JP4079518B2 - Engine simulated sound generator - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for generating engine simulation sound, and in particular, engine simulation sound generation that generates realistic simulation sound by changing the engine sound close to the actual driving according to the operation state. Relates to the device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a racing game such as a TV game or a PC game, or a driving simulator that has been popular in recent years, an engine sound corresponding to the actual driving state (driving sound of engine explosion, mechanical sound, intake / exhaust sound, etc.) In order to enhance the sense of reality by conveying the sound), a device that generates a simulated engine sound is used.
[0003]
As such an engine simulation sound generator, the engine sound data in which the engine sound during the steady operation of the actual vehicle is recorded and held as a digital signal for a few seconds is changed according to the operation state. Conventionally, an apparatus based on a so-called real sound loop reproduction method that repeatedly reproduces while changing the volume (volume of sound) has been generally used.
[0004]
On the other hand, from the viewpoint of improving the deterioration of the global environment caused by exhaust gas, electric vehicles using an electric motor as a driving source (including hybrid vehicles using both an engine and an electric motor) have attracted attention in recent years. In an automobile, traveling driving sound is greatly reduced when traveling by an electric motor as compared with a conventional engine-driven vehicle, which is preferable in terms of improving the noise environment.
[0005]
However, with regard to such a significant decrease in driving noise, if a driver who is familiar with driving an engine-driven vehicle and is unfamiliar with the driving sound of an electric vehicle, the feedback characteristics due to the driver's recognition of driving noise will decrease. In an environment where it is difficult to make agile driving and the driving noise of an electric powered vehicle driven by the driver is buried in the surrounding sound in an environment where the noise of the engine driving vehicle is loud, the driver visually recognizes the driving state. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to drive agilely as well. Will be forced.
[0006]
Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, by installing an engine simulation sound generating device that has been conventionally used in racing games, driving simulators, and the like for electric vehicles as described above, Conventionally, it has been studied that an engine sound corresponding to an actual traveling state such as acceleration / deceleration or traveling speed is generated as a notification sound.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the engine simulation sound generator by the conventional real sound loop reproduction method, when reproducing the engine sound corresponding to the operation operation of the apparatus, the virtual engine rotation speed in the operation operation state is a steady state obtained by sampling the sound data. When it coincides with the engine rotation speed during operation, the sound pressure waveform that is the same as the engine sound during steady operation can be reproduced by repeatedly reproducing the sound data at the same reproduction rate as during sampling.
[0008]
On the other hand, in a driving operation in which the engine rotational speed is high, the sound reproduction rate is increased (that is, the reproduction frequency is increased to shorten the reproduction cycle), and the cycle for reproducing sound data repeatedly is shortened. Thus, the sound pressure waveform of the stored sound data is reproduced as a sound that is higher than the engine sound during steady operation as a waveform that is shortened in the time axis direction.
[0009]
Also, in driving operations where the engine speed is low, by lowering the sound playback rate, the sound is changed to a pitch that is proportional to the lower engine speed, and the volume is increased when the accelerator is depressed. When the accelerator is returned, the volume is lowered.
[0010]
However, in the actual sound loop reproduction method using only the engine sound data for several seconds during the steady operation as described above, the actual engine sound is recorded and reproduced, which is close to the engine rotation speed at the time of recording. The steady operation pattern can produce a sound that is very close to the actual sound, but the sound that is far from the engine speed at the time of recording and the sound in a transitional state will not sound even if the sound is changed by changing the pitch or volume. I must.
[0011]
Therefore, in order to solve such problems, the engine sound corresponding to the driving operation is recorded by actually recording each engine sound in various driving states and storing each as engine sound data for several seconds. Conventionally, it has been proposed to selectively read out engine sound data recorded in the engine operation state closest to, and repeatedly reproduce the engine data for several seconds while changing the pitch and volume.
