Method and device for generating acoustic compensation signals

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods for operating an apparatus for generating acoustic compensation signals used to compensate acoustic signals from operation of a motor-vehicle engine, comprising the steps: providing an EOC device, which is designed to generate acoustic compensation signals used to compensate acoustic signals that result from the operation of the engine; providing a device configured using the EOC device as a model; determining at least one audio signal to be output into a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle by means of an audio output device, before said audio signal is captured by an audio capturing element associated with the EOC device; applying an evaluation specification to evaluate the at least one audio signal with respect to at least one evaluation criterion; generating evaluation information with respect to the at least one evaluation criterion; controlling the operation of the EOC device on the basis of the evaluation Information.

Claims

1. A method for operating an apparatus for generating acoustic compensation signals, which are used to compensate acoustic signals that result from operation of a motor-vehicle drive engine, comprising: providing a first engine order cancellation (EOC) device, which is designed to generate the acoustic compensation signals, which are used to compensate the acoustic signals that result from the operation of the motor-vehicle drive engine, wherein the first EOC device comprises at least one first audio capturing element and at least one audio output element; providing a second EOC device configured using the first EOC device as a model, wherein the second EOC device is modeled based on the first EOC device, represents a virtual copy of the first EOC device, and has the same functionality as the first EOC device; determining at least one audio signal to be output into a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle by means of an audio output device, before the at least one audio signal is captured by the at least one first audio capturing element associated with the first EOC device; applying an evaluation specification to evaluate the at least one audio signal with respect to at least one evaluation criterion; generating evaluation information describing an evaluation of the at least one audio signal with respect to the at least one evaluation criterion; and controlling the operation of the first EOC device for generating the acoustic compensation signals, which are used to compensate the acoustic signals that result from the operation of the motor-vehicle drive engine, based on the evaluation information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determination of the at least one audio signal to be output into the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle by means of the audio output device takes place before the at least one audio signal is output into the passenger compartment via the audio output device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determination of the at least one audio signal to be output into the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle by means of the audio output device takes place by means of the second EOC device modelled on the first EOC device before the at least one audio signal is captured by the at least one first audio capturing element associated with the first EOC device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determination of the at least one audio signal that is to be output into the passenger compartment via the audio output device comprises determination of acoustic properties of the at least one audio signal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation specification includes an evaluation of the at least one audio signal with regard to whether the at least one audio signal comprises audio signal portions at drive motor speed-dependent and/or drive motor load-dependent harmonic engine oscillations or orders specified by at least one tuning parameter of the first EOC device.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the evaluation specification includes an evaluation of the at least one audio signal with regard to whether the at least one audio signal comprises frequency components which correspond to drive motor speed-dependent and/or drive motor load-dependent frequency components of harmonic engine oscillations or orders specified by at least one tuning parameter of the first EOC device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the evaluation specification includes an evaluation of an amplitude of the frequency components, which corresponds to drive motor speed-dependent and/or drive motor load-dependent frequency components of harmonic engine oscillations or orders specified by at least one tuning parameter of the first EOC device.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one evaluation criterion is or comprises a frequency component which is evaluated with respect to at least one drive motor speed-dependent and/or drive motor load-dependent harmonic engine oscillation or order specified by at least one tuning parameter of the first EOC device.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one evaluation criterion is or comprises a frequency component which is evaluated with respect to at least one frequency component specified by at least one tuning parameter of the first EOC device, of at least one drive motor speed-dependent and/or drive motor load-dependent harmonic engine oscillation or order.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second EOC device is used, which is configured having the same operating parameters as the first EOC device.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control of the operation of the first EOC device is carried out based on the evaluation information, by adjusting at least one operating parameter of the first EOC device.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the control of the operation of the first EOC device is carried out by adjusting at least one operating parameter of the first EOC device for at least one drive motor speed-dependent and/or drive motor load-dependent harmonic engine oscillation or order specified by means of at least one tuning parameter of the first EOC device.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein, an audio composite signal, formed by summation of the at least one audio signal, is used, to which the evaluation specification is applied, in response to a plurality of audio signals to be output by the audio output device.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second EOC device is used which comprises an audio output element that is directly acoustically coupled to at least one second audio capturing element.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the audio output device comprises a multimedia device for outputting audio content, in particular music or speech, or an engine audio signal generation device for outputting a noise made by a particular engine type.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second EOC device is designed in a manner modeled on the first EOC device and has the same parameters as the first EOC device.

