JP2022053275A - vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle which enables improvement of traveling comfort by reducing wind throb noise occurring in the vehicle according to a vehicle state.SOLUTION: A vehicle with a wind throb noise reduction function in one embodiment of the invention includes: a plasma actuator provided at a part of a vehicle body; a vehicle state detection part which detects a vehicle state value of the vehicle body; and a control device which controls the plasma actuator according to the vehicle state value obtained by the vehicle state detection part to reduce wind throb noise in the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a technique capable of controlling the airflow around the vehicle, and more specifically to a vehicle capable of reducing the windslob noise in the vehicle by controlling the airflow using a plasma actuator.

Conventionally, a technique of arranging a wind deflector or the like on a door frame has been proposed in order to reduce the wind slob noise in a vehicle.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of providing a wind deflector on a door frame to change the direction of the outside air flow so as to move away from the door opening to reduce wind slob (resonant sound in the vehicle interior). ..

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses that when the side window of the vehicle is opened and the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the door frame garnish is raised to reduce the windslob. Further, in Patent Document 3, in a competition vehicle to which a front wing and a rear wing are attached, the effects of downforce generation and air resistance reduction can be arbitrarily obtained according to the running conditions such as lateral G, turning, straight running, speed, and the like. Disclosed are techniques for selecting and obtaining the most suitable aerodynamic effect for each vehicle speed and driving condition.

Further, according to Patent Document 4 and Patent Document 5, it is possible to perform rectification around the vehicle with plasma generated by PA (plasma actuator). More specifically, for example, in Patent Document 4, it is proposed that a PA is installed in an A-pillar, a fender, or the like of a vehicle, and the PA is driven to suppress (rectify) the separation flow of air flowing around the vehicle. There is.

Further, in Patent Document 5, the PA is arranged upstream of the weapon storage part of the aircraft, and the shear fault of the airflow is deflected to the opposite side of the weapon storage part, so that the PA is generated while the door of the weapon storage part is open. It is disclosed to reduce the acoustic level of the sound.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-301943 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-195107 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-158977 U.S. Pat. No. 9821862 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-290711

It cannot be said that the existing technologies, not limited to the above-mentioned patent documents, appropriately meet the market needs for reducing windslob noise, and the following problems exist. That is, if a plasma actuator as shown in Patent Documents 4 to 5 is installed at a position such as a wind deflector as shown in Patent Documents 1 to 3, a vehicle that causes a windslob sound is surely installed. It is possible to reduce the windslob noise by controlling the surrounding periodic vortex.

However, existing technologies including the above-mentioned patent documents and combinations thereof cannot control PA according to a state peculiar to a moving vehicle. That is, if the PA can be controlled according to the vehicle-specific situation, that is, the opening / closing status of the window, the combination of factors such as the vehicle speed, steering angle, and lateral acceleration, the windslob noise can be further reduced. It can be said that more comfortable driving can be realized by doing so.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems as an example, and the present invention is applied to a vehicle by using a plasma actuator according to a vehicle condition such as a window opening / closing condition, a vehicle speed, a steering angle, and a lateral acceleration. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle capable of improving driving comfort by controlling the generated windslob sound.

In order to solve the above problems, the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention includes (1) a plasma actuator provided in a part of the vehicle body, a vehicle condition detection unit for detecting the vehicle condition value of the vehicle body, and the vehicle condition. It is characterized by comprising a control device for controlling the plasma actuator according to the vehicle condition value obtained by the detection unit to reduce the windslob noise in the vehicle.

In the above (1), (2) the vehicle condition value is at least one of the window opening and the traveling condition of the vehicle, and the traveling condition is at least one of the vehicle speed, the steering angle, and the lateral acceleration. Can be done.

Further, in the above (1) or (2), (3) a sound collecting sensor for detecting the windslob sound in the vehicle is further provided, and the control device is based on the value detected by the sound collecting sensor. The output value of the actuator can be controlled.

Further, in any of the above (1) to (3), (4) the plasma actuator may be arranged at the open end of the window of the vehicle, and the window of the vehicle may be a side window or a sunroof.

Further, in any one of the above (1) to (4), the vehicle environment detection unit (5) for detecting the vehicle environment value in the vehicle is further provided, and the control device is the vehicle environment detected by the vehicle environment detection unit. The output value of the plasma actuator may be controlled based on the value.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle capable of improving driving comfort by reducing the windslob noise generated in the vehicle according to the vehicle condition.