[0012]
However, in order to make the reproduced engine sound more natural and realistic, the engine sound under various driving conditions is recorded for several seconds, and the actual sound is recorded and held as engine sound data of digital signals. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the capacity of the storage means of the apparatus, which is an obstacle to making an inexpensive product.
[0013]
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems. Specifically, in an engine simulation sound generator, it approximates various actual engine sounds in various operating states with a smaller amount of stored information. It is an object to make it possible to generate engine simulation sound.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an engine simulation sound generator used for enhancing the sense of reality in a racing game, a driving simulator, or the like, or an engine sound corresponding to an actual running state in an electric vehicle. In the engine simulation sound generator used to generate the engine, the storage means of the device divides the engine operation state into a plurality of ranges using the operation amount (accelerator opening) and the engine rotation speed as parameters, and each range Each of the engine sounds recorded in a substantially central state is stored as digital data of the engine sound in units of a sound pressure waveform having a length corresponding to the time for which the crankshaft rotates for one combustion cycle. The sound generation control means of the device repeats the engine sound data in the driving state range according to the input of the driving operation amount and the engine speed, Is characterized in that outputs a sound control signal to so that.
[0015]
According to the engine simulation sound generator configured as described above, the engine sound data recorded and recorded in each of the various operating states is in units of several seconds (the time required for the crankshaft to rotate several tens of revolutions). The capacity of the storage means of the device does not need to be very large and can be approximated to various actual engine sounds in various operating conditions with a smaller amount of stored information. Engine simulation sound can be generated.
[0016]
In other words, if engine sound data for one combustion cycle (one crankshaft rotation for a two-cycle engine and two crankshaft rotations for a four-cycle engine) is recorded and recorded, not only a single cylinder engine but also a multi-cylinder engine In this case, the explosion combustion in all the cylinders can be retained without excess or deficiency.
[0017]
Further, for example, the output frequency of the sound generation control signal in the sound generation control means is suppressed as compared with the case where the engine sound data is extremely short, such as approximately the same length as the explosion interval between the cylinders in the multi-cylinder engine. In an actual multi-cylinder engine, it is difficult to make the intake pipe, exhaust pipe, ignition conditions, etc., exactly the same for each cylinder. However, the engine simulation sound can be generated from the record-holding data without performing complicated data processing of the sound for each cylinder.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of an engine simulation sound generator of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0019]
FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of an engine simulation sound generating apparatus according to the present invention in a block diagram. The engine simulation sound generating apparatus 1 is used to enhance a sense of reality in a car racing game, a driving simulator, or the like. A driving operation detecting means 3 for detecting an operation amount of the driving operation means 2, an engine rotation speed calculating means 4, a sound generation control means 5, a storage means 6, and a simulated sound output means 7. The engine simulation sound is generated from the speaker 8 through an amplifier.
[0020]
The driving operation means 2 varies depending on the device on which the engine simulation sound generator 1 is installed. For example, when installed in a PC game, a keyboard or mouse serves as the driving operation means, and is used for home use. When installed in a TV game machine, a push button or an operating lever serves as a driving operation means. When installed in a racing game or driving simulator of an arcade game machine, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a shift lever are used for driving operation. It becomes a means.
[0021]
The driving operation detection means 3 detects the driving operation amount (virtual accelerator opening or shift position according to the operation amount of the driving operation means 2) by the driving operation means 2 of the driving operator, and sends it to the engine rotation speed calculation means 4. A driving operation signal (accelerator opening signal or shift position signal) is output, and the engine speed calculation means 4 is not shown with a driving operation signal based on the driving operation amount detected by the driving operation detection means 3. Based on the engine output characteristics and the vehicle running resistance data recorded in advance in the storage device, a virtual engine rotation speed that balances the engine output and the running resistance is calculated.
