The following article was originally published in eeNews Automotive. It is reprinted here with permission.
At CES 2020, Continental and electro-acoustics specialist Sennheiser presented an audio system for the vehicle interior that doesn’t require any loudspeakers at all, yet is promising to provide a high-quality 3D sound experience.
The system fills cars with high-quality sound by combining the audio concepts of the two companies. The partners will integrate Sennheiser's patented AMBEO 3D audio technology into Continental's Ac2ated Sound System. The technology company's concept causes existing surfaces in the vehicle to vibrate, making conventional speakers superfluous.
In conjunction with Sennheiser's 3D audio technology AMBEO Mobility, the sound concept is designed to achieve immersive reproduction that transports the vehicle occupants into an almost lifelike world of sound. A patented algorithm developed by Sennheiser plays a central role in this process. It converts stereo sound signals into 3D audio and at the same time ensures perfect sound balance.
By eliminating the need for costly multi-way loudspeakers, which are commonplace in sophisticated audio systems, Ac2ated Sound enables a reduction in weight and installation space of up to 90%. This makes it particularly suitable for use in electric vehicles, where weight and space savings are essential.
The developers were inspired by the technology of classic stringed instruments, which use their wooden body as a resonance chamber. Similarly, Ac2ated Sound employs specially developed actuators to cause certain surfaces inside the vehicle to vibrate. The result is not just a natural sound experience for the occupants—it also achieves a lower weight and a considerably reduced installation volume compared to the complex multi-way speaker systems common in sophisticated audio systems.
Today's systems typically weigh up to 40 kilograms. With Ac2ated Sound, weight drops significantly due to the use of existing surfaces. Compared with comparable conventional systems on the market, it allows a weight and installation space reduction in the range of 75 to 90%, according to Continental.
At the same time, the innovative audio technology frees designers and vehicle manufacturers from the problem of having to integrate wide loudspeaker fronts into the interior surfaces and provide considerable installation space for loudspeakers. Thanks to Ac2ated Sound, many components are no longer necessary because the surfaces in the vehicle vibrate just as much as loudspeaker membranes. To achieve this, components such as the A-pillar trim, door panels, roof lining, and rear shelf are made to vibrate by actuators so that they emit sound in different frequency ranges.