17. An apparatus for generating acoustic compensation signals, which are used to compensate acoustic signals that result from operation of a motor-vehicle drive engine, comprising: a first engine order cancellation (EOC) device, which is designed to generate the acoustic compensation signals, which are used to compensate the acoustic signals that result from the operation of the motor-vehicle drive engine, wherein the first EOC device comprises at least one first audio capturing element and at least one audio output element, a second EOC device configured using the first EOC device as a model, wherein the second EOC device is modeled based on the first EOC device, represents a virtual copy of the first EOC device, and has the same functionality as the first EOC device, an audio output device, a determination device which is designed for determining at least one audio signal to be output into a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle by means of the audio output device, before the at least one audio signal is captured by the at least one first audio capturing element associated with the first EOC device, an evaluation device which is designed to apply an evaluation specification to evaluate the at least one audio signal with respect to at least one evaluation criterion, and to generate evaluation information which describes an evaluation of the at least one audio signal with respect to the at least one evaluation criterion, and a controller which is designed for controlling the operation of the first EOC device based on the evaluation information.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the second EOC device is connected or formed between the audio output device and the first EOC device.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the second EOC device comprises at least one second audio capturing element and an audio output element, wherein the audio output element is directly acoustically coupled to the at least one second audio capturing element.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the second EOC device is designed in a manner modeled on the first EOC device and has the same parameters as the first EOC device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the present specification are described in greater detail in the figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a flow diagram for illustrating a method according to an embodiment; and

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an apparatus for carrying out the method illustrated in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a flow diagram for illustrating a method according to an embodiment. The method is used for operating an apparatus 1 for generating acoustic compensation signals, which are used to compensate acoustic signals 3 (intended to mean in particular acoustic interfering signals, such as speed-dependent and/or load-dependent vibrations of a specific harmonic order) that result from the operation of a motor-vehicle drive engine 4, i.e. typically an internal combustion engine.

(5) FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an apparatus 1 for carrying out the method illustrated in FIG. 1. The apparatus 1 is installed in a motor vehicle 2, i.e. typically a passenger car, which is shown purely schematically.

(6) The method includes the steps which are explained in greater detail in the following:

(7) In a first step S1 of the method, an EOC device 5 which is implemented by hardware and/or software is provided. The EOC device 5 is designed, in a manner known per se, to generate acoustic compensation signals, which are used to compensate corresponding acoustic signals 3 that result from the operation of the drive engine 4, in a vehicle interior 9 typically defined by the passenger compartment 8 of the motor vehicle 2. The EOC device 5 comprises, in a manner known per se, at least one audio capturing element 5a, i.e. for example a microphone, and at least one audio output element 5b, i.e. for example a loudspeaker. The provision of the EOC device 5 which takes place in the first step does not mean that the EOC device 5 is already brought into operation in the first step. Therefore, typically no corresponding compensation signals are yet generated by the EOC device 5 in the first step.

(8) In a second step S2 of the method, a device 6, implemented by hardware and/or software, is provided which is designed in a manner modeled (identically) on the EOC device 5. Therefore, in the second step S2 of the method, a device is provided which is designed using the EOC device 5 as a model, i.e. typically has the same functionality and configuration as the EOC device 5. The device 6 is a (virtual) copy of the EOC device 5. The device 6 is therefore typically designed having the same operating or tuning parameters as the EOC device 5. The device 6 can therefore in particular have the same tuning parameters TP as the EOC device 5. Specifically, it is therefore possible, for example, for the same drive motor speed-dependent or drive motor load-dependent engine oscillations or orders, the same forgetting factor λ or the same adaptation step size μ to be stored in the device 6. The device 6 can in particular also have the same bandwidth and the same transient behavior as the EOC device 5. The device 6 can therefore be referred to or considered a (virtual) second EOC device.