[0022]
The sound generation control unit 5 sends a sound generation control signal to the simulated sound output unit 7 based on the driving operation signal detected by the driving operation detection unit 3 and the engine rotation speed signal calculated by the engine rotation speed calculation unit 4. The storage means 6 stores in advance, as sound data, each of engine sounds (driving sounds composed of engine explosion sounds, mechanical sounds, intake / exhaust sounds, etc.) in various operating states actually recorded. The simulated sound output means 7 selectively selects an appropriate one of various engine sound data stored in advance in the storage means 6 in accordance with the sound generation control signal from the sound generation control means 5. It is read out and output as a voltage signal corresponding to the sound pressure signal of the engine sound data.
[0023]
In the engine simulation sound generating device 1 comprising such means, the engine speed calculation means according to the driving operation signal output from the driving operation detection means 3 for detecting the operation amount of the driving operation means 2 by the driver. 4 outputs a virtual engine rotation speed signal, and a sound generation control signal is output from the sound generation control means 5 based on the engine rotation speed signal from the engine rotation speed calculation means 4 and the driving operation signal from the driving operation detection means 3. Then, the simulated sound output means 7 processes the sound data stored in the storage means 6 according to the sound generation control signal and then outputs it as a voltage signal, thereby generating engine simulated sound from the speaker 8 through the amplifier. ing.
[0024]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing another example of the engine simulation sound generator of the present invention. The engine simulation sound generator 1 is driven by an electric motor by the power of a battery mounted on the vehicle. This is used to generate an engine sound according to the actual driving condition as an alarm sound, and basically, an accelerator opening detecting means (driving) for detecting the depression amount of the accelerator pedal. (Operation detecting means) 3, traveling speed detecting means 9 for detecting the rotational speed of the wheel by a vehicle speed sensor, engine rotational speed calculating means 4, sound generation control means 5, storage means 6, and simulated sound output means 7. The engine simulation sound is generated from the speaker 8 through an amplifier.
[0025]
The engine simulation sound generator 1 for an electric vehicle comprising the above-described means differs from the engine simulation sound generator used in a racing game, a driving simulator, etc. as shown in FIG. An accelerator opening signal output from the accelerator opening detecting means 3 according to the actual operation amount of the accelerator pedal of the vehicle and an output from the traveling speed detecting means 9 according to the traveling speed of the actually traveling wheel. Based on the travel speed signal, the engine speed calculation means 4 calculates a virtual engine speed different from the actual motor speed of the vehicle.
[0026]
Then, a sound generation control signal is output from the sound generation control means 5 based on the engine speed signal from the engine speed calculation means 4 and the accelerator position signal from the accelerator position detection means. By processing the sound data stored in the means 6 in accordance with the sound generation control signal and outputting it as a voltage signal, engine simulated sounds are generated from the speaker 8 toward the outside of the vehicle and inside the vehicle through the amplifier.
[0027]
In an electric vehicle in which a vehicle actually travels, unlike a racing game or a driving simulator, the traveling speed of the vehicle is not a virtual value, but an electric motor that is a power source is also actually used. Therefore, it is conceivable to directly replace the traveling speed of the vehicle and the motor rotational speed with the engine rotational speed.
[0028]
However, in reality, the output characteristics of the electric motor and the engine are different, and the driving speed of the driving force and the state of the transmission are greatly different between the electric vehicle and the engine-driven vehicle. It is inappropriate to directly calculate the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed and the vehicle speed. For this reason, after calculating the engine speed by the engine speed calculation means 4 as described above, this virtual engine speed calculation and travel speed detection are performed. The engine simulation sound is generated based on the actual vehicle traveling speed detected by the means 9.
[0029]
In that case, in particular, considering that the electric vehicle is an automatic vehicle, the calculation of the engine rotation speed by the engine rotation speed calculation means 4 is performed in advance in a general automatic transmission for a vehicle in a storage device (not shown). The shift pattern of the vehicle and the slip characteristic of the torque converter for automobiles are recorded respectively. It is desirable to create an engine speed calculation program using the vehicle travel speed as a parameter.
