JP4955839B2 - Pseudo-sound generator and pseudo-sound generation method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pseudo sound generating apparatus and a pseudo sound generating method.

  In recent years, an electric vehicle using a battery as a driving force source and a hybrid vehicle using a battery as a part of the driving force source have been popularized. When such a vehicle travels using a battery as a driving force source, the level of driving sound outside the vehicle is dramatically lower than that of a conventional gasoline vehicle. As a result, a situation may occur in which a pedestrian or bicycle driver does not notice the presence of a vehicle approaching from outside the field of view, such as behind. The occurrence of such a situation is a serious problem for traffic safety.

  For this reason, a technique for outputting a pseudo engine sound corresponding to the traveling state of the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle has been proposed (Patent Document 1: hereinafter referred to as “Conventional Example 1”). In the technique of the conventional example 1, a pseudo sound signal is generated on the basis of detection results such as the vehicle speed, the rotational speed of the motor that is the power source, the accelerator opening degree, and the like, and the pseudo sound is output from the speaker to the front outside the vehicle. It has become. In the technique of Conventional Example 1, the execution / non-execution of the pseudo sound output is controlled according to the type of region in which the vehicle is traveling.

  Further, although not a technique for outputting the pseudo engine sound to the outside of the vehicle, a technique for utilizing the outer wall of the vehicle as a sounding body has been proposed as a technique for transmitting acoustic information in the vehicle interior to the outside of the vehicle (see Patent Document 2). In the technique of the second conventional example, a vibration actuator fixed to the outer plate surface inside a hollow outer wall member such as a door of a vehicle is driven. Then, the outer plate is vibrated locally by vibrating the vibration actuator. As a result, the outer plate serves as a sounding body, and acoustic information in the vehicle interior is transmitted to the outside of the vehicle.

JP 2005-253236 A JP 2008-207622 A

  In the technique of Conventional Example 1 described above, a pseudo engine sound is output outside the vehicle using a speaker. However, the speaker has directivity in the sound output direction, and the spread of the sound in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the speaker is facing or in the opposite direction cannot be expected. For this reason, even if a pseudo engine sound is output for the purpose of warning surrounding pedestrians or the like, it cannot be said that a sufficient effect can be exhibited, and in order to compensate for this drawback, a large number of speakers are prepared. It was necessary.

  Moreover, when outputting the pseudo engine sound, it is desirable to output from near the engine in the case of a gasoline vehicle. However, in the technique of Conventional Example 1, when a speaker is arranged in a so-called engine room, sound is trapped in the engine room.

  Furthermore, in order to be able to output a pseudo engine sound having a sufficient volume, the technique of the conventional example 1 is heavy and requires a necessary dynamic speaker such as a high-output power amplifier. For this reason, power consumption becomes large, and the fuel consumption of the vehicle may be reduced.

  Since the above-described Conventional Example 2 is a technique for transmitting acoustic information in the vehicle interior to the outside of the vehicle, it cannot be applied to the output of the pseudo engine sound to the outside as it is. In the technique of Conventional Example 2, since the vibration actuator is disposed inside the hollow outer wall member having the inner plate and the outer plate, it cannot be said that the vibration actuator can be installed significantly.

  For this reason, the technique which can output the simulated sound corresponding to the driving | running | working state of a vehicle with the structure which is simple and can be installed easily is desired. Meeting this requirement is one of the problems to be solved by the present invention.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a new pseudo-sound generator and a pseudo-sound generation method that can appropriately output a pseudo sound corresponding to a running state of a vehicle to the outside of the vehicle. .

From a first aspect, the present invention is a simulated sound generator mounted on a vehicle having a bumper, the acquisition unit acquiring travel information including the vehicle speed of the vehicle; and the vehicle body side of the bumper A vibration actuator installed on the surface and configured to vibrate the bumper according to a pseudo sound signal generated based on the acquired traveling information ; an opening for taking in a sound wave generated by the vibration of the bumper is formed; and the opening And a tubular waveguide member that transmits sound waves taken from the vehicle in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle and outputs the sound waves from the openings at both ends .

