Motor Vehicle Having an Acoustic Device for Generating and Capturing Acoustic Waves

Abstract

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.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A motor vehicle comprising: an acoustic device configured to generate and capture audible sound, the acoustic device comprising: a vehicle part with an oscillation region; and an actuator arranged on the vehicle part and configured to excite and detect oscillations of the vehicle part in the oscillation region, wherein the oscillation region is modified in comparison with an adjacent region of the vehicle part to exhibit greater sensitivity in respect to excitations within an audible sound frequency range.

12. The motor vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the oscillation region is formed from a different material and/or has a different material thickness than the adjacent region of the vehicle part.

13. The motor vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the oscillation region comprises a plurality of structures or partial regions having differing resonant frequencies.

14. The motor vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of partial regions comprise surface regions of the oscillation region which have differing sizes and/or are separated from one another by structural elements of differing lengths, the structural elements comprising recesses or struts.

15. The motor vehicle according to claim 11, further comprising: a plurality of acoustic devices; and a data-processing device connected to the plurality of acoustic devices, the data-processing device configured to generate a characterization of a neighborhood of the motor vehicle on a basis of a combination of acoustic signals captured by means of various ones of the plurality of acoustic devices.

16. The motor vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the acoustic device is configured to capture a state and/or a planned behavior of the motor vehicle and to generate, as a function thereof, a respective acoustic signal that specifies the captured state and/or the captured planned behavior, and to output the respective acoustic signal to a neighborhood of the motor vehicle.

17. The motor vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the acoustic device is configured to emit a voice signal by active triggering of the actuator.

18. The motor vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the acoustic device is configured to detect a collision of the motor vehicle with an obstacle external to the vehicle on a basis of an externally induced motion of the vehicle part, captured by means of the actuator.

19. The motor vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the acoustic device is configured to capture interfering noises of the vehicle part and to counteract the interfering noises by antiphase triggering of the actuator.

20. The motor vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the acoustic device is configured to adapt its sensitivity to capture audible sound automatically as a function of a current driving speed of the motor vehicle, wherein the acoustic device is further configured to reduce the sensitivity at a higher speed and increase the sensitivity at a lower speed.

21. The motor vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the data-processing device is configured to generate the characterization of the neighborhood of the motor vehicle on a basis of a cross-correlation and/or formation of a ratio of the acoustic signals.

22. The motor vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the acoustic device is configured to capture a state and/or a planned behavior of the motor vehicle and to generate, as a function thereof, a respective acoustic signal that specifies the captured state and/or the captured planned behavior, and to output the respective acoustic signal to a neighborhood of the motor vehicle.

23. The motor vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the acoustic device is configured to emit a voice signal by active triggering of the actuator.

24. The motor vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the acoustic device is configured to detect a collision of the motor vehicle with an obstacle external to the vehicle on a basis of an externally induced motion of the vehicle part, captured by means of the actuator.

25. The motor vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the acoustic device is configured to capture interfering noises of the vehicle part and to counteract the interfering noises by antiphase triggering of the actuator.

26. The motor vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the acoustic device is configured to adapt its sensitivity to capture audible sound automatically as a function of a current driving speed of the motor vehicle, wherein the acoustic device is further configured to reduce the sensitivity at a higher speed and increase the sensitivity at a lower speed.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a schematic top view of a motor vehicle with acoustic elements, and an obstacle external to the vehicle;

[0028] FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional top view of a vehicle part with two acoustic elements; and

[0029] FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional side view of the vehicle part.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In the Figures, identical and functionally identical elements have been provided with the same reference symbols.

[0031] Particularly in the field of autonomous driving, there currently exists heightened interest in capturing the environment—that is to say, a respective vehicle neighborhood—also via audio signals—that is to say, within the range of audible sound—for instance in order to detect or to identify concealed sources of danger as early as possible. The use of classical microphones on an outside of a vehicle quickly comes up against its limitations, since such microphones are susceptible to, for instance, wind noises in such a manner that sound from sound-sources relevant to safety is drowned out in the wind noises and, as a result, cannot be detected reliably.

[0032] Communication between motor vehicles and environment or neighborhood is also increasingly gaining in significance precisely also in the field of autonomous or automated driving. An advantageous possibility here consists, in particular, in audio communication between vehicle and environment—that is to say, within the frequency range of audible sound.