[0030]
That is, in an engine-driven vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission, there is slip in the transmission, and the relationship between the engine rotation speed and the axle rotation speed is not linear. While the speed gradually increases from zero, the engine rotation speed has already increased since the vehicle stopped, and the sound plays a role of a notification sound that informs the surrounding people in advance of the start of the car Plays.
[0031]
On the other hand, even in an electric vehicle, by calculating the virtual engine rotation speed so as to follow the slip characteristics of the torque converter based on the shift pattern of the automatic transmission as described above, for example, at the time of starting Since the calculated virtual engine rotation speed increases before the vehicle travels, the engine simulation sound similar to that of the engine-driven vehicle can be generated, and the attention of surrounding people can be alerted.
[0032]
In addition, when actually driving an electric vehicle, the actual road has fluctuations in running resistance due to inclination, etc., and the surrounding noise environment also has fluctuations. In order to operate the brake pedal in addition to operating the accelerator pedal, such an engine simulation sound generator for an electric vehicle not only detects the accelerator opening as a driving operation detection means, but also detects the inclination of the road. It is desirable to detect, detect noise around the vehicle, detect the operation state of the brake pedal, and calculate the engine rotation speed and control the sound generation based on the detection results.
[0033]
FIG. 3 shows an outline of an example of an electric vehicle provided with an engine simulation sound generator having such other detection means. In the automatic electric vehicle 10, a brake pedal 11 and an accelerator pedal 12 are operated. Provided as operating means, a power unit (electric motor and transmission unit) 13 is mounted as a vehicle drive device, and from various electronic circuits including a control device for the power unit, CPU, memory, amplifier, etc. An electronic control unit 14 is installed.
[0034]
In addition, a vehicle speed detection device (running speed detecting means) 9 that detects whether the front wheels are moving forward or backward from the rotation direction of the front wheels, and detects the vehicle speed from the rotation speed of the front wheels, The external load detection device 15 for detecting the degree of inclination, the ambient noise detection device 16 as a noise sensor for detecting the noise around the vehicle, and the load detection for detecting the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 12 (not shown) A device (accelerator opening detection means), a braking force detection device that detects the depression amount or depression speed of the brake pedal 11, and the like as detection devices for transmitting the operating state to the power unit control device in the electronic control unit 14 respectively. is set up.
[0035]
By installing an engine simulation sound generator in the electronic control unit 14 for such an electric vehicle 10, the accelerator pedal 11 and the brake pedal 12 are used as driving operation means, and a vehicle speed detecting device (running speed detecting means) 9 is provided. An ambient noise detection device using a detection device group such as an external load detection device 15, a load detection device (accelerator opening detection means) using the accelerator pedal 12, and a braking force detection device using the brake pedal 11 as a driving operation amount detection means. A realistic engine simulation sound that approximates an actual driving state is generated from each amplifier in the electronic control unit 14 through each speaker 18 installed in the vehicle body at a volume corresponding to the detection result of 16 toward the outside or inside the vehicle. It becomes possible to make it.
[0036]
By the way, in each of the engine simulation sound generators of the present invention as shown in the above examples, the engine sound data stored in advance in the storage means 6 is the accelerator opening and the engine rotation as shown in FIG. The engine operating state is divided into multiple ranges using speed as a parameter, and the actual engine sounds (driving sounds consisting of engine explosion sounds, mechanical sounds, intake / exhaust sounds, etc.) recorded in the approximate center of each range are shown in the figure. The length corresponding to the time required for the crankshaft to rotate twice at the engine speed when the sound is recorded (the time required to complete all the cylinders of a 4-cycle engine once) as shown in FIG. Digital data in units of sound pressure waveform.
[0037]
For each engine sound data, the actual engine sound in each engine operating range is recorded by, for example, a microphone installed outside the engine-driven vehicle, or installed in the vehicle as a sound that can be heard by the driver. Each is recorded with a microphone or by an appropriate method, and then each necessary short part is taken out and processed into data.