(9) Clearly, a device 6 can be used which comprises an audio output element 6b, i.e. for example a (virtual) loudspeaker, which is acoustically directly coupled to an audio capturing element 6a, i.e. for example a (virtual) microphone. Such a directly coupled configuration of the audio output and audio capturing elements 6a, 6b of the device 6 makes it possible for the method to be carried out in a manner having a significant time advantage. In this case, psychoacoustic masking effects can be used or taken into account.

(10) In a third step S3 of the method, at least one audio signal 10, to be output via an audio output device 7 which is located in the passenger compartment 8 of the motor vehicle 2 and comprises one or more audio output elements 7a-7c, i.e. typically loudspeakers, is determined. Of course, it is also possible for a plurality of audio signals 10 to be determined. What is essential is for the determination of the audio signal(s) 10 to take place before said signal(s) is/are captured by an audio capturing element, i.e. for example a microphone, associated with the EOC device, in particular before said audio signal(s) is/are actually output into the passenger compartment 8 by means of the audio output device 7. According to the method, accordingly, in the third step S3, information is collected relating to all those audio signals 10 which would be output into the passenger compartment 8 of the motor vehicle 2 or are output into the passenger compartment 8 of the motor vehicle 2 at a later time. In this way, the acoustic situation within the passenger compartment 8, defined by corresponding audio signals 10, can be (simulatively or virtually) determined early or prematurely, i.e. before the audio signals 10 are captured by an audio capturing element 5a associated with the EOC device 5, in particular before the audio signals 10 are actually output into the passenger compartment 8. In the actual operation of the EOC device 5, compensation signals for compensating corresponding acoustic signals 3 to be compensated are generated by the EOC device 5, in the acoustic situation. The determination can be carried out by means of a determination device 11 implemented by hardware and/or software, which is designed for determining at least one audio signal 10 that is to be output into the passenger compartment 8 of the motor vehicle 2, by means of the audio output device 7. It is clear from the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 that the determination device 11 can form part of the device 6.

(11) Corresponding audio signals 10 that are to be output into the passenger compartment 8 may for example be acoustic multimedia or infotainment signals, i.e. for example music, speech, or other sound or sound sequence signals. Corresponding multimedia and/or infotainment signals can be generated for example by means of a motor-vehicle multimedia or infotainment device 12. Alternatively or in addition, corresponding audio signals 10 to be output into the passenger compartment 8 can also be artificially generated acoustic engine noise signals, i.e. audio signals which reproduce a particular engine type and/or a particular operating state of a particular engine type. Corresponding acoustic engine noise signals can for example be generated by a motor-vehicle engine noise generation device 13, for example in the form of an engine sound synthesis device, ESS device for short.

(12) In principle, a corresponding audio signal 10 to be output into the passenger compartment 8 can also be a compensation signal generated by the EOC device 5.

(13) The audio signal(s) 10 determined in the third step S3 is/are known. Information is therefore present in the apparatus 1, in particular in the device 6, which describes the audio signals 10 that are output into the passenger compartment 8. Therefore, in the third step S3, at least one known audio signal 10 is determined, which audio signal in particular can be or is generated by means of a motor-vehicle audio signal generation device 14, i.e. for example the in particular one multimedia or infotainment device 12 and/or the engine noise generation device 13.

(14) In a fourth step S4 of the method, an evaluation specification is applied to evaluate the audio signal(s) 10 to be output into the passenger compartment 8, with respect to at least one evaluation criterion. Therefore, in a fourth step S4, the audio signal(s) 10 to be output into the passenger compartment 8 is/are evaluated or examined with respect to one or more evaluation criteria defined by the evaluation specification. As is clear in the following, the evaluation in particular includes an examination of the audio signals 10 as to whether or not these meet an evaluation criterion. The evaluation specification is stored in an evaluation device 15 implemented by hardware and/or software. The evaluation can therefore be performed by means of an evaluation device 15 implemented by hardware and/or software, which device is designed to use an evaluation specification to evaluate the audio signals 10 to be output into the passenger compartment 8, with respect to at least one evaluation criterion. It is clear from the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 that the evaluation device 15 can form part of the device 6.

