this reference signal with the noise heard by the user inside the cabin to determine the inverse noise for noise reduction. In this way, it can actively reduce ambient noise outside the cabin while comprehensively considering the actual listening conditions of the user inside the cabin. Even when the vehicle is stationary, it can effectively reduce the noise impact of external noise sources on the user inside the vehicle, thereby purifying the acoustic environment inside the vehicle and improving the user's riding experience.

[0010] In one possible design, the reference sensor includes a sound source localization sensor and a signal acquisition sensor. The sound source localization sensor is used to locate the position of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit, the position of which is used to determine the noise reduction area. The signal acquisition sensor is used to acquire a first noise, which includes noise from the noise reduction area.

[0011] Based on the above design, the location of the noise source outside the cockpit can be roughly located first using the sound source localization sensor, and then the reference signal (i.e., the first noise) of the area where the noise source to be reduced is located can be precisely acquired using the signal acquisition sensor. In this way, active noise reduction of the noise source outside the cockpit can be achieved while reducing computing power.

[0012] In one example of the above design, the sound source localization sensor is also used to: collect the first noise.

[0013] Based on the above examples, the sound source localization sensor is not only used to locate the noise source, but also to collect the initial noise, thus improving the utilization rate of the sound source localization sensor. Furthermore, combining the signal acquisition sensor and the sound source localization sensor to collect the initial noise increases the amount of initial noise, thereby improving the noise control accuracy.

[0014] In one example of the design above, the sound source localization sensor includes one or more sensor arrays. When a single sensor array is included, it can be positioned on the top of the vehicle. When multiple sensor arrays are included, they can be arranged circumferentially around the outer contour of the vehicle.

[0015] Based on the above examples, whether it is a single sensor array or multiple sensor arrays, noise information in all four directions of the vehicle can be collected, thereby enabling the location of all noise sources around the vehicle.

[0016] In a further example, the sensor array can be placed at any location on the outer contour of the vehicle, such as, but not limited to: the front logo, the left rearview mirror, the right rearview mirror, the rear license plate, the bumper, the A-pillar, the B-pillar, and the C-pillar.

[0017] Based on the above examples, sensor arrays can be placed in iconic locations on the vehicle and can also be hidden inside to improve aesthetics.

[0018] In one example of the above design, the signal acquisition sensor includes multiple sensors arranged circumferentially around the outer contour of the vehicle and offset from the sound source localization sensor, such as from multiple sensor arrays.

[0019] Based on the above example, multiple sensor arrays and multiple sensors can be evenly arranged on the entire outer contour of the vehicle. The noise locations collected by different sensor arrays and sensors will be at a certain distance. This not only avoids repeatedly collecting noise signals at the same location, but also allows for the collection of noise signals from as many representative locations as possible using a limited number of sensor arrays and sensors.

[0020] In a further example, the sensor can be placed at any location on the outer contour of the vehicle, such as, but not limited to: the left door, the right door, the left side of the vehicle body, the right side of the vehicle body, and the bottom of the vehicle frame.

[0021] Based on the above example, sensors can be placed on the left and right sides of the vehicle to collect noise signals from these sides. Since the left and right sides of the vehicle coincide with the user's position inside the vehicle, which is the area most affected by noise, this setting method can improve the accuracy of the sensor's noise signal collection.

[0022] In a further example, the sensor array is a microphone array, and the sensors are microphones, accelerometers, or vibration sensors.

[0023] Based on the above examples, a sound source localization algorithm using a microphone array can be used to locate noise sources outside the cockpit. Furthermore, various sensor types are provided, allowing for the deployment of the required sensor types according to actual needs. This enables the noise control system to be compatible with more application scenarios, improving its versatility.

[0024] In one possible design, the noise control system further includes a controller connected to a reference sensor, an error sensor, and a loudspeaker. When the noise control system is in operation, the controller, in response to a noise reduction command, controls the reference sensor to acquire a first noise level, controls the error sensor to acquire a second noise level, determines an inverse noise level based on the first and second noise levels, and controls the loudspeaker to play the inverse noise level.

[0025] Based on the above design, unified control and management of various sensors can be achieved, thereby enabling control and management of the noise control process.

[0026] In one example of the above design, the reference sensor includes a sound source localization sensor and a signal acquisition sensor. The controller is specifically used to: first control the sound source localization sensor to acquire ambient noise outside the cockpit, then determine the location of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit based on the ambient noise, then determine the noise reduction area based on the location of one or more noise sources, and control the signal acquisition sensor to acquire first noise, which includes noise from the noise reduction area.

[0027] Based on the above example, by locating the noise source outside the cockpit to determine the noise reduction area, the noise signal of the noise reduction area can be collected more specifically as a reference signal. Based on the reference signal, the anti-phase noise can be determined, which can more effectively reduce the noise source near the noise reduction area.

[0028] In a further example, the sound source localization sensor includes multiple sensor arrays, the signal acquisition sensor includes multiple sensors, and the controller is specifically configured to: determine one or more sensor arrays that are close to the noise reduction area from the multiple sensor arrays, and determine one or more sensors that are close to the noise reduction area from the multiple sensors, and then control the one or more sensor arrays and one or more sensors to acquire the first noise.

[0029] Based on the above examples, a sensor array and sensor that are close to the noise reduction area can be used to collect reference signals. This not only saves computing power for active noise reduction and improves the causality of the noise control system, but also avoids the phenomenon of low noise reduction caused by collecting reference signals at a location far from the noise reduction area, thus effectively improving the noise reduction.

[0030] In a further example, one or more sensor arrays include: a first sensor array that is closest to the noise reduction region among a plurality of sensor arrays, and one or more sensors include: all sensors between the first sensor array and two adjacent sensor arrays.

[0031] Based on the above example, a sensor array and sensor closest to the noise reduction area can be used to acquire reference signals to improve the accuracy of the reference signals, thereby increasing the noise reduction.

[0032] In one example of the above design, the cockpit employs an automatic noise reduction mode. In this case, the controller is specifically used to: designate the area containing one or more noise sources that meet the set rules as the noise reduction zone. The noise sources that meet the set rules include one or more of the following: the noise source with the highest noise intensity, the noise source with the highest equivalent noise intensity, the noise source with a noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold, and the noise source with an equivalent noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold.

[0033] Based on the above examples, automatic noise reduction can be achieved for noise sources with high noise intensity or equivalent noise intensity, thereby improving the noise reduction effect.

[0034] In one example of the above design, the cockpit uses a manual noise reduction mode. In this case, the controller is specifically used to: notify the user of the location of one or more noise sources and receive a response message from the user, which includes the noise reduction area selected by the user.

[0035] Based on the above examples, users can customize the noise to be reduced, thereby prioritizing the reduction of the noise that users don't want the most and meeting their subjective noise reduction needs.

[0036] In one example of the above design, the controller is also connected to the vehicle's infotainment screen. After determining the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin based on the ambient noise, the controller can also control the infotainment screen to display a first interface, which includes the location of one or more noise sources.

[0037] Based on the above examples, users can intuitively understand the noise distribution outside the vehicle.

[0038] In a further example, the controller is also connected to an in-vehicle camera located outside the cabin. Before controlling the vehicle's infotainment screen to display the first interface, the controller can also control the in-vehicle camera to capture environmental images and generate the first interface based on the environmental images and the location of one or more noise sources.

[0039] Based on the above examples, users can intuitively see the external environment and noise distribution, making it easier for them to decide on the noise reduction areas they need.

[0040] In a further example, after the controller controls the vehicle's infotainment screen to display the first interface, it can also use the area selected by the user on the first interface as the noise reduction area.

[0041] Based on the above examples, users can select the noise reduction area through the interface, reducing the complexity of user operations.

[0042] In one example of the above design, the controller is also connected to the vehicle's infotainment screen. Before responding to the noise reduction command, the controller is also used to: detect the user's first operation on the infotainment screen, which is used to indicate the activation of the noise reduction function; or, receive the noise reduction command sent by the infotainment system, which is generated by the infotainment system after detecting the user's first operation on the infotainment screen and sent to the controller.

[0043] Based on the above examples, users can trigger the noise reduction function through interface operations, making it convenient for users to operate.

[0044] In one example of the design above, the controller is a control unit independent of the vehicle, or a control unit within the vehicle, such as the vehicle's infotainment system.

[0045] Based on the above examples, a dedicated noise reduction control unit can be designed separately, or a control unit in the vehicle can be reused to assist in noise reduction, thereby improving the versatility of the noise reduction system.

[0046] Secondly, this application provides a noise control method, which can be applied to a noise control device, such as a vehicle control unit, domain controller, or vehicle controller. The method includes: acquiring noise outside the cabin; controlling a human-machine interface to display the location of at least one noise source based on the noise outside the cabin; selecting a first noise source from the at least one noise source; selecting at least one sensor from multiple sensors to collect noise based on the relative position information of the first noise source and the cabin; and performing noise reduction based on the noise collected by the at least one sensor, wherein the noise includes noise from the first noise source.

[0047] Based on the above methods, the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin can be presented to the user through interactive interface, so that the user can more intuitively understand the noise distribution outside the cabin and improve the user's noise reduction experience.

[0048] In one possible design, a first noise source is selected from at least one noise source. Specifically, this could involve obtaining the first noise source selected by the user through a human-computer interaction interface.

[0049] Based on the above design, users can select the noise source to be reduced through the interface, thus improving the user experience.

[0050] In a further possible design, the first noise source is either selected by the user from an automatically defined noise source region or a noise source within a region manually selected by the user.

[0051] Based on the above design, noise source areas can be pre-defined, and users can directly click to select the noise source to be reduced. Alternatively, users can manually drag to select the noise source to be reduced. Therefore, the method for selecting noise sources is quite flexible.

[0052] In one possible design, selecting a first noise source from at least one noise source can specifically be: automatically selecting a first noise source from at least one noise source based on the characteristic information of at least one noise source.

[0053] Based on the above design, the noise reduction control device can automatically select the noise source to be reduced without the need for user selection, thereby reducing the complexity of the noise reduction operation.

[0054] In a further possible design, based on the characteristic information of at least one noise source, a first noise source is automatically selected from at least one noise source. Specifically, this can be done by: based on the noise intensity of at least one noise source, selecting the noise source whose noise intensity conforms to a set rule as the first noise source. The noise source whose noise intensity conforms to the set rule includes one or more of the following: the noise source with the largest noise intensity, the noise source with the largest equivalent noise intensity, the noise source with a noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold, and the noise source with an equivalent noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold.

[0055] In one possible design, the multiple sensors include multiple sensor arrays and multiple microphones. Based on this, according to the relative position information of the first noise source and the cockpit, at least one sensor is selected from the multiple sensors to collect noise. Specifically, the first sensor array that is closest to the first noise source is first determined among the multiple sensor arrays. Then, the first sensor array and all the microphones between the first sensor array and the two adjacent sensor arrays are selected to collect noise.

[0056] In a further possible design, multiple sensor arrays and multiple sensors are arranged circumferentially around the outer contour of the cockpit and staggered from each other.

[0057] In one possible design, the human-computer interaction interface includes a first control. After noise reduction is performed based on noise collected by at least one sensor, the human-computer interaction interface can also be controlled to display comparison information of the effect before and after noise reduction based on the user's operation of the first control.

[0058] Based on the above design, the user can be presented with a comparison of the effects before and after noise reduction through an interactive interface, so that the user can understand the possible degree of noise reduction.

[0059] In one possible design, the human-computer interaction interface includes a second control. After controlling the human-computer interaction interface to display the position of at least one noise source, the human-computer interaction interface can also be controlled to display a comparison information of the effect of selecting the first noise source and not selecting the first noise source, based on the user's operation of triggering the second control. This effect comparison information is a comparison information of the effect of the user manually selecting the first noise source and not performing the action of selecting the first noise source, or a comparison information of the effect of noise reduction on the automatically selected first noise source and not performing noise reduction on the automatically selected first noise source.

[0060] Based on the above design, the noise reduction effect can be compared with that of selecting a noise source before noise reduction is performed through the interface interaction, so that users can understand the possible results of noise reduction and no noise reduction in advance.

[0061] In one possible design, the human-computer interface includes a third control. Before selecting a first noise source from at least one noise source, the human-computer interface can be controlled to display multiple noise reduction modes based on the user's triggering of the third control. These multiple noise reduction modes include manual noise reduction mode and automatic noise reduction mode. Specifically, selecting the first noise source from at least one noise source can be done by selecting the first noise source from at least one noise source based on the noise reduction mode selected by the user.

[0062] Based on the above design, users can choose manual or automatic noise reduction through human-computer interaction to meet their noise reduction needs.

[0063] In one possible design, the human-computer interface includes a fourth control that indicates the activation of the noise reduction function. Before acquiring noise from outside the cockpit, it can be determined that the user has triggered the fourth control.

[0064] Based on the above design, the noise cancellation function can be turned on or off by the user through human-computer interaction, thereby improving the user's sense of participation in noise cancellation.

[0065] In one possible design, the human-machine interface is controlled to display the location of at least one noise source based on the noise outside the cockpit. Specifically, the human-machine interface is controlled to display an environmental image outside the cockpit, and the location of at least one noise source is displayed on the environmental image based on the noise outside the cockpit.

[0066] Based on the above design, users can intuitively see the external environment and noise distribution of the cabin, making it easier for users to decide which noise sources they want to reduce based on the external environment.

[0067] Thirdly, this application provides a noise control method applied to a controller. The controller is connected to a reference sensor, an error sensor, and a speaker. The reference sensor is located outside the cockpit, while the error sensor and the speaker are located inside the cockpit. The method includes: responding to a noise reduction command, controlling the reference sensor to collect a first noise outside the cockpit and controlling the error sensor to collect a second noise inside the cockpit; then, based on the first noise and the second noise, determining the inverse noise of the second noise and controlling the speaker to play the inverse noise.

