Renault - Apache Technology for road conditions - Less noise, more sound
With the advent of electric vehicles, one might think that the noise pollution generated by automobiles is on its way out. Yet 80% of a car's noise is generated by its contact with the road, and poor road conditions exponentially increase noise pollution both inside and outside the vehicle.
It’s with this in mind that Thomas Antoine, Expert Leader Noise & Vibration Technology at Renault Group, developed the Apache program, which maps road conditions to pinpoint areas where repairs would be most beneficial to decrease noise pollution, as well as the economic and public health burdens on local communities. Thomas Antoine and Fadila Hrird, a first-year master's student in geomatics applied to urban studies and risks at CY Cergy Paris University, explain how this technology works, their methodology and describe the program’s many expected benefits.
It’s with this in mind that Thomas Antoine, Expert Leader Noise & Vibration Technology at Renault Group, developed the Apache program, which maps road conditions to pinpoint areas where repairs would be most beneficial to decrease noise pollution, as well as the economic and public health burdens on local communities. Thomas Antoine and Fadila Hrird, a first-year master's student in geomatics applied to urban studies and risks at CY Cergy Paris University, explain how this technology works, their methodology and describe the program’s many expected benefits.
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MotorTranscript
00:00Sound pollution is the effect of exposure to the noise of the population and in particular the consequences for their well-being and their health.
00:18And today, in the mix of current vehicles, we consider that 80% of the noise emitted comes from the contact of road tires.
00:25To solve this problem inside the vehicle, we use sensors that allow active control.
00:30The principle is to inject a sound wave that will cancel the noise we are trying to reduce.
00:36Active control will smooth the spectrum and make the trip much less tiring.
00:41And so we asked ourselves the question of being able to value, even monetize, the signals that come from these sensors.
00:47And so we developed a box called APACHE.
00:50We are able, through these sensors, to come and look for the fine characteristics of the road.
00:56We transformed a Renault vehicle into a kind of road reading head.
01:00We are reading the acoustic information of the road, like a vinyl disc.
01:05The APACHE sensor is used to collect data, in particular vibration data, from the vehicle.
01:09The final product is to know exactly in what state the road is located, whether it is degraded or not.
01:15And this allows us to know at what sound level we are at when the vehicle passes.
01:20I use a cartography software that allows me to import population data,
01:24from establishments that receive public data, in particular schools, retirement homes, hospitals.
01:29This is where a partnership with the Noise Observer is really necessary.
01:33Because we have access to an additional database that is very relevant for our project.
01:37Noise Observer is the most developed noise observatory in Europe.
01:42It will be a reference for an innovative service.
01:45It is the territory of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines that was the first to do the experiment,
01:49where we produced the first maps of 400 km of road that were scanned with our system.
01:54We have demonstrations of interest from several cities in France and even abroad.
01:58Today, ADEME has calculated for 2021 the social cost of noise in France at more than 146 billion euros.
02:04The best cost-benefit ratio is working on the road.
02:07And Bruit Parif has documented that 1 euro invested on the road is 17 to 20 euros gained on the social cost of noise.
02:14We also provide information about the energy consumed when vehicles pass on this road.
02:19This allows them, in the end, to have a complete diagnosis,
02:22and to know exactly how much it will bring them to think about this road.
02:25We respond to an environmental problem.
02:27It is a virtuous circle.
02:28We have a technology that improves the acoustics inside our vehicles.
02:32And we allow communities to make the most just decisions.
02:35So, in fact, everyone wins in this.
02:37What really helped me make my decision to join Renault
02:41is precisely the fact that it has a direct impact on improving the quality of life of the inhabitants.
02:46My work means something, it means something, and it has an interest.
02:50The innovation we brought with the whole Noise Pollution approach
02:53required the integration of new skills.
02:56Fadila joined us.
02:57She really brought all her operational and technical know-how on the manipulation of geometric data.
03:04The culture of innovation at Renault is not to limit ourselves to a technology for technology.
03:10It has to provide a service to our customers.
03:12And here, in this case, we even went to an even greater perimeter
03:15since we are tackling a major societal problem, which is noise pollution.
03:18It is an innovation that we have patented, and today we are pioneers in this area.