(15) The evaluation specification can include an evaluation of the audio signals 10 or a corresponding audio composite signal with regard to whether said signal(s) comprise(s) audio signal portions at drive motor speed-dependent and/or drive motor load-dependent harmonic engine oscillations or orders, in particular specified by at least one tuning parameter TP of the EOC device 5. The audio signals 10 or a corresponding audio composite signal can therefore be evaluated or examined with regard to whether they/it comprise(s) drive motor speed-dependent or drive motor-load dependent harmonic engine oscillations or orders, in particular specified by means of at least one tuning parameter TP of the EOC device 5.

(16) In particular, the evaluation specification can include an evaluation of the audio signals 10 or a corresponding audio composite signal with regard to whether said signal(s) comprise(s) frequency components which correspond to or correlate with drive motor speed-dependent and/or drive motor load-dependent frequency components of harmonic engine oscillations or orders, in particular specified by at least one tuning parameter TP of the EOC device 5. The audio signals 10 or a corresponding audio composite signal can therefore be evaluated or examined with regard to whether they/it comprise(s) frequency components which correspond to or correlate with frequency components of drive motor speed-dependent and/or drive motor load-dependent harmonic engine oscillations or orders, in particular specified by at least one tuning parameter TP of the EOC device 5.

(17) The evaluation criterion can therefore be or comprise for example at least one frequency component which is evaluated or examined with respect to at least one drive motor speed-dependent and/or drive motor load-dependent harmonic engine oscillation or order, in particular specified by at least one tuning parameter TP of the EOC device 5. In particular, the evaluation criterion can therefore be or comprise a frequency component which is evaluated or examined with respect to at least one frequency component of at least one drive motor speed-dependent and/or drive motor load-dependent harmonic engine oscillation or order, in particular specified by at least one tuning parameter TP of the EOC device 5.

(18) In the case of a plurality of audio signals 10 to be output by the audio output device 7, an audio composite signal, formed by summation of the audio signals 10 in question and optionally weighted by at least one weighting parameter, can be formed and used, to which composite signal the evaluation specification is applied. The summation of the relevant audio signals 10 can be performed using a summation device (not shown) implemented by hardware and/or software, which device is designed for summation of the relevant audio signals 10 in order to form a corresponding audio composite signal. The summation device can likewise form part of the device 6.

(19) In a fifth step S5 of the method, evaluation information describing the evaluation of the audio signal(s) 10 with respect to the evaluation criterion is generated. The result of the evaluation of the audio signal(s) 10, performed or being performed in the fourth step S4, is therefore reproduced in corresponding evaluation information in a fifth step S5. The evaluation information can be generated by the evaluation device 15, which is designed for generating evaluation information describing the evaluation of the at least one audio signal with respect to the evaluation criterion.

(20) In a sixth step S6 of the method, the operation of the EOC device 5 is controlled in order to generate acoustic compensation signals, which are used to compensate the acoustic signals 3 that result from the operation of a drive engine 4, on the basis of the evaluation information. The evaluation information generated in the fifth step S5 can therefore form the basis for generating control information that is to form the basis of the actual operation of the EOC device 5. The control of the operation of the EOC device 5 can take place by means of a central or decentralized controller, implemented by hardware and/or software, which is designed for controlling the operation of the EOC device 5 on the basis of the evaluation information. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the control of the operation of the EOC device 5 is carried out, by way of example, by means of a controller 16 associated with the EOC device 5.

