Vehicle Road Noise Control Using Virtual Noise Estimation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing noise control technologies in vehicles face limitations in effectively reducing road noise due to poor correlation between vibration measurements from acceleration sensors and actual road noise, leading to divergence issues and increased weight and cost when using sound absorbing or insulating materials.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method for controlling noise using a noise control model trained with estimation road noise from an acceleration sensor, which generates virtual road noise and noise weights to perform feedforward active noise control, allowing for noise control without an acceleration sensor by applying error input signals to a trained model and using adaptive filtering to refine noise removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If sound absorbing material or sound insulating material is attached to the vehicle to reduce road noise, then noise reduction is achieved, but vehicle weight increases and manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces passive mechanical noise control (sound absorbing/insulating materials) with an active control system using speakers to generate anti-phase sound waves. The noise control apparatus uses microphones to detect road noise and speakers to generate canceling sound waves, substituting physical material barriers with an acoustic field-based solution that reduces noise without adding significant weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the approach from static noise control (fixed material attachment) to dynamic noise control by adjusting sound wave parameters in real-time. The system continuously adjusts the amplitude, frequency, and phase of anti-phase sound waves generated by speakers based on real-time road noise detection, enabling adaptive noise cancellation without physical material modifications.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If sound absorbing material or sound insulating material is attached to the vehicle to reduce road noise, then noise reduction is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive passive noise control materials with an active electronic control system. By using speakers, microphones, and signal processing algorithms to generate anti-phase sound waves, the system achieves noise reduction through software and electronics rather than expensive acoustic materials, reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The noise control system is self-adjusting and adapts to different driving conditions automatically. The apparatus continuously monitors road noise through microphones and autonomously generates appropriate anti-phase sound waves without requiring manual intervention or complex installation procedures, simplifying manufacturing and reducing costs.
3Loss of information
If an acceleration sensor is used to measure vibration for noise control, then road noise estimation is possible, but the correlation between measured vibration and actual road noise is poor leading to divergence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces microphones as intermediary devices to directly measure road noise in the acoustic field rather than using acceleration sensors to measure mechanical vibration. The microphones capture actual road noise signals that correlate directly with the noise to be canceled, serving as a reliable intermediary between the noise source and the control system, eliminating the poor correlation issue.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical vibration measurement approach (acceleration sensors) with an acoustic measurement approach (microphones). This substitution directly measures the sound waves that need to be canceled rather than inferring them from vibration, providing accurate and reliable road noise estimation that maintains system stability.
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
This approach enables precise noise control in vehicles without the need for acceleration sensors, improving noise estimation and reduction performance while maintaining vehicle weight and cost efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a technique of generating sound waves having opposite phases to road noise to reduce noise through the principle of superposition may be used
Implementation Method 2
reduce noise through the principle of superposition
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for controlling noise and a method thereof includes a memory that stores computer-executable instructions, and at least one processor that accesses the memory to execute the instructions, wherein the at least one processor may obtain a virtual road noise and a noise weight by applying an error input signal of a target time point to a trained noise control model, obtain a target road noise by applying the virtual road noise and a virtual road noise generated at a time point different from the target time point to a primary path, obtain a target control noise by applying the noise weight and a noise weight obtained at a time point different from the target time point to a secondary path, and perform noise control on the error input signal based on the target road noise and the target control noise.