[0038]
Further, the data composed of the engine sound data in each range of the engine operating state as shown in FIG. 4 is created for each shift of the transmission gear including the reverse for one vehicle type. In this case, a plurality of pieces of data as shown in FIG. 4 are stored for each shift for each required vehicle type.
[0039]
The reading of the engine sound data stored in the storage means 6 will be described below. During sudden acceleration / deceleration traveling in actual operation, the accelerator opening and the engine speed change in different states, When sudden acceleration / deceleration driving is performed with the transmission gear fixed, as shown in FIG. 6, due to the inertia of the engine rotor and the vehicle body, a change in the engine speed is delayed after the accelerator operation. In this case, the loudness of the engine intake / exhaust sound changes according to the accelerator opening, and the mechanical sound of the engine does not change much depending on the accelerator opening, but rather the engine speed. It varies greatly depending on.
[0040]
Therefore, in the case of sudden acceleration, the intake and exhaust sounds first dominate, and then the engine mechanical noise increases as the engine speed increases. The exhaust noise first decreases, and then the engine mechanical noise decreases as the engine speed decreases. In the idling, since the inertia of the vehicle body is lost, the response of the engine rotational speed to the accelerator opening of the engine is faster than the rapid acceleration / deceleration traveling, but the basic phenomenon is the same.
[0041]
In the present embodiment, when the sudden acceleration / deceleration running and the slow acceleration / deceleration operation are performed, the storage means 6 is used so that the engine simulation sound changes so as to approximate the change in the engine sound during actual driving. For each of the data as shown in FIG. 4 stored in FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 7, in the rapid acceleration / deceleration running operation, a line (1-19-24-6-6) along the periphery of the drawing is used. The engine sound data is controlled so as to be sequentially read by the sound generation control signal so that the driving state changes in 1).
[0042]
In addition, in slow and slow running operations, in actual driving, the force required to accelerate the engine rotor and vehicle body is negligibly small compared to the running resistance, and it is possible to drive with almost the same accelerator opening as during steady driving. The engine sound data is controlled so as to be sequentially read out by the sound generation control signal so that the driving state changes in the diagonal line (1-24-1) in the figure.
[0043]
As described above, the sound generation control signal for causing the simulated sound output means 7 to read out the engine sound data corresponding to the driving state from the storage means 6 is the engine sound data of each driving state range stored in the storage means 6. Corresponding to the sound pressure waveform having a length corresponding to the time of one combustion cycle (two rotations of the crankshaft in a four-cycle engine), the data of such an extremely short sound pressure waveform is stored in a predetermined length. In order to reproduce the engine sound, the engine sound data is repeatedly generated at intervals corresponding to the time corresponding to one combustion cycle.
[0044]
As a specific example of such a sound generation control signal, for example, there is a MIDI standard sound generation control signal, and the engine sound data has a velocity specified by the sound generation control signal (a speed at which a key is depressed by a keyboard instrument, here a volume and And the simulated sound output means 7 and the simulated sound output means 7 output the voltage signal as a voltage signal.
[0045]
Note that the MIDI standard sound generation control signal normally requires 30 bits for one command, the communication speed is 31.25 kbps, and the limit is to send about 1042 commands per second. In addition, since two commands, ON and OFF, are necessary to produce a sound, the limit is to produce about 521 sounds per second.
[0046]
This corresponds to 15630 rpm in the case of a 4-cycle 4-cylinder engine, and it can be sufficiently covered with normal engine sound. However, when a high-speed sound is produced like the F1 multi-cylinder engine, It is inadequate when considering playing music at the same time or playing music, and as a measure to overcome this, it is conceivable to produce multiple sounds at arbitrary intervals with a single pronunciation control signal. Cannot be controlled by a normal MIDI command, it is necessary to add a new function.