It is a side view which looked at the vehicle with the windslob sound reduction function which concerns on embodiment from the side. It is a top view of the vehicle with the windslob sound reduction function which concerns on embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of a vehicle with a windslob sound reduction function. It is a flowchart which shows the control method of the windslob sound using the plasma actuator which concerns on embodiment. It is a graph which shows the change of the noise level in a cavity by the plasma actuator which concerns on embodiment.

Next, a suitable embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described. For example, for a part of the drive mechanism of the plasma actuator other than that described in the present embodiment, a known plasma actuator mechanism including the above-mentioned patent documents may be used. In addition, for vehicle configurations other than those described in detail in this embodiment, known elemental technologies and mechanisms related to vehicles may be complemented.

[Vehicle 100]
First, the vehicle 100 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. As shown in the figure, the vehicle 100 of the present embodiment is preferably a four-wheeled vehicle, but may be applied to other known vehicles such as a two-wheeled vehicle as long as the above-mentioned windslob sound is generated. Further, as the four-wheeled vehicle, for example, in addition to a gasoline-powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle equipped with various secondary batteries can be applied.

The vehicle 100 of the present embodiment has a windslob sound reduction function that reduces a low frequency band (10 to 50 Hz band) sound called a windslob sound that is generated when the vehicle travels with the window of the vehicle opened. It is configured to include at least a plasma actuator 10, sensors 20, and a control device 30.
In the present invention, the above-mentioned windslob sound includes the emission of a periodic vortex (periodic vortex) generated at the opening of a window, which is generally known as a part of aerodynamic noise, and the emission of a periodic vortex (periodic vortex) in the vehicle interior space. It shall refer to the coupled phenomenon with Helmholtz resonance.

≪Plasma Actuator 10≫
The plasma actuator 10 of the present embodiment has a function of reducing wind-slob noise in a vehicle. More specifically, the plasma actuator 10 of the present embodiment has a function of collapsing or separating a periodic vortex generated at the front end portion F1 of the opening WO of the window W during traveling. As an example of the opening WO in which the above-mentioned periodic vortex is generated in the vehicle 100, in addition to the side window of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1, a sunroof as shown in FIG. 2 and a rear window (not shown) are shown. And so on.

The specific structure of the plasma actuator 10 is, for example, a known plasma actuator disclosed in Patent Document 4 and Patent Document 5, and in the present embodiment, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) type plasma actuator can be applied. The plasma actuator 10 of the present embodiment is not limited to the DBD plasma actuator described above, and other known PAs such as a Sliding Diskage (SD) type plasma actuator improved so as to increase the plasma generation region are applied. May be good.

Specifically, the plasma actuator 10 of the present embodiment is configured to include at least two plasma actuators PA1 and PA2 provided at the front end of a side window rearward (rear seat) in the traveling direction of the vehicle 100, respectively.
In addition to this, as can be understood from FIGS. Alternatively, it may be configured to include a plasma actuator PA5 arranged at the front end of the sunroof.

As a more specific installation location, the plasma actuators PA1 and P2 of the present embodiment are mounted on the front ends of both side windows on the vehicle side behind the vehicle 100, that is, above the center pillar in the vehicle height direction (Z in FIG. 1). It is arranged extending in the direction). The plasma actuators PA1 and PA2 of the present embodiment may be arranged over the entire front end portion of the side window described above, or may be arranged intermittently.

Further, the plasma actuators PA3 and PA4 of the present embodiment extend in the vehicle height direction (Z direction in FIG. 1) above the front ends of both side windows on the vehicle side in front of the vehicle 100, that is, above the A pillar. Be placed. The plasma actuators PA3 and PA4 of the present embodiment may also be arranged over the entire front end portion of the side window described above, or may be arranged intermittently.

Further, the plasma actuator PA5 of the present embodiment is arranged so as to extend in the vehicle width direction (X direction in FIG. 1) in the front end portion of the sunroof of the vehicle 100 (for example, near the line connecting the upper ends of the left and right A pillars). .. The plasma actuator PA5 of the present embodiment may also be arranged over the entire front end of the sunroof in the vehicle width direction, or may be arranged intermittently.

The above-mentioned plasma actuators PA1 to PA5 are installed as an example, and may be installed in other parts of the vehicle 100 as long as the above-mentioned periodic vortices can be separated or collapsed.

≪Sensors 20≫
As shown in FIG. 3, the sensors 20 of the present embodiment are configured to include a sensor for detecting a vehicle condition value. The vehicle condition value is a value representing the state of the vehicle during traveling, and examples thereof include window opening degree, vehicle speed, steering angle, lateral acceleration, and the like. As an example, the sensor for detecting the vehicle condition value described above includes, for example, a window opening degree sensor 201, a vehicle speed sensor 202, a steering angle sensor 203, a lateral acceleration sensor 204, and the like.

