IP Library Granted Patent US 7,620,188
Granted Patent B2
US 7,620,188 · App. 10/866,986 · Granted Nov 17, 2009

Cylinder responsive vibratory noise control apparatus

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,620,188
App. No.
10/866,986
Granted
Nov 17, 2009
Kind
B2
Abstract

An active vibratory noise control apparatus reduces vibratory noise which is produced in the passenger compartment of a vehicle based on vibratory noise generated by a variable-cylinder internal combustion engine that can selectively be operated in a full-cylinder operation mode in which all of the cylinders are operated and a partial-cylinder operation mode in which some of the cylinders are out of operation. The active vibratory noise control apparatus has a partial-cylinder operation mode determining circuit for determining whether the variable-cylinder internal combustion engine is in the partial-cylinder operation mode or not. Depending on a determined result from the partial-cylinder operation mode determining circuit, a transistor is turned on or off to switch an amplifying circuit which drives a speaker into and out of operation.

Claims (15)

1. An active vibratory noise control apparatus for reducing vibratory noise which is produced in the passenger compartment of a vehicle based on vibratory noise generated by a variable-cylinder internal combustion engine that can selectively be operated in a full-cylinder operation mode in which all of the cylinders are operated and a partial-cylinder operation mode in which some of the cylinders are out of operation, comprising:

partial-cylinder operation mode determining means for determining whether the variable-cylinder internal combustion engine is in the partial-cylinder operation mode or not; and

switching control means for de-energizing said active vibratory noise control apparatus when said partial-cylinder operation mode determining means applies a signal indicative of the full-cylinder operation mode, and for energizing said active vibratory noise control apparatus when said partial-cylinder operation mode determining means applies a signal indicative of the partial-cylinder operation mode.

2. An active vibratory noise control apparatus for reducing vibratory noise which is produced in the passenger compartment of a vehicle based on vibratory noise generated by a variable-cylinder internal combustion engine that can selectively be operated in a full-cylinder operation mode in which all of the cylinders are operated and a partial-cylinder operation mode in which some of the cylinders are out of operation, comprising:

number-of-active-cylinder determining means for determining the number of active cylinders of said variable-cylinder internal combustion engine; and

basic frequency changing means for changing the frequency of a basic signal which is a frequency to be controlled, depending on the number of active cylinders determined by said number-of-active-cylinder determining means, so as to cancel the vibratory noise of a rotational order component when a specific number of cylinders is activated.

3. An active vibratory noise control apparatus for reducing vibratory noise which is produced in the passenger compartment of a vehicle based on vibratory noise generated by a variable-cylinder internal combustion engine that can selectively be operated in a full-cylinder operation mode in which all of the cylinders are operated and a partial-cylinder operation mode in which some of the cylinders are out of operation, comprising:

basic signal generating means for generating a basic signal having a frequency based on the frequency of the vibratory noise generated by said variable-cylinder internal combustion engine;

an adaptive filter for generating a canceling signal based on said basic signal in order to cancel the vibratory noise which is produced in the passenger compartment based on the vibratory noise generated by the variable-cylinder internal combustion engine;

a secondary vibration source for generating a canceling vibration or a canceling sound based on the canceling signal generated by said adaptive filter;

error detecting means for detecting the difference between the vibratory noise in the passenger compartment and the canceling vibration or the canceling sound, and outputting a signal based on said difference as an error signal;

reference signal generating means for correcting said basic signal based on a corrective value depending on signal transfer characteristics from said secondary vibration source to said error detecting means, thereby to generate a reference signal;

filter coefficient updating means for sequentially updating filter coefficients of said adaptive filter for minimizing said error signal based on said reference signal and said error signal;

number-of-active-cylinder determining means for determining the number of active cylinders of said variable-cylinder internal combustion engine; and

basic frequency changing means for changing the frequency of the basic signal depending on the number of active cylinders determined by said number-of-active-cylinder determining means, so as to cancel the vibratory noise of a rotational order component when a specific number of cylinders is activated.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 18, 2008
From: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 021852/0250 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 15, 2004
From: INOUE, TOSHIO; MINOWA, SATORU; TAKAHASHI, AKIRA; NAKAMURA, YOSHIO; ONISHI, MASAHIDE
To: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.; MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 015480/0424 →