Control system, vehicle and method

• US 9,902,321 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2014
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Holloway, Katy, Suffield, Iain
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Testardi, David A
• Application Number:
  US14/787,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20160068101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,398 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/005 automatically actuated
• 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: G10K 15/02 Synthesis of acoustic waves synthesis of speech G10L13/00

Abstract

An apparatus (145) for a vehicle (100) having an electric propulsion motor (123), the apparatus (145) being operable to generate an audible sound wherein at least one characteristic of the sound is dependent on a state of the vehicle (100).

Claims

1. An apparatus for a vehicle having an electric propulsion motor, the apparatus configured to:

store first and second sound files corresponding to respective first and second sounds, wherein the first sound file is a filtered version of the second sound file;

receive a signal corresponding to a speed of rotation of the motor; and

generate an audible sound via an audio transducer, wherein at least one characteristic of the audible sound is dependent on said signal, and wherein the audible sound is generated via the audio transducer using a blend of the first and second sound files.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first sound file is generated by applying an attenuating filter to the second sound file to attenuate higher frequencies of the second sound file.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further configured to commence generation of the audible sound via the audio transducer when a user starts the vehicle and/or when a user selects a forward or reverse driving configuration of the vehicle via a driving mode selector.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic includes a timbre of the audible sound and/or a pitch of the audible sound.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further configured to vary a volume of the audible sound generated by the audio transducer as a function of the speed of rotation of the motor.

6. A motor vehicle comprising the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first sound file differs from the second sound file in its timbre.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a composition of the blend depends on a position of an accelerator pedal.

9. A method of controlling a vehicle having an electric propulsion motor, the method comprising:

storing first and second sound files corresponding to respective first and second sounds, wherein the first sound file is a filtered version of the second sound file;

receiving a signal corresponding to a speed of rotation of the motor; and

generating an audible sound via an audio transducer, wherein at least one characteristic of the audible sound is dependent on the signal corresponding to the speed of rotation of the motor, and wherein the audible sound is generated via the audio transducer using a blend of the first and second sound files.