Among these, the window opening sensor 201 can be exemplified by a known sensor capable of measuring the opening of a window at a specific location of the vehicle 100 while traveling. As a result, the control device 30 can control the drive of the plasma actuator 10 according to the opening degree of the window acquired from the window opening degree sensor 201.

Further, as the vehicle speed sensor 202, a known sensor capable of measuring the speed of the vehicle 100 while traveling can be exemplified. As a result, the control device 30 can control the drive of the plasma actuator 10 according to the vehicle speed acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 202.

As the steering angle sensor 203, a known sensor capable of detecting the steering angle of the vehicle 100 while traveling can be applied. Specifically, the steering angle sensor is installed at an arbitrary location near the steering shaft of the steering device, and detects the steering angle of the steering wheel by outputting a signal according to the rotation angle of the steering shaft at the installation position. Has the function of

The lateral acceleration sensor 204 may be exemplified by a known sensor capable of measuring the speed of the vehicle 100 while traveling. As a result, the control device 30 can control the drive of the plasma actuator 10 according to the vehicle speed acquired from the lateral acceleration sensor 204.

In addition to the sensor that detects the vehicle condition value, the sound collecting sensor 205 may be provided at an arbitrary position in the vehicle 100.
Examples of the sound collecting sensor 205 include a known microphone that can detect aerodynamic noise (windslob sound) in the vehicle interior during traveling. The frequency of the sound to be collected is preferably a low frequency band (10 to 50 Hz band) to be targeted in the present embodiment. By applying a sound absorbing agent to the vehicle interior to reduce sounds other than the low frequency band (10 to 50 Hz band), it is possible to further improve the sound collecting property.
Further, examples of the installation location of the sound collecting sensor 205 include, but are not limited to, the vicinity of the rear end portion F2 of the opening WO of the window W, which is considered to have the loudest windslob sound in the vehicle interior. ..

Further, the sensors 20 of the embodiment may be configured to include a sensor that detects a vehicle environment value. The vehicle environment value is a value indicating the influence of the vehicle from the outside (environment outside the vehicle interior) while driving, and as an example, as a sensor for detecting the vehicle environment value, for example, a wind speed sensor 206, a road direction sensor 207, etc. are used. Can be mentioned.

The wind speed sensor 206 plays a role of detecting the wind speed in the surroundings when the vehicle is stopped. The wind speed sensor 206 can be provided at an arbitrary position outside the vehicle body. Further, instead of providing the wind speed sensor 206 that directly measures the surrounding wind speed when the vehicle is stopped, an external wind speed measuring device capable of acquiring wind speed information in the vehicle via a known external communication device CS is used. It may function as a wind speed sensor 206.

The road direction sensor 207 can be applied with a known camera or the like capable of detecting the traveling direction of the vehicle, and can be installed at any place of the vehicle. Further, instead of detecting the traveling direction of the vehicle with a camera, it is also possible to acquire information on the road direction from road information or the like in the navigation device NS mounted on the vehicle.

<< Control device 30 >>
The control device 30 has a function of controlling the plasma actuator 10 described above to reduce the windslot noise in the vehicle interior while the vehicle 100 is traveling.
As a specific example of the control device 30, a known integrated circuit (for control) that is driven by receiving electric power from a battery (not shown) such as a known lithium ion secondary battery or a nickel hydrogen battery mounted on the vehicle 100. IC) can be exemplified. Further, the control device 30 of the present embodiment may include a memory (not shown) or the like in which an executable control program such as a rectification method described later is stored.

Such a control device 30 has a function of generating high-frequency signals for driving the above-mentioned plasma actuators 10 (plasma actuators PA1 to PA5), respectively. More specifically, as an example, the control device 30 of the present embodiment is configured to include, for example, a known inverter element that converts the DC voltage of the battery described above into an AC voltage.

The above-mentioned battery has a function of supplying necessary electric power to the plasma actuator 10 and the sensors 20. As the battery of the present embodiment, another known battery such as a lead storage battery or a nickel hydrogen battery may be applied as long as it can boost the voltage up to the drive voltage of the plasma actuator.

Further, it is preferable that the control device 30 of the present embodiment includes a booster circuit that boosts the voltage from the battery to a voltage that can be driven by the plasma actuator. More specifically, as the booster circuit of the present embodiment, for example, a known transformer capable of boosting the voltage of the mounted car battery (12V or 24V) or the voltage of the motor battery (several hundreds V) to several thousand V can be exemplified. The plasma actuator 10 of the present embodiment is a known plasma actuator that can be driven by several thousand V, but the boost ratio by the booster circuit 50 can be appropriately changed according to the value of the drive voltage of the plasma actuator. ..

