Vehicle including noise management system having automotive audio bus (A2B) interface

• US 10,067,907 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2017
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Close, Richard A., Valeri, Frank C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thang
• Application Number:
  US15/481,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20170323631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4291 using a clocked protocol
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/1785 Methods, e.g. algorithms; Devices G10K11/1781, G10K11/1783 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17855 for improving speed or power requirements
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17857 Geometric disposition, e.g. placement of microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17879 using both a reference signal and an error signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17881 the reference signal being an acoustic signal, e.g. recorded with a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17883 the reference signal being derived from a machine operating condition, e.g. engine RPM or vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1282 Automobiles
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3016 Control strategies, e.g. energy minimization or intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3031 Hardware, e.g. architecture
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3044 Phase shift, e.g. complex envelope processing
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3046 Multiple acoustic inputs, multiple acoustic outputs

Abstract

A vehicle includes at least one sensor and a body having an exterior portion and an interior portion. The sensor is configured to detect noise existing in the exterior portion and the interior portion, and to output at least one noise signal indicative of the detected noise. The vehicle further includes at least one noise cancellation and enhancement (NCE) controller and an automotive audio bus (A2B) interface. One or more of the NCE controllers are configured to perform at least one noise management signal processing operation based on the at least one noise signal. The automotive audio bus (A2B) interface receives the at least one noise signal and delivers the at least one noise signal to the at least one NCE controller.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a body having an exterior portion and an interior portion;

a plurality of sensors installed on the vehicle, each sensor configured to detect noise existing in at least one of the exterior portion and the interior portion, and to output at least one noise signal indicative of the detected noise;

a plurality of noise cancellation and enhancement (NCE) controllers in signal communication with at least one sensor among the plurality of sensors, each NCE controller configured to perform at least one noise management signal processing operation based on the at least one noise signal; and

an automotive audio bus (A2B) interface configured to receive the at least one noise signal and deliver the at least one noise signal to the at least one of the NCE controllers,

wherein the at least one noise management signal processing operation includes;

comparing, with at least one of the NCE controllers, a first noise signal associated with the exterior portion to a second noise signal associated with the interior portion;

generating, with at least one of the NCE controllers, a post-processed signal in response to phase-shifting the first noise signal based on the second noise signal; and

converting the post-processed signal into an audio signal that is emitted into the interior portion of the vehicle such that the noise associated with the exterior portion is at least one of suppressed and enhanced.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the sensors and the NCE controllers are connected to the A2B interface in a daisy-chain configuration.

4. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein each NCE controller among the plurality of NCE controllers performs a different noise management signal processing operation with respect to one another.

5. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the A2B interface is a clock-driven twisted-pair digital communication bus.

3. The vehicle of clam 2, wherein the sensors includes at least one accelerometer located at the exterior portion and at least one microphone located at the interior portion.

6. A noise management system installed in a vehicle, the noise management system comprising:

an automotive audio bus (A2B) interface configured to transfer data thereon;

at least one first sensor configured to monitor an exterior environment of the vehicle and at least one second sensor configured to monitor an interior environment of the vehicle, the at least one first sensor configured to output first data to the A2B interface indicative of exterior noise and the at least one second sensor configured to output second data to the A2B interface indicative of interior noise; and

a plurality of noise cancellation and enhancement (NCE) controllers connected to the A2B interface, the plurality of NCE controllers configured to generate post-processed data in response to performing a noise management signal processing operation based on at least one of the first and second data received from the A2B interface,

wherein the post-processed data is converted into an audio signal that is output so as to at least one of suppress and enhance the exterior noise.

7. The noise management system of claim 6, wherein the at least one first sensor, the at least one second sensor, and the plurality of NCE controllers are connected to the A2B interface in a daisy-chain configuration.

8. The noise management system of claim 7, wherein the at least one noise management signal processing operation includes:

comparing, using at least one NCE controller among the plurality of NCE controllers, the first data associated with the exterior portion to the second data associated with the interior portion; and

generating, using at least one NCE controller among the plurality of NCE controllers, the post-processed signal in response to shifting phase data included in the first data based on the second data.

10. The noise management system of claim 7, wherein each NCE controller among the plurality of NCE controllers performs a different noise management signal processing operation with respect to one another.

11. The noise management system of claim 10, wherein a first NCE controller outputs a first post-processed signal and a second NCE controller, different from the first NCE controller, simultaneously outputs a second post-processed signal.

12. The noise management system of claim 7, wherein the A2B interface is a clock-driven twisted-pair digital communication bus.

9. The noise management system of clam 7, wherein the at least one first sensor is an accelerometer and the at least one second sensor is a microphone.

13. A method of managing noise associated with an automotive vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting, using at least one sensor, noise existing in an exterior portion of the vehicle and an interior portion of the vehicle, and outputting at least one noise signal indicative of the detected noise;

performing, with a first noise cancellation and enhancement (NCE) controller, a first noise management signal processing operation based on the at least one noise signal, and performing, with a second NCE controller, a second noise management signal processing operation based on the at least one noise signal;

receiving, by an automotive audio bus (A2B) interface, a first post-processed signal from the first NCE controller and a second post-processed signal from the second NCE controller;

converting, by a third NCE controller different from the first and second NCE controllers, the first and second post-processed signals into an audio signal; and

outputting the audio signal into the interior portion of the vehicle so as to at least one of suppress and enhance noise associated with the exterior portion of the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one noise management signal processing operation includes:

comparing a first noise signal associated with the exterior portion to a second noise signal associated with the interior portion; and

generating the first and second post-processed signals in response to phase-shifting the first noise signal based on the second noise signal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one sensor and the plurality of NCE controllers are connected to the A2B interface in a daisy-chain configuration.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein each NCE controller among the plurality of NCE controller performs a different noise management signal processing operation with respect to one another.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a first NCE controller outputs a first post-processed signal and a second NCE controller, different from the first NCE controller, simultaneously outputs a second post-processed signal.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the A2B interface is a clock-driven twisted-pair digital communication bus.

16. The method of clam 13, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one accelerometer located at the exterior portion and at least one microphone located at the interior portion.