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SAE TECHNICAL
PAPER SERIES 2003-01-1526

Identification of Annoying Noises in Vehicles

José Ignacio Huertas, Juan Carlos Parra Duque,
Juan Pablo Posada Zuluaga and Diego Felipe Parra Mariño
Los Andes University

Noise & Vibration Conference and Exhibition

Traverse City, Michigan
May 5-8, 2003

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2003-01-1526

Identification of Annoying Noises in Vehicles

José Ignacio Huertas, Juan Carlos Parra Duque,

Juan Pablo Posada Zuluaga and Diego Felipe Parra Mariño
Los Andes University

Copyright © 2003 SAE International

ABSTRACT vehicles in good conditions and they are bothersome for

During its initial use the vehicles go through a period of
adjustment, in which the structure and moving parts
show their problems of looseness, tightness, stress,
excess or lack of torque by emitting characteristic noises
of different intensity and frequency. These noises are
bothersome for the user. Car manufactures and private
companies have specially-trained personnel who are
able to identify the source of those noises simply by
listening to them. Once the source is identified, the
problem is often solved by tightening the moving parts
and/or using polymer materials. For the companies that
provide the service of elimination of annoying noises
inside the cabin, however, this dependence on such
specially trained people is a problem.
the user.
Specially trained personnel have learned to recognize
those patterns of noise and to associate them with their
source, simply by listening to them. Experience has
shown that the 95% of the vehicles that arrive at dealers
and repair shops with annoying noises are caused by
the same kind of problems. Once the source is
identified, these problems are easily solved by using
special polymer materials and/or by tightening moving
parts.
Firms engaged in the elimination of noises in vehicles
have found that their dependence on such highly trained
personnel has become a recurrent problem.

As an alternative, there is a proposal to develop a
system that measures the noise patterns inside the
cabin during dynamic tests, subtracts the engine noise,
identifies the annoying noise, obtains the frequency
spectra of the detected noise by using the Fourier and
Hilbert transforms, compares these spectra with the
spectra of the most frequently annoying noises found
inside cabins of vehicles and, finally, reports the
potential sources of the annoying noise detected.
This paper describes the system assembled for this
purpose and its performance in the elimination of
annoying noises inside vehicle cabins.
INTRODUCTION
During the first year of use the vehicles go through a
period of adjustment, in which the structure and moving
parts show their problems of looseness, tightness,
stress, excess or lack of torque by emitting characteristic
noises of different intensity and frequency. These noises
are very different from the normal noise patterns of the
As an alternative solution for these companies, here it is
proposed to develop a diagnostic tool that incorporates
the experience of the specialists in the identification of
annoying noises inside vehicle cabins. This tool would
enable inexperienced technicians to make the diagnosis
with a high degree of reliability. The progress made so
far in the development of such tool is described below.
CHARACTERIZATION OF NOISES IN VEHICLES
An isolated noise is characterized in a unique way by its
frequency spectrum obtained by the application of the
Fourier transform. In this way, for example, a noise
originated by the friction of metal A with metal B has a
frequency spectrum that distinguishes it from any other
type of noise. Nevertheless, the noises generated by the
friction of metal A with metal B may appear with different
intensities.
The noises may occur repeatedly. In the case of
vehicles in movement, the frequency of occurrence of

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the noise may depend on how fast moving parts (engine,
transmission, tires, etc) are rotating or how often the
vehicle passes over holes in the road, or what
oscillations are being caused by the wind. This
frequency of occurrence of the noise is determined by
applying the Fourier transform to the envelope of the
noise signal. The envelope is obtained by applying the
Hilbert transform to the original noise signal.
On this way, a noise is characterized by its frequency
spectrum and its frequency of occurrence.
Nevertheless, the process of identification of annoying
noises in vehicles is complicated due to the diversity of
noises occurring simultaneously in the cabin. Most of
them are inherent to the operation of the vehicle (engine,
tire, etc.). Few of them correspond to the noises that the
user perceives as annoying ones. Furthermore the
annoying noises correspond to those with intensities and
frequencies that distinguish them clearly from the normal
noises of the vehicle in operation.
SYSTEM FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF ANNOYING
NOISE SOURCES IN VEHICLES
Figure 2 describes in a general way the operation of the
system for the diagnosis of annoying noise sources that
occur in vehicle cabins. The system performs the
following tasks:
• Captures the audio signals originating inside the
vehicle and the values of the vehicle operation
variables.
• Prepare the acquired signals.
• Identifies the annoying noises.
• Diagnoses the possible sources of the annoying
noises detected.
• Stores the diagnosis and the history of the
adjustments made to the vehicle.
The parts of the system for the diagnosis of annoying
noises inside vehicle cabins are described below.