[0047]
In this regard, the sound source control device of the engine simulation sound generator and the engine sound generation signal of the engine simulation sound generator conform to the MIDI standard and correspond to one combustion cycle read from the storage means 6 by one sound generation control signal. By using a specially added function that allows the engine sound to be sounded multiple times at a specified time interval, it is shorter than the sound generation interval restricted by the MIDI standard communication speed while using an inexpensive MIDI sound source device. Sound can be generated at time intervals, so that, for example, an engine simulation sound generator used in a racing game can generate a high-speed sound like an F1 multi-cylinder engine. It becomes.
[0048]
FIG. 8 schematically shows a sound generation control signal output from the sound generation control means 5, and in this embodiment, for each of the engine sound data in each operating state range, two rotations of the crankshaft (4 cycles). When a sound generation control signal having a length corresponding to the time of one combustion cycle of the engine is repeatedly output, two types of sound generation signals having different pitches are generated for each repeated sound control signal. By changing the ratio of the volume for each sound generation control signal and outputting it simultaneously, the engine sound data to be read is controlled so that the sound volume, pitch, timbre, etc. change for each sound generation control signal. Yes.
[0049]
That is, looking at the engine sound data in one operating state range, as shown in FIG. 5, in the actual engine sound, the sound pressure waveform for every two rotations of the crankshaft varies due to the unstable explosion of each explosion. However, it is not a monotonous sound like a buzzer due to such variations in the sound pressure waveform, but it is one of the lengths corresponding to the time for two revolutions of the crankshaft in the engine sound. If only the sound pressure waveform is extracted and simply repeated in the same state, the engine simulated sound reproduced thereby becomes monotonous compared to the actual engine sound.
[0050]
In consideration of such points, in the present embodiment, the sound generation control signal output from the sound generation control means 5 is controlled so that at least one of the pitch, the loudness, and the tone color changes for each sound generation signal. The engine sound data read out from the storage means 6 is generated based on the engine sound data in one operating state range by generating a variation in the reproduced sound by repeating a short sound pressure waveform unit. The simulated sound itself is also reproduced as a more natural sound.
[0051]
Further, in the present embodiment, when the simulated sound output means 7 outputs the digital data read from the storage means 6 as a voltage signal corresponding to the sound pressure waveform, the engine rotational speed when the engine sound is actually recorded and The reproduction rate at the time of converting the digital data of the engine sound into the analog data is controlled in accordance with the ratio with the calculated engine rotation speed in the apparatus.
[0052]
In other words, each engine sound data recorded in approximately the center state of each driving state range is played back at the same playback rate regardless of where the engine speed calculated according to the operation is located within the driving state range. Then, as shown in FIG. 9 (A), when moving from one operating state range to the next operating state range, the pitch of the engine simulation sound changes abruptly. By changing the regeneration rate according to the calculated engine rotation speed, the pitch can be kept as small as possible near the boundary of the operating state range as shown in FIG. 9B.
[0053]
According to the engine simulation sound generating apparatus of the present embodiment as described above, engine simulation sounds can be generated by approximating various actual engine sounds in various operating states, The engine sound data to be stored is a very short unit of a sound pressure waveform having a length corresponding to the time of two revolutions of the crankshaft (one combustion cycle in a four-cycle engine). Even if each engine sound data is stored, the storage capacity required for this is not increased.
[0054]
In addition, the hardware required by the engine simulation sound generator itself is not significantly different from that of the conventional apparatus based on the real sound loop reproduction method, and therefore, an existing engine simulation sound generator can be used.
[0055]
In the present embodiment, the sound generation control signal repeatedly output at intervals corresponding to the time corresponding to two revolutions of the crankshaft (one combustion cycle in a four-cycle engine) is read from the storage means 6 in each operating state range engine. The sound data itself is reproduced by repeating one engine sound data by controlling at least one of the loudness, pitch, and tone color of each sound generation control signal. The engine simulation sound itself in one operating state can also be reproduced as a natural sound with variations in each explosion similar to an actual engine.
