Communicating road noise control system, in-vehicle road noise controller, and server

• US 7,941,189 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Miyauchi, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannon; Christian A
• Application Number:
  US12/012,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20080188271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 4554141-4142, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 4555691-5692, 455/575.9, 455/570, 704/226, 379/392.01, 381/94.1
• US Class Current: 455/569.2
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17821 characterised by the analysis of the input signals only
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17857 Geometric disposition, e.g. placement of microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17883 the reference signal being derived from a machine operating condition, e.g. engine RPM or vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17885 additionally using a desired external signal, e.g. pass-through audio such as music or speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/12821 Rolling noise; Wind and body noise
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0216 characterised by the method used for estimating noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/007 Protection circuits for transducers

Abstract

Road noise is reduced without locally storing noise spectrum patterns for determination or without detecting the present position of a vehicle from the device. An in-vehicle hands-free device causes a cellular phone to detect the present position of the vehicle and transmit the position to a server. The server determines a noise spectrum pattern corresponding to the road surface on which the vehicle is presently running. The noise spectrum pattern is based on the present position of the vehicle received from the in-vehicle hands-free device and road information. The server transmits the noise spectrum pattern to the in-vehicle hands-free device whereupon a noise canceling signal is superimposed on a received signal. The noise canceling signal is based on an inverted noise spectrum pattern that is obtained by inverting the phase of the noise spectrum pattern. The resulting composite signal is output from a speaker.

Claims

1. A communicating road noise control system including an in-vehicle road noise controller and a server that communicate with each other via a communication network, the in-vehicle road noise controller comprising:

a voice inputting means disposed in a compartment of the vehicle for inputting a voice frequency signal;

a voice outputting means disposed in the vehicle compartment for outputting a received voice signal;

a voice relaying means for outputting, as a transmit signal, the voice frequency signal inputted from the voice inputting means to a telephone means and for outputting the received signal inputted from the telephone means to the voice outputting means;

a present position detection and transmission instructing means for causing an external device to detect the present position of the vehicle and causing the external device to transmit the present position of the vehicle to the server;

a noise spectrum pattern transmitting means for transmitting a noise spectrum pattern to the server;

a noise spectrum pattern receiving means for receiving the noise spectrum pattern from the server; and

a road noise reducing means for reducing road noise based on the noise spectrum pattern received by the noise spectrum pattern receiving means; and

the server comprising;

a present position receiving means for receiving the present position of the vehicle from the external device;

a noise spectrum pattern receiving means for receiving the noise spectrum pattern from the in-vehicle road noise controller;

a noise spectrum pattern optimizing means for analyzing the noise spectrum pattern received by the noise spectrum pattern receiving means to leave a stationary component and cancel a non-stationary component and thereby optimizing the noise spectrum pattern;

a noise spectrum pattern determining means for determining the noise spectrum pattern corresponding to the road surface on which the vehicle is presently running based on the present position of the vehicle received by the present position receiving means and road information stored in a map data storing means;

a noise spectrum pattern outputting means for storing a plurality of different noise spectrum patterns optimized by the noise spectrum pattern optimizing means in correspondence with a plurality of different road surfaces and for selecting the noise spectrum pattern determined by the determining means from among the plurality of noise spectrum patterns and outputting the noise spectrum pattern; and

a noise spectrum pattern transmitting means for transmitting the noise spectrum pattern outputted from the noise spectrum pattern outputting means to the in-vehicle road noise controller.

2. The communicating road noise control system according to claim 1,

wherein the in-vehicle road noise controller includes:

an additional information acquiring means for acquiring additional information that influences the noise spectrum pattern, and

wherein the noise spectrum pattern transmitting means transmits the noise spectrum pattern including the additional information to the server.

3. The communicating road noise control system of claim 1,

wherein the road noise reducing means includes an active noise controlling means for:

superimposing a noise canceling signal on the received signal, the noise canceling signal based on an inverted noise spectrum pattern obtained by inverting the phase of the noise spectrum pattern received by the noise spectrum pattern receiving means to form a composite signal; and

outputting the composite signal from the voice outputting means and thereby reducing road noise.

4. The communicating road noise control system of claim 3, comprising:

a noise canceling means for superimposing a noise canceling signal on the transmitted signal, the noise canceling signal based on an inverted noise spectrum pattern, obtained by inverting the phase of the noise spectrum pattern received by the noise spectrum pattern receiving means, on a transmit signal and thereby canceling a road noise component from the transmit signal.

5. The communicating road noise control system of claim 1, wherein the road noise reducing means subjects the noise spectrum pattern to spectrum subtraction and thereby reduces road noise.

6. The communicating road noise control system of claim 1, wherein the noise spectrum pattern used by the road noise reducing means includes an acoustic model thereby reducing road noise.