However when the combined signal of the annoying

noise and the background noises is analyzed, the
characteristic frequency spectrum of the signal of
interest is hidden or masked by the frequency spectrum
of the background noises, as shown in figure 1. Audio sensors
Therefore, it is necessary to filter the combined signal to Database:
Expert’s knowledge
obtain the isolated signal of the annoying noise.

A system of diagnosis that incorporates this concept is Signal A–D

conditioning Converter
being developed. The system will be used to identify and Noise spectrum

characterize the common annoying noises that occur

Diagnoses:
inside vehicles. Its operation is described below. Software Possible problems
list

Figure 2
General sketch of the system developed for annoying
noise recognition in vehicles.

ACQUISITION OF AUDIO SIGNALS AND VEHICLE

OPERATION VARIABLES

Two audio sensors (commercial microphones) installed

inside the cabin of the vehicle pick up the noise signals
present inside the vehicle. One microphone is located in
a place near the engine compartment, and the other
near the driver’s ear. There is also an encoder to record
vehicle speed and a magnetic sensor to record engine
speed.

Figure 1 The signals are obtained while the vehicle follows a

Typical signal of an annoying noise inside a Volvo 850 dynamic test protocol designed for this purpose. In the
GLT generated by door latch mechanism. In the upper initial phase (static), the protocol allows the obvious
part it is shown the audio signal originated inside the problems that could be causing the annoying noises to
vehicle, in the lower part it is shown its Fast Fourier be discarded (for example, suspension in bad condition,
Transform (FFT). It is observed that the FFT of the brake pads worn, doors loose, etc. In the final phase
annoying noise is masked within the FFT of the (dynamic), the vehicle goes over flat ground at constant
background noise. speeds of 20 - 40 km/h. The test track includes rolling
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ground, wide bends, and surfaces in bad condition. This
test protocol was based on the standards that the
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has established
for this purpose [Ref. 1 ] and the experience acquired by
personnel engaged in this activity. A graphic interface
was developed in MatLab® to ensure correct application
of the test protocol.
CONDITIONING OF AUDIO SIGNALS
An electronic circuit was designed and built to filter out
electrical noise and amplify the audio signals acquired in
the previous phase. This circuit uses instrumentation
amplifiers INA121. Figure 3 shows the conditioning and
filtering circuit.
transfer function of the filter to decrease the error value.
In this case the error signal corresponds to the filtered
signal. References 2 and 3 describe the operation of
this kind of filter.
It was necessary to use an adaptive filter for this
application because the two audio signals are not
necessarily in phase, the background noise in the two
signals possess intensities, and the intensities and
frequencies of the background noise may vary with time.
Figure 5 shows a typical audio signal of an annoying
noise inside a vehicle before and after the adaptive filter.
Finally, the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of the filtered
signal is obtained. The resulting pattern corresponds to
the characteristic frequency spectrum of the annoying
noise present in the cabin.

Figure 3
Electronic circuit built to eliminate electrical noise and to
amplify the audio signals picked up inside the vehicle.
Figure 4
Operation of the adaptive filter used to eliminate the
noise corresponding to the normal operation of the
vehicle in movement from the signal acquired in the
cabin.

The filtered and amplified audio signal is connected to a

standard (commercially available) audio card that
converts the analog audio signals into digital signals. A
laptop acquires the digital signals through a subroutine
developed in MatLab®.

IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE

ANNOYING NOISES

A subroutine was developed in MatLab® to process the

signals recorded.

Initially, the background noise is filtered from the signal

of interest. The idea is to eliminate the signal originated
by the sensor located close to the engine from the signal
originated by the sensor located at the height of the
driver’s ear. The signal coming from the engine contains
the noises corresponding to the normal operation of the Figure 5
vehicle in movement (engine, tire tread, wind, etc). Typical noise signal inside a vehicle before and after the
adaptive filter. (a) Signal from the cabin. (b) Signal from
For this purpose, the software developed includes an a place close to the engine. (c) Signal processed by the
adaptive filter whose operation is outlined in figure 4. adaptive filter with the background noise filtered out (d)
This is one of the mathematical tools included in Annoying noise spectrum without mask.
MatLab®. It works in such a way that when the incoming
signals change their characteristics, the adaptation
algorithm iteratively corrects the coefficients of the
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DIAGNOSIS EXPERIMENTAL TESTS

In the diagnosis phase of the annoying noises source: Figure 6, shows tool assembled for the identification of
annoying noises in vehicles. In this phase, the system
• The Hilbert transform of the filtered audio signal is was tested in more than 50 vehicles of different types
obtained. The FFT is obtained from the resulting and brands. Results show that the tool is successful
signal. The main frequency of the resulting identifying common annoying noises such as
frequency spectrum corresponds to the frequency of maladjusted mudguards and metal-metal friction.
occurrence of the annoying noise. Reference 5
describes the mathematical base of these tools.
• The FFT of the audio signal acquired from the
microphone located near the engine is obtained. The
main frequency of this frequency spectrum
corresponds to the angular speed of the engine.
• The distance, speed and acceleration signals of the
vehicle are obtained using a fifth wheel connected to
one of the back tires of the vehicle. Reference 5
describes design and operation of the fifth wheel
used.