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a schematic overview representation of an appropriately equipped motor vehicle 10 and also of an obstacle 12 external to the vehicle. This obstacle 12 may be, for instance, another road user. For the purpose of audible-sound-based communication with the neighborhood—that is to say, for the purpose of generating and capturing audible sound—the motor vehicle 10 in the present case exhibits an acoustic device. For this purpose, respective acoustic elements 16 have been formed on a plurality of vehicle parts 14, the acoustic elements being connected to a central control unit 18, for instance via an on-board power supply, not represented in any detail here, of the motor vehicle 10. The vehicle parts 14 may be, for instance, plastic parts of a body, a front or rear skirt, body attachments, a rear spoiler, mirror covers, a leaf-catcher, or suchlike. The vehicle parts 14 may have been formed from various materials, such as, for instance, plastic, metal, alloys, composite or laminated materials, glass, or suchlike.

[0034] The vehicle parts 14 have been modified in the region of the acoustic elements 16 in comparison with a respective adjacent region of the respective vehicle part 14, in order to obtain greater sensitivity in respect of excitations within the frequency range of audible sound. The acoustic elements 16 have been arranged in these regions and may include, for instance, a respective sensor actuator, here designated for short as an actuator 22 (see FIG. 2). Hence the vehicle parts 14—or, to be more exact, the appropriately modified regions—can be excited to execute audible-sound oscillations, and corresponding oscillations or vibrations can be captured—that is to say, detected—by means of the sensor actuator.

[0035] The acoustic elements 16 and the control unit 18 here have been connected to form a sensor network or acoustic network, as a result of which diverse advantageous evaluation possibilities or signal-processing possibilities arise or are afforded.

[0036] In the present case, by means of the acoustic device—which here accordingly includes the acoustic elements 16, at least parts of the vehicle parts 14 and the control unit 18—the obstacle 12 external to the vehicle, for instance, can be detected on the basis of sound-waves emitted by the obstacle and captured by means of the acoustic elements 16. Similarly, by means of one or more of the acoustic elements 16 an acoustic signal can be output into the neighborhood, in particular to the obstacle 12, by appropriate excitation of at least a part of the respective vehicle part 14. For instance, in the region of a crosswalk the obstacle 12 may be a pedestrian. The pedestrian can then, for instance, indicate to the motor vehicle 10 that he/she wishes to go across the crosswalk, for instance by saying: “Stop! I want to cross the road”. The motor vehicle 10 can capture this and react to it by means of the acoustic device, for instance by output of a confirmatory voice output such as “I have noticed you and shall remain stationary until you have gone past.”

[0037] FIG. 2 shows a schematic top view of one of the vehicle parts 14 with two acoustic elements 16 by way of example. In the present case, the vehicle part 14 represented here may be, for instance, a roof spoiler of the motor vehicle 10. The acoustic elements 16 here each include an oscillation region 20 which has been modified as regards its oscillation behavior in comparison with a remainder—or, to be more exact, an adjacent region 28—of the vehicle part 14. In each instance, an actuator 22 for exciting and for capturing oscillations of the respective oscillation region 20 has been arranged centrally in these oscillation regions 20.

[0038] In the configuration represented here by way of example, the oscillation region 20 of one of the two acoustic elements 16 has been divided up into several partial regions 24 which have differing sizes and consequently differing resonant frequencies. The partial regions 24 have been delimited from one another by structural elements 26 extending in the radial direction.

[0039] FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional side view of the vehicle part 14 from FIG. 2—here, by way of example, the roof spoiler of the motor vehicle 10. It can be discerned here that the acoustic elements 16, in particular the actuators 22, have been arranged on an inside of the vehicle part 14 and are consequently concealed and protected by the vehicle part 14.

[0040] The acoustic elements 16 here have accordingly been directly fastened to a vehicle structure of the motor vehicle 10, or integrated therein, and have been designed for optimizing the respective oscillation behavior or for selective setting thereof, taking respective material structures and material properties into consideration.

[0041] The use of the vehicle parts 14 or, to be more exact, of the oscillation regions 20 formed in the vehicle parts 14—that is to say, body parts or attachments that, after all, are already present on the motor vehicle 10—for the purpose of generating and capturing the sound has the advantage that these regions or parts are distinctly less susceptible to interference than conventional diaphragm-based microphones. As a result, fewer failures and correspondingly less maintenance effort arise, so that enhanced reliability and hence ultimately enhanced safety are accordingly afforded. In addition, in comparison with conventional diaphragm microphones further functions can be realized—for instance, a sensing of vibrations within the vehicle, transmitted to the respective vehicle part 14 via structure-borne sound, for instance. Similarly, collisions or minor damage associated with parking, or suchlike, can be detected by means of the acoustic device, and a respective user or operator of the motor vehicle 10 can be informed thereof. Similarly, the acoustic device presented herein can also be employed during a trip of the motor vehicle 10 both for self-protection and for protection of the surrounding field or of other road users, for instance by means of an appropriate acoustic warning to other road users.

