A motor vehicle includes an acoustic device configured to generate and capture acoustic waves, the acoustic device includes a vehicle part having a vibration region, and an actuator arranged thereon and configured to for excitation and detection of vibrations of the vehicle part in the vibration region, wherein the region is modified compared to an adjacent region of the vehicle part and has greater sensitivity to excitations in the frequency range of the acoustic wave.

An apparatus on a vehicle comprises one or more sensors, one or more nozzles that output fluid to clean the respective one or more sensors, and a compressor that generates fluid such as compressed air. The compressor is in fluid communication with the one or more nozzles. The apparatus further comprises one or more processors, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to determine information of an acoustic emission from the compressor and to counteract the acoustic emission based on the determined information.

Apparatuses, systems, devices, and methods for a face mask for facilitating conversations are disclosed. A face mask includes a microphone located on an inside of the face mask, a processor located on the inside of the face mask and connected to the microphone, and a memory located on the inside of the face mask that stores code executable by the processor. The code is executable by the processor to capture, using the microphone, audio spoken by a user wearing the face mask, determine a mode that the face mask is in for transmitting the captured audio to a destination, and transmit the captured audio to the destination based on the determined mode.

An acoustic element includes a nanovoided polymer layer having a first nanovoid topology in an unactuated state and a second nanovoid topology different than the first nanovoid topology in an actuated state. Capacitive actuation of the nanovoided polymer layer, for instance, can be used to reversibly control the size and shape of the nanovoids within the polymer layer and hence tune its sound damping characteristics or sound transduction behavior, e.g., during operation of the acoustic element. An acoustic element may be configured for passive or active sound attenuation. Various other apparatuses, systems, materials, and methods are also disclosed.

An active noise reduction system includes a substrate, a number of capacitors mounted on the substrate, a noise sensor mounted on the substrate and used to collect a noise signal around the noise sensor, an actuator mounted on the substrate and used to generate vibrations, and a controller mounted on the substrate and electrically coupled to the noise sensor and the actuator. The controller is used to obtain the noise signal collected by the noise sensor and generate a control signal according to the noise signal to the actuator to control the actuator to generate vibrations having a same frequency and opposite phase as the noise signal to cancel out the vibrations generated by the plurality of capacitors and the vibrations of the substrate caused by the vibrations generated by the plurality of capacitors. An electronic device and an active noise reduction method are also provided.

An apparatus on a vehicle comprises one or more sensors, one or more nozzles that output fluid to clean the respective one or more sensors, and a compressor that generates fluid such as compressed air. The compressor is in fluid communication with the one or more nozzles. The apparatus further comprises one or more processors, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to determine information of an acoustic emission from the compressor and to counteract the acoustic emission based on the determined information.

Apparatuses, systems, devices, and methods for a face mask for facilitating conversations are disclosed. A face mask includes a microphone located on an inside of the face mask, a processor located on the inside of the face mask and connected to the microphone, and a memory located on the inside of the face mask that stores code executable by the processor. The code is executable by the processor to capture, using the microphone, audio spoken by a user wearing the face mask, determine a mode that the face mask is in for transmitting the captured audio to a destination, and transmit the captured audio to the destination based on the determined mode.

An active noise reduction system includes a substrate, a number of capacitors mounted on the substrate, a noise sensor mounted on the substrate and used to collect a noise signal around the noise sensor, an actuator mounted on the substrate and used to generate vibrations, and a controller mounted on the substrate and electrically coupled to the noise sensor and the actuator. The controller is used to obtain the noise signal collected by the noise sensor and generate a control signal according to the noise signal to the actuator to control the actuator to generate vibrations having a same frequency and opposite phase as the noise signal to cancel out the vibrations generated by the plurality of capacitors and the vibrations of the substrate caused by the vibrations generated by the plurality of capacitors. An electronic device and an active noise reduction method are also provided.

A digital circuit arrangement for an ambient noise-reduction system affording a higher degree of noise reduction than has hitherto been possible. The arrangement converts the analog signals into N-bit digital signals at sample rate f.sub.0, and then subjects the converted signals to digital filtering. The value of N in some embodiments is 1 but, in any event, is no greater than 8, and f.sub.0 may be 64 times the Nyquist sampling rate but, in any event, is substantially greater than the Nyquist sampling rate. This permits digital processing to be used without incurring group delay problems that rule out the use of conventional digital processing in this context. Furthermore, adjustment of the group delay can readily be achieved, in units of a fraction of a micro-second, providing the ability to fine tune the group delay for feed forward applications.

An acoustic element includes a nanovoided polymer layer having a first nanovoid topology in an unactuated state and a second nanovoid topology different than the first nanovoid topology in an actuated state. Capacitive actuation of the nanovoided polymer layer, for instance, can be used to reversibly control the size and shape of the nanovoids within the polymer layer and hence tune its sound damping characteristics or sound transduction behavior, e.g., during operation of the acoustic element. An acoustic element may be configured for passive or active sound attenuation. Various other apparatuses, systems, materials, and methods are also disclosed.