Active sound control in the automotive interior

Active sound control has seen extensive use in a variety of industries and has been a potential tool for noise and vibration control engineers in the automotive industry since the late 1980s. However, it has only relatively recently begun to be more widely adopted within the automotive sector. This is in part due to a reduction in the cost of implementation, but also due to changes in vehicle powertrain systems and the resulting NVH challenges, as well as the evolving demands of consumers. For example, active sound control technology can be used to not only reduce noise in the automotive environment, but to enhance the driving experience through the manipulation of powertrain noise or the provision of advanced infotainment features. Resultantly, active sound control systems form a potentially integral part in the design of future automotive interiors. This chapter reviews the development and state-of-the-art in active sound control systems within the automotive sector, including both noise reduction and sound reproduction technologies that can come together to enable the refinement of future interiors