ENGINE SOUND ENHANCEMENT IMPLEMENTATION THROUGH VARYING VEHICLE CONDITIONS

• US 20120109489A1
• Filed: 05/06/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Reilly, Scott M., Hartleip, Larry G., Valeri, Frank C., Hull, William L., Richter, Stephane, Yost, John Randall
• Granted Patent: US 8,938,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/102
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 15/02 Synthesis of acoustic waves synthesis of speech G10L13/00

Abstract

Engine sound enhancement (ESE) for a vehicle includes determining a current rate of change (ROC) in a position of an acceleration device of the vehicle from sensor data received from at least one sensor in communication with the acceleration device and calculating an ESE value based on the current ROC in the position of the acceleration device. The ESE value reflects an intensity and tone quality of at least one of the exhaust and the engine of the vehicle. The ESE also includes receiving a current RPM value, comparing the RPM value and the ROC in the position of the acceleration device to corresponding pre-defined threshold values, the pre-defined threshold values mapped to ESE tunings, and activating one of the ESE tunings when each of the current RPM value and the current ROC in the position of the acceleration device meets a corresponding pre-defined threshold value.

Claims

1. A method for implementing engine sound enhancement (ESE) for a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining, via a controller, a current rate of change in a position of an acceleration device of the vehicle from sensor data received from at least one sensor in communication with the acceleration device;

calculating an ESE value based on the current rate of change in the position of the acceleration device, the ESE value reflecting an intensity and tone quality of at least one of an exhaust and an engine of the vehicle;

receiving a current revolutions-per-minute (RPM) value of the engine;

comparing the current RPM value and the current rate of change in the position of the acceleration device to corresponding pre-defined threshold values, the pre-defined threshold values mapped to engine sound enhancement (ESE) tunings; and

activating one of the ESE tunings when each of the current RPM value and the current rate of change in the position of the acceleration device meet a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the activated ESE tuning simulates a sound representative of at least one of the exhaust and the engine of the vehicle when the vehicle is experiencing a driving event that is defined by the pre-defined threshold values.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the current rate of change in the position of the acceleration device includes:

identifying a first position of the acceleration device, the first position of the acceleration device identified at a starting time increment;

identifying a second position of the acceleration device, the second position of the acceleration device identified at an ending time increment;

tracking an amount of time elapsed between the starting time increment and the ending time increment;

calculating a deviation value reflecting a difference between the first position and the second position; and

dividing the deviation value from the amount of time elapsed between the starting time increment and the ending time increment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first position of the acceleration device is defined by a first angle of the acceleration device with respect to a plane, and the second position of the acceleration device is defined by a second angle of the acceleration device with respect to the plane.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the one of the ESE tunings includes executing the one of the ESE tunings through an audio system into a cabin of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein upon determining the current RPM value meets a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values, and the current rate of change in position of the acceleration device does not meet a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values, the method further comprises:

determining a position of the acceleration device in the vehicle, the position ranging from not engaged to fully engaged;

comparing the position of the acceleration device to the corresponding pre-defined threshold values; and

activating one of the ESE tunings when the position of the acceleration device exceeds a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein upon determining the current RPM value meets a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values, and the current rate of change in the acceleration device does not meet a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values, the method further comprises:

determining a current rate of change in RPM values of the engine;

comparing the current rate of change in the RPM values to the corresponding pre-defined threshold values; and

activating one of the ESE tunings when the current rate of change in the RPM values exceeds a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein during execution of the one of the ESE tunings, the method further comprises:

monitoring changes in the current RPM value of the engine; and

continuing the execution of the one of the ESE tunings when, in response to the monitoring, the current RPM value continues to meet a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the current RPM value responsive to the monitoring does not meet the corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values, the method further comprising:

monitoring a rate of change in the RPM value; and

continuing the execution of the one of the ESE tunings when, in response to the monitoring, the rate of change in the RPM value meets a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the rate of change in the RPM value does not meet a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values, the method further comprising:

monitoring changes in the position of the acceleration device; and

continuing the execution of the one of the ESE tunings when, in response to the monitoring, the position of the acceleration device meets a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising de-activating the one of the ESE tunings when, in response to the monitoring, none of the RPM value, the rate of the change in the RPM value, and the position of the acceleration device meets a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values.

12. A system for implementing engine sound enhancement (ESE) for a vehicle, the system comprising:

a controller implementing a computer processor; and

logic executable by the controller, the logic implementing a method, the method comprising;

determining, via controller, a current rate of change in a position of an acceleration device of the vehicle from sensor data received from at least one sensor in communication with the acceleration device;

calculating an ESE value based on the current rate of change in the position of the acceleration device, the ESE value reflecting an intensity and tone quality of at least one of an exhaust and an engine of the vehicle;

receiving a current revolutions-per-minute (RPM) value of the engine;

comparing the current RPM value and the current rate of change in the position of the acceleration device to corresponding pre-defined threshold values, the pre-defined threshold values mapped to engine sound enhancement (ESE) tunings; and

activating one of the ESE tunings when each of the current RPM value and the current rate of change in the position of the acceleration device meet a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the activated ESE tuning simulates a sound representative of at least one of the exhaust and the engine of the vehicle when the vehicle is experiencing a driving event that is defined by the pre-defined threshold values.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein determining the current rate of change in the position of the acceleration device includes:

identifying a first position of the acceleration device, the first position of the acceleration device identified at a starting time increment;

identifying a second position of the acceleration device, the second position of the acceleration device identified at an ending time increment;

tracking an amount of time elapsed between the starting time increment and the ending time increment;

calculating a deviation value reflecting a difference between the first position and the second position; and

dividing the deviation value from the amount of time elapsed between the starting time increment and the ending time increment.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first position of the acceleration device is defined by a first angle of the acceleration device with respect to a plane, and the second position of the acceleration device is defined by a second angle of the acceleration device with respect to the plane.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein activating the one of the ESE recordings includes executing the one of the ESE recordings through an audio system into a cabin of the vehicle.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein upon determining the current RPM value meets a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values, and the current rate of change in position of the acceleration device does not meet a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values, the method further comprises:

determining a position of the acceleration device in the vehicle, the position ranging from not engaged to fully engaged;

comparing the position of the acceleration device to the corresponding pre-defined threshold values; and

activating one of the ESE recordings when the position of the acceleration device exceeds a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein upon determining the current RPM value meets a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values, and the current rate of change in the acceleration device does not meet a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values, the method further comprises:

determining a current rate of change in RPM values of the engine;

comparing the current rate of change in the RPM values to the corresponding pre-defined threshold values; and

activating one of the ESE recordings when the current rate of change in the RPM values exceeds a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein during execution of the one of the ESE recordings, the method further comprises:

monitoring changes in the current RPM value of the engine; and

continuing the execution of the one of the ESE recordings when, in response to the monitoring, the current RPM value continues to meet a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values.

20. A computer program product implementing engine sound enhancement (ESE) for a vehicle, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions, which when executed by a computer cause the computer to implement a method, the method comprising:

receiving a current revolutions-per-minute (RPM) value of the vehicle;

determining a current rate of change in a position of an acceleration device of the vehicle from sensor data received from at least one sensor in communication with the acceleration device;

comparing the current RPM value and the current rate of change in the position of the acceleration device to corresponding pre-defined threshold values, the pre-defined threshold values mapped to engine sound enhancement (ESE) recordings; and

activating one of the ESE recordings when at least one of the current RPM value and the current rate of change in the position of the acceleration device exceed a corresponding one of the pre-defined threshold values.