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Noisy dilemma!
Present-day carmakers are faced with a dilemma about the acceptable level of noise – reduction of noise both inside and outside while enhancing audio quality. This problem warrants large R&D investments that aim at a breakthrough in audio technology.
Automobile aficionados can soon expect stirring improvements for both in car entertainment and noise reduction, from sources such as the engine, wheels, road noise and so on.
Paradoxical pursuits of enhancing audio clarity and reducing unwanted noise offer an exciting opportunity for designers and engineers with knock on effects of reduced weight, leading to improved fuel economy, lower emissions and additional storage space.
The overlapping challenges of better sound and less noise pollution are being led by audio specialists working with the motor industry. In fact, Harman – the globally renowned audio specialist – is liaising with South Korea’s Hyundai while audio expert Sennheiser has been collaborating with automotive technology giant Continental.
Active noise cancellation is currently taking the biggest leap. That in itself isn’t new technology as it is installed in various luxury cars. Yet, Hyundai – working alongside Harman – has taken it to the next level and says current Active Noise Cancellation tends to be most effective in combatting noise that’s constant – such as the drone of an engine.
The new Road noise Active Noise Cancellation (RANC) system is designed to take the war on noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) to the next level.
Key to RANC is microphones installed around the car – for instance, close to the wheel arches. The road noise recorded by these microphones is sent to a central processor, which calculates the exact opposite sound wave, and then transmits through the audio system to counter the road noise.
Using microphones in the headlining, the processor can also alter the frequency for each passenger depending on how the noise presents
itself in their part of the car. Humans detect road noise in 0.009 seconds; but Hyundai’s processors are quicker at 0.002 seconds, enabling the system to block the intrusion before anyone hears it. Hyundai claims that RANC is now being used in its Genesis models, such as the Genesis GV80 luxury SUV, which boasts road noise reduction by three decibels that literally halves road noise compared to other cancellation systems.
Others too are pursuing noise cancellation with a vengeance. Sennheiser and Continental have placed their audio experts together in a room to figure out entirely new ways of creating sound without speakers.
Continental’s Ac2ated technology makes do without conventional speakers by using pulse motors to excite certain surfaces to create sound. It’s similar to stringed instruments that use open chambers to amplify the sound.
Sennheiser says that conventional audio systems in modern vehicles can weigh up to 40 kilogrammes; and together with Continental’s technology, it will reduce that figure by up to 90 percent.
And since interior designers wouldn’t need to make space for speakers in their cockpits or bury subwoofers in the luggage area, cleaner interior design concepts can be created, which in turn will reduce weight and put less strain on the car’s propulsion system.