Vehicle Engine Sound Modulation for Natural Acceleration Cues
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sound output devices for vehicles fail to accurately simulate engine sounds when the engine's number of revolutions remains constant, leading to a mismatch between actual and simulated sounds during vehicle acceleration or deceleration, causing an unnatural driving experience.
Innovation Solution
A sound output device that includes a generator producing sound signals based on engine revolutions, an obtainer for mobile body information, and a processing unit that modifies these signals to reflect the vehicle's behavior, ensuring the simulated sound matches the vehicle's dynamics, using techniques like amplitude or frequency modulation and filtering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sound signal is generated based only on the total number of revolutions of the rotating body, then the sound output is simple and stable, but the simulated sound does not match the vehicle's dynamic behavior when acceleration or deceleration occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the sound signal processing adaptive and variable based on vehicle state. The processing unit dynamically adjusts sound parameters (such as frequency, amplitude, or timing) according to real-time vehicle acceleration, deceleration, or gear changes. This transforms the static sound generation system into a dynamic one that responds to changing vehicle conditions, resolving the contradiction between simple sound output and accurate behavioral representation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by modifying sound signal characteristics based on vehicle operational parameters. When the vehicle accelerates or decelerates, the processing unit changes parameters such as sound frequency, intensity, or phase to reflect the vehicle's dynamic state. This approach allows the system to maintain accurate sound-vehicle behavior correspondence without requiring complete redesign of the sound generation architecture.
2Ease of operation
If the simulated engine sound accentuates the actual engine sound, then the driver can better grasp vehicle behavior, but the sound becomes unnatural when engine revolutions are constant during acceleration or deceleration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring vehicle state parameters (acceleration, deceleration, gear position) and using this information to adjust the sound signal processing in real-time. The processing unit receives feedback from vehicle sensors and modifies the simulated sound characteristics accordingly, ensuring that the accentuated sound remains natural and accurately reflects vehicle behavior even during constant engine revolutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static sound accentuation approach to a dynamic one where the degree and type of sound processing varies with vehicle state. During acceleration or deceleration, the processing unit dynamically adjusts sound parameters to maintain naturalness, while still providing sufficient accentuation for driver awareness. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between enhancing driver perception and maintaining sound naturalness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device effectively synchronizes the simulated sound with the vehicle's behavior, enhancing the driving experience by ensuring the sound heard within the vehicle cabin accurately represents the vehicle's operational state, even when engine revolutions are constant.
Implementation Method 1
using techniques like amplitude or frequency modulation and filtering
Implementation Method 2
using techniques like amplitude or frequency modulation and filtering
Implementation Method 3
using techniques like amplitude or frequency modulation and filtering
Data Source
AI summary
A sound output device includes: a sound generator that generates, based on a total number of revolutions of an engine, a sound signal representing a sound for accentuating an engine sound emitted by the engine; a vehicle information obtainer that obtains vehicle information indicating a state of a vehicle; a modulation applier that performs, based on the vehicle information, a predetermined process on the sound signal, the predetermined process being a process for which behavior of the vehicle is taken into consideration; and an outputter that outputs the sound signal on which the predetermined process has been performed to a loudspeaker provided in the vehicle.