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the control device 30 of the present embodiment includes a vehicle condition detection unit 31, a vehicle environment detection unit 32, a determination unit 33, a PA drive control unit 34, and a presentation unit 35. Has been done.
Of these, the vehicle condition detection unit 31 has a function of receiving information on the vehicle condition from the sensors 20 that detect the vehicle condition value described above.
Further, the vehicle environment detection unit 32 has a function of receiving information on the vehicle environment from the sensors 20 that detect the vehicle environment value described above.

As will be described later, the determination unit 33 has a function of determining whether or not the plasma actuator needs to be driven for the windslob sound to be controlled according to conditions such as a vehicle condition value or a combination of the vehicle condition value and the vehicle environment value. have.
The PA drive control unit 34 has a function of controlling the drive of the plasma actuators 10 (PA1 to PA5) via the booster circuit or the like described above. As for the drive control of the plasma actuator 10, a known control mechanism of the plasma actuator may be used in addition to the present embodiment.
The presentation unit 35 has a function of presenting the setting screens of various equipment mounted on the vehicle 100 via the presentation device DS described later, and also presenting the driving status of the plasma actuator 10 and the behavior control status to the occupant. have.

The external communication device CS is a known communication device capable of performing various information communication with the outside by using, for example, packet communication using the above smartphone or next-generation automobile wireless communication technology represented by a connected service. Can be exemplified.

The storage device MR may be, for example, a recording device / storage device such as a known hard disk drive or non-volatile memory, and is a means capable of recording various information such as conditions in which a windslob sound was generated in the past. be.
As the navigation device NS, a known navigation system having a GPS function can be exemplified, and the position information of the vehicle 100 can be detected in cooperation with the control device 30 described above. Further, map information (not shown) is stored in the navigation device NS, and the control device 30 can detect the absolute position of the own vehicle by referring to the map information.

In the present embodiment, the presentation device DS includes a known speaker SP and a display DP mounted on the vehicle. Of these, the display DP may also be used as a monitor for the navigation device NS described above. Further, the presentation device DS of the present embodiment may be configured to enable short-range wireless communication with a mobile device such as a smartphone owned by the occupant.

[Vehicle behavior control method using plasma actuator]
Next, a method of controlling the windslob sound using the plasma actuator executed by the control device 30 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, in step 1-A, the vehicle status value of the vehicle 100 is detected. Specifically, the opening degree of the window is detected by the window opening degree sensor 201.
Next, in step 2, the control device 30 determines whether or not the current window opening degree detected in step 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. As a result, for example, when the opening of the window is small, the windslob sound is relatively unlikely to be generated, or even when the sound is generated, the drive of the plasma actuator 10 can be stopped, and the above-mentioned energy saving of the battery can be achieved. Can be achieved.

As for the "predetermined value" of the opening degree of the window in step 2 described above, various values can be set depending on the vehicle type of the vehicle 100, the traveling area, and the like. As an example, in the present embodiment, the window opening degree of 25% is set as a predetermined value, and in this case, when the opening degree of the side window of the rear seat is less than 25% (1/4), the plasma actuator 10 is used. The drive is stopped. The opening degree of the window is 25% means the height of the opening when the height in the Z direction of the window of the vehicle 100 is 100.

Further, the control device 30 may change the "predetermined value" according to the current location of the vehicle 100 by referring to the map information from the navigation device NS. As a result, when traveling in areas where relatively strong winds are likely to occur, such as valleys and basins, or in places where reverberation is expected, such as in tunnels, it is possible to set a "predetermined value" according to the location. You can further improve your comfort.

In addition, step 1-B for detecting the above-mentioned vehicle environment value may be provided between step 1-A and step 2. Note that this step 1-B is not essential and may be omitted as appropriate. Details of Step 1-B will be described later. When step 1-B for detecting the vehicle environment value is provided, each value of the vehicle condition value detected in the above-mentioned step 1-A and the vehicle environment value detected in step 1-B. It is possible to control the drive of the plasma actuator 10 according to the pattern of the combination of.

Then, when the current vehicle status value becomes "PA drive required" (Yes in step 2) in step 2, in the following step 3, the control device 30 uses the windslob stored in the above-mentioned memory or storage device MR. The output of the plasma actuator at a predetermined position is controlled by referring to the sound control table. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the periodic vortex generated at the front end portion F1 of the opening WO of the window W in the running vehicle 100 collapses, or the rear end portion F2 of the opening WO of the window W collapses. A plasma actuator is arranged so as to be separated from the window.

