Hyundai noise control tech a world first
Noise cancellation is a pretty nifty science. Projecting new sound waves at an inverted frequency to those sounds already coming in can decrease the overall noise heard.
In a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, this means music is untainted by the sounds of whatever noisy thing is nearby. In a car, it means a quiet cabin, mostly free of the unwanted sounds coming from the engine and road.
Hyundai Motor Group recently announced its new Road Active Noise Control (RANC), which improves on old tech to reduce road noise by up to an additional 3db, giving the Korean automaker an industry-best interior noise cancellation system.
Old systems relied on insulation and dampers to passively kill sound, which ultimately resulted in extra weight and a faint, low-frequency buzz seeping through. Previous systems, on the other hand, used software and components such as controllers and microphones to measure and reduce noise. But Hyundai says that process was limited by the software, which struggled to get the cancellation done in the 0.009 seconds it takes for road or engine noise to reach the ears of passengers. The new RANC system will do it in just 0.002 seconds.
Hyundai anticipates the system will work particularly well within the cabins of electric vehicles which, without combustion engines beneath them, are particularly susceptible to road noise. The RANC system will debut in an unnamed upcoming Genesis model.