[0042] The generation and capture of audible sound is, in principle, already possible with a single acoustic element 16. However, the use of several acoustic elements 16, particularly in an interconnected system or network, is advantageous. In this way, various directions can be exposed to sound particularly accurately and reliably, and audible sound from various directions can be captured, in particular in respect of all horizontal directions—that is to say, within a 360° angular range or circumscribed circle in the x-y plane of the motor vehicle 10. For instance, an acoustic image of the neighborhood can be computed by cross-correlation of the acoustic elements 16—or, to be more exact, of the acoustic signals captured by the acoustic elements—with one another, and/or by forming a ratio of corresponding captured acoustic signals or measured values. In this sense, the network of the acoustic elements 16 can accordingly act intuitively like a type of acoustic camera. Precisely in an urban surrounding field, the range of audible sound—that is to say, the acoustic range from about 10 Hz to about 20 kHz—may be particularly important and may provide particularly valuable information.

[0043] In this connection, the intelligent placement, integration and adaptation of the acoustic device, in particular of the acoustic elements 16, to the vehicle parts 14 is particularly advantageous, particularly with appropriate modification or adaptation of the vehicle parts 14, bearing in mind the respective material properties as regards oscillation excitations within the higher range of audible sound.

[0044] An optimal positioning or placement and/or the respective configuration of the acoustic elements 16—or, to be more exact, of the oscillation regions 20—can be optimized in advance, for instance by appropriate modeling or simulation, for instance as regards a maximized sensitivity, a frequency behavior adapted on demand, an excitation efficiency, a stability or stiffness of the respective vehicle part 14, and/or suchlike.

[0045] The acoustic device described herein offers a number of advantages and advantageous applications. For instance, a respective customer can utilize the acoustic device as a man/machine interface for communicating with the motor vehicle 10 within the scope of so-called on-demand mobility or when using automated or autonomous taxis, or suchlike. Similarly, other personnel—for instance, a police officer or suchlike—can communicate with the optionally unmanned motor vehicle 10 via the acoustic device. If the motor vehicle 10 is being remote-controlled by a teleoperator, the neighborhood of the motor vehicle 10 can be made audible for the teleoperator by means of the acoustic device, as a result of which a better assessment of a respective situation is made possible for the teleoperator. In addition, the teleoperator can communicate actively with the neighborhood via the acoustic device.

[0046] Similarly, material fatigue or damage, for instance, can be detected by means of the acoustic device on the basis of a detected change in an oscillation behavior of the vehicle parts 14 over time, or a failure can be predicted, for instance on the basis of a particular pattern or a particular change in a resonant frequency or fundamental oscillation of the respective vehicle part 14. This can be advantageous, in particular, when at least one of the acoustic elements 16 has been arranged on a supporting structure of the motor vehicle 10. On the basis of corresponding data, where appropriate a failure or complete breakdown of the motor vehicle 10 or of a vehicle part 14 can then be detected in good time and prevented by appropriate maintenance measures.

[0047] Similarly, interfering noises—which may arise, for instance, by virtue of body parts of the motor vehicle 10 in the course of a trip, by virtue of vibrations, wind due to speed though the air, and/or other units of the motor vehicle 10—can be captured by means of the acoustic device. By means of the acoustic device—or, to be more exact, the actuators 22—a phase-offset or negative oscillation relative to the respective interfering noise can then be generated and superimposed thereon, in order to counteract the interfering noises.

[0048] The acoustic device can also be employed for the purpose of generating engine-replacement noises, particularly in the case of electric vehicles, without additional loudspeakers or sound modules or suchlike, for instance, being necessary for this purpose. In this connection, differing engine-replacement noises, for instance, can be generated, depending upon the state or a planned behavior of the motor vehicle 10. In an autonomous taxi mode of the motor vehicle 10, for instance, by virtue of appropriately differing noises generated by means of the acoustic device it can be signaled—respectively captured by other persons—whether the motor vehicle 10 is currently free or occupied, is approaching the respective person or moving away from the latter, and/or suchlike.

[0049] Overall, the described examples show how an acoustic communication in and with the surrounding field of a vehicle can be realized by an intelligent application of 2-way oscillation pickups on body components and structural components of a vehicle.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0050] 10 motor vehicle [0051] 12 obstacle [0052] 14 vehicle parts [0053] 16 acoustic elements [0054] 18 control unit [0055] 20 oscillation region [0056] 22 actuator [0057] 24 partial regions [0058] 26 structural elements [0059] 28 adjacent region