[0068] In one possible design, the reference sensor includes a sound source localization sensor and a signal acquisition sensor. In this case, controlling the reference sensor to acquire the first noise outside the cockpit can be done by first controlling the sound source localization sensor to acquire the ambient noise outside the cockpit, then determining the location of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit based on the ambient noise, then determining the noise reduction area based on the location of one or more noise sources, and controlling the signal acquisition sensor to acquire the first noise, which includes noise from the noise reduction area.

[0069] In one example of the above design, after determining the noise reduction area based on the location of one or more noise sources, the sound source localization sensor can also be controlled to collect the first noise.

[0070] In one example of the above design, the sound source localization sensor includes multiple sensor arrays, and the signal acquisition sensor includes multiple sensors. In this case, controlling the signal acquisition sensor to acquire the first noise can specifically be: determining the first sensor array among the multiple sensor arrays that is closest to the noise reduction area, and controlling the first sensor array, as well as all sensors between the first sensor array and the two adjacent sensor arrays, to acquire the first noise.

[0071] In one example of the above design, the noise reduction zone is determined based on the location of one or more noise sources. Specifically, if the cabin uses an automatic noise reduction mode, the area containing the noise sources that meet the set rules is taken as the noise reduction zone. The noise sources that meet the set rules include one or more of the following: the noise source with the highest noise intensity, the noise source with the highest equivalent noise intensity, the noise source with a noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold, and the noise source with an equivalent noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold.

[0072] In one example of the above design, the noise reduction area is determined based on the location of one or more noise sources. Specifically, if the cockpit is in manual noise reduction mode, the location of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit is notified to the user, and the user's reply message is received, which includes the noise reduction area selected by the user.

[0073] In one example of the above design, the controller is also connected to the vehicle's infotainment screen. In this case, after determining the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin based on the ambient noise, the controller can also control the infotainment screen to display a first interface, which includes the location of one or more noise sources.

[0074] In a further example, the controller is also connected to an in-vehicle camera located outside the cabin. In this case, before the control screen displays the first interface, the controller can first acquire environmental images captured by the in-vehicle camera and generate the first interface based on the environmental images and the location of one or more noise sources.

[0075] In a further example, after controlling the vehicle's infotainment screen to display the first interface, the area selected by the user on the first interface can also be used as the noise reduction area.

[0076] In one example of the above design, the controller is also connected to the vehicle's infotainment screen. In this case, in response to the noise reduction command, the controller can also detect the user's first operation on the infotainment screen, which is used to instruct the user to start the noise reduction function; or, it can receive the noise reduction command sent by the infotainment system, which is generated by the infotainment system after detecting the user's first operation on the infotainment screen and sent to the controller.

[0077] Fourthly, this application provides a noise control device that has the function of implementing the method of the second aspect or any of the designs in the second aspect, or specifically implements the function of the method of the third aspect or any of the designs in the third aspect. For example, the noise control device includes modules, units, or means for performing the operations involved in the method of the second aspect or any of the designs or examples in the second aspect, or includes modules, units, or means for performing the operations involved in the method of the third aspect or any of the designs or examples in the third aspect. These modules, units, or means can be implemented by software, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0078] Fifthly, this application provides a noise control device, which includes an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory stores part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the methods of the second aspect or any of the designs or examples of the second aspect, or part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the methods of the third aspect or any of the designs or examples of the third aspect. The one or more processors can execute the computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the noise control device to implement the methods of the second aspect or any of the designs or examples of the second aspect, or to implement the methods of the third aspect or any of the designs or examples of the third aspect. The interface circuit is used to implement communication functions within the noise control device and / or communication functions between the noise control device and other devices or components.

[0079] In one possible design, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0080] In another possible design, when the noise control device is a chip or chip system, the communication interface can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processor can also be represented as a processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0081] The noise control device mentioned above can be the aforementioned controller, or a module in the controller (such as a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic node, logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the controller's functions.

[0082] Sixthly, this application provides a vehicle that includes a noise control system as described in the first aspect or any of the designs or examples of the first aspect above, or includes a noise control device as described in the fourth aspect or any of the designs or examples of the fourth aspect above, or includes a noise control device as described in the fifth aspect or any of the designs or examples of the fifth aspect above.

[0083] In one possible design, the vehicle also includes an infotainment screen connected to a noise control system or noise control device, which is used to display the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin under the control of the noise control system or noise control device.

[0084] In one possible design, the vehicle also includes an onboard camera connected to a noise control system or noise control device. The onboard camera is used to capture images of the environment outside the vehicle under the control of the noise control system or noise control device. The noise control system or noise control device is also used to control the display of environmental images and the location of one or more noise sources on the vehicle's infotainment screen.

[0085] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when read and executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in the second aspect or any of the designs or examples of the second aspect, or to perform the method described in the third aspect or any of the designs or examples of the third aspect.

[0086] Eighthly, this application provides a computer program product that, when read and executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in the second aspect or any of the designs or examples of the second aspect, or to perform the method described in the third aspect or any of the designs or examples of the third aspect.

[0087] Ninthly, this application provides a chip for reading a computer program stored in a memory and executing the method described in the second aspect or any of the designs or examples of the second aspect, or executing the method described in the third aspect or any of the designs or examples of the third aspect. Optionally, the chip may include a processor coupled to the memory for reading the computer program stored in the memory and implementing the method described in the second aspect or any of the designs or examples of the second aspect, or implementing the method described in the third aspect or any of the designs or examples of the third aspect. Optionally, the chip may also include components such as a memory, a communication interface, and a power supply module. The memory is used to store the computer program; the communication interface is used to receive and send data; and the power supply module is used to supply power to the processor.

[0088] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a chip system including a processor for supporting a computer in implementing the methods of the second aspect or any of the designs or examples of the second aspect above, or in implementing the methods of the third aspect or any of the designs or examples of the third aspect above. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing programs and data necessary for the computer. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0089] The technical effects that can be achieved in aspects two through ten above can be referred to the description of the beneficial effects in aspect one above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0090] Figure 1a illustrates a possible application scenario provided by this application;

[0091] Figure 1b illustrates another possible application scenario provided by this application;

[0092] Figure 1c illustrates another possible application scenario provided by this application;

[0093] Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary architectural diagram of a noise control system provided in this application;

[0094] Figure 3a illustrates, for example, a schematic diagram of signal flow for determining anti-phase noise provided in this application;

[0095] Figure 3b illustrates a flowchart of a method for determining antiphase noise provided in this application;

[0096] Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary structural diagram of a reference sensor provided in this application;

[0097] Figure 5a illustrates an exemplary layout of a microphone array provided in this application;

[0098] Figure 5b illustrates an exemplary layout of another microphone array provided in this application;

[0099] Figure 6 illustrates an exemplary schematic diagram of the arrangement of a microphone array on a rearview mirror according to this application;

[0100] Figure 7 illustrates a schematic diagram of a noise reduction region provided in this application;

[0101] Figure 8 illustrates an exemplary layout of an error microphone provided in this application;

[0102] Figure 9 illustrates an exemplary layout of a speaker provided in this application;

[0103] Figure 10 illustrates an exemplary architectural diagram of another noise control system provided in this application;

[0104] Figure 11 illustrates an interactive flow diagram of a noise control method provided in this application;

[0105] Figure 12a is an exemplary schematic diagram of the presentation form of a second interface provided in this application;

[0106] Figure 12b is an exemplary schematic diagram of the presentation form of a third interface provided in this application;

[0107] Figure 12c is an exemplary schematic diagram of a fourth interface provided in this application;

[0108] Figure 12d is an exemplary schematic diagram showing the presentation of a fourth interface after modifying the noise reduction mode provided in this application;

[0109] Figure 13a is an exemplary schematic diagram of the presentation form of a first interface provided in this application;

[0110] Figure 13b illustrates an exemplary interface diagram of an automatic noise source region segmentation method provided in this application.

[0111] Figure 13c exemplarily illustrates another interface diagram for automatically dividing noise source regions provided in this application;

[0112] Figure 13d exemplarily illustrates another interface diagram for automatically dividing noise source regions provided in this application;

[0113] Figure 13e exemplarily illustrates a schematic diagram of an interface for selecting a noise reduction area by manually dragging, as provided in this application.

[0114] Figure 13f is an exemplary schematic diagram of the presentation of a third interface with a panoramic view of the vehicle exterior provided in this application;

[0115] Figure 13g exemplarily illustrates a presentation format for selecting a noise reduction area in a third interface provided by this application;

[0116] Figure 13h illustrates a schematic diagram of other controls in a first interface provided in this application;

[0117] Figure 14a illustrates a schematic diagram of a simulation scenario provided in this application;

[0118] Figure 14b exemplarily illustrates a noise spectrum diagram of an error microphone Mic 21 provided in this application;

[0119] Figure 14c exemplarily illustrates a noise spectrum diagram of an error microphone Mic 22 provided in this application;

[0120] Figure 15 illustrates a flowchart of a noise control method provided in this application.

[0121] Figure 16 illustrates a schematic diagram of the structure of a noise control device provided in this application;

[0122] Figure 17 illustrates a schematic diagram of another noise control device provided in this application;

[0123] Figure 18 illustrates a schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0124] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0125] The following provides explanations for some of the terms used in this application. It should be noted that these explanations are for the convenience of those skilled in the art and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0126] I. ANC Technology

[0127] Typically, the components used to implement ANC (Anti-Nuclear Noise) technology include a microphone (including a reference sensor and / or an error sensor), a controller, and a speaker. The microphone is used to collect noise at the target point and send it to the controller. The controller generates anti-phase noise with a phase difference of 180 degrees and sends it to the speaker, which plays the anti-phase noise. The spectrum of the anti-phase noise is the same as that of the noise at the target point, only with opposite phase. Therefore, superimposing this anti-phase noise on the noise at the target point can effectively suppress and eliminate noise.

[0128] II. Primary and Secondary Sound Fields

[0129] In scenarios where ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) technology is used for noise reduction, the primary sound field can be understood as the original noise sound at the target point when the speaker is not producing sound, and the secondary sound field can be understood as the sound produced at the target point by the out-of-phase noise emitted by the speaker. The sound field obtained by superimposing the primary and secondary sound fields is the real sound at the target point. The closer this real sound is to zero, the better the noise reduction effect on the in-vehicle noise.

[0130] III. Sound Source Localization

[0131] Sound source localization refers to determining the spatial location of a sound-producing object by measuring and analyzing the characteristics of sound. The main methods for sound source localization include binaural localization, microphone array localization, and ultrasonic localization. Compared to binaural localization, microphone array localization and ultrasonic localization are more specialized and accurate, and are currently widely used in fields such as speech recognition and directional sound broadcasting.

[0132] Microphone array methods utilize an array of microphones to receive sound, calculating the sound source's location by measuring the time difference and sound pressure level difference between each microphone. Ultrasonic localization uses an ultrasonic sensor to transmit ultrasonic waves, recording the emission and arrival times of the reflected waves, and calculating the round-trip time difference to determine the sound source's location. Common algorithms for both microphone array and ultrasonic localization methods include beamforming algorithms and minimum mean square error algorithms.

[0133] IV. Equivalent Noise Intensity

[0134] Equivalent noise intensity refers to the sum of the noise intensities of all noise sources on one side of a vehicle or in a certain area, in a scenario with multiple noise sources. For example, suppose there is a noise source A1 on the left side of the vehicle and two noise sources A2 and A3 on the right side. If the noise intensities produced by noise sources A2 and A3 are both less than the noise intensities produced by noise source A1, but the sum of the noise intensities produced by noise sources A2 and A3 is greater than the noise intensities produced by noise source A1, then the noise sources with the highest equivalent noise intensity can be considered to be noise sources A2 and A3 on the right side of the vehicle.

[0135] The preceding text introduced some of the terms used in this application. The following text introduces the possible application scenarios of this application.

[0136] In one possible implementation, the noise control system provided in this application can be installed in a vehicle, such as a sedan, truck, bus, train, recreational vehicle, station wagon, van, amusement park vehicle, construction vehicle, tram, golf cart, sightseeing vehicle, patrol car, intelligent vehicle, and digital car. For example, please refer to Figures 1a, 1b, and 1c, which illustrate three possible application scenarios provided in this application, all assuming the noise control system is installed in a sedan. In the application scenario of Figure 1a, the sedan is parked in a parking space in a square, with a group of people dancing in front of it and a motorcycle driving on its right. In the application scenario of Figure 1b, the sedan is parked next to a charging station, with its rear charging port connected to the charging station via a charging gun. Simultaneously, the charging station's fan is running to cool it. In the application scenario of Figure 1c, the sedan is parked in a street-side parking space, and a heavy truck is passing by on the right side of the road.

[0137] In all three application scenarios described above, there is significant ambient noise outside the car. Examples include the sound system of people dancing in front of the car and the engine noise of a motorcycle traveling on the right, as shown in Figure 1a; the fan noise of a charging station, as shown in Figure 1b; and the engine noise of a heavy truck, as shown in Figure 1c. Although these are external noises, they are all low-frequency noises. Car windows can only block mid-to-high frequency noises; therefore, these low-frequency noises will still penetrate the car windows and enter the cabin, affecting the acoustic environment and creating a poor riding experience for passengers. To address this, users can activate the noise control system installed in the car. When operating, the noise control system collects ambient noise from outside the vehicle and plays the corresponding inverse noise to the passengers, thus providing a quieter environment. This quiet environment can reduce the discomfort caused by external noise when users are resting or sleeping. In some scenarios, it can also provide users with immersive sound playback, such as improving the playback effect of watching videos or improving the listening quality of listening to in-car radio, thereby enhancing the user's viewing and listening experience.

