Scalable Vibration Sensing With Adjustable Bandwidth and Dynamic Range

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing noise and vibration sensing technologies for active road noise control and active engine noise control systems require specific sensor arrangements, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs due to the need for different sensor configurations for road and engine noise signals.

Innovation Solution

A scalable noise and vibration sensor with an acceleration sensor and a processing module that adjusts signal bandwidth and dynamic range in response to a control signal, allowing the same sensor to be used in various applications by increasing bandwidth when dynamic range decreases and vice versa, maintaining a constant bandwidth-dynamic product.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If different sensor arrangements are used for road noise and engine noise control systems, then each system can be optimized for its specific application, but the device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignal processing accuracyVSAvoidsensor arrangement complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal sensor arrangement where a single set of sensors (acceleration sensors, microphones, and force gauges) serves both road noise control and engine noise control systems. The sensor data is processed differently based on the application, but the same physical sensors capture both road-induced vibrations and engine vibrations, eliminating the need for separate sensor arrangements for each system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs dynamic signal processing where the bandwidth and dynamic range of the sensor system are adjusted based on the specific application requirements. For road noise control, the system optimizes for lower frequency ranges, while for engine noise control, it adjusts to capture higher frequency components, allowing a single sensor arrangement to adapt to different operational demands.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If the signal bandwidth is increased to capture more frequency components, then the signal dynamic range decreases due to the constant bandwidth-dynamic product

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignal bandwidthVSAvoidsignal dynamic range
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic adjustment of signal processing parameters where the bandwidth and dynamic range are not fixed but adapt based on the specific noise control application. The system dynamically modifies the bandwidth-dynamic product to optimize performance for either road noise or engine noise control, allowing flexible adaptation to different frequency ranges and signal characteristics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the operational parameters of the sensor system by adjusting the bandwidth-dynamic product based on the application. For road noise control, the system uses a different bandwidth-dynamic configuration compared to engine noise control, allowing optimal signal capture for each specific noise source while using the same physical sensors.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3157000B1Scalable noise and vibration sensing
Publication Date: 2020.11.25 HARMAN BECKER AUTOMOTIVE SYST GMBH
  • EP3157000B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP3157000B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5
  • EP3157000B1 patent drawingFigure 6

AI summary

Noise and vibration sensing includes generating with an acceleration sensor a sense signal representative of the acceleration that acts on the acceleration sensor, and processing the sense signal to provide a processed sense signal having an adjustable signal bandwidth and an adjustable signal dynamic. The signal bandwidth extends between a lowest frequency and a highest frequency of the sense signal, and the signal dynamic is the ratio between a maximum amplitude of the sense signal and an output noise floor generated by the acceleration sensor. Noise and vibration sensing further includes adjusting the signal bandwidth and the signal dynamic in accordance with a control signal so that the signal bandwidth increases when the signal dynamic decreases and vice versa.