Multi-purpose automotive sound device

• US 10,406,976 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2018
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Bednar, Chad, Christen, Erik J., Abdelhamid, Mahmoud, Rhodes, Kevin James, Yang, Yang, Venkiteswaran, Prasad
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Son M
• Application Number:
  US15/884,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20190232867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/008 for signaling silent vehicles, e.g. for warning that a hybrid or electric vehicle is approaching
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/025 Arrangements for fixing loudspeaker transducers, e.g. in a box, furniture
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle includes a multi-purpose automotive sound device for alerting pedestrians. The vehicle includes front and rear wheels, side mirrors, a sound device, and a controller. The sound device operates in a first mode and a second mode to generate an audio signal. The sound device is disposed adjacent to the front wheel and one of the side mirrors. The controller activates the sound device in the first mode or the second mode based on a state of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

front and rear wheels;

side mirrors;

a sound device configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode to generate an audio signal, the sound device separate from and disposed adjacent to one of the front wheels and one of the side mirrors; and

a controller configured to activate the sound device in the first mode or the second mode based on a state of the vehicle, wherein the sound device comprises a first sounder and a second sounder, wherein;

when the controller activates the sound device in the first mode, the first sounder generates a first audio signal at a sound pressure level (SPL) within a first SPL range and at a frequency within a first frequency range; and

when the controller activates the sound device in the second mode, the second sounder generates a second audio signal at a SPL within a second SPL range and a frequency within a second frequency range, and

wherein the controller is further configured to;

define the first SPL range, the first frequency range, the second SPL range, and the second frequency range; and

wherein the controller is configured to detect at least a portion of second frequency range that overlaps with the first frequency range and omit the overlapping portion of the second frequency range.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the sound device is the only external sound generating device of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to activate the sound device in the first mode in response to an external input, and

wherein the controller is configured to activate the sound device in the second mode in response to the vehicle traveling in reverse or the vehicle traveling forward at a speed satisfying a speed threshold.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the first audio signal is a fixed audio signal and the second audio signal is a variable audio signal.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to:

partition the second frequency range or the second SPL range to generate second frequency subranges or second SPL subranges;

assign each of the second frequency subranges or the second SPL subranges to each of a plurality of speed ranges, the plurality of speed ranges being lower than the speed threshold; and

generate the second audio signal at a frequency or SPL within a second frequency subrange or second SPL subrange assigned to one of the plurality of speed ranges.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the sound device further comprises a switch, and wherein the switch is configured to control an amount of power supplied to the first sounder or the second sounder.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller deactivates the second sounder in response to activating the sound device in the first mode,

wherein the controller deactivates the first sounder in response to activating the sound device in the second mode.

8. A method of operating a vehicle, comprising:

detecting, by a controller, a state of the vehicle;

determining, by the controller, whether an input corresponds to a first mode or a second mode based on the state of the vehicle;

generating, by a sound device, an audio signal corresponding to the input, the audio signal generated from a location separate from and adjacent to a front wheel and a side mirror of the vehicle;

responsive to determining that the input correspond to the first mode, generating, by a first sounder included in the sound device, a first audio signal at a sound pressure level (SPL) falling under a first SPL range and at a frequency falling under a first frequency range;

responsive to determining that the input correspond to the second mode, generating, by a second sounder included in the sound device, a second audio signal at a SPL falling under a second SPL range and a frequency falling under a second frequency range;

defining, by the controller, the first SPL range, the first frequency range, the second SPL range, and the second frequency range;

detecting, by the controller, at least a portion of the second frequency range that overlaps with the first frequency range; and

omitting, by the controller, the overlapping portion of the second frequency range.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sound device is the only external sound generating device the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining includes:

activating the sound device in the first mode in response to an external input; and

activating the sound device in the second mode in response to the vehicle traveling in reverse or the vehicle traveling forward at a speed satisfying a speed threshold.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first audio signal is a fixed audio signal and the second audio signal is a variable audio signal.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising:

partitioning, by the controller, the second frequency range or the second SPL range to generate second frequency subranges or second SPL subranges;

assigning, by the controller, each of the second frequency subranges or the second SPL subranges to each of a plurality of speed ranges, the plurality of speed ranges being lower than the speed threshold; and

generating, by the sound device, the second audio signal at a frequency or SPL within second frequency subrange or second SPL subrange assigned to one of the plurality of speed ranges.

13. The method of claim 10, comprising:

controlling, by a switch included in the sound device, an amount of power supplied to the first sounder or the second sounder.

14. The method of claim 10, comprising:

responsive to determining that the input correspond to the first mode, causing, by the controller, the second sounder to be deactivated; and

responsive to determining that the input correspond to the second mode, causing, by the controller, the first sounder to be deactivated.