On-vehicle sound control apparatus

• US 5,677,960 A
• Filed: 05/06/1996
• Issued: 10/14/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
• Original Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Unno, Atsushi, Matsumura, Motomichi, Morota, Kiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Application Number:
  US08/646,220
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 381/71, 381/94, 381/86
• US Class Current: 381/86
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/32 the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 5/025 Equalizers; Volume or gain control in limited frequency bands

Abstract

An electric source signal supplied from a battery of a vehicle is composed of a direct current component and an alternating current component. The alternating component is classified into an alternator noise of which a frequency changes in proportional to an engine speed of the vehicle and other noises. Also, as the engine speed is heightened, a vehicle noise in the inside of the vehicle is heightened. The direct current component of the electric source signal is removed in an alternating current component passing circuit, the other noises are removed in a band pass filter, and the alternator noise is obtained. Thereafter, a frequency of the alternator noise is calculated in a microcomputer, and a volume of a sound reproduced by a speaker of an on-vehicle stereo and a tone of the sound are adjusted according to the frequency of the alternator noise. Therefore, a driver can be entertained with a music without being disturbed by the vehicle noise.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle sound control apparatus, comprising:

first filtering means for removing a direct current component from an electric source signal supplied from an electric source of a vehicle to produce an alternating current signal, an electric power produced by an operation of an engine of the vehicle being charged in the electric source;

second filtering means for removing a particular frequency component from the alternating current signal produced by the first filtering means to take out an alternator noise, of which a frequency changes with an engine speed of the vehicle, from the alternating current signal;

noise level calculating means for calculating a noise level in an inside of the vehicle according to the alternator noise obtained by the second filtering means; and

controlling means for controlling a volume of a sound reproduced in a sound reproducing means or a tone of the sound according to the noise level calculated by the noise level calculating means.

2. An on-vehicle sound control apparatus according to claim 1 in which the second filtering means is a band pass filter for removing high and low frequency components from the alternating current signal.

3. An on-vehicle sound control apparatus according to claim 1 in which a frequency of the alternator noise ranges from 800 to 10 kHz.

4. An on-vehicle sound control apparatus according to claim 1 in which the noise level calculating means comprises:

a noise frequency calculating unit for calculating a frequency of the alternator noise; and

a noise level calculating unit for calculating the noise level according to the frequency of the alternator noise calculated by the noise frequency calculating unit.

5. An on-vehicle sound control apparatus according to claim 1 in which the controlling means comprises:

a sound volume and tone changing degree calculating unit for calculating a first changing degree of the sound volume or a second changing degree of the tone according to a difference between the noise level currently calculated and a previous noise level; and

a sound volume and tone control unit for adjusting the sound volume by the first changing degree calculated by the sound volume and tone changing degree calculating unit or adjusting the tone by the second changing degree calculated by the sound volume and tone changing degree calculating unit.

6. An on-vehicle sound control apparatus according to claim 1 in which the controlling means comprises:

a sound volume and tone changing degree calculating unit for calculating a first changing degree of the sound volume or a second changing degree of the tone according to a difference between the noise level currently calculated and a previous noise level; and

a sound volume and tone control unit for performing the increase of the volume of the sound, the increase of a low-pitched component of the sound and the decrease of a high-pitched component of the sound in cases where the noise level currently calculated is higher than the previous noise level and performing the decrease of the volume of the sound, the decrease of the low-pitched component of the sound and the increase of the high-pitched component of the sound in cases where the noise level currently calculated is lower than the previous noise level.

7. An on-vehicle sound control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

sound volume indicating means for visually indicating the change of the sound volume and the sound volume controlled by the controlling means.

8. An on-vehicle sound control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a head light for illuminating a forward position of the vehicle at a luminance intensity which is determined according to the noise level calculated by the noise level calculating means.

9. An on-vehicle sound control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a television monitor for displaying a picture by turning on a switch on condition that the noise level calculated by the noise level calculating means indicates that the vehicle is set in an idling condition.

10. An on-vehicle sound control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a tachometer for indicating the engine speed of the vehicle according to the alternator noise obtained by the second filtering means.