Ultrasonic noise cancellation in vehicular passenger compartment

• US 10,515,620 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2017
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Siciak, Raymond C., Hamilton, Kathryn, Damsaz, Mahrdad, Krishnamurthy, Vivekananda
• Primary Examiner(s): Baghdasaryan, Hovhannes
• Assistant Examiner(s): Armstrong, Jonathan D
• Application Number:
  US15/708,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20190088246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2306/09 Reducing noise
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/178 by electro-acoustically regenerating the original acoustic waves in anti-phase
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1281 Aircraft, e.g. spacecraft, airplane or helicopter
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1282 Automobiles
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3011 Single acoustic input
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3044 Phase shift, e.g. complex envelope processing

Abstract

Exposure to ultrasound energy emitted by remote object detection systems on vehicles is reduced for vehicle occupants. An automotive vehicle has a passenger cabin and a remote sensing system including ultrasonic transceivers mounted for sensing external objects. An ultrasonic microphone is disposed to sense an ultrasonic wave entering the passenger cabin at greater than 30 kHz. An antinoise processor calculates an antinoise signal adapted to at least partially cancel the ultrasonic wave at a predetermined location in the cabin. An amplifier is coupled to the processor for amplifying the antinoise signal by a predetermined gain. An ultrasonic speaker is coupled to the amplifier to project the antinoise signal into the predetermined location to attenuate the ultrasonic wave at the predetermined location.

Claims

1. Apparatus in an automotive vehicle, comprising:

an ultrasonic sensor disposed to sense an ultrasonic wave entering the passenger cabin at greater than 30 kHz;

an antinoise processor calculating an antinoise signal adapted to at least partially cancel the ultrasonic wave at a predetermined location in the cabin; and

an ultrasonic speaker coupled to the processor to project the antinoise signal into the predetermined location to attenuate the ultrasonic wave at the predetermined location.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an amplifier coupled between the processor and the speaker providing a predetermined gain that optimizes the attenuation of the ultrasonic wave.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is adapted to compare an amplitude of the sensed ultrasonic wave to a predetermined threshold, and wherein the processor inhibits the antinoise signal if the amplitude is less than the predetermined threshold.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is adapted to identify a vehicle state corresponding to a lack of potential for exposure to an ultrasonic wave, and wherein the processor inhibits the antinoise signal in response to the identified state.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the vehicle state includes an operating status of an ultrasonic transmitter carried on the vehicle outside of the passenger cabin.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the vehicle state includes a driving status of the vehicle.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a compensator for removing a contribution of the antinoise signal projected by the ultrasonic speaker to the ultrasonic wave sensed by the ultrasonic sensor.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a seat occupancy sensor in the passenger cabin providing a seat occupancy signal to the processor for determining the predetermined location.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ultrasonic speaker is a directional speaker aligned with the predetermined location.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the directional speaker is a parametric speaker.

11. An automotive vehicle, comprising:

a passenger cabin;

a remote sensing system including ultrasonic transceivers mounted for sensing external objects;

an ultrasonic microphone disposed to sense an ultrasonic wave entering the passenger cabin at greater than 30 kHz;

an antinoise processor calculating an antinoise signal adapted to at least partially cancel the ultrasonic wave at a predetermined location in the cabin;

an amplifier coupled to the processor for amplifying the antinoise signal by a predetermined gain; and

an ultrasonic speaker coupled to the amplifier to project the antinoise signal into the predetermined location to attenuate the ultrasonic wave at the predetermined location.

12. The vehicle of claim 11 further comprising:

a plurality of passenger seats in the cabin; and

a seat occupancy sensing system in the passenger cabin providing a seat occupancy signal to the processor for determining the predetermined location.

13. The vehicle of claim 11 wherein the ultrasonic speaker is a directional speaker aligned with the predetermined location.

14. The vehicle of claim 13 comprising a plurality of directional speakers each receiving an antinoise signal adapted to attenuate the ultrasonic wave at a respective passenger seat.

15. The vehicle of claim 13 wherein the directional speaker is a parametric speaker.

16. A method of reducing acoustic exposure to a passenger in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

sensing an ultrasonic wave entering a passenger cabin of the vehicle at greater than 30 kHz;

calculating an ultrasonic antinoise signal adapted to at least partially cancel the ultrasonic wave at a predetermined location in the cabin; and

projecting the ultrasonic antinoise signal into the predetermined location to attenuate the ultrasonic wave.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the projecting step is comprised of generating a focused ultrasonic beam using a directional speaker aligned with the predetermined location.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the directional speaker is a parametric speaker.