Sound effect generation device for vehicles

• US 10,290,297 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2017
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Niibe, Tadayuki, Yamada, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hamid, Ammar T
• Application Number:
  US15/762,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20180268805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 381 86
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 15/02 Synthesis of acoustic waves synthesis of speech G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/28 Transducer mountings or enclosures modified by provision of mechanical or acoustic impedances, e.g. resonator, damping means combinations of transducers with horns, i.e. front-loaded horns H04R1/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

A vehicle sound effect generation apparatus generates a sound effect of an engine based on a vibration sound database including a fundamental wave sound having a fundamental frequency component and a plurality of adjustment wave sounds having a frequency component other than the fundamental frequency component. The vehicle sound effect generation apparatus includes a running state detecting unit that detects a running state of a vehicle, a risk degree determining unit that is capable of determining a risk degree of the vehicle based on the running state detected by the running state detecting unit, and a sound effect generation unit that, when the risk degree determining unit determines a risk degree which is a predetermined value or more, synthesizes the fundamental wave sound with one or more discordant adjustment wave sounds having a discordant frequency component other than an integer-order frequency component and a half-order frequency component.

Claims

1. A vehicle sound effect generation apparatus for generating a sound effect of an engine based on a vibration sound database including a fundamental wave sound having a fundamental frequency component and a plurality of adjustment wave sounds having a frequency component other than the fundamental frequency component, the vehicle sound effect generation apparatus comprising:

a running state detecting unit that detects a running state of a vehicle;

a risk degree determining unit that is capable of determining a risk degree of the vehicle based on the running state detected by the running state detecting unit;

a sound effect generation unit that, when the risk degree determining unit determines a risk degree which is a predetermined value or more, synthesizes the fundamental wave sound with one or more discordant adjustment wave sounds having a discordant frequency component other than an integer-order frequency component and a half-order frequency component; and

an adjustment wave sound selector that selects the one or more discordant adjustment wave sounds based on the risk degree, and outputs the one or more discordant adjustment wave sounds to the sound effect generation unit,

wherein the adjustment wave sound selector increases, as the risk degree is larger, a number of the discordant adjustment wave sounds to be synthesized with the fundamental wave sound.

2. The vehicle sound effect generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sound effect generation unit increases a sound pressure level of the sound effect as the risk degree is larger.

3. The vehicle sound effect generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment wave sound selector selects, from the discordant adjustment wave sounds included in the vibration sound database, at least a discordant adjustment wave sound which is farthest from the fundamental frequency component and is midway between the integer-order frequency component and the half-order frequency component.

4. The vehicle sound effect generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when selecting the discordant adjustment wave sounds, the adjustment wave sound selector increases gains of the discordant adjustment wave sounds as the discordant frequency components are farther from the fundamental frequency component.

5. The vehicle sound effect generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the adjustment wave sound selector is configured to be capable of selecting one or more integer-order adjustment wave sounds having the integer-order frequency component, or one or more half-order adjustment wave sounds having the half-order frequency component, and

the sound effect generation unit is configured to be capable of synthesizing the fundamental wave sound with the one or more integer-order adjustment wave sounds or the one or more half-order adjustment wave sounds, and when the risk degree is determined to be the predetermined value or more, executes a third mode for synthesizing the fundamental wave sound with the one or more discordant adjustment wave sounds, the third mode being given priority over a first mode for synthesizing the fundamental wave sound with the one or more integer-order adjustment wave sounds, and a second mode for synthesizing the fundamental wave sound with the one or more half-order adjustment wave sounds.