As an example, the reduction of windslob noise in the rear seat window will be described.
More specifically, the control device 30 controls the output of the plasma actuator PA1 according to the value of the opening degree of the window detected in step 1-A.

For example, when the output of the plasma actuator PA1 is controlled in two stages, if the opening of the window detected in step 1-A is 25% or more and less than 50%, the output of the plasma actuator PA1 is set to "weak". If the opening of the window detected in step 1-A is 50% or more and 100% or less, the windslob sound of the vehicle 100 can be appropriately controlled by setting the output of the plasma actuator PA1 to "strong". ..

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a difference in noise level between the case where the plasma actuator 10 of the present embodiment is driven and the case where the plasma actuator 10 of the present embodiment is driven in a cavity having an opening simulating a vehicle interior. As shown in FIG. 5, when the plasma actuator 10 is not driven (PA-OFF), a characteristic noise level peak is observed in the frequency band in a specific period, while the plasma actuator 10 is driven. If there is (PA-ON), it is shown that the above peak has disappeared.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to these examples. Any person who has ordinary knowledge in the field of technology to which the present invention belongs may attempt to make further modifications to these embodiments or modifications within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims. It is clear, and it is naturally understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the focus is only on a single element of the window opening as the vehicle condition value, but the present invention is not limited to this, and there are two types of vehicle conditions, "window opening" and "vehicle speed". The element may be detected, and the plasma actuators 10 (PA1 to PA5) may be controlled by a combination of these two types of detection values. Further, the plasma actuators 10 (PA1 to PA5) may be controlled based on a combination of three or more types of detection values.

As an example of the case where the plasma actuators 10 (PA1 to PA5) are controlled by the combination of the above two types of detection values, the condition that the "window opening" is equal to or higher than the predetermined value and the "vehicle speed" is equal to or higher than the predetermined value. When the above conditions are satisfied, the plasma actuators 10 (PA1 to PA5) are driven, and either the "window opening" or the "vehicle speed" is less than a predetermined value, or both the "window opening" and the "vehicle speed" are predetermined. If it is less than the value, the plasma actuator PA may not be driven.

Further, as a modification of the present embodiment, when the plasma actuator 10 is controlled based on the above-mentioned vehicle condition value, the windslob sound in the vehicle interior of the vehicle is driven by the sound collecting sensor (microphone) 205 provided in the vehicle 100. May be detected and the output of the corresponding plasma actuators 10 (plasma actuators PA1 to PA5) may be controlled in a feedback manner in response to this change.

In other words, the vehicle 100 in the present modification further includes a sound collecting sensor 205 for detecting the windslob sound in the vehicle 100, and the control device 30 is said based on the value detected by the sound collecting sensor 205. It can be said that it is preferable to control the output value of the plasma actuator 10.

Further, as another modification of the present embodiment, it is also possible to control the plasma actuator 10 by using the vehicle environment value in addition to the vehicle condition value (step 1-B). For example, it is possible to control the plasma actuator 10 by using the detection values of the window opening as the vehicle condition value and the wind speed around the vehicle as the vehicle environment value. In this case, the plasma actuators 10 (PA1 to PA5) are driven when the condition that the "window opening" is equal to or more than the predetermined value and the "wind speed around the vehicle" is less than the predetermined value is satisfied. If the above conditions are not satisfied, the plasma actuator 10 may not be driven. Alternatively, the output value of the plasma actuator 10 may be increased when the above conditions are satisfied, and the output value of the plasma actuator 10 may be decreased when the above conditions are not satisfied.

10 Plasma actuator 20 Sensors 30 Drive device 100 Vehicle

Claims (5)

The plasma actuator installed in a part of the car body and
The vehicle condition detection unit that detects the vehicle condition value of the vehicle body,
A control device that controls the plasma actuator according to the vehicle condition value obtained by the vehicle condition detection unit to reduce the windslot sound in the vehicle, and
A vehicle equipped with.
The first aspect of the present invention, wherein the vehicle condition value is at least one of the window opening degree and the traveling condition value of the vehicle, and the traveling condition value is at least one of the vehicle speed, the steering angle, and the lateral acceleration. vehicle.
The first or second aspect of the present invention further comprises a sound collecting sensor for detecting a windslob sound in the vehicle, wherein the control device controls an output value of the plasma actuator based on a value detected by the sound collecting sensor. The vehicle described.
The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plasma actuator is arranged at an open end of a window of the vehicle, and the window of the vehicle is a side window or a sunroof.
The plasma actuator is controlled based on the vehicle environment value detected by the vehicle environment detection unit, further comprising a vehicle environment detection unit for detecting the vehicle environment value in the vehicle, claim 1 to 4. The vehicle described in any one of the items.

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