From a second aspect, the present invention is a vibration actuator that is mounted on a vehicle body side surface of the bumper and that vibrates the bumper according to a received pseudo sound signal ; An opening for receiving sound waves generated by the vibration of the tube, and a tubular waveguide member for transmitting the sound waves taken from the opening in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle and outputting from the openings at both ends; A pseudo-sound generation method used in a pseudo-sound generator provided with an acquisition step of acquiring travel information including a vehicle speed of the vehicle; and a generation step of generating a pseudo sound signal based on the acquired travel information; ; by vibrating the vibration actuator in accordance with a pseudo-noise signal said generated the bumper to vibrate, the tubular waveguide member A dummy sound generating method characterized by comprising a; and the pseudo sound output step of outputting a dummy sound from the opening end.

It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the pseudo | simulation engine sound generator which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital processing part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the waveform table of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the characteristic of HPF and LPF of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the sound output part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the sound generation part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the positional relationship of the component of the sound generation part of FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description and drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.
<Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a pseudo engine sound generation apparatus 100 as a pseudo sound generation apparatus according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the pseudo engine sound generating device 100 is mounted on a vehicle CR equipped with a front bumper BNF and a rear bumper BNR. The vehicle CR is equipped with an accelerator information sensor 910 that detects accelerator information corresponding to the accelerator opening, and a rotation speed information sensor 920 that detects rotation speed information corresponding to the engine speed.

  In the following description, the front direction of the vehicle CR is also called the X direction, the width direction is called the Y direction, and the upward direction is also called the Z direction.

  The pseudo engine sound generation apparatus 100 includes an acquisition unit 110 and a digital processing unit 120. The pseudo engine sound generation apparatus 100 includes an analog processing unit 130 and a sound output unit 140.

  The acquisition unit 110 receives the measurement signal AAS sent from the accelerator information sensor 910 installed in the vehicle CR and the measurement signal ERS sent from the rotation speed information sensor 920. Then, the acquiring unit 110 converts the measurement signal AAS into accelerator information AR having a signal form that can be processed by the digital processing unit 120. The accelerator information AR obtained in this way is sent to the digital processing unit 120.

  The acquisition unit 110 converts the measurement signal ERS into rotation speed information ER having a form that can be processed by the digital processing unit 120. The rotation speed information ER obtained in this way is sent to the digital processing unit 120.

  In the present embodiment, an accelerator information sensor 910 such as an accelerator opening sensor and a rotation speed information sensor 920 such as an engine speed mounted on the vehicle CR, and an ECU (Electrical Control Unit) that controls the traveling of the vehicle CR, The measurement signals AAS and ERS are obtained by biting the detection harness into the signal harness for connecting the output harness or connecting the output harness drawn from the ECU for the add-on vehicle-mounted device to the pseudo engine sound generation device 100. 110 is supplied.

The digital processing unit 120 receives the accelerator information AR and the rotation speed information ER sent from the acquisition unit 110. Then, the digital processing unit 120 generates the high-frequency component data PED _H and the low-frequency component data PED _L of the pseudo engine sound based on the accelerator information AR and the rotation speed information ER. The high tone component data PED _H and the low tone component data PED _L generated in this way are sent to the analog processing unit 130. Details of the configuration of the digital processing unit 120 will be described later.

The analog processing unit 130 receives the high tone component data PED _H and the low tone component data PED _L sent from the digital processing unit 120. The analog processing unit 130 is provided with a set of a DA (Digital to Analogue) converter and a power amplifier corresponding to each of the high sound component data PED _H and the low sound component data PED _L.

The analog processing unit 130 DA-converts the treble component data PED _H and then power-amplifies it to generate a treble component output signal AOS _H. Further, the analog processing unit 130 DA-converts the bass component data PED _L and then amplifies the power to generate the bass component output signal AOS _L. The high tone component output signal AOS _H and the low tone component output signal AOS _L generated in this way are sent to the sound output unit 140.

