KR20230126884A - Acoustic vehicle alerting system - Google Patents

Abstract

The speaker of the virtual engine sound system, which informs the existence of an electric vehicle with a warning sound, is installed on the under cover installed on the floor of the engine room of the electric vehicle, and the warning sound generated from this speaker is installed so that it is directed toward the ground, so that the warning sound reflected from the ground can be heard by pedestrians. It is possible to use a speaker with a low sound pressure level of the warning sound because the transmission path can be minimized by transmitting the warning sound to the surrounding drivers or to nearby drivers, and it is possible to use a speaker with a low sound pressure level of the warning sound. effect can be enhanced. In particular, by installing a speaker so that the warning sound is inclined toward the front of the electric vehicle and reflected on the ground, the noise performance is improved and the warning sound is spread wider so that pedestrians or nearby drivers can easily hear the warning sound and respond safely.

Description

Virtual engine sound system for electric vehicles {ACOUSTIC VEHICLE ALERTING SYSTEM}

The present invention relates to a virtual engine sound system for an electric vehicle, and more particularly, by constructing a speaker that actually emits a warning sound in an under cover installed on the floor of an engine room so that the warning sound is reflected on the ground and spread widely, so that the warning sound is transmitted to pedestrians. Since a sufficient warning effect can be obtained with a small-capacity speaker by streamlining the path transmitted to the driver or the driver around it, not only can the sound pressure level of the warning sound be lowered, but also the warning sound reaches the interior of the electric vehicle due to the low emission sound pressure level. This is to improve noise performance. At this time, the speaker is configured to reflect the warning sound inclined to the ground, so that the warning sound can be transmitted to a far distance while improving noise performance.

In general, as electric vehicles are driven based on motors, the level of sound pressure generated in the engine room is not high, so pedestrians walking around electric vehicles cannot easily tell whether the electric vehicles are driving. Therefore, in order to prevent accidents caused by pedestrians not recognizing electric vehicles in advance, as shown in (Patent Document 1) to (Patent Document 3) below, a warning sound is generated so that pedestrians know when an electric vehicle is driving, there is.

(Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-2338375

The driving device for transmitting information to nearby vehicles and/or pedestrians of an electric motor is a proximity object detector that detects the presence and condition of a pedestrian or two-wheeled vehicle within a specified distance around an autonomous vehicle driven by an electric motor, and solar illumination, day and night. A surrounding information detecting unit including a surrounding environment detecting unit for detecting a surrounding environment including a vehicle, a subject vehicle detecting unit for detecting a state of the self-driving vehicle, and the existence and state of the pedestrian or the two-wheeled vehicle detected by the nearby object detecting unit. , determining the surrounding environment detected by the surrounding environment sensor, determining the state of the self-driving vehicle detected by the subject vehicle sensor, determining the determined state of the self-driving vehicle and the determined pedestrian or determining whether or not there is interference and/or collision between the self-driving vehicle and the pedestrian or the two-wheeled vehicle based on the presence and condition of the two-wheeled vehicle, and determining that there is a possibility of interference and/or collision between the autonomous vehicle and the pedestrian or the two-wheeled vehicle; When the determination is made, a control unit outputting a first information output signal through an information output unit in consideration of the determined surrounding environment and the determined state of the pedestrian or the two-wheeled vehicle, and a display device installed outside the self-driving vehicle, a hologram display, or the information output unit including a speaker and outputting the first information output signal selected in consideration of the surrounding environment or the state of the pedestrian or the two-wheeled vehicle, wherein the surrounding information sensor detects the state of the pedestrian or the two-wheeled vehicle again. , and the control unit determines the again detected state of the pedestrian or the two-wheeled vehicle, and based on the re-determined state of the pedestrian or the two-wheeled vehicle, interference and/or collision between the autonomous vehicle and the pedestrian or the two-wheeled vehicle If it is determined again whether or not there is a possibility of interference and/or collision between the autonomous vehicle and the pedestrian or the two-wheeled vehicle, first information is output in consideration of the determined surrounding environment and the determined state of the pedestrian or the two-wheeled vehicle. A second information output signal having a different size or shape from the signal is output through the information output unit, and when it is determined that there is no possibility of interference and/or collision between the self-driving vehicle and the pedestrian or the two-wheeled vehicle, the first information output signal is output as It is characterized in that it is turned off through the information output unit.