[0138] It should be understood that the above application scenarios are merely examples, and the noise control system provided in this application can also be applied to other possible scenarios, not limited to those listed above. For example, the noise control system can also be installed on other means of transportation, such as subways, high-speed trains, ships, ferries, passenger ships, airplanes, or helicopters, to reduce external low-frequency noise, providing users with a relatively quiet environment and making their journey more comfortable. Furthermore, the noise control system can also be applied in smart home scenarios, especially in homes near subway stations, train stations, airports, or construction sites, as an auxiliary means of home noise reduction, improving the user's smart home experience. Additionally, the noise control system can be applied in office scenarios to reduce the impact of external construction or vehicle noise on users at their current workstations, improving their concentration. Moreover, the noise control system can also be applied in public areas, such as cinemas, shopping malls, high-speed rail stations, airports, bus stations, hospitals, schools, parks, communities, squares, churches, etc., to reduce the noise level of the user's surrounding environment by isolating external noise, allowing users to relax and feel more comfortable. And so on. These are just a few examples.

[0139] It should be noted that the application scenarios described in this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this application.

[0140] As described in the background section, existing ANC solutions are not applicable to scenarios where the vehicle is stationary. This is primarily because existing ANC solutions collect information about the vehicle itself as the reference signal for active noise cancellation. This information includes: the vehicle's engine rotation information, the vehicle's body vibration information, and the friction information between the vehicle's tires and the ground. The corresponding noise sources are: engine rotation noise, wind friction noise, and tire friction noise, respectively. However, in scenarios where the vehicle is stationary, the noise sources are mainly outside the vehicle, not within the vehicle itself. For example, referring to Figures 1a to 1c above, external noise sources include, but are not limited to: the sound of music from square dancing, the sound of motorcycles starting, the sound of charging pile fans, and the sound of heavy truck engines. These noise sources are located outside the vehicle and are not related to the vehicle's own information. Therefore, to reduce the noise generated by these noise sources, it is necessary to collect these noises. However, since existing active noise cancellation methods can only collect information about the vehicle itself and cannot collect environmental noise outside the vehicle, existing active noise cancellation methods cannot be used to reduce environmental noise outside the vehicle.

[0141] In view of this, this application provides a noise control system in which a reference sensor is placed outside the cockpit, and an error sensor and a speaker are placed inside the cockpit. Based on this setup, the reference sensor can collect the ambient noise outside the cockpit. This ambient noise, combined with the cabin noise collected by the error sensor inside the cockpit, can be used to specifically determine the inverse noise that can reduce the ambient noise outside the cockpit. Then, by playing this inverse noise through the speaker inside the cockpit, active noise reduction of the ambient noise outside the cockpit can be achieved.

[0142] It should be noted that the noise control system provided in this application can be applied to both stationary and moving vehicle scenarios. For example, in scenarios where the vehicle is moving and the surrounding noise sources do not change frequently, the noise control system provided in this application can also be used to reduce external environmental noise. In some examples, it can also be combined with existing ANC solutions, setting two types of reference sensors in the noise control system: one type of reference sensor is set outside the vehicle cabin to collect external environmental noise, and the other type of reference sensor is set on vehicle components to collect information about the vehicle itself. By combining the information collected by these two types of sensors, the noise control system can reduce both external environmental noise and engine noise, road noise, and wind noise during vehicle movement. This can further improve the active noise cancellation effect during vehicle movement and help provide users with a better noise reduction experience.

[0143] Based on the above, the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 2 to 17.

[0144] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0145] In this application, "location" does not refer to an absolute location, and may have a certain degree of engineering error. "Quantity" does not refer to an absolute quantity, and may have a certain degree of engineering error. "Noise intensity" does not refer to an absolute intensity value, and may have a certain degree of engineering error.

[0146] Please refer to Figure 2, which shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of a noise control system provided in this application. The noise control system 10 includes a reference sensor 100, an error sensor 200, and a speaker 300. The reference sensor 100 is located outside the cockpit, while the error sensor 200 and speaker 300 are located inside the cockpit. When the noise control system 10 is in operation, the reference sensor 100 is used to collect a first noise (N1) outside the cockpit, the error sensor 200 is used to collect a second noise (N2) inside the cockpit, and the speaker 300 is used to play the inverse noise (N3) of the second noise N2, which is determined based on the first noise N1 and the second noise N2.

[0147] The reference sensor 100 is located outside the cabin, so the first noise N1 can be understood as the ambient noise outside the cabin. The error sensor 200 is located inside the cabin, so the second noise N2 can be understood as the noise heard by the user inside the cabin. Based on this, the noise control system 10 actually uses the ambient noise outside the cabin as a reference signal, and combines this reference signal with the noise heard by the user inside the cabin to determine the inverse noise N3 for noise reduction for the user inside the cabin. In this way, under the condition of comprehensively considering the user's actual listening situation, it can specifically reduce the ambient noise outside the cabin inside the cabin, and even when the vehicle is stationary, it can have a relatively good noise reduction effect.

[0148] In one possible implementation, the anti-phase noise N3 is determined based on the first noise N1 and the second noise N2, specifically as shown in Figures 3a and 3b. Figure 3a shows a schematic diagram of the signal flow for determining the anti-phase noise N3, and Figure 3b shows a flowchart of the method for determining the anti-phase noise N3. Referring to Figures 3a and 3b, the method may specifically include the following steps 301 to 304.

[0149] Step 301: Use unknown filtering coefficients to filter the first noise collected by the reference sensor to obtain filtered noise.

[0150] Optionally, as shown in Figure 3a, the first noise N1 collected by the reference sensor 100 can be input to a filter. The filter has preset filter coefficients w, which are unknown parameters. After receiving the first noise N1, the filter can use the filter coefficients w to filter the first noise N1, obtaining the filtered noise N. y Since the filter coefficients w are unknown parameters, the filter noise N y It can be considered as an expression carrying unknown filter coefficients w, such as an expression that uses the filter coefficients w to perform simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division operations on the first noise N1.

[0151] Step 302: Calculate the residual signal based on the filtered noise and the second noise collected by the error sensor.

[0152] Optionally, as shown in Figure 3a, the second noise N2 can be input to the positive input of the subtractor, and the filtered noise N2 output by the filter can be converted into the filtered noise N2. y The input is given to the negative input terminal of the subtractor, and the residual signal E output from the output terminal of the subtractor is obtained. N The residual signal E N This can be understood as the second noise N2 minus the filtered noise N. y The obtained signal, i.e., N2-N y In other examples, the second noise N2 can be input to the negative input of the subtractor, and the filtered noise N2 output by the filter can be used as the filter output. y When the input is given to the positive input of the subtractor, the residual signal E... N For N y -N1.

[0153] Step 303: Calculate the values ​​of the filter coefficients based on the principle that the residual signal approaches zero.

[0154] Optionally, due to the filter noise N y It is an expression carrying unknown filter coefficients w. The first noise N1 is the actual acquired noise signal. Therefore, according to the filtered noise N... y The residual signal E calculated from the first noise N1 N It is also an expression carrying an unknown filter coefficient w. By setting this expression to 0, the value of the filter coefficient w in the expression can be calculated.

[0155] Understandable, residual signal E N It is the difference between the filtered noise (after filtering the ambient noise outside the cockpit using a filter coefficient w) and the noise heard by the user inside the cockpit. The value of the filter coefficient w is based on the residual signal E. N The value of the filter coefficient w is calculated based on the principle of approaching zero; therefore, the value of this filter coefficient w can minimize the filtered noise N. yThe value of N2 is the same as that of the second noise, but with the opposite sign; that is, N... y It is approximately equal to -N². Based on this, N y This can be considered as the inverse noise of the second noise N2. That is, by making the residual signal E... N A value of 0 allows us to find the filter coefficient w that transforms the ambient noise outside the cockpit into the noise heard by the user inside the cockpit.

[0156] Step 304: Based on the value of the filter coefficient and the first noise collected by the reference sensor, control the speaker to play the inverse noise.

[0157] Optionally, as shown in Figure 3a, the value of the filter coefficient w can be used to convolve the first noise N1 collected by the reference sensor 100 to obtain the inverse noise N3, and the speaker 300 can be controlled to play the inverse noise N3.

[0158] Here, convolution processing can be understood as the filtering processing in step 301 above. That is, following the same method as in step 301, the first noise N1 is subjected to simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division operations using the known filtering coefficients w to obtain the filtered noise N. y And the filtered noise N y This is the anti-phase noise N3. This anti-phase noise N3 is also the anti-phase noise of the second noise N2. The superposition of this anti-phase noise N3 and the second noise N2 can eliminate or reduce the second noise N2. In other words, the anti-phase noise N3 played by the speaker 300 corresponds to the superposition of the secondary sound field and the primary sound field within the cabin, which can purify the acoustic environment within the cabin and eliminate or reduce cabin noise caused by ambient noise outside the cabin.

[0159] Optionally, the value of the filter coefficient w in step 304 above can be fixed, or it can be updated in real time or adaptively:

[0160] For example, in one example, in the entire noise reduction process, steps 301 to 303 above can be executed only once to train a value of a filter coefficient w, and then this value will be used for the noise reduction operation in step 304 until the entire noise reduction process is completed.

[0161] For example, in another example, a training period can be set in advance. Steps 301 to 303 above are executed once in each training period to train the appropriate filter coefficient w for the current period. This value is then used for the noise reduction operation in step 304 within the current period. After the current period ends, steps 301 to 303 are executed again to train the appropriate filter coefficient w for the next period. This value is then used for the noise reduction operation in step 304 within the next period. This process is repeated until the entire noise reduction process is complete.

[0162] For example, in another instance, an update threshold can be set in advance. At the beginning of the entire noise reduction process, steps 301 to 303 above are executed once to train a value for the filter coefficient w. This value is then used for the noise reduction operation in step 304. Simultaneously, it is monitored whether the difference between the first noise N1 and the previously collected first noise N1 exceeds the update threshold. If it does not exceed the threshold, it indicates that the noise source outside the cockpit is stable and the noise environment outside the cockpit has not changed significantly. In this case, the previously trained value for the filter coefficient w can be used continuously for the noise reduction operation in step 304. Conversely, if the update threshold is exceeded at a certain moment, it indicates a significant change in the noise environment outside the cabin. This could be due to the vehicle moving to a new location, the addition of new noise sources outside the vehicle, or changes in existing noise sources. In this case, steps 301 to 303 need to be re-executed to train a filter coefficient w suitable for the new noise environment. This value is then used for noise reduction in step 304. Simultaneously, the difference between the first noise N1 and the first noise N1 collected under the new noise environment is monitored to see if it exceeds the update threshold. If it does, the filter coefficient w is retrained. This process is repeated until the entire noise reduction process is complete.

[0163] There are many other possible implementation methods, which will not be listed here.

[0164] The above content introduced the method for determining the inverting noise N3. The following section will explain each device involved in Figure 2 to provide an exemplary implementation scheme.

[0165] I. Reference Sensor

[0166] In one possible implementation, please refer to Figure 4, which shows a possible structural schematic diagram of a reference sensor 100 provided in this application. The reference sensor 100 may include a sound source localization sensor 110 and a signal acquisition sensor 120, both located outside the cockpit. When the reference sensor 100 is operational, the sound source localization sensor 110 locates the position of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit, and the location of these noise sources is used to determine a noise reduction area. Based on the determined noise reduction area, the signal acquisition sensor 120 can acquire a first noise N1, which includes noise from the noise reduction area. This first noise N1, combined with a second noise N2 inside the cockpit, can be used to specifically reduce noise sources within a noise reduction area outside the cockpit from within the cockpit.

[0167] In the above implementation methods, the noise reduction area can be an area containing one or more noise sources with high noise intensity, an area selected by the user based on the location of one or more noise sources, or an area containing one or more noise sources with high equivalent noise intensity, etc., without specific limitations. For details on how to determine the noise reduction area, please refer to the following description; it will not be elaborated upon here.

[0168] It is understood that the sound source localization sensor 110 can be any type of sensor or sensor array capable of locating the noise source, such as at least two microphones or a microphone array, or an ultrasonic sensor or an ultrasonic sensor array, etc., without any specific limitation.

[0169] For example, taking a sound source localization sensor 110 as a microphone array, the sound source localization sensor 110 may include one or more microphone arrays. The arrangement of the microphone arrays outside the cockpit varies depending on the number of microphone arrays included. For instance, please refer to Figures 5a and 5b, which show schematic diagrams of two microphone array layouts provided in this application:

[0170] As shown in Figure 5a, in the first layout, when there is only one microphone array, it can be placed on the top of the vehicle. The microphone array on the top of the vehicle can collect noise information from all four directions of the vehicle, thereby enabling the location of all noise sources around the vehicle.

[0171] The second layout method, as shown in Figure 5b, involves multiple microphone arrays arranged circumferentially around the vehicle's outer contour. For example, a microphone array can be placed on the outer contour of the vehicle in the front, rear, left, and right directions, namely Mic array1, Mic array2, Mic array3, and Mic array4 in Figure 5b. Each microphone array can locate the position of a noise source outside the vehicle in the current direction.

[0172] It should be noted that layout methods one and two above are only two examples; actual microphone arrays can have other layouts. For example, in another layout, a microphone array can be placed on the roof of the vehicle, and one or more microphone arrays can be placed on the outer contour of the vehicle in one or more of the four directions: up, down, left, and right. Yet another layout may place two microphone arrays only in the left and right directions, while no arrays are needed in the front and rear directions. Still another layout may place three microphone arrays in the front, left, and rear directions, or three microphone arrays in the front, left, and right directions, or three microphone arrays in the left, right, and rear directions, and so on, etc., which will not be listed here.

[0173] Taking the second layout as an example, multiple microphone arrays can be arranged at any position on the outer contour of the vehicle, including but not limited to: the front logo, the left rearview mirror, the right rearview mirror, the rear license plate, the bumper, the A-pillar, the B-pillar, and the C-pillar. For example, in the layout shown in Figure 5b, the front microphone array 1 is arranged at the front of the vehicle, the rear microphone array 3 is arranged at the rear of the vehicle, the right microphone array 2 is arranged on the right rearview mirror, and the left microphone array 4 is arranged on the left rearview mirror.

