Configuring the ADAS Audio Sensor

Software Overview

This page contains the complete overview of the VBOX Audio Sensor Setup software.

You can download the Audio Sensor Setup software here.

The Audio Sensor software has been developed to give you absolute flexibility in assessing and verifying audio frequencies given by ADAS/AD warning and information functions.

If you already know the frequency you are working with, you can simply input it directly into the software and replay the tone back through the PC speakers for confirmation. The software also has the ability to detect/analyse and generate tones for the detection and verification of notifications. The unit can store up to 4 separate frequencies to trigger off of Any or All of the tones. You can replay and verify these frequencies before you write them to the unit.

The Audio Sensor software gives you the ability to detect and replay audio frequencies and then configure the Audio Sensor unit for real-time detection/trigger.

The configurable options of the Audio detector are:

Up to four individual detection frequencies
Frequency band for background noise detection
Signal detection threshold above background noise
Audio detection digital output delay
CAN settings for output audio detection data via CAN bus

The installed FW version is displayed in the software title bar when the unit is connected.

Top Ribbon

The buttons on the top ribbon are used for loading/requesting configuration settings; either from the unit or stored locally.

Connect/Disconnect Click on the Connect button to select the relevant COM port that your Audio Sensor is connected to. When your unit is connected to the software, this button will change to say Disconnect. Click on the Disconnect button to disconnect the Audio Sensor from the software.
Request from Unit The settings that are currently written to the Audio Sensor unit will automatically be loaded into the software when it is connected. If you change the configuration and want to revert back to the current settings, you can click on this button to reload the settings that are currently stored in the Audio Sensor unit.
Write to Unit Click on this button to write the software's current configuration to the connected Audio Sensor.
Load from File Click on this button to load configuration settings from a previously saved configuration file to the software for validation or modification.
Save to file Click on this button to save the software's current configuration to a file saved locally. You can load this back into the software later or disseminate it to use with other Audio Sensor units.
About Click on the i-button to see the software version you are using.

Frequencies to Detect

This is the area where you can configure the frequencies you wish to detect.

You can configure up to 4 frequencies simultaneously. You can add frequencies by clicking on the + icon to the right of the Selected Freq. (Hz) at the top of the Visualiser area (you can find more information about this setting in the Visualiser information below).

VBOX Audio Sensor Setup_Default_Frequencies.png

Edit Frequency
You can edit the frequency of each detectable signal by typing it directly in the value box or clicking on the up and down arrows.
Delete
You can delete a frequency by clicking on the cross next to it.
Add Frequency
You can add a frequency by clicking on the + icon next to the configured signals (if you have configured 1-3 signals).
Set Trigger
You can set the unit to trigger with an AND or OR functionality.
You can read more about the using these functionalities here.
Preview Tone
You can preview the tone of a frequency by clicking on the speaker icon next to the tone.

When using the AND functionality for the trigger, you can preview the tones simultaneously by clicking on the speaker icon next to the radio buttons.

VBOX Audio Sensor Setup_Configured_Frequencies_OR.png

VBOX Audio Sensor Setup_Configured_Frequencies.png

Visualiser

This is where you can see the live ambient frequencies and the selected frequencies on a graph.

This is where you decide on the frequency you want to detect:

If you know the frequency you wish to detect, you can type it directly into the Selected Freq. (Hz) box.
You can click directly on the graph to set the frequency at that specific location.
You can adjust the frequency level by clicking on the up and down arrows next to the value.

Add the selected frequency to the list of Frequencies to Detect by clicking on the + icon next to the Selected Freq. (Hz).

Scroll in/out on the graph to focus on areas of interest.

Right-click on the graph to pan.

You can preview the tone of the selected frequency by clicking on the speaker icon.

VBOX Audio Sensor Setup_Configured_Visualiser_1500px_framed.png

Advanced

Measure Background Noise Range (Hz)

This setting works in conjunction with the Noise Multiplier setting (described below). It defines the region of interest to assess the background noise to which the noise multiplier will be applied. This should normally be set to capture a range on either side of the frequency of interest. However, if the test environment contains a large amount of noise close to the frequency of interest it may be beneficial to exclude that noise from the background noise calculations.

Noise Multiplier (x)

This setting defines how much louder the detected frequency should be over the Measure Background Noise Range to trigger.

Higher multiplier
This is to be used for loud and clear warnings. It gives greater confidence in detection and fewer false triggers. The higher multiplier is around 3 to 4.

Lower multiplier
This is to be used for quieter warnings or when the differentiation from the background noise is not clear. This will Increase trigger incidences but will also increase false positives. The lower multiplier is around 1 to 2.

Digital Output

Fixed Delay (ms)

This setting is a user-defined delay of the digital output signal, of between 10 ms and 1000 ms. This is to be used for applications where deterministic timing is more important than lower latencies. The digital output can be set to trigger a fixed time after the start of the sound.

Note: If the set value is less than the detection time (typically approximately 50 ms) the output will be sent directly. This may be later than the user-defined delay.

For example a Euro NCAP FCW assessment. With a 1.2 (s) delay between warning detection and brake application, we may wish to add a known delay of around 100 ms to ensure absolute accuracy of the warning onset and subtract the 100 ms from the 1.2 (s) delay induced in the robot settings.

VBOX Audio Sensor Setup_Advanced_Digital Output.png

CAN Output

This setting is user-defined. The default is 0x501 but you can provide any valid ID.

The CAN output format is:

Bytes 1-2 - uint16 calculated time since the start of sound in milliseconds (ms)
Bytes 3-4 - uint16 detection signal level indication
Bytes 5-6 - uint16 detection frequency in Hz
Byte 7 - flags
Byte 8 - unused

Note: All multi-byte values are little-endian.