(Patent Document 2) Korea Patent Registration No. 10-2011006

A virtual sound generating device for a vehicle and a control method thereof are disclosed. The vehicle's virtual sound generator includes a vehicle communication unit that receives a vehicle state, a pedestrian detection unit that detects location information of a pedestrian walking around the vehicle, and generates a virtual sound corresponding to the vehicle state received through the vehicle communication unit. , The pedestrian's location information is detected through the pedestrian detector, a sound field effect is generated according to the detected pedestrian's position so that the generated virtual sound is directed to the pedestrian's position, and the generated sound field effect is synthesized with the generated virtual sound. It includes a control unit outputting the generated virtual sound, an amplifier unit signal-processing the synthesized virtual sound output from the controller, and a plurality of speakers outputting the synthesized virtual sound output from the amplifier unit.

(Patent Document 3) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0094429

In an apparatus for preventing pedestrian safety accidents of an electric vehicle in advance, a means for detecting RPM of a drive motor of an electric vehicle, a sound generating device capable of generating sound according to the detected PRM, and a sound generating device It is characterized in that it consists of an amplifier capable of amplifying a signal and a speaker capable of outputting sound. The safety device for pedestrians of an electric vehicle with this configuration prevents safety accidents in advance by notifying a pedestrian that a vehicle is approaching in the operation of an electric vehicle without engine noise.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-2338375 (registration date: 2021.12.07) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-2011006 (registration date: 2019.08.08) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0094429 (published date: 2010.08.26)

However, the existing virtual engine sound system (AVAS) has the following problems.

(1) When the AVAS emits a warning sound to warn pedestrians, the warning sound alerts pedestrians around the electric vehicle through a speaker. Accordingly, the speaker is mounted on the back of the front bumper so that the warning sound can be well transmitted to pedestrians.

(2) This is because the warning sound must excite or penetrate a peripheral structure such as a front bumper, so the sound pressure level of the warning sound must be high. Therefore, the capacity of the speaker should be larger than the required warning sound level.

(3) In addition, as a warning sound is generated in a narrow space such as a closed speaker, the surrounding structure acts as a medium through which noise is transmitted while the warning sound is excited. This acts as a factor that allows the warning sound to act as a noise source and transmit noise to the interior of the electric vehicle. Therefore, the noise of the warning sound generated from the speaker may be transmitted to the interior of the electric vehicle.

(4) On the other hand, in order to mount the speaker on the front bumper, it is necessary to secure a separate space for mounting the speaker and also to mount the speaker on the front bumper in advance during the assembly process.

(5) Therefore, when the speaker is mounted on the front bumper as before, the sound pressure level of the warning sound must be generated stronger in consideration of the transmission loss, so the strong noise is transmitted to the interior of the electric vehicle to reduce noise performance, and a separate speaker must be installed to install the speaker. process is needed.

The present invention takes this into account, and mounts a speaker of an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System, which informs the existence of an electric vehicle with a warning sound, to an under cover installed on the floor of the engine room of the electric vehicle, and the warning sound generated by the speaker By installing it facing the ground, the warning sound reflected from the ground is directly transmitted to pedestrians or nearby drivers, so that the transmission path can be streamlined, so that a speaker with a relatively low sound pressure level of the warning sound can be used, and the warning sound is a component of an electric vehicle. Its purpose is to provide a virtual engine sound system for electric vehicles that minimizes transmission to surrounding components, thereby reducing the noise felt inside the electric vehicle and increasing the warning effect.

In particular, the present invention installs a speaker so that the warning sound is inclined toward the front of the electric vehicle and reflected on the ground, thereby improving noise performance and spreading the warning sound wider so that pedestrians or nearby drivers can easily hear the warning sound and respond safely. Another objective is to provide a virtual engine sound system for electric vehicles.

In addition, the present invention makes it possible to eliminate a separate process for mounting the speaker only by mounting the under cover by integrally manufacturing the speaker with the under cover, thereby ensuring the safety of pedestrians while assembling easily and conveniently. It is another objective to provide a virtual engine sound system for vehicles.

A virtual engine sound system for an electric vehicle according to the present invention for achieving this object is a virtual engine sound system for an electric vehicle including a speaker 11 (Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System); The speaker 11 is mounted on an under cover 10 installed on the floor of an engine room of an electric vehicle, and the warning sound is installed to proceed toward the ground.

In particular, it is characterized in that three speakers 11 are installed in the under cover 10 .

In addition, the speaker 11 is characterized in that it is installed so that the warning sound proceeds obliquely forward along the traveling direction of the electric vehicle and is reflected from the ground.

Finally, the speaker 11 is characterized in that it is manufactured integrally with the under cover 10.

