EV Interior Sound Control for Presence and Environmental Cues

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sound control devices for electric vehicles prioritize the sense of presence through pseudo engine sounds but fail to effectively transmit information about the environmental state to the driver.

Innovation Solution

A sound control method and device that estimate the environmental state of an electric vehicle based on driving and surrounding environment information, process interior sounds accordingly, and output them from room speakers to appropriately convey environmental information while maintaining a sense of presence.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If pseudo engine sound is output to provide a sense of presence, then driver immersion is improved, but environmental state information transmission deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedriver sense of presenceVSAvoidenvironmental state information
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The sound control device segments the interior sound into multiple components: pseudo engine sound and environmental state information sound. These segmented sound components are then output at different time points or with different sound levels, allowing both the sense of presence and environmental information transmission to be achieved without mutual interference

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The device employs periodic action by alternately outputting pseudo engine sound and environmental state information sound. The pseudo engine sound provides continuous sense of presence, while environmental information is transmitted periodically through sound level changes or intermittent output, ensuring both functions are fulfilled

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

2Loss of information

If interior sound is processed with sound process specification, then environmental state information transmission is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenvironmental state informationVSAvoidsound control processing
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sound control device changes sound parameters (sound level, frequency, or time point) of the interior sound to encode environmental state information. By modifying existing sound parameters rather than adding separate processing systems, the device transmits environmental information while keeping the overall system complexity manageable

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The pseudo engine sound serves as an intermediary carrier for environmental state information. Instead of adding a separate information transmission system, the device modulates the pseudo engine sound with environmental information, using the existing sound field as a mediator to convey both sense of presence and environmental data

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP4553825A1Sound control method and sound control device
Publication Date: 2025.05.14 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
  • EP4553825A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4553825A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4553825A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An interior sound to be output from a room speaker (16) of an electric vehicle (10) is generated. An environmental state (EES) of the electric vehicle (10) is estimated based on at least one of information on driving environment of the electric vehicle (10) and information on surrounding environment of the electric vehicle (10). It is determined whether a process condition of the interior sound (EGS) is satisfied based on the estimated result of the environmental state (EES). When it is determined that the process condition of the interior sound (EGS) is satisfied, the interior sound (EGS) is processed based on the information on a sound process specification (PS) corresponding to the estimated result used for the determination of the process condition and is output from the room speaker.