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Voice Recognition (VR) systems have become an integral part of the infotainment systems in the current automotive industry. However, its recognition rate is impacted by external factors such as vehicle cabin noise, road noise, and internal factors which are a function of the voice engine in the system itself. This paper analyzes the VR performance under the effect of two external factors, vehicle cabin noise and the speakers’ speech patterns based on gender. It also compares performance of mid-level sedans from different manufacturers.

As the demand for Sound Quality improvements in vehicles continues to grow, robust analysis methods must be established to clearly represent end-user perception. For vehicle sounds which are tonal by nature, such as transmission or axle whine, the common practice of many vehicle manufacturers and suppliers is to subjectively rate the performance of a given part for acceptance on a scale of one to ten. The polar opposite of this is to measure data and use the peak of the fundamental or harmonic orders as an objective assessment. Both of these quantifications are problematic in that the former is purely subjective and the latter does not account for the presence of masking noise which has a profound impact on a driver's assessment of such noises. This paper presents the methodology and results of a study in which tonal noises in the presence of various level of masking noise were presented to a group of jurors in a controlled environment.

As the interior sound levels in cabin compartments of passenger vehicles continue to get quieter, noises from various sources which previously were not objectionable can become an issue. One such source is the “slosh noise” from liquid movement within fuel tanks. Vehicle manufacturers, responding to the phenomena, have turned to their suppliers and worked with them to establish robust test and analysis methods to characterize the NVH performance of their fuel storage and delivery systems. Test facilities have recently made great advancements in the capability to measure and characterize “fuel slosh noise” in tanks. However, the industry today lacks standardized procedures to apply to the issue, including defining test parameters and analysis methods (both of which are complex because of the time-domain nature of slosh events).

Identical fiber wheel liners were installed on two different mid size vehicles in order to compare the noise reduction for each vehicle. The fiber liners represented material in current production. A baseline noise level was established with the existing plastic wheel liners and then comparisons were made with fiber wheel liners. Noise levels were compared in the wheel well and in the interior for similar vehicle operating conditions. For both vehicles, significant tire noise reduction at the source was measured with fiber liners compared to plastic liners. One of the vehicles also demonstrated noise reduction in the passenger cabin with fiber liners. Insight into potential explanations for these differences was provided by comparing the noise levels at different locations within the vehicles. The results show how fiber liners are an additional tool to reduce the noise in a vehicle and how the NVH design for the balance of the vehicle can leverage the NVH impact of these parts.

For vehicle Original Equipment Manufactures (OEMs), road noise inside the vehicle is an important aspect that contributes to the comfort and the sound quality image of the vehicle. Road noise inside a vehicle is a function of the source (tire design interacting with road surface) and of vehicle sensitivity functions. Road noise targets and tire targets are typically developed by characterizing the tire as a noise and/or vibration source and by characterizing the vehicle as a matrix of acoustic or structural paths(1). This paper focuses on the development of a simplified procedure for measurement of Noise Reduction (or acoustic vehicle sensitivity function) from tire patch to vehicle interior. Several procedures are available from either literature, vehicle manufacturers or software providers, which exhibit important differences regarding sound production, number and position of source and receiver microphones, or measured parameters (2).

Tire Sound Quality is an increasingly important factor for customer satisfaction within the replacement tire market. Manufacturers who compete in this market must be capable of predicting a driver's perception of tire noise as early in the design process as possible in order to reduce development time and cost. Typical methods for tire noise evaluation each have limitations that require improvement. Subjective in-vehicle testing is generally an effective method for predicting driver perception, but it is vehicle specific, time consuming, and requires complete sets of tires for testing. Traditional single tire (component level) test methods measure overall tire noise levels, but do not always provide information relevant to a driver's perception of tire noise in a vehicle. Detailed noise path analysis techniques are cost prohibitive due to the amount of time and effort required to characterize each vehicle and the multitude of vehicles that exist.