Vehicle Active Noise Control Using 3D Ear-Tracked Anti-Noise
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing active noise control systems in vehicles are ineffective in canceling noise within a large volume, often failing to cover the driver's ears, and immersive audio systems with small 'sweet spots' cannot be used generically due to limited noise cancellation areas.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device and method that utilize a processor to determine a noise wavefield within a vehicle, position the ears of a passenger using a head tracking sensor, and calculate an anti-noise field to effectively cancel noise at the ears, employing a microphone and loudspeaker array with 3D audio rendering techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If active noise control is implemented in a large volume, then the coverage area is improved, but the noise cancellation effectiveness at the driver's ears deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by focusing the noise cancellation system specifically at the driver's ear position rather than attempting uniform cancellation throughout the entire vehicle interior. The system uses head tracking to dynamically locate the driver's ears and concentrates the anti-noise signal generation at this specific location, achieving high effectiveness at the target position while accepting limited coverage area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from traditional 2D planar noise cancellation approaches to a 3D spatial approach by incorporating head tracking data and calculating anti-noise fields in three-dimensional space. This allows the system to precisely target the driver's ears in 3D space, improving effectiveness at the critical location while maintaining a compact interference volume.
2Reliability
If immersive audio rendering systems are used, then audio quality is improved, but the sweet spot size deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the audio rendering and noise cancellation effects specifically at the driver's ear position rather than attempting broad area coverage. The system dynamically adapts the anti-noise field generation based on real-time head position data, ensuring optimal audio quality and cancellation effectiveness are concentrated at the precise location where the driver's ears are positioned.
3Volume of stationary object
If the interference volume is reduced, then the system compactness is improved, but the coverage area deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by concentrating the interference volume precisely at the driver's ear position rather than distributing it throughout a larger area. The system uses 3D spatial calculation and head tracking to focus the anti-noise field generation at the specific location of the driver's ears, achieving high cancellation effectiveness within a compact volume while accepting that the coverage area is limited to this targeted region.
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
Enhances noise cancellation performance by accurately determining the noise wavefield and anti-noise field around the passenger's head, improving noise reduction at high frequencies and expanding the effective cancellation area to cover the driver's ears.
Implementation Method 1
determine a noise wavefield within the vehicle based on noise signals captured by a microphone array
Implementation Method 2
determine the position of the ears of a passenger based on information obtained from a head tracking sensor
Implementation Method 3
Active noise control is based on the phenomenon of 'destructive interference', in which a 180°-phase-shifted anti-noise signal is superimposed on the noise signal so that the noise is decreased significantly
Implementation Method 4
the processor is further configured to render the anti-noise field with loudspeaker array
Data Source
AI summary
A device for active noise control inside a vehicle, the device comprising a processor (7610) configured to determine a noise wavefield within the vehicle based on noise signals captured by a microphone array (M1-M10); determine the position of the ears of a passenger (P1) based on information obtained from a head tracking sensor (HTU1); capture a noise field inside the vehicle based on information obtained by the microphone array; obtain a noise level at the ears of the passenger (P1) from the noise field; and determine an anti-noise field based on the noise level at the position of the ears of the passenger.