Sound generation apparatus and method for an electric vehicle

• US 8,179,234 B1
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atwood Bell, LLC
• Original Assignee: Atwood Bell, LLC
• Inventors: Atwood, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tun, Nay
• Application Number:
  US12/655,203
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 3403841-3845, 340463-467, 340/474, 340/692, 446/397, 446/409, 381/57, 381/61, 381/86
• US Class Current: 340/384.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/008 for signaling silent vehicles, e.g. for warning that a hybrid or electric vehicle is approaching

Abstract

A sound generation apparatus for an electric vehicle that is being operated by a driver comprising: a sound generation circuit attached to a wheel of the electric vehicle; Faraday generators for supplying pulses of electrical current within the circuit while the wheels of the vehicle are rotating; a battery for supplying battery power within the circuit; a pulse activated power controller that is activated upon the receipt of an initial pulse form one of the Faraday generators and controls the supply of battery power within the circuit; and a programmed microcontroller that uses the battery power to simulate a motor sound for the electric vehicle and uses additional pulses from the Faraday generators to determine whether the vehicle is accelerating, decelerating or moving in reverse and, based upon its state of motion, modifies the simulated motor sound.

Claims

1. A sound generation apparatus for an electric vehicle that is being operated by a driver, the apparatus comprising:

a sound generation circuit that is attached to a wheel of the electric vehicle;

at least two radially positioned Faraday generators within the circuit for supplying pulses of electrical current to the circuit while the wheels of the vehicle are rotating;

at least one battery within the circuit for supplying battery power to the circuit;

a pulse activated power controller within the circuit that is activated upon the receipt of an initial pulse form one of the at least two Faraday generators, said power controller for controlling the supply of battery power to the circuit; and

a programmed microcontroller within the circuit for generating a motor sound for the electric vehicle while being operated by the driver, said microcontroller also having at least two microcontroller ports for receiving additional pulses produced by the at least two Faraday generators for determining whether the vehicle is accelerating, decelerating or moving in reverse and based upon its state of motion modifying the motor sound.

2. The sound generation apparatus of claim 1 in which the at least two Faraday generators is three Faraday generators and the at least two microcontroller ports is three microcontroller ports.

3. The sound generation apparatus of claim 1 in which the microcontroller uses a signal frequency generator timer that receives battery power from the power controller for use in the generation of a simulated motor sound.

4. The sound generation apparatus of claim 1 in which the microcontroller uses a sound recordings database containing a plurality of sound recording clips of the sounds of a combustion engine operating at various engine speeds for use in the generation of an actual motor sound for the electric vehicle.

5. A sound generation apparatus for an electric vehicle that is being operated by a driver, the apparatus comprising:

a sound generation circuit that is attached to a wheel of the electric vehicle;

at least two radially positioned Faraday generators within the circuit for supplying pulses of electrical current to the circuit while the wheels of the vehicle are rotating;

at least one battery within the circuit for supplying battery power to the circuit;

a pulse activated power controller within the circuit that is activated upon the receipt of an initial pulse form one of the at least two Faraday generators, said power controller for controlling the supply of battery power to the circuit;

a gyroscope within the circuit for generating voltage values based upon the angular velocity of the wheel of the vehicle; and

a programmed microcontroller within the circuit having a sound recordings database containing a plurality of sound recording clips of the sounds of a combustion engine operating at various engine speeds for use by the microcontroller in the generation of an actual motor sound for the electric vehicle;

said microcontroller using the voltage values generated by the gyroscope to periodically calculate the angular velocity of the wheel, selecting an angular velocity based upon engine speed from the database that most closely matches the angular velocity of the wheel, and playing the sound clip that is associated with the engine speed.

6. A sound generation apparatus for an electric vehicle that is being operated by a driver, the apparatus comprising:

a sound generation circuit that is attached to a wheel of the electric vehicle;

at least two radially positioned Faraday generators within the circuit for supplying pulses of electrical current to the circuit while the wheels of the vehicle are rotating;

at least one battery within the circuit for supplying battery power to the circuit;

a pulse activated power controller within the circuit that is activated upon the receipt of an initial pulse form one of the at least two Faraday generators, said power controller for controlling the supply of battery power to the circuit; and

a signal frequency generator timer that receives battery power from the power controller for use in the generation of a simulated motor sound for the electric vehicle.

7. A method of generating a sound for an electric vehicle that is being operated by a driver, comprising:

generating an initial pulse of electrical current from one of at least two rotating Faraday generators within a sound generation circuit attached to the wheel of the vehicle;

activating a pulse activated power controller within the circuit by using the initial pulse of electrical current;

supplying battery power through the power controller to a microcontroller within the circuit;

generating a simulated motor sound from the battery power supplied to the microcontroller;

sending additional pulses of electrical current from the at least two rotating Faraday generators to at least two microcontroller ports; and

processing the additional pulses to determine whether the vehicle is accelerating, decelerating or moving in reverse and based upon its state of motion modifying the simulated motor sound.