[0174] Taking the microphone array 4 on the left as an example (see Figure 6), this microphone array 4 can be positioned anywhere on the left rearview mirror, such as the upper area, the lower area, or the area away from the vehicle as shown in Figure 6. Furthermore, this microphone array 4 can be exposed as shown in Figure 6, or it can be hidden within the rearview mirror to improve aesthetics. Moreover, this microphone array can include four microphones as shown in Figure 6, namely Mic 41, Mic 42, Mic 43, and Mic 44, but it can also include only two microphones, or any number of microphones, with no specific limitation.

[0175] In some examples, multiple microphone arrays can also be arranged together with vehicle cameras. For instance, in order to enable parking and blind spot monitoring functions, four panoramic cameras are typically deployed in the front, rear, left, and right directions of a vehicle. Based on this, the deployment areas of the four panoramic cameras can be used to integrate four microphone arrays with them. For example, the four microphone arrays can be placed below the deployment areas of the four panoramic cameras to improve vehicle integration, reduce deployment difficulty, and improve maintenance convenience.

[0176] It is understood that the signal acquisition sensor 120 mentioned above can be any type of sensor capable of acquiring noise signals, such as a microphone, an accelerometer, or a vibration sensor, etc., without any specific limitation.

[0177] For example, taking a microphone as an example, the signal acquisition sensor 120 may include multiple microphones. The number of microphones can be set by those skilled in the art based on experience or actual noise reduction requirements. For instance, in scenarios requiring high noise reduction accuracy, a larger number of microphones can be used; the more microphones, the more first noise N1 is collected, resulting in higher noise reduction accuracy. Conversely, in scenarios requiring high noise reduction efficiency, a relatively smaller number of microphones can be used; the fewer microphones, the fewer first noise N1s are collected, and the faster the inverse noise N3 is determined based on the smaller number of first noise N1s, resulting in higher noise reduction efficiency and reduced power consumption.

[0178] Optionally, multiple microphones can be arranged circumferentially around the outer contour of the vehicle, staggered from each other by multiple microphone arrays. These microphones can be positioned at any location on the vehicle's outer contour, including but not limited to: the left door, right door, left side of the vehicle body, right side of the vehicle body, and the bottom of the chassis. For example, in one possible layout, as shown in Figure 5b above, three microphones can be placed on the left and right sides of the vehicle body, namely Mic 1, Mic 2, Mic 3, Mic 4, Mic 5, and Mic 6. Any two adjacent microphones among these six microphones need to be spaced a certain distance apart, and each microphone can collect the noise signal at its current location.

[0179] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5b, the six microphones (Mic 1 to Mic 6) and the four microphone arrays (Mic array 1 to Mic array 4) are arranged alternately, with adjacent microphones or microphone arrays staggered by a certain distance. In this way, the six microphones (Mic 1 to Mic 6) and the four microphone arrays (Mic array 1 to Mic array 4) can be evenly distributed across the entire outer contour of the vehicle. The noise locations collected by different microphones and microphone arrays will be at certain distances. This not only avoids repeatedly collecting noise signals from the same location but also allows for the collection of noise signals from as many representative locations as possible using a limited number of microphones and microphone arrays.

[0180] In one example, as shown in Figure 5b, when the sound source localization sensor 110 includes multiple microphone arrays and the signal acquisition sensor 120 includes multiple microphones, the multiple microphone arrays can be used to locate the position of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit. The position of the one or more noise sources is used to determine the noise reduction area. Based on the determined noise reduction area, one or more microphones that are relatively close to the noise reduction area can be used to collect the first noise N1, while the other microphones are not used to collect the first noise N1.

[0181] Among them, one or more microphones located close to the noise reduction area may include, but are not limited to, microphones as shown in any of the following cases:

[0182] Scenario 1: The set number of microphones closest to the noise reduction area, such as the 3 closest microphones;

[0183] Scenario 2: All microphones within a set distance threshold from the noise reduction area, such as all microphones less than 1 meter away;

[0184] Scenario 3: Microphones located on both sides of the first microphone array, which is the microphone array that is closest to the noise reduction area among multiple microphone arrays.

[0185] Taking scenario three above as an example, in specific implementation, the first microphone array closest to the noise reduction area can be found from multiple microphone arrays. Then, all microphones between the two microphone arrays adjacent to the first microphone array are used as the target reference sensor for ambient sound noise reduction, and the first noise N1 is collected using the target reference sensor. For example, combining Figures 5b and 7 above, assuming the noise reduction area is the circular area X shown in Figure 7, the microphone array closest to the noise reduction area X is Mic array 4. The two adjacent microphone arrays of Mic array 4 are Mic array 1 and Mic array 3. Therefore, the three microphones Mic 4 to Mic 6 between Mic array 1 and Mic array 3 can be used as the target reference sensor to collect the first noise N1. Since the three microphones Mic 4 to Mic 6 are relatively close to the noise reduction area X, the first noise N1 collected by the three microphones Mic 4 to Mic 6 can accurately characterize the noise near the noise reduction area X. Based on this noise, the inverse noise used for noise reduction can be determined. This not only saves the computing power of active noise reduction, but also allows for more targeted noise reduction of noise sources near the noise reduction area X. It avoids the phenomenon of low noise reduction caused by collecting the first noise N1 at a location far from the noise reduction area, thereby improving the causality and noise reduction of the noise control system.

[0186] Optionally, to improve the utilization rate of the microphone array, after determining the noise reduction area, one or more microphone arrays located close to the noise reduction area can also be used as target reference sensors for ambient sound noise reduction. That is, one or more microphone arrays located close to the noise reduction area, along with one or more microphones, can be used together as target reference sensors for ambient sound noise reduction. For example, in the examples of Figures 5b and 7 above, microphone array 4 and microphones Mic 4 to Mic 6 are used together as target reference sensors to jointly collect the first noise N1. This not only improves the utilization rate of the microphone array but also increases the amount of first noise, thereby improving the noise reduction accuracy.

[0187] Based on the arrangement of the reference sensor 100, the microphone array can meet the requirements for detecting noise sources outside the cockpit, while the multiple microphones arranged in a distributed manner can meet the requirements for obtaining the reference signal (i.e., the first noise) of the noise source to be denoised. The above noise reduction method first uses the microphone array to roughly locate the noise source, and then uses the microphones to obtain the reference signal of the noise reduction area where the noise source to be denoised is located. This can achieve active noise reduction of noise sources outside the cockpit while reducing computing power.

[0188] II. Error Sensor

[0189] Understandably, the error sensor 200 can be any type of sensor capable of acquiring noise signals, such as a microphone, an accelerometer, or a vibration sensor, etc., without any specific limitations.

[0190] For example, taking an error sensor 200 as a microphone, the error sensor 200 may include one or more error microphones disposed within the cockpit. For instance, in some examples, considering that the error microphone needs to capture the noise actually heard by the user, to improve the accuracy of the error microphone's noise capture, the error microphone may be disposed within the cockpit at a location relatively close to the user's ear, such as on the seat, as shown in Figure 8.

[0191] It should be noted that the error sensor 200 shown in Figure 8 includes four error microphones, namely Mic 21, Mic 22, Mic 23, and Mic 24. However, this is only an example. In actual applications, there can be only one, two, or more error microphones. It is understandable that the more error microphones there are, the more secondary noise N2 will be collected, and the higher the noise reduction accuracy will be. Based on this, in one example, if the actual application has high noise reduction requirements, more error microphones can be set, while if the noise reduction requirements are moderate, fewer error microphones can be set to improve noise reduction processing efficiency.

[0192] Furthermore, the error microphone in Figure 8 is exposed on the outside of the seat; this is just one example. In other examples, to maintain the aesthetics of the cabin, the error microphone can be encapsulated inside the seat, such as inside the seat back or headrest. Additionally, the error microphone can be globally or locally installed within the cabin. For example, in a globally installed configuration, error microphones can be installed on every seat in the cabin; in a locally installed configuration, error microphones can be installed only on certain seats, such as only on the driver and front passenger seats, or only on the rear seats, etc. This application does not impose specific limitations in this regard.

[0193] Furthermore, in some scenarios, the error microphone can also be placed in other locations within the cabin, such as the inner wall of the window, the inner wall of the roof, or the inside of the door, etc. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0194] III. Loudspeakers

[0195] Speaker 300, also known as a loudspeaker, is a device that converts electrical signals into sound signals. Speaker 300 can participate in active noise cancellation, for example, playing anti-phase noise N3 in the cabin, causing this anti-phase noise N3 to superimpose with a second noise N2 in the cabin, thereby purifying the acoustic environment inside the cabin. In some scenarios, in addition to participating in active noise cancellation, speaker 300 can also have other functions, such as immersive sound playback, navigation playback, or real-time traffic alerts.

[0196] Optionally, the number of speakers 300 can be one or more, and these speakers 300 can be installed in any location within the cabin, including but not limited to: the inside of the doors, the inner glass of the windows, the interior trim film, the center console, ambient lighting, the steering wheel, and the seats. For example, in a specific example, referring to Figure 9, two speakers, namely Spk 1 and Spk 2, can be installed on the left side of the cabin, and two speakers, namely Spk 3 and Spk 4, can be installed on the right side. The anti-phase noise N3 played by each of these four speakers Spk 1 to Spk 4, after propagating to the user's right ear position in each seat, is superimposed to collectively reduce noise in the user's right ear. Similarly, the anti-phase noise N3 played by each of these four speakers Spk 1 to Spk 4, after propagating to the user's left ear position in each seat, is superimposed to collectively reduce noise in the user's left ear. In this way, by combining four speakers to reduce noise in each of the user's ears, the noise heard by both ears can be effectively suppressed, improving the noise reduction effect on the user's ears.

[0197] Furthermore, optionally, the number of speakers 300 can be set according to noise reduction requirements. For example, for global noise reduction, multiple speakers can be arranged around the cabin, as shown in Figure 9 above. For local noise reduction, speakers can be arranged only in certain areas. For example, referring to Figure 9 above, if only noise reduction is needed for the driver and front passenger, only two speakers, Spk 1 and Spk 2, can be arranged on the left and right sides of the front seats, and no speakers are needed in the rear seats. Or, if only noise reduction is needed for the rear seat users, only two speakers, Spk 3 and Spk 4, can be arranged on the left and right sides of the rear seats, and no speakers are needed in the front seats. And so on, which will not be listed here.

[0198] Furthermore, optionally, the diaphragm surface of the speaker 300 can also face the user's head. For example, referring to Figure 9 above, when the four speakers Spk 1 to Spk 4 are located inside the vehicle body, the diaphragm surfaces of the four speakers Spk 1 to Spk 4 can face the headrest area of ​​the seat. This is not only more aesthetically pleasing, but also allows the user to hear a louder, stronger anti-phase noise N3, thus improving the noise reduction effect. However, it should be understood that this is only one possible design approach. The specific direction in which the diaphragm surface of the speaker 300 faces can be determined according to the designer's habits or the actual application scenario, and this application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0199] The above content describes the functions and layout of the various sensor components in the noise control system 10. It is understandable that to achieve the active noise reduction function of the noise control system 10, the aforementioned sensor components need to be connected to the control component. The control component is used to control the data acquisition operations of the aforementioned sensor components and to execute noise control logic based on the signals acquired by the aforementioned sensors.

[0200] For example, please refer to Figure 10, which shows a schematic diagram of another noise control system architecture provided in this application. In this example, in addition to the reference sensor 100, error sensor 200, and loudspeaker 300 described above, the noise control system 10 may also include a controller 400, which is connected to the reference sensor 100, error sensor 200, and loudspeaker 300 respectively. For example, it is connected to the sound source localization sensor 110 and signal acquisition sensor 120 of the reference sensor 100, the error sensor 200, and the loudspeaker 300 respectively.

[0201] Optionally, the controller 400 can be any device capable of performing control functions. It can be located in the noise control system 10 or outside the noise control system 10. Figure 10 is an example of the former.

[0202] Optionally, the controller 400 can be a device specifically designed for noise control, or it can be a device that performs noise control while also performing other functions. For example, in one example, the controller 400 can be a control unit in the vehicle, such as an in-vehicle infotainment system, domain controller, or vehicle control unit (VCU). This allows the use of an existing control unit within the vehicle to implement noise control, improving the utilization rate of in-vehicle components. Alternatively, in another example, to reduce the workload of the in-vehicle control unit, the controller 400 can be an additional control unit specifically designed for active noise cancellation, such as a separate digital signal processing (DSP) chip. This DSP chip contains all the components required for digital signal processing, including but not limited to: power amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters (DACs), digital-to-analog converters (ADCs), and processing units. This DSP chip is independent of the vehicle and can be integrated with relevant vehicle components to achieve noise control functionality. Alternatively, in another example, the controller 400 can also work in conjunction with a separately configured control unit and a control unit in the vehicle; that is, some functions of the controller are implemented by the separately configured control unit, while other functions are implemented by the control unit in the vehicle. And so on, without further listing.

[0203] Based on the system architecture shown in Figure 10, please refer to Figure 11, which illustrates the interactive flow diagram of a noise control method provided in this application. The method includes the following steps:

[0204] Step 1101: Controller 400 receives a noise reduction command from the user.

[0205] Among them, the noise reduction command is used to indicate that the noise control function is turned on, such as turning on the active noise reduction function.

[0206] Optionally, users can trigger a noise cancellation command when they have a need for active noise cancellation. This noise cancellation command can be triggered by speaking, clicking the human-machine interface, pressing a vehicle button (such as double-clicking the cigarette lighter), sending a text message, or sending a message.

