Control System, Vehicle and Method

• US 20160068101A1
• Filed: 05/01/2014
• Published: 03/10/2016
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 9,902,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 being operable to:

store first and second sounds, the first sound being a filtered version of the second sound;

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

generate an audible sound, wherein at least one characteristic of the audible sound is dependent on said signal, and wherein the audible sound is a blend of the first and second sounds.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second sounds are based on substantially the same sound with the first sound filtered to attenuate higher frequencies.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, operable to commence generation of the audible sound when a user signals starting of the vehicle and/or when a user selects a driving mode of the vehicle.

8. 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.

24. The apparatus according to claim 1, operable to vary a volume of the audible sound generated by the apparatus as a function of motor speed.

31. A motor vehicle control system comprising the apparatus of claim 1.

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

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

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

3. An apparatus for a vehicle having an electric propulsion motor and a battery configured to power the motor, the apparatus being operable to generate an audible sound, wherein at least one characteristic of the audible sound is dependent on an amount of energy stored in the battery, and operable to vary the audible sound in dependence on a position of a user operated accelerator control.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the audible sound has a first form when the amount of energy stored in the battery is less than a first critical value and a second form having at least one characteristic different from the first form when the amount of energy stored in the battery is greater than the first critical value.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the audible sound has a third form when the amount of energy stored in the battery is greater than a second critical value greater than the first critical value.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first form corresponds to the second form after passage through a filter arranged to attenuate her frequencies.

18. The apparatus according to claim 3, operable to vary the audible sound by blending between a plurality of respective sounds.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, operable to blend between the plurality of respective sounds by varying a relative volume of the respective sounds.

20. The apparatus according to claim 3, operable to vary a form of the audible sound in further dependence on a speed of travel of the vehicle.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, operable to vary a pitch of the audible sound in dependence on the speed of travel.

22. The apparatus according to claim 3, operable to vary a volume of the audible sound generated by the apparatus as a function of vehicle speed.

9-17. -17. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

25-30. -30. (canceled)

32. (canceled)

34. (canceled)

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

storing first and second sounds, the first sound being a filtered version of the second sound;

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

generating an audible sound wherein at least one characteristic of the audible sound is dependent on the signal corresponding to motor speed, and wherein the audible sound is a blend of first and second sounds.

36. A method of controlling a vehicle having an electric propulsion motor and a battery configured to power the motor, the method comprising:

generating an audible sound wherein at least one characteristic of the sound is dependent on an amount of energy stored in the battery; and

varying the audible sound in dependence on a position of a user operated accelerator control.

37. (canceled)