Directional horn and method of use

• US 8,751,106 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Raz, Guy, Tzirkel-Hancock, Eli
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, LUAT T
• Application Number:
  US13/432,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20130261887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 381/340, 181/152
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/00 Arrangement or adaptation of acoustic signal devices

Abstract

A directional horn may include at least one group of a plurality of speakers or audio emitters. The audio emitters may each emit and audio signal at a same frequency. A processor may control a relative phase difference and relative gain difference between each audio signal, based on a determined direction. The directional horn may be positioned on a vehicle. The determined direction may be based on a direction indicated by a driver controlling the vehicle, external environmental factors, vehicle dynamics, or other factors.

Claims

1. A tunable, vehicular directional horn, comprising:

a horn mounted on a vehicle, the horn including at least one cluster of audio emitters, each of the audio emitters configured to emit;

at least one audio signal; and

a processor configured to;

define a direction of focus of a horn sound based on sensor data, the horn sound being a composite of the audio signals,

define a relative phase difference and a relative gain difference between each the audio signals, in accordance with the direction of focus of the horn sound.

2. The horn of claim 1, wherein each of the audio emitters are configured to emit audio signals at an identical frequency.

3. The horn of claim 1, wherein the sensor data includes data generated from an object detection system.

4. The horn of claim 3, wherein the sensor data includes visual tracking data.

5. The horn of claim 3, wherein the sensor data includes pressure sensor data.

6. The horn of claim 1, wherein the sensor data includes vehicular speed data.

7. The horn of claim 1, wherein the plurality of audio emitters are configured to emit audio signals at multiple frequencies.

8. A method of controlling a vehicular horn sound comprising:

defining a direction of focus of the vehicular horn sound from sensor data derived from a sensor, the sound formed from a plurality of audio signals; and

using a processor to define a phase and a gain difference between each of the plurality of audio signals in accordance with the direction of focus of the horn sound; and

emitting audio signals in accordance with the phase difference and the gain difference.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sensor data includes data generated from an object detection system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sensor data includes pressure sensor data.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the sensor data includes vehicular speed data.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the sensor data includes visual tracking data.

13. A vehicular horn system, comprising:

a plurality of audio emitters mounted on a vehicle, each audio emitter configured to emit audio signals;

a processor configured to define a direction of focus of a composite sound formed from the plurality of the audio signals, the direction of focus derived from sensor data; and

a processor configured to define a phase difference and a gain difference between each of the audio signals in accordance with the direction of focus of the composite sound.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the sensor data includes data generated from a visual tracking system.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the sensor data includes pressure sensor data.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the sensor data includes vehicular speed data.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the sensor data includes data generated from an object detection system.