(21) The control of the operation of the EOC device 5 can be carried out on the basis of the evaluation information, by adjusting at least one operating or tuning parameter, in particular a λ- or μ-parameter, i.e. the forgetting factor λ or the adaptation step size μ, of the EOC device 5. In particular, the control of the operation of the EOC device 5 can be carried out by adjusting at least one operating parameter, in particular a λ- or μ-parameter, of the EOC device 5 for at least one drive motor speed-dependent and/or drive motor load-dependent harmonic engine oscillation or order, in particular specified by means of at least one tuning parameter TP of the EOC device 5. Therefore, individual adjustment of operating and/or tuning parameters for respective drive motor speed-dependent and/or drive motor load-dependent harmonic engine oscillations or orders can take place. In all cases, the adjustment of the operating parameters of the EOC device 5 is performed prior to the generation and output of respective compensation signals.

(22) The method allows for control of the operation of an EOC device 5 on the basis of an early or premature determination and evaluation of known audio signals 10 which are intended to be output into the passenger compartment 8, into which passenger compartment the compensation signals generated by the EOC device 5 are also intended to be output. What is essential in this case is for the determination and evaluation of the audio signals 10 to take place before said signals re captured by an audio capturing element 5a, i.e. for example a microphone, associated with the EOC device 5, in particular before said audio signals 10 are actually output into the passenger compartment 8. The determination and evaluation of the audio signals 10 also takes place prior to corresponding compensation signals being output into the passenger compartment 8. In this way, the risk of interaction between the compensation signals and the remaining audio signals 10 to be output or having been output into the passenger compartment 8, which interaction has a negative impact on the stability of the operation of the EOC device 5 device and thus on the compensation result, is reduced. Similarly it is possible to ensure that (as far as possible) only the acoustic signals 3 that are actually to be compensated, i.e. the acoustic signals which result from the operation of the drive engine 4, are compensated and the remaining audio signals 10 (as far as possible) are not compensated.

(23) As indicated, the determination of the audio signals 10 to be output into the passenger compartment 8 via the audio output device 7 can take place, by means of the device 6 modeled on the EOC device 5, before said audio signals are captured by an audio capturing element 5c associated with the EOC device 5, in particular before said audio signals are output into the passenger compartment 8 via the audio output device 7.

(24) The determination of the audio signals 10 that is to be output into a passenger compartment 8 via the audio output device 7 can for example comprise determination of the acoustic properties of the audio signals 10. Therefore, in particular transient, acoustic properties such as amplitudes or amplitude curves, frequencies or frequency curves, energies or energy curves, etc., of the audio signals 10 can be determined. Similar applies for a corresponding audio composite signal.

(25) It is clear from the method described in connection with FIG. 1 that the apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2 comprises the following: an EOC device (5) implemented by hardware and/or software, which is designed to generate acoustic compensation signals, which are used to compensate acoustic signals 3 that result from the operation of a motor-vehicle drive engine 4; a device 6 implemented by hardware and/or software, which is configured using the EOC device 5 as a model; an audio output device 7 implemented by hardware and/or software, which is designed for outputting audio signals 10 into a passenger compartment 8 of a motor vehicle 2; a determination device 11 implemented by hardware and/or software, which is designed for determining at least one audio signal 10 to be output into a passenger compartment 8 of a motor vehicle 2 by means of an audio output device 7, before said audio signal is captured by an audio capturing element 5a, i.e. for example a microphone, associated with the EOC device 5, in particular before said audio signal is output into the passenger compartment 8 by means of the audio output device 7; an evaluation device 15 implemented by hardware and/or software, which is designed to use an evaluation specification to evaluate the at least one audio signal 10 with respect to at least one evaluation criterion, and to generate evaluation information which describes the evaluation of the at least one audio signal 10 with respect to the evaluation criterion; and a controller 16 implemented by hardware and/or software, which is designed for controlling the operation of the EOC device 5 on the basis of the evaluation information.

(26) It is furthermore clear from FIG. 2 that the device 6 can be connected or formed between the audio output device 7 and the EOC device 5, in particular between an output of the audio output device 7 and an input of the EOC device 5.