[0207] For example, taking the noise reduction command triggered by clicking the human-machine interface as an example, as shown in Figure 10, the controller 400 can also be connected to the vehicle infotainment screen 510. If the controller 400 is the vehicle infotainment system, then the controller 400 is directly connected to the vehicle infotainment screen 510. If the controller 400 is not the vehicle infotainment system, then the controller 400 can be connected to the vehicle infotainment system, and the vehicle infotainment system is connected to the vehicle infotainment screen 510. In other words, the controller 400 is indirectly connected to the vehicle infotainment screen 510 through the vehicle infotainment system.

[0208] After the vehicle is powered on, the vehicle infotainment system can control the vehicle screen 510 to display a second interface, which is the default interface of the vehicle screen 510. As an example, the presentation of the second interface is shown in Figure 12a. This second interface includes multiple function buttons (i.e., controls), among which is the "Ambient Noise Reduction" button. If the user has an active noise reduction requirement, the user can click the "Ambient Noise Reduction" button on the second interface. The vehicle screen 510 detects the user's click on the "Ambient Noise Reduction" button (i.e., the first operation), generates a noise reduction command, and sends it to the vehicle infotainment system. If the controller 400 is the vehicle infotainment system, the controller 400 responds to the noise reduction command and directly executes step 1102 below. Conversely, if the controller 400 is not the vehicle infotainment system, the vehicle infotainment system can forward the noise reduction command to the controller 400, and the controller 400 responds to the noise reduction command and executes step 1102 below.

[0209] For example, taking voice-triggered noise reduction commands as an example, the controller 400 can also connect to an in-vehicle voice device, such as a car audio system or a car speaker. After the vehicle is powered on, the in-vehicle voice device automatically starts and waits for the user's voice messages. If the user issues a voice message such as "Turn on active noise reduction," "Ambient noise reduction," or similar content at a certain moment, the in-vehicle voice device will collect the voice content and perform semantic analysis. Based on the semantic analysis results, the in-vehicle voice device generates a noise reduction command and sends it to the controller 400. In response to the noise reduction command, the controller 400 executes the following step 1102.

[0210] For example, taking a noise reduction command triggered by sending a message as an example, the controller 400 can also connect to a user terminal via a cloud server. The user terminal could be a mobile phone, laptop, smart glasses, etc. When a user needs active noise reduction, they can open a pre-set active noise reduction application (APP) on the user terminal and select the "Enable Ambient Sound Noise Reduction" button on the APP interface. The active noise reduction APP generates a noise reduction command based on this operation and calls the user terminal's communication function to send the noise reduction command to the cloud server. The cloud server verifies the noise reduction command. If the verification is successful, it forwards the noise reduction command to the controller 400. The controller 400 responds to the noise reduction command and executes step 1102 below.

[0211] Of course, there are other triggering methods, which will not be listed here.

[0212] In step 1102, the controller 400 sends a first control signal to the reference sensor 100 and the error sensor 200. Correspondingly, the reference sensor 100 and the error sensor 200 receive the first control signal sent by the controller 400.

[0213] Optionally, in conjunction with Figure 10 above, when the reference sensor 100 includes the aforementioned sound source localization sensor 110 and signal acquisition sensor 120, the controller 400 sends a first control signal to the reference sensor 100, which may specifically include the following steps one to four.

[0214] Step 1: The controller 400 controls the sound source localization sensor 110 to work and acquires the noise outside the cabin collected by the sound source localization sensor 110.

[0215] For example, referring to Figure 5b above, if the sound source localization sensor 110 includes four microphone arrays Mic array 1 to Mic array 4, the controller 400 can send control signals to each of the four microphone arrays Mic array 1 to Mic array 4 respectively. After receiving the control signal, each microphone array collects the noise signal at its location according to its own collection cycle and sends it to the controller 400.

[0216] Step 2: The controller 400 determines the location of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit based on the noise outside the cockpit.

[0217] Referring to Figure 5b above, in one example, the controller can locate a noise source outside the cockpit based on the noise signals collected by each microphone array. The location of the noise source is the position with the highest noise intensity among the noise signals collected by the microphone arrays. Alternatively, in another example, the controller can combine multiple noise signals collected by multiple microphone arrays to locate the noise source. In this case, the locations of multiple noise sources can be identified, referring to the multiple positions with the highest noise intensity among the multiple noise signals collected by the multiple microphone arrays.

[0218] For example, combining Figures 5b and 7 above, based on the noise signals collected by the four microphone arrays (Mic array 1 to Mic array 4) outside the cockpit, the controller 400 can locate four noise sources, namely Source 1, Source 2, Source 3, and Source 4. Noise source Source 1 has the highest noise intensity, and noise source Source 3 has the lowest noise intensity. Noise sources Source 1 and Source 4 are located on the left side outside the cockpit, noise source Source 2 is located on the right side outside the cockpit, and noise source Source 3 is located at the rear outside the cockpit.

[0219] Step 3: The controller 400 determines the noise reduction area based on the location of one or more noise sources outside the vehicle.

[0220] Optionally, the cockpit offers multiple noise cancellation modes, including automatic and manual noise cancellation. Among these modes, there is a default noise cancellation mode and at least one switchable noise cancellation mode. The at least one switchable noise cancellation mode can be all noise cancellation modes except the default one. The default noise cancellation mode can be automatic, manual, or any other noise cancellation mode. When the default noise cancellation mode does not meet the user's needs, the user can switch the current noise cancellation mode to the desired mode before activating active noise cancellation.

[0221] For example, referring to Figure 12a above, the second interface of the vehicle infotainment screen 510 can also include a "Settings" button. After the user clicks the "Settings" button, the vehicle infotainment screen 510 switches from the second interface to the third interface. As an example, the presentation of the third interface is shown in Figure 12b. This third interface includes multiple modifiable parameter items, including a "Noise Reduction Mode" parameter item. If the user clicks the "Noise Reduction Mode" parameter item (i.e., the third control), the vehicle infotainment screen 510 can switch from the third interface to the fourth interface. As an example, the presentation of the fourth interface is shown in Figure 12c. This fourth interface includes a selected noise reduction mode (the default noise reduction mode when first opened, and the previously selected noise reduction mode when not first opened), and multiple unselected noise reduction modes. If the selected noise reduction mode does not meet the user's needs, the user can select other noise reduction modes, and the cabin will automatically switch to the selected noise reduction mode. For example, in the example in Figure 12c, the selected noise reduction mode is the automatic noise reduction mode. If the user reselects the manual noise reduction mode, the fourth interface will change to the one shown in Figure 12d. In the subsequent active noise reduction operation, the cockpit will execute the manual noise reduction mode.

[0222] Understandably, different noise reduction modes use different methods to determine the noise reduction area. In manual noise reduction mode, the noise reduction area can be selected by the user through the human-computer interaction interface (or other human-computer interaction methods, such as voice selection or gesture selection, are also feasible). In automatic noise reduction mode, the noise reduction area can be automatically selected by the controller 400 from one or more noise sources based on the characteristic information of one or more noise sources.

[0223] The procedures for determining the noise reduction area in manual and automatic noise reduction modes will be explained separately below.

[0224] Manual noise reduction mode

[0225] Optionally, referring to Figure 10 above, after determining the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin, the controller 400 can also control the vehicle infotainment screen 510 to display a first interface, which includes the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin. For example, if the controller 400 is the vehicle infotainment system, it can directly send the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin to the vehicle infotainment screen 510, which then generates and displays the first interface based on the location of these noise sources. If the controller 400 is not the vehicle infotainment system, it can send the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin to the vehicle infotainment system, which then forwards this information to the vehicle infotainment screen 510 to drive it to display the first interface.

[0226] As an example, the presentation of the first interface can be as shown in Figure 13a. This first interface includes one or more sound source markers, each corresponding to the location of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit. The sound source markers can be any or more of the following forms: text, images, shapes, lines, or colors. For example, in the first interface shown in Figure 13a, an explosion shape and text combination are used as an example.

[0227] Optionally, to reflect the noise intensity of different noise sources, the larger the noise intensity of a noise source, the larger the source marker can be. For example, in the first interface shown in Figure 13a, the noise intensity of noise sources Source 1, Source 4, Source 2, and Source 3 decreases sequentially. Therefore, the source marker of noise source Source 1 is the largest, the source marker of noise source Source 3 is the smallest, and the source markers of noise source Source 4 and Source 2 are between the source markers of noise source Source 1 and Source 3.

[0228] Optionally, the first interface can also display noise intensity variations in different areas, referred to as noise intensity distribution information. This information can be presented centered on each sound source marker, using gradient colors or density variations. For example, the noise intensity is highest at the sound source marker, so this area could be displayed as dark red, while the red color decreases as the distance from the sound source marker increases (not shown in the diagram). This presentation allows users to easily see the location of the noise source and understand the noise intensity distribution, facilitating the selection of noise areas. However, it should be understood that this is just an example of noise intensity distribution presentation; other presentation methods are also possible.

[0229] Alternatively, users can select the noise reduction area in many ways through the first interface, for example:

[0230] Example 1: The noise reduction area can be selected by the user from automatically defined noise source areas. For example, while controlling the vehicle screen 510 to display the first interface, the controller 400 can also automatically divide the first interface into multiple noise source areas according to the set division rules. The user can determine the noise reduction area by clicking or selecting one or more of the noise source areas.

[0231] There are several ways to divide noise source regions. For example, as shown in Figure 13b, a separate noise source region can be defined for each noise source. For instance, the noise source and a region within a certain distance can be grouped into one noise source region and defined by a block diagram. A selection box can also be provided on the block diagram; the user can select the noise source region by clicking the selection box. The controller 400 will then use the noise sources contained in the user-selected noise source region as the noise sources to be denoised (referred to as the first noise source). Understandably, when multiple noise sources are relatively close, they can also be grouped into the same noise source region, as shown in Figure 13c. Furthermore, in some examples, a selection box may not be provided; the user can directly select the noise source region by clicking any location within the noise source block diagram.

[0232] For example, as shown in Figure 13d, the entire first interface can be evenly divided into multiple noise source regions. For instance, using the vehicle centerline as a reference, it can be divided into four regions: upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right. Selection boxes can be provided on the diagram, allowing the user to select the region for noise reduction. Alternatively, selection boxes can be omitted, allowing the user to directly select the noise source region by clicking any location within the noise source diagram.

[0233] It is understandable that there are other ways to divide noise source areas, which will not be listed here.

[0234] Example 2: The noise reduction area can be a region manually selected by the user on the first interface. For example, as shown in Figure 13e, while controlling the vehicle screen 510 to display the first interface, the controller 400 can also simultaneously display a manual selection option on the first interface. This manual selection option can be, for example, a drag button as shown in the upper right corner of Figure 13e. The user manually clicks on the drag button and drags it to the area where noise reduction is desired, thus selecting the noise reduction area. The vehicle screen 510 sends the noise reduction area selected by the user to the controller 400, or indirectly to the controller 400 through the vehicle screen, so that the controller 400 uses the noise sources contained in the noise reduction area selected by the user as the noise sources to be reduced, i.e., the first noise source. Understandably, in other examples, the manual selection option can also be in the form of a pen, a regional selection, or other selection methods, etc., and no specific limitation is made here.

[0235] In some scenarios, as shown in Figure 10 above, the controller 400 can also be connected to an in-vehicle camera 520, which is located outside the cabin. After receiving a noise reduction command from the user, the controller 400 can control both the sound source localization sensor 110 and the in-vehicle camera 520. When the sound source localization sensor 110 is working, it collects ambient noise outside the cabin and sends it to the controller 400, while the in-vehicle camera 520 collects environmental images outside the cabin and sends them to the controller 400. The controller 400 first locates the position of one or more noise sources outside the cabin based on the ambient noise, then generates the aforementioned first interface based on the environmental images and the positions of one or more noise sources outside the cabin, and then controls the vehicle screen 510 to display the first interface. For example, the controller 400 can generate a panoramic view of the vehicle exterior based on the environmental image outside the cabin, and mark the location of one or more noise sources on the panoramic view. Then, it sends the image to the vehicle infotainment screen 510, or sends it to the vehicle infotainment screen 510 through the vehicle infotainment system, so as to drive the vehicle infotainment screen 510 to display the first image with the panoramic view of the vehicle exterior.

[0236] Taking the application scenario in Figure 1a and the manual selection method in Example 2 above as examples, the presentation of the first interface with the panoramic view outside the vehicle can be as shown in Figure 13f. In this application scenario, there are people dancing in a square in front of the vehicle, and a motorcycle passing by on the right side of the vehicle. If the user inside the vehicle wants to hear the sound of the square dance but not the sound of the motorcycle, they can click and hold the drag button shown in the upper right corner of the first interface in Figure 13f and drag it to the area covering the motorcycle, as shown in Figure 13g. In this way, since the noise reduction area selected by the user covers the motorcycle in the actual scene outside the vehicle, the noise source to be noise-reduced includes the motorcycle. The subsequently determined anti-phase noise is generated for the noise of the motorcycle, and its noise reduction effect on the noise generated by the motorcycle is good. At the same time, the noise reduction effect on the noise generated by the square dance area is poor. In this way, it can be ensured that the user cannot hear the motorcycle noise while still being able to hear a good amount of square dance sound, which can better meet the user's noise reduction needs.

[0237] Using the above manual noise reduction mode, users can manually select the location of the noise source to be reduced through a visual human-computer interaction. By supporting user-customized noise reduction areas, the noise least needed by the user is prioritized for noise reduction, thus meeting the user's subjective noise reduction needs.

[0238] Automatic noise reduction mode

[0239] Optionally, in automatic noise reduction mode, the controller 400 can also control the vehicle screen 510 to display the aforementioned first interface. For example, it can display a first interface showing only the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin, or a first interface showing both the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin and a panoramic image of the outside of the vehicle, so that users can intuitively understand the actual noise distribution outside the cabin. When the first interface includes a manual selection option, it also facilitates users to switch to manual noise reduction mode in a timely manner. For example, in conjunction with the first interface shown in Figure 13a or Figure 13b, in automatic noise reduction mode, if the user does not click the manual selection option, the automatic noise reduction mode is used by default for noise reduction processing. However, if the user finds that the current automatic noise reduction mode is not effective and there is still a relatively large amount of ambient noise, the user can click the manual selection option to reselect the noise reduction area, thereby directly switching from automatic noise reduction mode to manual noise reduction mode and improving the noise reduction effect.

