METHOD OF GENERATING VEHICLE NOISE

• US 20100228434A1
• Filed: 03/06/2009
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Leyerle, James W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,138,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• 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: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

A method of generating vehicle noise includes recognizing a geographic location requiring a minimum operating noise level of the vehicle, and notifying the telematics unit operatively associated with the vehicle that a then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the recognized geographic location. When the telematics unit is notified, the method further includes triggering a noise generator to generate an amount of noise external to the vehicle, where the generated noise is sufficient to reach the minimum operating noise level.

Claims

1. A method of generating vehicle noise, the method comprising:

recognizing a geographic location requiring a minimum operating noise level of the vehicle;

notifying a telematics unit operatively associated with the vehicle that a then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the recognized geographic location; and

when the telematics unit is notified, triggering, via the telematics unit, a noise generator to generate an amount of noise external to the vehicle, the generated noise sufficient to reach the minimum operating noise level.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the recognizing of the geographic location and the notifying of the telematics unit includes:

downloading a planned route from a call center to the telematics unit, the planned route including the recognized geographic location; and

identifying, via the telematics unit, when the then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the recognized geographic location by comparing the then-current location of the vehicle with the planned route.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the planned route includes more than one recognized geographic location, and wherein each recognized geographic location includes its own corresponding minimum operating noise level of the vehicle.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the recognizing of the geographic location and the notifying of the telematics unit includes:

determining, at a call center, the recognized geographic location using data collected from at least one other vehicle; and

transmitting, from the call center to the telematics unit, the recognized geographic location based on the collected data.

5. The method as defined in claim 4 wherein the transmitting of the recognized geographic location is accomplished in real time when the then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the recognized geographic location.

6. The method as defined in claim 4 wherein the transmitting of the recognized geographic location is accomplished prior to when the then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the recognized geographic location, and wherein the method further comprises:

storing the transmitted recognized geographic location in a memory operatively associated with the telematics unit; and

retrieving the transmitted recognized geographic location from the memory when the then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the recognized geographic location.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the recognizing of the geographic location and the notifying of the telematics unit includes:

observing, via a vehicle operator while operating the vehicle, that the then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the recognized geographic location; and

manually notifying the telematics unit based on the observation.

8. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the recognizing of the geographic location and the notifying of the telematics unit includes:

recognizing the geographic location by an other vehicle;

broadcasting the recognized geographic location to the vehicle;

storing the broadcasted recognized geographic location in a memory operatively associated with the telematics unit; and

identifying, via the telematics unit, when the then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the recognized geographic location by comparing the then-current location of the vehicle with the broadcasted recognized geographic location.

9. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein after the notifying of the telematics unit, the method further comprises requesting and receiving, from a call center in selective and operative communication with the telematics unit, the minimum operating noise level corresponding to the recognized geographic location.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, further comprising automatically updating the received minimum operating noise level by periodically transmitting an update from the call center to the telematics unit.

11. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein after the notifying of the telematics unit, the method further comprises:

requesting, from a call center in selective and operative communication with the telematics unit, the minimum operating noise level corresponding to the recognized geographic location;

downloading, from the call center to the telematics unit, a bounded area including the geographic location requiring the minimum operating noise level; and

retrieving, via the telematics unit, the minimum operating noise level from the downloaded bounded area when the then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the geographic location.

12. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the amount of noise sufficient to reach the minimum operating noise level is further based on at least one of:

a type of the geographic location;

an existence of an accessible wireless network in the geographic location;

an existence of an inaccessible wireless network in the geographic location;

an availability of a GPS satellite connection;

a strength of a wireless signal corresponding to the wireless network in the geographic location;

or a vehicle speed.

13. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the generated noise corresponds with a predetermined decibel level.

14. The method as defined by claim 1 wherein the generated noise external to the vehicle is configured to be heard by an entity located outside of the vehicle.

15. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising generating a noise internal to the vehicle, the noise configured to be heard by a vehicle operator while operating the vehicle.

16. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a vehicle powered by a fuel cell, a hydrogen-powered vehicle, or combinations thereof.

17. A noise generating system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

means for recognizing a geographic location requiring a minimum operating noise level of the vehicle;

a telematics unit in selective and operative communication with the means for recognizing the geographic location;

means for notifying the telematics unit that a then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the recognized geographic location; and

a noise generator in selective and operative communication with the telematics unit, the noise generator configured to generate an amount of noise external to the vehicle when the telematics unit is notified that the then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the recognized geographic location, wherein the generated noise is sufficient to reach the minimum operating noise level.

18. The noise generating system as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

a call center in selective and operative communication with the telematics unit, the call center configured to download, to the telematics unit, a planned route including the recognized geographic location; and

means for identifying when the then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the recognized geographic location using means for comparing the then-current location of the vehicle with the planned route.

19. The noise generating system as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

at least one other vehicle configured to obtain data related to at least one geographic location, wherein the at least one geographic location is the recognized geographic location or an other geographic location; and

a call center in selective and operative communication with the other vehicle and with the telematics unit, the call center configured to i) collect the data obtained by the at least one other vehicle, ii) determine that the at least one geographic location is a recognized geographic location using the collected data, and iii) determine the minimum operating noise level corresponding to the recognized geographic location;

wherein the telematics unit is further configured to receive a transmission of the recognized geographic location and the minimum operating noise level from the call center.

20. The noise generating system as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

means for observing that the then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the recognized geographic location; and

means for actuating the telematics unit based on the observation.

21. The noise generating system as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

an other vehicle configured to recognize the geographic location;

means for broadcasting the recognized geographic location to the vehicle;

a memory operatively connected to the telematics unit of the vehicle, the memory configured to store the recognized geographic location; and

means for identifying when the then-current location of the vehicle coincides with the recognized geographic location using means for comparing the then-current location of the vehicle with the broadcasted recognized geographic location.

22. The noise generating system as defined in claim 17 further comprising a call center in selective and operative communication with the telematics unit, the call center configured to i) provide, to the telematics unit, the minimum operating noise level corresponding to the recognized geographic location in real time, or ii) download, to the telematics unit, a bounded area including the geographic location requiring the minimum operating noise level for later retrieval by the telematics unit.

23. The noise generating system as defined in claim 17 wherein the noise generator is operatively connected to a speaker system configured to emit the generated noise outside the vehicle.

24. The noise generating system as defined in claim 17 wherein the noise generator is operatively connected to an audio system configured to play the generated noise inside the vehicle.