Vehicle Drive Source Noise Control by Occupant Seating Position

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle control systems fail to appropriately adjust noise levels based on the seating position of occupants, leading to discomfort for passengers, particularly in hybrid vehicles with both engine and motor generators as drive sources.

Innovation Solution

A control device and method that acquires the seating positions of vehicle occupants and adjusts the noise levels of the drive sources, such as an engine or motor generator, based on the distance between the occupants and the drive sources, reducing noise only when necessary to improve passenger comfort.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If the rotation speed and torque of the engine are limited to reduce noise, then the noise level is reduced, but the vehicle performance and productivity deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenoise levelVSAvoidvehicle performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The control device applies different noise reduction strategies to different seating positions. Occupants seated in positions closer to the engine experience greater noise reduction, while those farther away experience less reduction. This localized approach allows noise control to be tailored to where it is most needed, rather than uniformly limiting engine performance across all conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts engine noise reduction based on real-time detection of occupant seating positions. The control device continuously monitors which seats are occupied and modifies engine operation accordingly, transitioning between different noise reduction levels as occupants move in or out of the vehicle, rather than using a fixed noise reduction strategy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Object-affected harmful factors

If noise reduction control is applied uniformly regardless of seating position, then noise is reduced for all occupants, but the comfort of occupants seated farther from the drive source deteriorates due to unnecessary noise reduction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenoise levelVSAvoidoccupant comfort

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The control device applies different noise reduction strategies to different seating positions. Occupants seated in positions closer to the engine experience greater noise reduction, while those farther away experience less reduction. This localized approach allows noise control to be tailored to where it is most needed, rather than uniformly limiting engine performance across all conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The control device uses feedback from seating position detection to continuously adjust noise reduction levels. By monitoring which seats are occupied and calculating distances to the drive source, the system receives real-time information about occupant locations and modifies engine operation accordingly, ensuring noise reduction is applied appropriately to each seating configuration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12391150B2Control device and control method

Publication Date: 2025.08.19 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK

AI summary

A control device includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a position at which one or more occupants of a vehicle are seated, and a controller configured to determine necessity of reduction of noise of a drive source of the vehicle based on a distance between the position and the drive source of the vehicle, and reduce the noise by controlling the drive source according to a determination result of the necessity of the reduction of the noise.