[0240] Optionally, when using automatic noise reduction mode for noise reduction processing, after determining the location of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit, the controller 400 can first automatically select a first noise source from at least one noise source based on the characteristic information of at least one noise source, and then use the area where the first noise source is located as the noise reduction area. The characteristic information of the noise source may include, but is not limited to, noise intensity and distance from the cockpit. For example, in one example, the noise source closest to the cockpit can be used as the first noise source. Alternatively, in another example, based on the noise intensity of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit, a noise source that meets a set rule can be selected as the first noise source. The noise source that meets the set rule can include one or more of the following noise sources: the noise source with the highest noise intensity, the noise source with the highest equivalent noise intensity, the noise source with a noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold, and the noise source with an equivalent noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold. The area where the noise source meets the set rules can be, for example, an area within a set distance from the noise source, such as a circular area with a diameter of 5 meters centered on the location of the noise source, or a rectangular area with a length of 5 meters and a width of 3 meters centered on the location of the noise source, etc., and there are no specific limitations.

[0241] For example, taking a circular area with a diameter of 5 meters as the area where the noise source is located, and referring to Figure 13a above, if the noise intensity of noise source 1 is 40 dBA (dBA refers to the noise decibel level under Class A weighting), the noise intensity of noise source 2 is 19 dBA, the noise intensity of noise source 3 is 15 dBA, and the noise intensity of noise source 4 is 30 dBA, then there are the following four scenarios:

[0242] Scenario 1: The noise source that meets the set rules is: noise source 1, which has the highest noise intensity among noise sources Source 1 to Source 4. In this case, the noise reduction area is a circular area with a diameter of 5 meters centered on noise source Source 1.

[0243] Scenario 2: The noise sources that meet the set rules are those whose noise intensity is greater than or equal to the set intensity threshold. For example, if the set intensity threshold is 20 dBA, then the noise sources that meet the set rules are noise sources Source 1 and Source 4, and the noise reduction area is a circular area with a diameter of 5 meters centered on noise source Source 1 and a circular area with a diameter of 5 meters centered on noise source Source 4.

[0244] Scenario 3: The noise source that meets the set rules is the noise source with the largest equivalent noise intensity. For example, since the sum of the noise intensities of the two noise sources Source 1 and Source 4 in the left area outside the cockpit is 70 dBA, which is greater than 20 dBA, while the sum of the noise intensities of the two noise sources Source 2 and Source 3 in the right rear area outside the cockpit is 34 dBA, which is less than 20 dBA, the noise sources with the largest equivalent noise intensity can be considered as Source 1 and Source 4. The noise reduction area is a circular area with a diameter of 5 meters centered on noise source Source 1 and a circular area with a diameter of 5 meters centered on noise source Source 4.

[0245] Scenario 4: Noise sources that meet the set rules are those whose equivalent noise intensity is greater than or equal to the set intensity threshold. For example, if the set intensity threshold is 20 dBA, since the sum of the noise intensities of the two noise sources Source 1 and Source 4 in the left area outside the cockpit is 70 dBA, which is greater than 20 dBA, and the sum of the noise intensities of the two noise sources Source 2 and Source 3 in the right rear area outside the cockpit is 34 dBA, which is also greater than 20 dBA, the noise sources whose equivalent noise intensity is greater than or equal to the set intensity threshold can be considered as all noise sources, namely Source 1, Source 2, Source 3, and Source 4. The noise reduction area is a circular area with a diameter of 5 meters centered on noise source Source 1, a circular area with a diameter of 5 meters centered on noise source Source 2, a circular area with a diameter of 5 meters centered on noise source Source 3, and a circular area with a diameter of 5 meters centered on noise source Source 4.

[0246] It should be noted that the above only shows four possible setting rules. However, in actual noise reduction scenarios, the setting rules may be other rules. For example, users can customize the configuration according to the actual scenario. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0247] Step four: The controller 400 determines the target reference sensor based on the noise reduction area and sends a first control signal to the target reference sensor.

[0248] Here, the target reference sensor includes a signal acquisition sensor 120 that is close to the noise reduction area. Optionally, it may also include a sound source localization sensor 110 that is close to the noise reduction area. For example, referring to Figure 5b above, when the sound source localization sensor 110 includes multiple microphone arrays and the signal acquisition sensor 120 includes multiple microphones, the target reference sensor includes one or more microphone arrays and one or more microphones that are close to the noise reduction area.

[0249] Optionally, the controller 400 can first calculate the minimum distance between each microphone array in the plurality of microphone arrays and the noise reduction area. Then, based on the minimum distance between each microphone array and the noise reduction area, it selects the first microphone array with the smallest minimum distance from the plurality of microphone arrays. Then, it uses the first microphone array, as well as all microphones between the first microphone array and the two adjacent microphone arrays, as target reference sensors. For example, referring to Figures 5b and 13b above, if the noise reduction area selected by the user is the circled area T in Figure 13b, then the first microphone array closest to the circled area T is Mic array 2. The two microphone arrays adjacent to Mic array 2 are Mic array 1 and Mic array 3. The microphones located between Mic array 1 and Mic array 3 include Mic 1, Mic 2, and Mic 3. Therefore, the controller 400 can use Mic array 2, Mic 1, Mic 2, and Mic 3 as target reference sensors and send a first control signal to these target reference sensors.

[0250] Optionally, after receiving a noise reduction command from the user, the controller 400 can first determine the target reference sensor in the reference sensor 100 in the manner described above, and then send a first control signal to the target reference sensor and simultaneously send a first control signal to the error sensor 200. That is to say, before controlling the target reference sensor to collect the first noise, there is no need to control the error sensor 200 to collect the second noise, so as to save unnecessary power consumption.

[0251] Step 1103: When the reference sensor 100 is working, it collects the first noise outside the cockpit and sends it to the controller 400.

[0252] Here, after receiving the first control signal sent by the controller 400, each target reference sensor collects the first noise at its location and sends it to the controller 400. The first noise collected by each target reference sensor serves as a reference signal for active noise reduction. Since each target reference sensor is located outside the cockpit, the reference signal is also the ambient noise signal outside the cockpit. The inverse noise determined based on this reference signal can be used to reduce the ambient noise outside the cockpit.

[0253] Step 1104: When the error sensor 200 is working, it collects the second noise in the cockpit and sends it to the controller 400.

[0254] Step 1105: The controller 400 determines the phase-reversing noise N3 based on the first noise N1 and the second noise N2.

[0255] Here, the controller 400 can use the method shown in Figure 3a or Figure 3b above to first train the filter coefficients using the first noise N1 and the second noise N2, and then use fixed filter coefficients or real-time updated filter coefficients to determine the inverse noise N3 used for subsequent active noise reduction.

[0256] Step 1106: The controller 400 sends a second control signal to the speaker 300.

[0257] Here, the second control signal may carry inverted noise N3.

[0258] Step 1107: The speaker 300 plays anti-phase noise N3 according to the second control signal.

[0259] Here, the anti-phase noise N3, combined with cabin noise, enables active control of environmental noise. For example, it can actively control environmental noise generated within a user-selected noise reduction zone, or it can actively control environmental noise generated by noise sources that meet set rules. Understandably, after controlling noise sources outside the cabin, the acoustic environment inside the cabin will be purified, and the noise intensity inside the cabin will be significantly reduced compared to before noise control.

[0260] For example, a specific simulation example can be used to illustrate the actual noise reduction effect of this noise control method.

[0261] Please refer to Figure 14a, which shows a schematic diagram of a simulation scenario provided in this application. In this simulation scenario, a large speaker 1 is placed behind the left front wheel of the vehicle, and a small speaker 2 is placed behind the left rear wheel. The large speaker 1 is controlled to play loud noise, and the small speaker 2 is controlled to play soft noise.

[0262] Referring to Figure 8 above, assuming four error microphones Mic 21 to Mic 24 are installed on the seat, taking error microphones Mic 21 and Mic 22 as examples, the second noise collected by error microphones Mic 21 and Mic 22 is acquired in two cases: with the noise control system 10 of this application not activated and with the noise control system 10 activated. A noise spectrum diagram is then generated based on the acquired second noise. The noise spectrum diagram corresponding to error microphone Mic 21 is shown in Figure 14b, and the noise spectrum diagram corresponding to error microphone Mic 22 is shown in Figure 14c. In Figures 14b and 14c, the dashed line represents the noise spectrum when the noise control system 10 is not activated, and the solid line represents the noise spectrum after the noise control system 10 is activated.

[0263] Referring to Figures 14b and 14c, it can be seen that after the noise control system 10 is turned on, compared with the noise control system 10 not being turned on, the second noise collected by error microphone 21 achieves a noise reduction of approximately 10.5 dBA, and the second noise collected by error microphone 22 achieves a noise reduction of approximately 13.0 dBA. It is evident that the intensity of the second noise collected by both error microphones 21 and 22 is significantly reduced, indicating that turning on the noise control system 10 has a relatively good control effect on environmental noise.

[0264] In one possible implementation, to help users understand the noise reduction effect before and after denoising, the human-computer interaction interface can also include controls that allow users to view the comparison of noise reduction effects, such as:

[0265] As an example, the first interface may also include a first control, such as the "Effect Comparison" button shown in Figure 13h. After the controller 400 controls the speaker 300 to play the inverse noise N3, if it detects that the user has triggered the operation of the first control, such as the user clicking the "Effect Comparison" button on the first interface, it can also control the first interface to display the effect comparison information before and after noise reduction. This effect comparison information can be presented in various forms. For example, it can be presented as a noise distribution diagram before and after noise reduction, as shown in Figure 13h. Assuming that the user selects noise source Source 1 as the noise source to be denoised, the dotted line in the figure refers to the sound source mark of noise source Source 1 after noise reduction, and the solid line refers to the sound source mark of noise source Source 1 before noise reduction. The smaller the sound source mark after noise reduction, the better the noise reduction effect. Alternatively, it can be presented as a noise spectrum diagram before and after noise reduction, as shown in Figure 14b or Figure 14c above. The smaller the noise intensity in the noise spectrum diagram after noise reduction, the better the noise reduction effect. Alternatively, it can be presented in other forms, without specific limitations here.

[0266] As an example, the first interface may also include a second control, such as the "Expected Effect" button shown in Figure 13h. After the controller 400 controls the display of one or more noise sources on the first interface, if it detects that the user has triggered an operation on the second control, such as clicking the "Expected Effect" button on the first interface, it can also control the first interface to display a comparison of the effects of selecting a noise reduction area (or the first noise source) and not selecting a noise reduction area. For example, in manual noise reduction mode, it displays a comparison of the effects of manually selecting a noise reduction area and not selecting a noise reduction area. In automatic noise reduction mode, it displays a comparison of the effects of applying noise reduction to the automatically selected noise reduction area and not applying noise reduction to the automatically selected noise reduction area. This effect comparison information can be presented in the form of noise distribution information as shown in Figure 13h, or in the form of a noise spectrum diagram as shown in Figure 14b or Figure 14c, without limitation.

[0267] Understandably, the effect comparison information in this example presents the user with a preview of possible noise reduction effects without selecting a noise reduction area. The user can then decide whether to manually select a noise reduction area or apply noise reduction to the automatically selected area based on this comparison. For example, if the noise reduction effect is found to be unsatisfactory, the user can select other noise reduction areas or other noise sources for noise reduction. Alternatively, the user can view the possible noise reduction effects of each noise reduction area or noise source sequentially and select the one with the best effect for noise reduction. Many other possible scenarios exist, which will not be listed here.

[0268] It should be noted that other controls may also be present in the human-computer interaction interface, and this application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0269] Based on the noise control scheme described above, please refer to Figure 15, which shows a flowchart of another noise control method provided in this application. This method can be implemented by a vehicle or a control component within the vehicle, such as the aforementioned controller 400. This method can be considered as implementing the above noise control scheme from a human-machine interaction perspective, and it mainly includes the following steps:

[0270] Step 1501: Obtain noise outside the cockpit.

[0271] For example, in conjunction with Figure 10 above, after the user activates the active noise cancellation function, the sound source localization sensor 110 outside the cabin can be controlled to collect the ambient noise outside the cabin.

[0272] Step 1502: Based on the noise outside the cockpit, control the human-machine interface to display the location of at least one noise source.

[0273] For example, by combining Figures 10 and 13a above, the ambient noise outside the cabin can be collected by the sound source localization sensor 110, the location of at least one noise source outside the cabin can be located, and then the vehicle screen can be controlled to display the aforementioned first interface, which includes the location of at least one noise source.

[0274] Optionally, an image of the external environment can be displayed simultaneously with the location of at least one noise source. In other words, the human-machine interface is first controlled to display an image of the external environment, and then the location of at least one noise source is displayed on that image. The interface displayed in this case can be as shown in Figure 13f.

[0275] Optionally, the human-computer interaction interface may also include a second control, such as the "Expected Effect" button shown in Figure 13h. After controlling the human-computer interaction interface to display the position of at least one noise source, if the user triggers the operation of the second control, such as clicking the "Expected Effect" button, the human-computer interaction interface can also be controlled to display a comparison of the effects of selecting the first noise source and not selecting the first noise source. This comparison information may be the effect of the user manually selecting the first noise source and not performing the action of selecting the first noise source, or it may be the effect comparison information of denoising the automatically selected first noise source or not denoising the automatically selected first noise source. This effect comparison information may be presented in the form of noise distribution information as shown in Figure 13h, or in the form of noise spectrum diagrams as shown in Figure 14b or Figure 14c, without limitation.

[0276] Step 1503: Select a first noise source from at least one noise source.