On the other hand a database has been constructed

with the characterization of the most frequent annoying
noise patterns found in vehicles. The database has been
organized by model and type of vehicle. The experience
of personnel engaged in the elimination of annoying
Figure 6
noises in vehicles was incorporated in the database. The
Tool built to identify and diagnose annoying noises
database contains a complete description of each type
inside vehicle cabins.
of noise, its sources and its alternative solutions.
The tool has been able to recognize similar noises in
different type of cars. For example figures 7 and 8 show
The diagnosis phase thus consists of comparing the
the presence of a tray noise in 2 different brand names
noise detected in the vehicle being tested with the
manufactures.
noises contained in the database and selecting the most
similar ones. The association is made through a neural It was also found that for the companies engaged in the
network previously “trained” for this work. Reference 6 elimination of annoying noises in vehicles, the tool has
contains a description of this scheme of searching. become a mean of ensuring client satisfaction. The tool
allows these companies to verify, in an objective way,
When a new noise (i.e. a noise not included in the that the annoying noise was effectively eliminated from
database) appears, the diagnosis phase provides a the car.
guide to the technician to find its source. For example, a
frequency of occurrence of the annoying noise related to
the angular speed of the engine will indicate a friction
problem in the moving parts of the engine.

STORAGE OF THE INFORMATION

Each successful experience in the elimination of

annoying noises in vehicles is a new case to be fed into
the database described in the previous section. The
main harmonics of the annoying noise frequency
spectrum, its frequency of occurrence, the engine and
the vehicle speed are recorded. The identification of the
vehicle and observations of the operator are also
recorded in the database.

Figure 7
a) Noise signal coming from the tray of a Renault 9. b)
Noise signal coming from the tray in of a Honda Civic.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by COLCIENCIAS and VRTec.

REFERENCES

1. Society of Automotive Engineers. SAE Handbook.

USA. 2002.
2. Morgan, N., Gold, B. Speech and audio signal
processing. Jhon Wiley & Sons. USA. 2000
3. www.mathworks.com
4. McClellan J.H. Computer-Based Exercises for signal
processing using MatLab. MatLab curriculum series.
Prentice Hall. USA. 1998
5. Huertas, J.I, Parra D.F, y Muñoz LE. Performance
monitoring of automotive vehicles. Los Andes
University. In development . Colombia 2002.
6. Tsoukalas, L.H, Uhrig, RE. Fuzzy and neural
Figure 8
approaches in engineering. John Wiley & sons.
a) Noise signal coming from the door latch mechanism
USA. 1997.
of a Chevrolet Swift 1.0 b) Noise signal coming from the
door latch mechanism in a Volvo 850 GLT c) Noise
signal coming from the door latch mechanism of a
Chevrolet Sprint d) Noise signal coming from door latch CONTACT
mechanism of a Mazda B2000
Jose Ignacio Huertas. ME, MSc, DSc. Associate
CONCLUSIONS professor. Department of mechanical engineering. Los
Andes University. jhuertas@uniandes.edu.co
Companies engaged in the elimination of annoying
noises inside vehicle cabins currently depend on highly
trained personnel that use their ears alone to identify the
noise and to diagnose its source. This dependency has
been a problem for these companies. As an alternative
solution it has been developed a tool to diagnose the
source of the common annoying noises present inside
vehicle cabins. The diagnostic tool is composed of audio
sensors, signal conditioners, a software developed for
this application, a database and a fifth wheel.

The diagnostic tool acquires the noise patterns present

inside the vehicle while it performs a dynamic test
protocol. The tool eliminates the background noise of the
signal that contains the annoying noise, characterizes it
by applying the Fourier transform and obtains the
frequency of occurrence of the noise by applying the
Hilbert and Fourier transforms. A fifth wheel provides the
speed and acceleration of the vehicle. With this
information, the diagnostic tool compares the frequency
spectra obtained against the characteristic frequency
spectra of the most common misalignments in vehicles,
and reports the possible misalignments of the vehicle
being analyzed.

Experimental tests show that the tool is successful in

identifying common annoying noises, such as
maladjusted mudguards and metal-on-metal friction.
Work is currently being done to strengthen the tool.

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