Aspects of the present invention relate to noise modification systems of motor vehicles, and controllers and methods of use thereof.

Embodiments include a vehicle comprising an audio system configured to create a plurality of audio zones within a vehicle cabin, and at least one display communicatively coupled to the audio system. The display is configured to display a separate user interface for each audio zone. Each user interface comprises an engine sound control and a cabin noise control for adjusting an audio output provided to the corresponding audio zone. Embodiments also include a method of providing user-controlled sound isolation in a plurality of audio zones within a vehicle. The method comprises presenting, for each audio zone, a user interface including an engine sound control and a cabin noise control, and generating an audio output for each audio zone based on a first value received from the engine sound control and a second value received from the cabin noise control of the corresponding user interface.

Road vehicle having: a passenger compartment; an internal combustion engine provided with at least one exhaust duct, which originates from an exhaust manifold and has at least one exhaust gas treatment device; and an exhaust noise transmission device provided with a transmission duct, which originates from the exhaust duct, and with a symposer device, which is arranged inside the transmission duct, is pneumatically insulating and is acoustically permeable; an inlet of the transmission duct being arranged between the exhaust manifold and the exhaust gas treatment device, hence upstream of the exhaust gas treatment device.

Differing from conventionally-used exhaust pipe utilizing discontinuous section area(s) and sound-absorbing material(s) to abate the noise produced by an engine, the present invention provides a waste air exhausting device consisting of: a housing, a supporting plate disposed in the housing, a miniature microphone disposed at the end of the housing, and a loudspeaker disposed on the supporting plate. Therefore, according to the noise produced by the engine, a noise controller system coupling to the miniature microphone and the loudspeaker is able to produce an anti-noise signal through the loudspeaker for abating the engine noise. On the other hand, the noise controller system can also produce an anti-noise signal having specific frequencies components according to the frequency of the engine noise and a reference signal, so as to modulate the frequency of the engine noise by broadcasting the anti-noise signal having the specific frequencies components in the housing through the loudspeaker.

An error path characteristic model correction control unit determines the deviation of the phase of an actual transfer function from the phase of an error path characteristic model, from a cross correlation between an error signal output from a microphone and a signal in which the error path characteristic model is applied to a noise cancellation sound to be output and a cross correlation between the error signal and a signal in which a transfer function having a phase characteristic deviating by +90 degrees from the phase characteristic of the error path characteristic model is applied to the noise cancellation sound. The error path characteristic model correction control unit then corrects the error path characteristic model so that the determined deviation is reduced to 90 degrees.

A sound bypass device configured to transmit engine-generated sound pulses from an engine of a vehicle to an auditory environment whilst preventing the flow of gases to the auditory environment, the sound bypass device comprising: a sound inlet configured to receive gases exiting or entering the engine of the vehicle; a sound outlet configured to transmit sound pulses to the auditory environment; a chamber connected to the sound inlet at a first end and to the sound outlet at a second end, the chamber being enclosed between the sound inlet and the sound outlet; and a first membrane located within the chamber, the first membrane being configured to transmit engine-generated sound pulses from the gases whilst preventing the movement of gases through the sound bypass device; wherein the sound outlet is defined by a second membrane extending radially from the second end of the chamber, the second membrane being configured to emit sound pulses from the chamber to the auditory environment.

Aspects of the present invention relate to an active noise system, a controller for an active noise system, a method and a hybrid electric vehicle. The invention relates to use of an active noise system for providing noise when an ICE is not active.

A method of generating a drive signal for a loudspeaker in an exhaust system of an engine of a vehicle or inside or outside a passenger cell includes providing a predetermined source signal for a desired additional sound in a time domain comprising a plurality of signal components of different frequencies; analyzing the source signal based on a phase of the source signal and/or a phase of at least one oscillation in the source signal; identifying a phase of engine noise and/or a phase of at least one oscillation existing in engine noise; shifting the phases of the source signal and/or the oscillation existing in the source signal based on phases identified in engine noise and/or in oscillation existing in engine noise, the relationship of phases of individual oscillations of the source signal among each other being preserved; and generating the drive signal based on the phase-shifted source signal.

A system includes a sound generator (20) that generates sound superimposed to sound to be manipulated. An error sensor (50) measures superimposed sound and outputs a corresponding feedback signal (e(n)). A signal generator (91) generates a sound signal (y(n)). A controller (92) generates a control signal ((n)) representing a value of a sequence of rational numbers. A weighter (93) weights the generated sound signal (y(n)) with the control signal ((n)) and inverts it. An adder (94) adds the weighted/inverted sound signal to the feedback signal (e(n)) and outputs a modified feedback signal (e(n)) to the signal generator (91). A weighter (95) weights the generated sound signal (y(n)) with the difference from one and with the control signal ((n)) and outputs the sound signal y(n). The generated sound signal (y(n)) is a function of the modified feedback signal (e(n)).

An exemplary engine noise control includes directly picking up engine noise from an engine of a vehicle at a pick-up position to generate a sense signal representative of the engine noise, and active noise control filtering to generate a filtered sense signal from the sense signal. The control further includes converting the filtered sense signal from the active noise control filtering into anti-noise and radiating the anti-noise to a listening position in an interior of the vehicle. The filtered sense signal is configured so that the anti-noise reduces the engine noise at the listening position.