The sound output unit 140 receives the high tone component output signal AOS _H and the low tone component output signal AOS _L sent from the analog processing unit 130. Then, the sound output unit 140 generates a pseudo engine sound according to the high sound component output signal AOS _H and the low sound component output signal AOS _L sent from the analog processing unit 130, and outputs them to the outside of the vehicle. Details of the configuration of the digital processing unit 120 will be described later.

  Next, the configuration of the digital processing unit 120 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the digital processing unit 120 includes a storage unit 121 and a generation unit 122. The digital processing unit 120 includes a high pass filter (HPF) 123 and a low pass filter (LPF) 124.

  The storage unit 121 stores various information data used by the digital processing unit 120. The information data stored in the storage unit 121 in this way includes a waveform table WFT.

  In the waveform table WFT, the waveform pattern of the pseudo engine sound is registered in association with the combination of the rotational speed information corresponding to the engine rotational speed and the accelerator information corresponding to the accelerator opening angle. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the waveform pattern is registered in association with each combination of the range of the rotation speed information ER and the range of the accelerator information AR. The relationship between the combination of the range of the rotational speed information ER and the range of the accelerator information AR and the waveform pattern is the vehicle type of the vehicle CR obtained in advance based on experiments, experiences, etc., depending on the type of the vehicle CR. Average relationship.

  The generation unit 122 receives the accelerator information AR and the rotation speed information ER sent from the acquisition unit 110. Subsequently, the generation unit 122 reads the waveform pattern data WFD registered in the waveform table WFT in association with the combination of the accelerator information AR and the rotation speed information ER. Then, the generation unit 122 generates pseudo engine sound data PED that is a digital signal based on the read data WFD. The pseudo engine sound data PED generated in this way is sent to the HPF 123 and the LPF 124.

The HPF 123 receives the pseudo engine sound data PED sent from the generation unit 122. Then, the HPF 123 passes a frequency component higher than the predetermined frequency FC in the pseudo engine sound data PED, and sends it to the analog processing unit 130 as the high sound component data PED _H.

The LPF 124 receives the pseudo engine sound data PED sent from the generation unit 122. Then, the LPF 124 passes a frequency component lower than the predetermined frequency FC in the pseudo engine sound data PED, and sends the low frequency component data PED _L to the analog processing unit 130.

An example of the pass characteristics of the HPF 123 and the LPF 124 is shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the pass characteristic of the HPF 123 is shown as PR _H (F), and the pass characteristic of the LPF 124 is shown as PR _L (F).

The “predetermined frequency FC” is determined in advance based on experiments, simulations, experiences, and the like, corresponding to the generation characteristics of the high-frequency component output signal AOS _H and the low-frequency component output signal AOS _{L in} the sound output unit 140.

Next, the configuration of the sound output unit 140 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the sound output unit 140 includes sound generation units 141 ₁ and 141 ₂ , a sound waveguide member 142, and a sound insulation member 143.

Each of the sound generators 141 _j (j = 1, 2) includes a vibration actuator 145 _j and a speaker 146 _j .

Here, the vibration actuator 145 _j receives the bass component output signal AOS _L sent from the analog processing unit 130. Then, the vibration actuator 145 _j generates a low-frequency component in the pseudo engine sound by vibrating the front bumper BNF to which the vibration actuator 145 _j is fixed as described later according to the low-frequency component output signal AOS _L.

The speaker 146 _j receives the treble component output signal AOS _H sent from the analog processing unit 130. Then, the speaker 146 _j generates a high sound component in the pseudo engine sound according to the high sound component output signal AOS _H.

By the way, each of the sound generators 141 _j (j = 1, 2) has a substantially rectangular shape as a whole, as shown in FIG. The sound generating unit 141 _j, as shown in FIG. 6 (B), in addition to the vibration actuator 145 _j and a speaker 146 _j, and a fixing member 149 for fixing the speaker 146 _j.