The virtual engine sound system for an electric vehicle according to the present invention has the following effects.

(1) By installing a speaker that generates a warning sound on the under cover and configuring the warning sound to be reflected from the ground, the warning sound is reflected on the ground and directly transmitted to pedestrians or drivers of other vehicles around the electric vehicle, so the delivery route can be made more efficient. there is.

(2) As the transmission path becomes more efficient, the warning sound can be sufficiently transmitted to pedestrians or other vehicle drivers even when a speaker having a small sound pressure, that is, a speaker capacity, is used.

(3) In addition, as the sound pressure generated by the speaker is lowered, the noise transmitted to the interior of the electric vehicle through the vehicle body or its surroundings can be reduced, which helps to improve noise performance. As the capacity of the speaker decreases, the noise level transmitted to the interior of the electric vehicle can be reduced, thereby creating a pleasant indoor environment (the noise level is lowered by about 10 dBA in the 1.25 kHz band based on the driver's seat of the evaluation vehicle).

(4) On the other hand, the speaker is configured such that the warning sound proceeds obliquely forward along the traveling direction of the electric vehicle and is reflected on the ground, so that the warning sound spreads widely in front of the electric vehicle, thereby further enhancing the warning effect.

(5) In addition, since the speaker is integrally manufactured with the under cover, it is possible to finish the installation of the speaker only by assembling the under cover, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and improving assembly efficiency.

(6) In addition, three speakers are installed, but the direction of the warning sound is set differently, so that the warning effect can be enhanced throughout the surroundings of the electric vehicle.

1 is a partial side view of an electric vehicle showing mounting positions of speakers constituting a virtual engine sound system for an electric vehicle according to the present invention.
[Figure 2] is a photograph showing an example of configuring a speaker in an under cover according to a virtual engine sound system for an electric vehicle according to the present invention. This is a picture showing an example of a unitary composition of .
3 is a partial side view of an electric vehicle showing an angle at which a warning sound is reflected to a speaker constituting a virtual engine sound system for an electric vehicle according to the present invention.
4 is a shielding performance index according to a change in frequency (1/3 Octave [Hz]) in the driver's seat for a warning sound generated by a speaker (comparative example) mounted on an existing bumper and a speaker (example) mounted on an under cover. This is a graph measuring PBNR (Power Base Noise Reduction (dB)).
[Fig. 5] shows the noise [dB( It is a graph measuring A)].

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, the terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to their usual or dictionary meanings, and the inventors should properly define the concept of terms in order to best explain their invention. According to the principle that it can be interpreted as meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the present invention.

Therefore, since the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical spirit of the present invention, various equivalents that can replace them at the time of this application It should be understood that there may be variations.

[Configuration of virtual engine sound system]

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the virtual engine sound system for an electric vehicle according to the present invention includes a speaker 11 that generates a warning sound so as to inform a driver or surroundings that the electric car is running.

In particular, the speaker 11 is mounted on the under cover 10 so that the warning sound is directed toward the ground, so that the warning sound can be reflected from the ground and propagated to warn pedestrians or other drivers. The transmission path is streamlined, and a sufficient warning effect can be obtained even when a speaker with a small capacity is used, and a pleasant indoor environment can be created by lowering the noise level felt inside the electric vehicle.

At this time, the speaker 11 is mounted so that the warning sound proceeds obliquely toward the ground while facing the front of the electric vehicle and reflects it, so that the warning effect and noise performance improvement effect can be further enhanced.

In addition, since the speaker 11 is integrated with the under cover 10, the process of separately assembling or mounting the speaker 11 can be eliminated as the under cover 10 is installed in the engine room, so that it can be quickly installed and warned. This is to further increase the effect and noise performance improvement effect.

Finally, by installing three speakers 11 on the under cover 10, the warning sound can be spread widely and evenly around the electric vehicle, so that the warning effect can be further enhanced.

Hereinafter, this configuration will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

go. virtual engine sound system

The virtual engine sound system is called AVAS (Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System) or VESS (Virtual Engine Sound System), and is used in battery electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrid vehicles. In an electric vehicle using a motor as a power source, it refers to a system that generates noise in the engine noise section that does not occur with motor driving.