[0277] Optionally, the first noise source can be selected manually or automatically.

[0278] If the selection is done manually, the first noise source selected by the user through the human-computer interaction interface can be obtained. This first noise source can be selected by the user from the automatically divided noise source area, as shown in Figures 13b to 13d above, or it can be a noise source in the area manually circled by the user, as shown in Figures 13e to 13g above, or it can be selected in other forms without limitation.

[0279] If automatic selection is used, a first noise source can be automatically selected from at least one noise source based on its characteristic information. For example, the first noise source can be selected from one or more closest noise sources based on their relative positions to the cabin. Alternatively, the first noise source can be selected based on the noise intensity of at least one noise source, provided that the noise intensity meets a set rule. A noise source meeting the set rule includes one or more of the following: the noise source with the highest noise intensity, the noise source with the highest equivalent noise intensity, the noise source with a noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold, and the noise source with an equivalent noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold. Alternatively, the noise source with the highest noise intensity among the one or more closest noise sources can be selected as the first noise source, and so on, without further limitation.

[0280] Optionally, the manual selection method described above corresponds to the manual selection mode, and the automatic selection method corresponds to the automatic selection mode. The human-computer interaction interface may also include a third control, such as the "Noise Reduction Mode" button shown in Figure 12b. Users can trigger this third control, such as by clicking the "Noise Reduction Mode" button, to control the human-computer interaction interface to display multiple noise reduction modes, including manual noise reduction mode and automatic noise reduction mode. If the user selects the manual noise reduction mode, they can select the first noise source from at least one noise source according to the manual selection method described above. If the user selects the automatic noise reduction mode, they can select the first noise source according to the automatic selection method described above. Of course, other noise reduction modes are also possible, such as a combination of manual and automatic noise reduction modes. In this noise reduction mode, the noise sources selected by the manual selection method and the noise sources selected by the automatic selection method are used together as the first noise source; no specific limitations are made here.

[0281] Step 1504: Based on the relative position information between the first noise source and the cockpit, select at least one sensor from multiple sensors to collect noise, including noise from the first noise source.

[0282] Optionally, referring to Figure 5b above, the multiple sensors may include multiple sensor arrays and multiple microphones, such as four sensor arrays (Mic array 1 to Mic array 4) and six microphones (Mic 1 to Mic 6). Based on the relative position information of the first noise source and the cockpit, the first sensor array closest to the first noise source can be determined first. Then, the first sensor array, as well as all microphones between the first sensor array and any two adjacent sensor arrays, can be selected to collect noise. For example, referring to Figures 5b and 13a above, if the first noise source is noise source Source 1, then the microphone array closest to noise source Source 1 is Mic array 4. Therefore, Mic array 4, Mic 4, Mic 5, and Mic 6 can be selected to collect noise. Since Mic array 4, Mic 4, Mic 5, and Mic 6 are close to noise source Source 1, the noise collected by these sensor arrays and microphones includes noise from noise source Source 1.

[0283] Step 1505: Noise reduction is performed based on noise collected by at least one sensor.

[0284] Optionally, the human-computer interaction interface may also include a first control, such as the "Effect Comparison" button shown in Figure 13h. After noise reduction based on noise collected by at least one sensor, if the user triggers the operation of the first control, such as clicking the "Effect Comparison" button, the human-computer interaction interface can be controlled to display the effect comparison information before and after noise reduction. This effect comparison information may be presented in the form of noise distribution information as shown in Figure 13h, or in the form of noise spectrum diagrams as shown in Figure 14b or Figure 14c, without limitation.

[0285] It is understandable that the relevant content in the aforementioned noise control system and noise control interaction method also applies to the noise control method shown in Figure 15, and will not be repeated here.

[0286] Based on the structure and function of the noise control scheme described above, this application can also provide a noise control method, which can be executed by the aforementioned controller or its module. The noise control method can include the steps executed by the controller described above, as detailed in Figures 11 or 15 above.

[0287] Based on the noise control method described above, this application can also provide a noise control device that can be used to perform the above noise control method. The relevant features can be found in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0288] In one possible implementation, Figure 16 shows a possible structural schematic diagram of a noise control device provided in this application. The noise control device 1600 may include modules or units for implementing the methods described in the embodiments above. For example, in one possible design, the noise control device 1600 includes a processing unit 1610 and a transceiver unit 1620, which can implement the noise control methods shown in Figure 11 or Figure 15 above.

[0289] The processing unit 1610 can also be referred to as a processor, processing chip, processing board, processing unit, or processing device, etc., and the transceiver unit 1620 can also be referred to as a communication unit, transceiver, transceiver, or transceiver device, etc. Optionally, the processing unit 1610 is used to perform the processing operations in the above-mentioned noise control method, and the transceiver unit 1620 is used to perform the transmitting and receiving operations in the above-mentioned noise control method. The device in the transceiver unit 1620 that implements the receiving function can be regarded as a receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit 1620 that implements the transmitting function can be regarded as a transmitting unit. That is, the transceiver unit 1620 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit.

[0290] The noise control device 1600 can be the controller or a module in the controller in the above embodiments (e.g., the circuit, chip or chip system in the controller 400, etc.), or it can be a logic node, logic module or software applied to the controller or its module, or used in conjunction with the controller or its module, capable of realizing all or part of the controller functions.

[0291] For example, in one embodiment, when the noise control device 1600 executes the noise control method shown in FIG11, the transceiver unit 1620 is used to receive a noise reduction command; the processing unit 1610 is used to, in response to the noise reduction command, control the reference sensor to collect a first noise outside the cockpit and control the error sensor to collect a second noise inside the cockpit, determine the inverse noise of the second noise based on the first noise and the second noise, and control the speaker to play the inverse noise. The reference sensor is located outside the cockpit, and the error sensor and the speaker are located inside the cockpit.

[0292] In one possible design, when the reference sensor includes a sound source localization sensor and a signal acquisition sensor, the processing unit 1610 is specifically configured to: control the sound source localization sensor to acquire ambient noise outside the cabin, determine the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin based on the ambient noise, determine a noise reduction area based on the location of one or more noise sources, and control the signal acquisition sensor to acquire first noise, the first noise including noise from the noise reduction area.

[0293] In a further possible design, the processing unit 1610 is also used to: control the sound source localization sensor to collect the first noise.

[0294] In a further possible design, the sound source localization sensor includes one or more sensor arrays, the signal acquisition sensor includes multiple sensors, and the processing unit 1610 is specifically used to: determine the first sensor array that is closest to the noise reduction area among the multiple sensor arrays, and control all sensors of the first sensor array and the two adjacent sensor arrays to acquire the first noise.

[0295] In one possible design, when the cockpit adopts automatic noise reduction mode, the processing unit 1610 determines the noise reduction area as follows: based on the location of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit, it filters out noise sources that meet set rules from the one or more noise sources, and determines the area where the noise sources that meet the set rules are located as the noise reduction area. The noise sources that meet the set rules include one or more of the following: the noise source with the highest noise intensity, the noise source with the highest equivalent noise intensity, the noise source with a noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold, and the noise source with an equivalent noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold.

[0296] In one possible design, when the cockpit is in manual noise reduction mode, the processing unit 1610 determines the noise reduction area by notifying the user of the location of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit via the transceiver unit 1620, and receiving a reply message from the user that includes the noise reduction area selected by the user.

[0297] In one possible design, the noise control device 1600 is also connected to the vehicle infotainment screen, and after the processing unit 1610 determines the location of one or more noise sources outside the vehicle based on the ambient noise, it is also used to: control the vehicle infotainment screen to display a first interface, the first interface including the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin.

[0298] In a further possible design, the noise control device 1600 is also connected to an in-vehicle camera located outside the cabin. Before the processing unit 1610 controls the display of the first interface on the vehicle screen, it is also used to: acquire environmental images captured by the in-vehicle camera, and generate the first interface based on the environmental images and the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin.

[0299] In a further possible design, after controlling the vehicle infotainment screen to display the first interface, the processing unit 1610 is also used to: use the area selected by the user in the first interface as the noise reduction area.

[0300] In one possible design, the noise control device 1600 is also connected to the vehicle infotainment screen, and the processing unit 1610, before responding to the noise reduction command, is also used to: detect a first operation by the user on the vehicle infotainment screen, the first operation being used to instruct the activation of the noise reduction function; or, receive a noise reduction command sent by the vehicle infotainment system, the noise reduction command being generated by the vehicle infotainment system after detecting the first operation by the user on the vehicle infotainment screen and sent to the controller.

[0301] For example, in another embodiment, when the noise control device 1600 executes the noise control method shown in FIG15 above, the transceiver unit 1620 is used to acquire noise outside the cabin; the processing unit 1610 is used to control the human-machine interface to display the position of at least one noise source according to the noise outside the cabin, and select a first noise source from the at least one noise source, and select at least one sensor from multiple sensors to collect noise according to the relative position information of the first noise source and the cabin, the noise including noise from the first noise source, and then perform noise reduction according to the noise collected by the at least one sensor.

[0302] In one possible design, the processing unit 1610 is specifically used to: acquire a first noise source selected by the user through a human-computer interaction interface; and / or, automatically select a first noise source from at least one noise source based on the characteristic information of at least one noise source.

[0303] In a further possible design, the first noise source is either selected by the user from an automatically defined noise source region or a noise source within a region manually selected by the user.

[0304] In a further possible design, the processing unit 1610 is specifically used to: based on the noise intensity of at least one noise source, identify a noise source whose noise intensity conforms to a set rule as a first noise source. The noise source whose noise intensity conforms to the set rule includes one or more of the following: the noise source with the largest noise intensity, the noise source with the largest equivalent noise intensity, the noise source with a noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold, and the noise source with an equivalent noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold.

[0305] In one possible design, the multiple sensors include multiple sensor arrays and multiple microphones. Based on this, the processing unit 1610 is specifically used to: first determine the first sensor array that is closest to the first noise source among the multiple sensor arrays, and then select the first sensor array and all the microphones between the first sensor array and the two adjacent sensor arrays to collect noise.

[0306] In a further possible design, multiple sensor arrays and multiple microphones are arranged circumferentially around the outer contour of the cockpit and staggered from each other.

[0307] In one possible design, the human-computer interaction interface includes a first control. After the processing unit 1610 performs noise reduction based on noise collected by at least one sensor, it can also control the human-computer interaction interface to display comparison information of the effect before and after noise reduction based on the user's operation of the first control.

[0308] In one possible design, the human-computer interaction interface includes a second control. After the processing unit 1610 controls the human-computer interaction interface to display the position of at least one noise source, it can also control the human-computer interaction interface to display effect comparison information after selecting the first noise source and not selecting the first noise source, based on the user's operation of triggering the second control. The effect comparison information is the effect comparison information after the user manually selects the first noise source and not performing the action of selecting the first noise source, or it is the effect comparison information of noise reduction for the automatically selected first noise source and not performing noise reduction for the automatically selected first noise source.

[0309] In one possible design, the human-computer interface includes a third control. Before selecting a first noise source from at least one noise source, the processing unit 1610 can also control the human-computer interface to display multiple noise reduction modes based on the user's operation of triggering the third control. These multiple noise reduction modes include manual noise reduction mode and automatic noise reduction mode. In this case, the processing unit 1610 selects the first noise source from at least one noise source, specifically by selecting the first noise source from at least one noise source according to the noise reduction mode selected by the user.

[0310] In one possible design, the processing unit 1610 is specifically used to: control the human-machine interface to display an image of the environment outside the cockpit, and display the location of at least one noise source on the image based on the noise outside the cockpit.

[0311] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. One function can correspond to one functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated onto a single physical entity, or distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for specific applications, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0312] In one example, the functional unit in any of the noise control devices described above may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0313] In another possible implementation, please refer to Figure 17, which shows another possible structural schematic of the noise control device. The noise control device 1700 shown in Figure 17 includes at least one processor 1710 and interface circuitry 1730. The at least one processor 1710 is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the memory may be located within the noise control device 1700 and integrated with the processor 1710, or it may be located outside the noise control device 1700. For example, the noise control device 1700 may also include at least one memory 1720. The at least one memory 1720 stores the necessary computer programs (or instructions) and / or data for implementing any of the above embodiments; the at least one processor 1710 can execute the computer programs (or instructions) and / or data stored in the at least one memory 1720 to complete the noise control method in any of the above embodiments.

[0314] The noise control device 1700 can interact with other devices through the interface circuit 1730. For example, the interface circuit 1730 can be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, pin, or other type of communication interface. When the noise control device 1700 is a chip-type device or circuit, the interface circuit 1730 can also be an input / output circuit, capable of inputting information (or receiving information) and outputting information (or sending information). The processor can be an integrated processor, microprocessor, integrated circuit, or logic circuit, and can determine the output information based on the input information.

[0315] The coupling in this embodiment is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1710 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1720 and the interface circuit 1730. This embodiment does not limit the specific connection medium between the processor 1710, the memory 1720, and the interface circuit 1730.

[0316] Optionally, referring to Figure 17, the processor 1710, the memory 1720, and the interface circuit 1730 are interconnected via a bus. The bus can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 17, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0317] In the embodiments of this application, the processor 1710 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, capable of implementing or executing the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware processor, or being executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0318] In this embodiment, the memory 1720 can be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), or it can be volatile memory, such as random-access memory (RAM). The memory 1720 can be any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures, and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 1720 in this embodiment can also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing storage functions for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0319] When the noise control device 1700 is used to implement the above method embodiment, the processor 1710 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 1610, and the interface circuit 1730 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 1620. These will not be repeated here.

[0320] Based on the noise control system or noise control device described above, this application can also provide a vehicle, as shown in FIG18. The vehicle 1800 may include a noise control system 1810 or a noise control device 1820. The noise control system 1810 may be any of the aforementioned noise control systems, such as the noise control system 10 shown in FIG2 or FIG10. The noise control device 1820 may be any of the aforementioned noise control devices, such as the noise control device 1600 shown in FIG16 or the noise control device 1700 shown in FIG17.

