Israeli firm enables sound of silence with broadband active road noise cancellation

Israel-based Silentium, a tech innovation company specialising in creating personal in-car sound environments, has introduced advanced, broad-band active road noise cancellation to the auto industry for the first time.

After several years in development, Jaguar and Land Rover are the first carmakers to integrate Silentium’s ‘Active Acoustics’ software in three of their new vehicles, meaning the technology is now available for car buyers to experience. Active road noise cancellation removes 90% of unwanted noise across a broad band of frequencies – from 20Hz up to 1kHz – providing a quieter and more refined experience for occupants, and therefore preventing driver fatigue.

Active Road Noise Cancellation combines with Engine Noise Cancellation on the new Jaguar F-PACE and new Range Rover Velar with the P400e plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain to further enhance the sense of wellbeing. The pioneering system allows the PHEV variant to be refined for lower CO₂ emissions and efficiency with no impact on driver experience.

Iain Suffield, Jaguar Land Rover Refinement Advanced Technologies Specialist said: “We are committed to creating a haven for our customers and this new technology allows us to remove unwanted noises from the cabin. It makes the experience more tranquil, improving passenger wellbeing and helping to reduce cognitive load and thus reaction times. This research is all part of the journey to Destination Zero.”

Dr Steve Iley, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Medical Officer, added: “Active Road Noise Cancellation technology not only has the potential to improve road safety but also wellbeing and quality of life for our customers. In a post-coronavirus world, where a ‘new normal’ is emerging, we expect customer expectations of private transport to change. An extra focus will be placed on safe, clean mobility where personal space, wellbeing and hygiene carry a premium.”

In addition to wellbeing benefits, Silentium’s Active Acoustics technology offers vehicle manufacturers a way to reduce their reliance on costly passive noise damping and insulation materials, and reduce vehicle weight – an increasingly important R&D factor as the industry enters a new era of electro-mobility.

Anthony Manias, Head of Automotive at Silentium, commented: “Active Acoustics will change the way car manufacturers reduce, cancel and enhance sound inside their vehicles, and how customers perceive and interact with these sounds. Silentium has proven that it can make broadband in-car noise cancellation work – now the duty is on carmakers to adopt the technology and ensure their customers can enjoy the benefits.”

How active noise cancellation works
Silentium’s industry-first technology is similar to that found in a pair of high-end noise-cancelling headphones, but more advanced as it manipulates a larger amount of air. Up to six strategically positioned accelerometers on a vehicle’s chassis monitor unwanted road noise and send a signal to an on-board control unit with Silentium’s software, which plays an equivalent anti-noise signal through the vehicle’s speaker system. The pressure waves from both the unwanted exterior noise and manufactured anti-noise reach occupants’ eardrums at exactly the same time and cancel each other out.