The vibration actuator 145 _j includes a vibration plate 147 and a vibrator 148 fixed to the vibration plate 147. The surface of the vibration plate 147 opposite to the surface to which the vibrator 148 is fixed is the surface on the −X direction side of the front bumper BNF (that is, the vehicle main body side) via the adhesive member 150 made of a thermosetting resin. It is fixed to. As a result, when the vibration actuator 145 _j vibrates, the front bumper BNF vibrates.

Further, the diaphragm 147 and the fixing member 149 form an internal space opened in the −X direction. The speaker 146 _j is accommodated in this internal space so as to face the −X direction side. As a result, the speaker 146 _j outputs sound toward the −X direction side.

As shown in FIG. 7, the sound wave guide member 142 is a tubular member extending in the Y-axis direction, and is disposed on the −X direction side of the sound generator 141 _j (j = 1, 2). The sound waveguide member 142 is formed with an opening 142O _j for capturing the sound output from the speaker 146 _{j at a} position facing the sound generator 141 _j . The sound waveguide member 142 guides the sound taken in from the opening 142O _j in the Y-axis direction and outputs it from the openings at both ends in the Y-axis direction.

  The sound waveguide member 142 is fixed to the vehicle body by a fixing member (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 7, the sound insulating member 143 is a flexible member having a sound absorbing property, and is on the −X direction side of the sound waveguide member 142 and between the sound waveguide member 142 and the vehicle interior. Be placed. The sound insulation member 143 prevents propagation of sound output from the speaker 146 _j that has not been taken into the sound waveguide member 142 to the passenger compartment.

[Operation]
Next, the operation of the pseudo engine sound generation apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described mainly focusing on the operation of the sound output unit 140.

  In the pseudo engine sound generation device 100, the acquisition unit 110 receives the measurement signal AAS sent from the accelerator information sensor 910 and the measurement signal ERS sent from the rotation speed information sensor 920. Subsequently, the acquisition unit 110 converts the measurement signal AAS into accelerator information AR having a signal form that can be processed by the digital processing unit 120, and the rotation speed information ER having a form that can be processed by the digital processing unit 120. Convert to Then, the acquisition unit 110 sends the accelerator information AR and the rotation speed information ER to the digital processing unit 120 (see FIG. 1).

  In the digital processing unit 120, the generation unit 122 receives the accelerator information AR and the rotation speed information ER. The generation unit 122 reads the waveform pattern data WFD registered in the waveform table WFT in the storage unit 121 in association with the combination of the accelerator information AR and the rotation speed information ER. Next, the generation unit 122 determines whether or not the waveform pattern should be changed by determining whether or not the newly read waveform pattern has changed from the current waveform pattern.

  If the determination is negative, the generation unit 122 continues to generate the pseudo engine sound data PED corresponding to the waveform pattern currently employed. Then, the generation unit 122 sends the generated pseudo engine sound data PED to the HPF 123 and the LPF 124 (see FIG. 2).

  On the other hand, when the result of the determination is affirmative, the generation unit 122 starts generating the pseudo engine sound signal PED based on the newly read waveform pattern. Then, the generation unit 122 sends the generated pseudo engine sound data PED to the HPF 123 and the LPF 124 (see FIG. 2).

The HPF 123 passes a frequency component higher than the predetermined frequency FC in the pseudo engine sound data PED, and sends it to the analog processing unit 130 as the high sound component data PED _H. Further, the LPF 124 passes the frequency component lower than the predetermined frequency FC in the pseudo engine sound data PED, and sends it to the analog processing unit 130 as the low sound component data PED _L (see FIG. 2).

In the analog processing unit 130, the treble component data PED _H is DA-converted and then power amplified to generate the treble component output signal AOS _H. In the analog processing unit 130, the bass component data PED _L is DA-converted and then power-amplified to generate a bass component output signal AOS _L. Then, the analog processing unit 130 sends the generated high tone component output signal AOS _H and low tone component output signal AOS _L to the sound output unit 140 (see FIG. 1).