VBOX Audio Sensor Setup_Advanced_CAN Output.png

For the flags bytes:

bit 0 = channel 1 detected
bit 1 = channel 2 detected
bit 2 = channel 3 detected
bit 3 = channel 4 detected
bit 7 = Master trigger signal

Bits 0-3 in the flags byte reflect the current status of the channels. In the event of either a signal that lasts less than the minimum detection time or not all signals being detected in AND mode, it is possible for the individual channel flags to be active but for the system not to trigger.

The detection signal level will be the highest level seen since the start of the trigger.

The detection frequency will be the frequency of the highest signal level seen since the start of the trigger.

If a trigger event lasts under 100 ms, the output packets that indicate a trigger will be extended to a minimum of 100 ms with the final signal values preserved and the time increasing.

Extended ID

When you select this setting, the Audio Sensor's CAN output will use a CAN 2.0B 29-bit extended identifier.

Baud Rate

You can change the CAN Output baud rate by clicking on the dropdown menu and selecting the baud rate you wish to use.

You have the following options:

1 Mb/s
800 kb/s
500 kb/s
250 kb/s
125 kb/s
100 kb/s

Configure with VBOX Audio Sensor Setup

This page provides the steps for setting up the ADAS Audio Sensor with VBOX Audio Sensor Setup.

Make sure that you have VBOX Audio Sensor Setup installed on your PC.
Connect your ADAS Audio Sensor to your PC with a USB-A to USB-C cable.

This cable will power the unit and provide access to configure the detection and trigger settings.

Audio sensor serial connection to PC.png

Open VBOX Audio Sensor Setup.
Click on the Connect button to open the dropdown list of available COM ports and select the port that you connected the Audio Sensor to. (It will be labeled as USB serial device.)

ADAS Audio Sensor Setup_Startup_Default toolbar_Connect_dropdown.png

When the software has connected to the unit, the graph in the Visualiser will automatically populate and show live feedback of background noise captured by the Audio Sensor's internal microphone (or external microphone if used).
Select the frequency you wish to detect.
You can do this by either clicking directly on the graph to select that frequency, typing the frequency directly into the Selected Freq. (Hz) value box, or using the arrow buttons next to the Selected Freq. (Hz) value box to increase or decrease the frequency value.
You can replay the selected frequency in the software to confirm your selection by clicking on the speaker icon next to the selected frequency in the Visualiser.
Click on the + icon next to the Selected Freq. to add the currently selected frequency to the Frequencies to Detect list.

You can add a maximum of 4 frequencies to detect.
You can set the unit to trigger using the AND or OR functionalities:

VBOX Audio Sensor Setup_Configured_Visualiser.png

AND

When you select AND, the signal detection will only be triggered when all of the frequencies are met simultaneously. You can use this for multi-toned warnings or multi-vibration haptic warnings.

Using AND triggering will significantly reduce false positives from any background noise.

VBOX Audio Sensor Setup_Configured_Frequencies.png

OR

When you select OR, the sensor output will be activated when the unit detects any of the configured frequencies. The Audio Sensor’s CAN bus output contains individual data bits for each frequency. This makes it possible for a connected VBOX 3i unit to establish and highlight which vehicle warning sound has been detected. For example, if it is a seat belt reminder or a Forward Collision Warning.

Additionally, it is common for warnings to rise in both frequency and intensity the longer they have to sound. (Such as the seat belt reminder or the warning cascade described in UNECE R79). The multiple frequency option with OR triggers will give you the ability to measure individual timings in the escalation of warning sounds.

VBOX Audio Sensor Setup_Configured_Frequencies_OR.png

Go to the Advanced Settings area to adjust the following settings, if applicable:

Measure Background Noise Range

Noise Multiplier

Digital Output Fixed Delay (ms)

CAN Output

VBOX Audio Sensor Setup_Configured_Advanced_framed.png

When you are happy with the configured settings, click Write to Unit to save the configuration to your Audio Sensor unit.

Configure with VBOX 3i and VBOX Setup

After you have finished setting up the Audio Sensor with the Audio Sensor Setup software, you can connect it to your VBOX 3i unit and complete the configuration with the VBOX Setup software.

Download the ADAS Audio Sensor's .DBC file.
Open VBOX Setup and connect to the relevant COM port for your VBOX 3i unit.
Go to the Channel Configuration Menu and click on the CAN Input section header.

Channel Config Menu_CAN Input_No channels added.png

Click on the Add channel button to open the CAN Channel Properties window and configure the CAN input for the Audio Sensor.

Channel Config Menu_CAN channel properties.png

Select User under CAN Database and click on the Load button.
Navigate to and select the Audio Sensor .DBC file that you downloaded.

You can now see the list of available messages in the CAN Database area.

CAN CHannel Properties.png

Select the message you want to assign/view/log on the VBOX unit, such as Trigger_system or Signal_Delay.
Click Apply to assign the message and preview the live result. You can cause the Audio Sensor to trigger and review the live value in the Value box under Channel properties by clicking on the magnifying glass next to it.

Live preview of Channel Value.png

Click OK to add the currently selected channel to the CAN Input channels.
Repeat this process with all the channels you wish to view/log.

Note: If you are using a VBOX 3i unit with firmware version 2.8 or earlier, you can find the equivalent settings in the Channels Menu on the Internal CAN Input tab.

You can find more information about how to configure your VBOX 3i unit in your unit's user guide.

Software Overview

Top Ribbon

Connect/Disconnect

Request from Unit

Write to Unit

Load from File

Save to file

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