That is, since the entire section of the electric vehicle is a noiseless section while the motor is running, an accident may occur because pedestrians around the electric vehicle are not aware that the electric vehicle is passing by. Accordingly, electric vehicles are equipped with a virtual engine sound system (AVAS or VESS) to generate noise similar to the sound of an engine using fossil fuel, so that pedestrians walking around the electric vehicle can safely walk or drivers of other vehicles around it can safely drive. make it possible

On the other hand, such a virtual engine sound system includes at least one speaker 11 so that a warning sound similar to engine noise can be heard, as shown in [FIGS. 1] to [FIG. 3].

me. speaker

As shown in [Figs. 1] to [Fig. 3], the speaker 11 is mounted on an under cover 10 installed on the floor of an engine room of an electric vehicle. This minimizes the warning sound generated from the speaker 11 mounted on the under cover 10 from having other components of the electric vehicle, and is reflected through the ground without being blocked by other components, so that pedestrians or other drivers can hear it immediately. By configuring the transmission path to be efficient, it is possible to use a speaker with a small capacity as much as the efficiency of the transmission path of the warning sound. In addition, as the speaker 11 can use such a small capacity, not only the noise level transmitted to the electric vehicle interior is reduced, but also the noise transmission path transmitted to the electric vehicle interior is reduced, so that a comfortable indoor environment can be created.

On the other hand, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the speaker 11 is configured to reflect the warning sound on the ground while proceeding obliquely forward along the traveling direction of the electric vehicle, as shown in [Fig. 1] and [Fig. 3], so that the warning sound It is desirable to minimize the blockage in the configuration of the electric vehicle so that the warning sound reflected from the ground spreads around the vehicle and quickly and accurately warns pedestrians and other vehicles around the electric vehicle while improving noise performance.

Further, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the speaker 11 is preferably manufactured integrally with the under cover 10 as shown in [FIG. 1] to [FIG. 3]. This is to reduce the number of work steps by eliminating the need to separately install or mount the speaker 11 only through the process of mounting the under cover 10 on the floor of the engine room of the electric vehicle, thereby enabling quick assembly while increasing productivity by reducing the number of work steps. .

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, at least one of the speakers 11 is installed on the under cover 10 to generate a warning sound around the electric vehicle in consideration of the type of electric vehicle or the shape of the frame. It is desirable to install enough speakers 11 to spread appropriately. [Fig. 2(a)] shows an example in which one speaker 11 is integrally mounted on the under cover, and [Fig. 2(b)] shows an example in which three speakers are mounted. In addition, the speaker 11 can be mounted in various ways, such as inserting and molding the speaker in the form of an insert when molding the under cover, forming a space in which the speaker 11 can be mounted on the under cover in advance, or attaching the speaker 11 to the under cover. there is.

PBNR (Power Base Noise Reduction), which is an indicator of shielding performance of a vehicle according to frequency change, for the speaker (example) according to the present invention and the speaker (comparative example) installed in the front bumper according to the present invention made as described above is the same as [Fig. 4], and the virtual The result of measuring the noise when having a sound is shown in [Fig. 5].

4, the horizontal axis represents frequency (1/3 Octove [Hz]), the vertical axis represents Power Base Noise Reduction (PBNR), the red line represents the example graph, and the black line represents the comparative example graph, respectively. As a result, it can be confirmed that the PBNR, which is a shielding performance index, of the embodiment is superior to that of the comparative example in the entire frequency band.

5, the horizontal axis represents the frequency (Hz), the vertical axis represents the noise [dB(A)], the red line represents the example graph, and the black line represents the comparative example graph, respectively. As a result, it can be confirmed that the comparative example has better noise performance than the embodiment in some of the entire frequency band in the noise level felt in the driver's seat when the virtual sound is excited, but the embodiment is superior to the comparative example in the entire frequency band, resulting in lower noise generation. there is. In particular, it can be seen that the noise level is lowered by about 10 dBA in the 1.25 kHz band based on the driver's seat of the evaluation vehicle.

10: under cover
11: speaker

Claims (4)

In a virtual engine sound system (Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System) for an electric vehicle including a speaker 11,
The speaker 11,
It is mounted on the under cover 10 installed on the floor of the engine room of the electric vehicle,
A virtual engine sound system for an electric vehicle, characterized in that the warning sound is installed to proceed toward the ground.
In paragraph 1,
In the under cover 10,
A virtual engine sound system for an electric vehicle, characterized in that three speakers (11) are installed.
In paragraph 1,
The speaker 11,
A virtual engine sound system for electric vehicles, characterized in that the warning sound is installed so that the warning sound proceeds obliquely forward along the direction of the electric vehicle and is reflected on the ground.
In any one of claims 1 to 3,
The speaker 11,
A virtual engine sound system for an electric vehicle, characterized in that manufactured integrally with the under cover (10).

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