In the sound output unit 140, each speaker 146 _{j of} the sound generation unit 141 _j (j = 1, 2) receives the high sound component output signal AOS _H. In the sound output unit 140, each vibration actuator 145 _{j of} the sound generation unit 141 _j (j = 1, 2) receives the bass component output signal AOS _L (see FIG. 5).

Speaker 146 _j which received the treble component output signal AOS _H is the treble components of the pseudo engine sound in accordance with treble component output signal AOS _H, and outputs toward the -X direction side (vehicle body side). Thus, most of the sound output from the speaker 146 _j is taken into the sound waveguide member 142 from the opening 142O _j . The sound taken in this way is guided in the internal space of the sound waveguide member 142 along the Y-axis direction (the width direction of the vehicle CR), and then opened at both ends of the sound waveguide member 142 in the Y-axis direction. Is output to the outside of the vehicle. As a result, most of the treble component of the pseudo engine sound is output outside the vehicle without being trapped inside the vehicle.

A portion of the sound output from the speaker 146 _j that has not been taken into the sound waveguide member 142 proceeds toward the passenger compartment, but the progress is blocked by the sound insulating member 143. As a result, the amount of the high-frequency component of the pseudo engine sound that reaches the passenger compartment is reduced.

Vibration actuator 145 _j which receives the bass component output signal AOS _L oscillates according bass component output signal AOS _L. As a result, the front bumper BNF to which the vibration actuator 145 _j is fixed vibrates, and a low-frequency component of the pseudo engine sound that goes to the outside of the vehicle is generated. Further, due to the vibration of the front bumper BNF, parts of the vehicle that are directly or indirectly coupled to the front bumper BNF vibrate, and a bass component of the pseudo engine sound is also generated in those parts.

  Note that most of the low-frequency components of the pseudo engine sound generated by the front bumper BNF and traveling toward the passenger compartment are blocked by the sound insulating member 143. As a result, the amount of low-frequency components of the pseudo engine sound reaching the vehicle compartment can be reduced.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the generating unit 122 generates the pseudo engine sound data PED based on the vehicle travel information acquired by the acquiring unit 110. Subsequently, the pseudo engine sound data PED is separated into the high sound component data PED _H and the low sound component data PED _L by the HPF 123 and the LPF 124, and then the high sound component output signal AOS _H and the low sound component output through the analog processing unit 130. Signal AOS _L is generated.

Then, according to the bass component output signal AOS _L , the vibration actuator 145 _j vibrates the front bumper BNF, and a bass component of the pseudo engine sound that goes to the outside of the vehicle is generated. For this reason, the low-frequency component of the pseudo engine sound can be generated at a position close to the engine in the gasoline vehicle, and the low-frequency component of the pseudo engine sound can be efficiently output outside the vehicle without being trapped inside the vehicle. .

  Further, due to the vibration of the front bumper BNF, parts of the vehicle that are directly or indirectly coupled to the front bumper BNF vibrate, and a bass component of the pseudo engine sound is also generated in those parts. For this reason, the low frequency component of the pseudo engine sound can be output to the outside in the same manner as the engine sound accompanying the operation of the engine in the gasoline vehicle.

  Therefore, according to this embodiment, the pseudo engine sound corresponding to the running state of the vehicle CR can be appropriately output to the outside of the vehicle.

In the above embodiment, the sound generator 141 _j (j = 1, 2) is fixed to the front bumper BNF via the adhesive member 150 made of a thermosetting resin. Therefore, the shape of the front bumper BNF depending on the vehicle type Regardless of the difference, the sound generator 141 _j can be fixed to the front bumper BNF.

