Adaptive In-Vehicle Soundscape Mixing for Safe Immersive Audio
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicles lack the ability to immerse passengers in the surrounding environment's sound, limiting the acoustic experience and failing to enhance relaxation and focus during driving.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a sensor module, in-vehicle entertainment module, and soundscape generation module that uses interior and exterior sensors to generate immersive soundscapes, mixing them with audio sources to create a multi-channel audio experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If immersive soundscape is introduced to enhance acoustic experience, then relaxation and focus are improved, but driving safety may be compromised due to potential distraction
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts soundscape parameters based on driving conditions, vehicle speed, and environmental context. The soundscape generation module continuously adapts the audio output to maintain safety while preserving relaxation benefits, transforming a static audio system into a dynamic one that responds to real-time driving scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor driving conditions and adjust the soundscape accordingly. By continuously sensing the driving environment and driver state, the system provides feedback to the soundscape generation module, ensuring that acoustic enhancements do not compromise safety and that alarm tones remain clearly audible when needed.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If synthesized soundscape is added to mask environmental noise, then acoustic comfort is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The soundscape generation module serves multiple functions simultaneously: it masks unwanted environmental noise, creates immersive acoustic experiences, and maintains compatibility with existing alarm and entertainment systems. By designing a universal module that performs multiple roles, the system achieves noise masking benefits without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a soundscape generation module as an intermediary layer between the external environment and the passenger cabin. This mediator processes environmental sounds and generates synthesized soundscapes that mask unwanted noises while preserving desirable acoustic characteristics, effectively decoupling the complexity of noise management from the core vehicle systems.
3Ease of operation
If real-time soundscape generation is implemented, then acoustic experience is enhanced, but computational resources and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements partial soundscape generation by focusing computational resources on generating only the essential acoustic elements needed for masking and immersion, rather than creating complete environmental reconstructions. This selective approach reduces computational energy requirements while maintaining the core benefits of enhanced acoustic experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The soundscape generation module dynamically changes acoustic parameters such as volume, frequency distribution, and spatial positioning based on driving conditions. By adjusting parameters rather than generating entirely new soundscapes in real-time, the system reduces computational energy consumption while maintaining adaptive acoustic enhancement.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for enhancing in-vehicle acoustic experience, including obtaining and transmitting sensor data by a sensor module; receiving the sensor data by a soundscape generation module and generating a soundscape audio signal with reference to the sensor data; and then playing, by at least one speaker in the in-vehicle space, a mixed audio signal formed by mixing the generated soundscape audio signal with the audio source signal provided by an in-vehicle entertainment module, so as to enhance the in-vehicle acoustic experience without affecting driving, thereby helping drivers and passengers relax and improve focus, enjoying immersive acoustic experiences while further masking noise.