7. A communicating road noise control system including an in-vehicle road noise controller and a server that communicate with each other via a communication network, the in-vehicle road noise controller comprising:

a voice inputting means disposed in a compartment of the vehicle for inputting a voice frequency signal;

a voice outputting means disposed in the vehicle compartment for outputting a received signal;

a voice relaying means for outputting, as a transmit signal, the voice frequency signal inputted from the voice inputting means to a telephone means and for outputting the received signal inputted from the telephone means to the voice outputting means;

a present position detecting means for detecting the present position of the vehicle;

a present position transmitting means for transmitting the present position of the vehicle detected by the present position detecting means to the server;

a noise spectrum pattern transmitting means for transmitting a noise spectrum pattern to the server;

a noise spectrum pattern receiving means for receiving the noise spectrum pattern from the server; and

a road noise reducing means for reducing road noise based on the noise spectrum pattern received by the noise spectrum pattern receiving means, and

the server comprising;

a present position receiving means for receiving the present position of the vehicle from the in-vehicle road noise controller;

a noise spectrum pattern receiving means for receiving the noise spectrum pattern from the in-vehicle road noise controller;

a noise spectrum pattern optimizing means for analyzing the noise spectrum pattern received by the noise spectrum pattern receiving means to leave a stationary component and cancel a non-stationary component and thereby optimizing the noise spectrum pattern;

a noise spectrum pattern determining means for determining the noise spectrum pattern corresponding to the road surface on which the vehicle is presently running based on the present position of the vehicle received by the present position receiving means and road information stored in a map data storing means;

a noise spectrum pattern outputting means for storing a plurality of different noise spectrum patterns optimized by the noise spectrum pattern optimizing means in correspondence with a plurality of different road surfaces and for selecting the noise spectrum pattern determined by the noise spectrum pattern determining means from among the plurality of different noise spectrum patterns and outputting the noise spectrum pattern; and

a noise spectrum pattern transmitting means for transmitting the noise spectrum pattern outputted from the noise spectrum pattern outputting means to the in-vehicle road noise controller.

8. The communicating road noise control system according to claim 7,

wherein the in-vehicle road noise controller includes:

an additional information acquiring means for acquiring additional information that influences the noise spectrum pattern, and

wherein the noise spectrum pattern transmitting means transmits the noise spectrum pattern including the additional information to the server.

9. The communicating road noise control system of claim 7,

wherein the road noise reducing means includes an active noise controlling means for:

superimposing a noise canceling signal on the received signal, the noise canceling signal based on an inverted noise spectrum pattern obtained by inverting the phase of the noise spectrum pattern received by the noise spectrum pattern receiving means to form a composite signal; and

outputting the composite signal from the voice outputting means and thereby reducing road noise.

10. The communicating road noise control system of claim 9, comprising:

a noise canceling means for superimposing a noise canceling signal on the transmitted signal, the noise canceling signal based on an inverted noise spectrum pattern, obtained by inverting the phase of the noise spectrum pattern received by the noise spectrum pattern receiving means, on a transmit signal and thereby canceling a road noise component from the transmit signal.

11. The communicating road noise control system of claim 7, wherein the road noise reducing means subjects the noise spectrum pattern to spectrum subtraction and thereby reduces road noise.

12. The communicating road noise control system of claim 7, wherein the noise spectrum pattern used by the road noise reducing means includes an acoustic model thereby reducing road noise.

13. A server in a communicating road noise control system, the server communicating with an in-vehicle road noise controller so constructed that an external device is caused to transmit the present position of the vehicle to the server and road noise is reduced based on a noise spectrum pattern received from the server, the server comprising:

a present position receiving means for receiving the present position of the vehicle from the in-vehicle road noise controller;

a noise spectrum pattern receiving means for receiving the noise spectrum pattern from the in-vehicle road noise controller;

a noise spectrum pattern optimizing means for analyzing the noise spectrum pattern received by the noise spectrum pattern receiving means to leave a stationary component and cancel a non-stationary component and thereby optimizing the noise spectrum pattern;

a noise spectrum pattern determining means for determining the noise spectrum pattern corresponding to the road surface on which the vehicle is presently running based on the present position of the vehicle received by the present position receiving means and road information stored in a map data storing means;

a noise spectrum pattern outputting means for storing a plurality of different noise spectrum patterns optimized by the noise spectrum pattern optimizing means in correspondence with a plurality of different road surfaces and for selecting the noise spectrum pattern determined by the noise spectrum pattern determining means from among the plurality of different noise spectrum patterns and outputting the noise spectrum pattern; and

a noise spectrum pattern transmitting means for transmitting the noise spectrum pattern outputted from the noise spectrum pattern outputting means to the in-vehicle road noise controller.

14. A server in a communicating road noise control system, the server communicating with an in-vehicle road noise controller so constructed that the present position of the vehicle is transmitted to the server and road noise is reduced based on a noise spectrum pattern received from the server, the server comprising:

a present position receiving means for receiving the present position of the vehicle from the in-vehicle road noise controller;

a noise spectrum pattern receiving means for receiving the noise spectrum pattern from the in-vehicle road noise controller;

a noise spectrum pattern optimizing means for analyzing the noise spectrum pattern received by the noise spectrum pattern receiving means to leave a stationary component and cancel a non-stationary component and thereby optimizing the noise spectrum pattern;

a noise spectrum pattern determining means for determining the noise spectrum pattern corresponding to the road surface on which the vehicle is presently running based on the present position of the vehicle received by the present position receiving means and road information stored in a map data storing means;

a noise spectrum pattern outputting means for storing a plurality of different noise spectrum patterns optimized by the noise spectrum pattern optimizing means in correspondence with a plurality of different road surfaces and for selecting the noise spectrum pattern determined by the noise spectrum pattern determining means from among the plurality of different noise spectrum patterns and outputting the noise spectrum pattern; and

a noise spectrum pattern transmitting means for transmitting the noise spectrum pattern outputted from the noise spectrum pattern outputting means to the in-vehicle road noise controller.