[0056]
In the present embodiment, the engine sound is output according to the ratio between the engine speed when the engine sound is actually recorded and the calculated engine speed in the apparatus. Because the playback rate is changed so that the digital data is converted to analog data, the boundary between adjacent operating state ranges when moving from one operating state range to the next operating state range. The pitch of the sound can be made as close as possible in the vicinity, and the change of the engine simulation sound due to the change of the driving state can be made smooth and natural.
[0057]
In the above embodiment, the engine sound data stored in the storage means 6 is a sound pressure waveform having a length corresponding to the time corresponding to two revolutions of the crankshaft (one combustion cycle in a four-cycle engine). For engine sound data, the sound pressure is approximately the same length as the length of the crankshaft rotating for one combustion cycle (two crankshafts for a four-cycle engine and one crankshaft for a two-cycle engine). As long as it is a unit of waveform and has a dimension that is clearly different from the actual sound for a few seconds, for example, it may be slightly longer than the time for one combustion cycle or 2 of the time for one combustion cycle. Even if it corresponds to the length of up to 3 times, it can be implemented.
[0058]
Further, in the above embodiment, in order to make the engine simulation sound more similar to the actual engine sound, the sound volume, pitch, tone color can be arbitrarily changed for each sound generation control signal, or the device However, depending on the degree of approximation of the required engine simulation sound, it can be implemented by omitting these additional requirements. Is.
[0059]
【The invention's effect】
According to the vehicle simulation sound generator of the present invention as described above, it is possible to generate a simulation sound that approximates an actual drive sound according to an operation state based on various drive sound data in various driving states. In addition, the storage capacity of drive sound data stored in the storage means can be reduced, and the product cost of the apparatus can be kept low.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of an engine simulation sound generator of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing another example of the engine simulation sound generator of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view showing an example of an electric vehicle on which the engine simulation sound generator of the present invention is installed.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of data storage in storage means in the engine simulation sound generator shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an engine sound pressure waveform that is actually recorded in each operating state range of data stored in the storage unit shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a comparison of changes in the accelerator opening and the engine speed in an operating state during rapid acceleration / deceleration traveling.
7 is an explanatory diagram showing the difference in the reading order of engine sound data in each operating state range during sudden acceleration / deceleration and sudden acceleration / deceleration for the data stored in the storage means shown in FIG. 4;
8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a sound generation control signal output from sound generation control means in the engine simulation sound generator shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.
FIGS. 9A and 9B show a case where (A) the reproduction rate when digital data is converted into analog data is not changed and (B) when output from the simulated sound output means in the engine simulated sound generator shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; Explanatory drawing which shows the sound pressure waveform of engine simulation sound about each in the case of changing.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Engine simulation sound generator
2 Driving operation means
3 Driving operation detection means (accelerator opening detection means)
4 Engine speed calculation means
5 pronunciation control means
6 Memory means
7 Simulated sound output means
8 Speaker
9 Traveling speed detection means
10 Electric vehicle

Claims (5)

Driving operation detection means for detecting the operation amount of the driving operation means by the driver, engine rotation speed calculation means for calculating the engine rotation speed according to the detected driving operation amount, and input of the operation operation amount and the engine rotation speed Sound generation control means for outputting a sound generation control signal according to the sound, storage means for storing engine sound data in advance, engine data is read from the storage means according to the sound generation control signal, and as a voltage signal corresponding to the sound pressure signal In an engine simulated sound generator having a simulated sound output means for outputting,
The driving operation means are an accelerator and a shift lever,
The operation amount of the driving operation means is the accelerator opening and the shift position,
The driving operation detection means outputs the detected operation amount of the driving operation means to the engine speed calculation means as an accelerator opening signal and a shift position signal,
The engine rotation speed calculation means calculates the engine rotation speed based on the accelerator opening signal and the shift position signal, the engine output characteristics and the vehicle running resistance data stored in advance in the storage means, This is output to the sound generation control means as an engine speed signal,
The sound generation control means calculates the engine speed based on the accelerator opening signal based on the accelerator opening detected by the driving operation detection means and the engine speed signal based on the engine speed calculated by the engine speed calculation means. A sound generation control signal is output to the simulated sound output means so that the engine sound data in the operating state range is repeatedly sounded at an interval corresponding to the time at which the crankshaft rotates by one combustion cycle at a speed.