[0321] In one possible design, as shown in Figure 18, the vehicle 1800 may further include a vehicle infotainment screen 1830, which is connected to a noise control system 1810 or a noise control device 1820. The vehicle infotainment screen 1830, under the control of the noise control system 1810 or the noise control device 1820, displays the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin, the location of which is determined by the noise control system 1810 or the noise control device 1820 based on the noise outside the cabin.

[0322] In a further possible design, as shown in Figure 18, the vehicle 1800 may also include an onboard camera 1840, which is connected to a noise control system 1810 or a noise control device 1820. An onboard screen 1830, under the control of the noise control system 1810 or the noise control device 1820, is used to acquire environmental images outside the cabin and send them to the noise control system 1810 or the noise control device 1820. The noise control system 1810 or the noise control device 1820 is also used to control the onboard screen 1830 to display the environmental images outside the cabin and the locations of one or more noise sources outside the cabin.

[0323] For example, the aforementioned vehicle 1800 may include, but is not limited to: cars, trucks, buses, recreational vehicles, amusement park vehicles, construction vehicles, trams, golf carts, trains, driverless cars, intelligent cars, and digital cars.

[0324] Based on the noise control method described above, this application may also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, implement the noise control method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0325] Based on the noise control method described above, this application can also provide a computer program product, which includes a computer program that, when executed by a computer, implements the noise control method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0326] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "Including at least one" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Additionally, in this application, the terms "exemplarily" or "optionally" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "optional" in this application should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Alternatively, it can be understood that the use of the terms "exemplary" or "optional" is intended to present concepts in a specific manner and does not constitute a limitation on this application.

[0327] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic. The terms "first," "second," "third," and similar expressions are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such as including a series of steps or units. A method, system, product, or device is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

Claims

1. A noise control system, characterized in that, It includes a reference sensor, an error sensor, and a speaker, wherein the reference sensor is located outside the cockpit, and the error sensor and the speaker are located inside the cockpit; The reference sensor is used to collect the first noise outside the cockpit; The error sensor is used to collect the second noise inside the cockpit; The speaker is used to play anti-phase noise, which is determined based on the first noise and the second noise.

2. The system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The reference sensor includes a sound source localization sensor and a signal acquisition sensor; The sound source localization sensor is used to locate the position of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit, and the position of the one or more noise sources is used to determine the noise reduction area; The signal acquisition sensor is used to acquire a first noise, which includes noise from the noise reduction area.

3. The system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The sound source localization sensor includes one or more sensor arrays. When it includes one sensor array, the sensor array is disposed on the top of the vehicle. When it includes multiple sensor arrays, the multiple sensor arrays are arranged circumferentially around the outer contour of the vehicle.

4. The system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The signal acquisition sensor includes multiple sensors arranged circumferentially around the outer contour of the vehicle and offset from the one or more sensor arrays.

5. The system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The one or more sensor arrays are located at one or more of the following positions: the front logo, the left rearview mirror, the right rearview mirror, the rear license plate, the bumper, the A-pillar, the B-pillar, and the C-pillar. The multiple sensors are located in the following locations: left door, right door, left side of the vehicle body, right side of the vehicle body, and bottom of the vehicle frame.

6. The system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The noise control system further includes a controller connected to the reference sensor, the error sensor, and the loudspeaker; The controller is configured to, in response to a noise reduction command, control the reference sensor to acquire the first noise, control the error sensor to acquire the second noise, determine the inverse noise based on the first noise and the second noise, and control the speaker to play the inverse noise.

7. The system as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The reference sensor includes a sound source localization sensor and a signal acquisition sensor, and the controller is specifically used for: The sound source localization sensor is controlled to collect ambient noise outside the cockpit; The location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin is determined based on the ambient noise, and a noise reduction zone is determined based on the location of the one or more noise sources. The signal acquisition sensor is controlled to acquire the first noise, which includes noise from the noise reduction region.

8. The system as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The sound source localization sensor includes multiple sensor arrays, the signal acquisition sensor includes multiple sensors, and the controller is specifically used for: One or more sensor arrays that are close to the noise reduction area are identified from the plurality of sensor arrays, one or more sensors that are close to the noise reduction area are identified from the plurality of sensors, and the one or more sensor arrays and the one or more sensors are controlled to collect the first noise.

9. The system as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The one or more sensor arrays include: a first sensor array that is closest to the noise reduction region among the plurality of sensor arrays, and the one or more sensors include: all sensors between the first sensor array and two adjacent sensor arrays.

10. The system as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The cockpit uses an automatic noise reduction mode; The controller is specifically used to: take the area where the noise source that meets the set rules is located from the one or more noise sources as the noise reduction area. The noise source that meets the set rules includes one or more of the following: the noise source with the largest noise intensity, the noise source with the largest equivalent noise intensity, the noise source with a noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold, and the noise source with an equivalent noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold.

11. The system as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that, The cockpit uses a manual noise reduction mode; The controller is specifically used to: notify the user of the location of the one or more noise sources, and receive a reply message from the user, the reply message including the noise reduction area selected by the user.

12. The system as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that, The controller is also connected to the vehicle's infotainment screen. After determining the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin based on the ambient noise, the controller is further configured to: The vehicle infotainment screen is controlled to display a first interface, which includes the location of the one or more noise sources.

13. The system as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The controller is also connected to an in-vehicle camera, which is located outside the cabin; before controlling the in-vehicle screen to display the first interface, the controller is also used for: The vehicle-mounted camera is controlled to acquire environmental images, and the first interface is generated based on the environmental images and the locations of the one or more noise sources.

14. The system as described in claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, After controlling the vehicle infotainment screen to display the first interface, the controller is further configured to: The area selected by the user on the first interface is used as the noise reduction area.

15. The system as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 14, characterized in that, The controller is also connected to the vehicle's infotainment screen, and before responding to the noise reduction command, the controller is also used to: The system detects a first user action on the vehicle's infotainment screen, the first action being used to instruct the user to activate the noise cancellation function; or... The system receives the noise reduction command sent by the vehicle infotainment system. The noise reduction command is generated by the vehicle infotainment system after detecting the user's first operation on the vehicle infotainment screen and is sent to the controller.

16. A noise control method, characterized in that, The method includes: Acquire noise from outside the cockpit; Based on the noise outside the cockpit, control the human-machine interface to display the location of at least one noise source; Select a first noise source from the at least one noise source; Based on the relative position information between the first noise source and the cockpit, at least one sensor is selected from multiple sensors to collect noise, the noise including noise from the first noise source; Noise reduction is performed based on the noise collected by the at least one sensor.

17. The method as described in claim 16, characterized in that, Selecting a first noise source from the at least one noise source includes: Obtain the first noise source selected by the user through the human-computer interaction interface; and / or, Based on the characteristic information of the at least one noise source, the first noise source is automatically selected from the at least one noise source.

18. The method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, The first noise source is either selected by the user from an automatically divided noise source region or a noise source in a region manually selected by the user.

19. The method as described in claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The step of automatically selecting the first noise source from the at least one noise source based on the feature information of the at least one noise source includes: Based on the noise intensity of the at least one noise source, the noise source whose noise intensity conforms to a set rule is designated as the first noise source. The noise source whose noise intensity conforms to the set rule includes one or more of the following: the noise source with the highest noise intensity, the noise source with the highest equivalent noise intensity, the noise source with a noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold, and the noise source with an equivalent noise intensity greater than or equal to a set intensity threshold.

20. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, characterized in that, The plurality of sensors includes a plurality of sensor arrays and a plurality of microphones. The step of selecting at least one sensor from the plurality of sensors to collect noise based on the relative position information of the first noise source and the cockpit includes: Determine the first sensor array among the plurality of sensor arrays that is closest to the first noise source; The first sensor array, as well as all microphones between the first sensor array and the two adjacent sensor arrays, are selected to collect noise.

21. The method as described in claim 20, characterized in that, The multiple sensor arrays and multiple microphones are arranged circumferentially around the outer contour of the cockpit and are staggered from each other.

22. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 21, characterized in that, The human-computer interaction interface includes a first control, and after noise reduction based on the noise collected by the at least one sensor, it further includes: Based on the user's operation of triggering the first control, the human-computer interaction interface is controlled to display comparison information of the effect before and after noise reduction.

23. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 22, characterized in that, The human-computer interaction interface includes a second control. After the human-computer interaction interface displays the location of at least one noise source, it further includes: Based on the user's operation of triggering the second control, the human-computer interaction interface is controlled to display a comparison information of the effect after selecting the first noise source and not selecting the first noise source. The comparison information is either a comparison information of the effect after the user manually selects the first noise source and not performing the action of selecting the first noise source, or a comparison information of the effect of noise reduction on the automatically selected first noise source and not performing noise reduction on the automatically selected first noise source.

24. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 23, characterized in that, The human-computer interaction interface includes a third control; Before selecting the first noise source from the at least one noise source, the method further includes: Based on the user's operation of triggering the third control, the human-computer interaction interface is controlled to display multiple noise reduction modes, including manual noise reduction mode and automatic noise reduction mode; Selecting a first noise source from the at least one noise source includes: Based on the noise reduction mode selected by the user, a first noise source is selected from the at least one noise source.

25. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 24, characterized in that, The step of controlling the human-machine interface to display the location of at least one noise source based on the noise outside the cockpit includes: The human-machine interface is controlled to display an environmental image outside the cockpit, and the location of at least one noise source is displayed on the environmental image based on the noise outside the cockpit.

26. A noise control method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a controller, which connects a reference sensor, an error sensor, and a speaker. The reference sensor is located outside the cockpit, while the error sensor and the speaker are located inside the cockpit. In response to a noise reduction command, the reference sensor is controlled to acquire a first noise outside the cockpit, and the error sensor is controlled to acquire a second noise inside the cockpit. Based on the first noise and the second noise, determine the inverse noise of the second noise; Control the speaker to play the anti-phase noise.

27. The method as described in claim 26, characterized in that, The reference sensor includes a sound source localization sensor and a signal acquisition sensor; controlling the reference sensor to acquire the first noise outside the cockpit includes: The sound source localization sensor is controlled to collect ambient noise outside the cockpit; The location of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit is determined based on the ambient noise. The noise reduction area is determined based on the location of the one or more noise sources; The signal acquisition sensor is controlled to acquire the first noise, which includes noise from the noise reduction region.

28. The method as described in claim 27, characterized in that, The sound source localization sensor includes a plurality of sensor arrays, the signal acquisition sensor includes a plurality of sensors, and controlling the signal acquisition sensor to acquire the first noise includes: Determine the first sensor array among the plurality of sensor arrays that is closest to the noise reduction region; Control all sensors in the first sensor array and between the first sensor array and two adjacent sensor arrays to collect the first noise.

29. The method as described in claim 27 or 28, characterized in that, Determining the noise reduction area based on the location of the one or more noise sources includes: If the cabin adopts automatic noise reduction mode, the area where the noise source that meets the set rules is located among the one or more noise sources will be the noise reduction area. The noise source that meets the set rules includes one or more of the following: the noise source with the highest noise intensity, the noise source with the highest equivalent noise intensity, the noise source with a noise intensity greater than or equal to the set intensity threshold, and the noise source with an equivalent noise intensity greater than or equal to the set intensity threshold.

30. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 29, characterized in that, Determining the noise reduction area based on the location of the one or more noise sources includes: If the cockpit is in manual noise reduction mode, the location of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit will be notified to the user, and the user's response message will be received, including the noise reduction area selected by the user.

31. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 30, characterized in that, The controller is also connected to the vehicle's infotainment screen; After determining the location of one or more noise sources outside the cockpit based on the ambient noise, the method further includes: The vehicle infotainment screen is controlled to display a first interface, which includes the location of the one or more noise sources.

32. The method as described in claim 31, characterized in that, The controller is also connected to an in-vehicle camera, which is located outside the cabin; before controlling the in-vehicle screen to display the first interface, the following steps are also included: The system acquires environmental images captured by the vehicle-mounted camera and generates the first interface based on the environmental images and the locations of the one or more noise sources.

33. The method as described in claim 31 or 32, characterized in that, After controlling the vehicle infotainment screen to display the first interface, the method further includes: The area selected by the user on the first interface is used as the noise reduction area.

34. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 33, characterized in that, The controller is also connected to the vehicle's infotainment screen; The response prior to the noise reduction command also includes: The system detects a first user action on the vehicle's infotainment screen, the first action being used to instruct the user to activate the noise cancellation function; or... The system receives the noise reduction command sent by the vehicle infotainment system. The noise reduction command is generated by the vehicle infotainment system after detecting the user's first operation on the vehicle infotainment screen and is sent to the controller.

35. A noise control device, characterized in that, It includes modules or units for performing the method as described in any one of claims 16 to 25, or modules or units for performing the method as described in any one of claims 26 to 34.

36. A vehicle, characterized in that, It includes a noise control system as described in any one of claims 1 to 15, or a noise control device as described in claim 35.

37. The vehicle as claimed in claim 36, characterized in that, It also includes a vehicle infotainment screen, which is connected to the noise control system or the noise control device; The vehicle infotainment screen is used to display the location of one or more noise sources outside the cabin under the control of the noise control system or the noise control device.

38. The vehicle as claimed in claim 37, characterized in that, It also includes an in-vehicle camera, which is connected to the noise control system or the noise control device; The vehicle-mounted camera is used to acquire environmental images outside the vehicle under the control of the noise control system or the noise control device. The noise control system or the noise control device is also used to control the display of the environmental image and the position of the one or more noise sources on the vehicle screen.

39. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, implement the method as described in any one of claims 16 to 25, or the method as described in any one of claims 26 to 34.

40. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program that, when executed by a computer, implements the method as described in any one of claims 16 to 25, or implements the method as described in any one of claims 26 to 34.

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