In the present embodiment, the speaker 146 _j disposed in the vicinity of the front bumper BNF outputs a high-frequency component of the pseudo engine sound toward the rear of the vehicle. After most of the high-frequency component of the pseudo engine sound output in this way is taken into the sound waveguide member 142 through the opening 142O _j , the sound waveguide member 142 causes the inside of the sound waveguide member 142 to pass through the inside space. The light is guided along the width direction of the vehicle CR, and output from the side of the vehicle CR toward the outside of the vehicle. As a result, the high-frequency component of the pseudo engine sound can be generated at a position close to the engine in the gasoline vehicle, and the high-frequency component of the pseudo engine sound can be efficiently output outside the vehicle without being trapped inside the vehicle. .

  In this embodiment, the sound insulation member 143 is disposed between the generation source of the pseudo engine sound and the passenger compartment. For this reason, most of the pseudo engine sound toward the vehicle compartment can be blocked, and the intrusion of the pseudo engine sound into the vehicle compartment can be prevented.

[Modification of Embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the cone type speaker is exemplified as the speaker 146 _j (j = 1, 2), but a planar speaker may be employed.

In the above embodiment, each of the sound generators 141 _j (j = 1, 2) includes the vibration actuator 145 _j and the speaker 146 _j . However, the speaker 146 _j may not be included. In this case, the vibration actuator 145 _j receives the bass and treble output signals sent from the analog processing unit 130 and vibrates the front bumper BNF according to these signals. The sound waveguide member 142 takes in the sound wave generated by the vibration of the front bumper BNF through the opening 142O _j and outputs it from the openings at both ends in the Y-axis direction.

In the above embodiment, the sound generator 141 _j (j = 1, 2) is fixed only to the front bumper BNF. However, it can also be fixed to the rear bumper BNR.

  In the above embodiment, a thermosetting resin is used as the adhesive member 150. However, a photocurable resin or a thermoplastic resin can also be used.

  In the above embodiment, the number of the sound generating units 141 is two, but may be one, or may be three or more.

  In the above embodiment, the sound output to the outside of the vehicle is a pseudo engine sound. However, another type of pseudo sound may be used, or another type of pseudo sound may be superimposed on the pseudo engine sound.

In the above embodiment, the sound waveguide member 142 is prepared separately from the vehicle part. For example, if the lean force that is one of the vehicle parts is tubular, the opening 142O is formed in the lean force. _j may be formed and used as the sound waveguide member 142.

In the above embodiment, the pseudo engine sound signal is separated into the high sound component output signal AOS _H and the low sound component output signal AOS _L. However, the pseudo engine sound signal itself is converted into the sound generator 141 _j (j = 1). , 2).

  In the above embodiment, the accelerator information and the rotational speed information are adopted as the traveling information of the vehicle CR to be referred to when generating the pseudo engine sound data, but instead of these information or in addition to these information. Vehicle speed information, acceleration information, ignition switch information, etc. may be referred to.

Claims (2)

A pseudo sound generator mounted on a vehicle having a bumper,
An acquisition unit that acquires travel information including a vehicle speed of the vehicle;
Is placed on the body surface of the vehicle of the bumper, a vibration actuator for vibrating the bumper according to the pseudo sound signal generated based on the obtained travel information;
An opening for taking in sound waves generated by the vibration of the bumper, a tubular waveguide member for transmitting the sound waves taken in from the opening in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle, and outputting from the openings at both ends; ;
A pseudo-sound generator characterized by comprising: A vibration actuator mounted on a vehicle body side surface of the bumper and installed on a vehicle body side surface of the bumper to vibrate the bumper according to a received pseudo sound signal ; and an opening for receiving a sound wave generated by the vibration of the bumper is formed And a tubular waveguide member that transmits a sound wave taken in from the opening in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle and outputs the sound wave from the openings at both ends. A generation method,
An acquisition step of acquiring travel information including a vehicle speed of the vehicle;
A generating step of generating a pseudo sound signal based on the acquired traveling information;
A pseudo sound output step of oscillating the vibration actuator according to the generated pseudo sound signal to vibrate the bumper and outputting a pseudo sound from the openings at both ends of the tubular waveguide member ;
A pseudo-sound generation method comprising:

Images