The storage means divides the various engine operating conditions actually recorded into multiple ranges in the form of an array with the accelerator opening and engine speed as parameters, and each engine sound recorded in the approximate center of each range is recorded. , The unit of the sound pressure waveform having a length corresponding to the time for which the crankshaft rotates for one combustion cycle, and stored as the array data of the engine sound digital data,
The simulated sound output means selectively reads out the engine sound data stored in the storage means according to the sound generation control signal and outputs it as a voltage signal corresponding to the sound pressure signal of the engine sound data. An engine simulation sound generator. Accelerator opening degree detecting means for detecting the amount of accelerator operation by the driver, vehicle traveling speed detecting means for detecting the actual traveling speed of the vehicle, and a virtual engine rotation speed is calculated from the detected accelerator opening degree and the vehicle traveling speed. Engine rotation speed calculation means, sound generation control means for outputting a sound generation control signal according to the input of the accelerator opening and the engine rotation speed, storage means for storing engine sound data in advance, and according to the sound generation control signal In an engine simulated sound generator for an electric vehicle having engine sound output means for reading engine sound data from the storage means and outputting it as a voltage signal corresponding to the sound pressure signal,
The accelerator opening detection means outputs the detected accelerator operation amount to the engine speed calculation means as an accelerator opening signal,
The vehicle travel speed detection means outputs the detected vehicle travel speed as a travel speed signal to the engine rotation speed calculation means,
The engine speed calculation means calculates the virtual engine speed based on the accelerator opening signal, the travel speed signal, the virtual engine output characteristics and the vehicle travel resistance data stored in advance in the storage means. Then, this is output to the sound generation control means as an engine speed signal,
The sound generation control means is calculated based on the accelerator opening signal based on the accelerator opening detected by the accelerator opening detecting means and the engine speed signal based on the virtual engine speed calculated by the engine speed calculating means. The sound output control signal is output to the simulated sound output means so that the engine sound data in the operating state range is repeatedly sounded at intervals corresponding to the time required for the crankshaft to rotate by one combustion cycle at the engine rotation speed. Yes,
The storage means divides the various engine operating states actually recorded into multiple ranges in the form of an array with the accelerator opening and engine speed as parameters, and each engine sound recorded in the approximate center of each range Is stored as digital sound data array data in units of a sound pressure waveform having a length corresponding to the time for which the crankshaft rotates for one combustion cycle,
The simulated sound output means selectively reads out the engine sound data stored in the storage means according to the sound generation control signal and outputs it as a voltage signal corresponding to the sound pressure signal of the engine sound data. An engine simulation sound generator. The engine speed calculation means stores in advance in the storage device, taking into account the shift pattern of the automatic transmission for automobiles, and in accordance with the slip characteristics of the torque converter for automobiles, the accelerator opening and the vehicle travel speed as parameters. The virtual engine rotation speed is calculated based on the output characteristics of the virtual engine and the running resistance data of the vehicle, and then output to the sound generation control means as an engine rotation speed signal. The engine simulation sound generator according to claim 2, wherein the engine simulation sound generator is provided. The sound generation control signal that is repeatedly output controls to change at least one of the size, height, and tone of engine sound data read from the storage means for each signal. The engine simulation sound generator according to any one of 1 to 3 . When outputting from the simulated sound output means, the engine sound digital data is converted to analog data according to the ratio between the engine speed when the engine sound is actually recorded and the calculated engine speed in the device. engine simulation sound generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the reproduction rate is controlled to be changed at the time of.

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