Active noise control (ANC) is used to reduce undesirable noise, particularly at low frequencies. There are many algorithms based on the least mean square (LMS) algorithm, such as the filtered-x LMS (FxLMS) algorithm, which have been widely used for ANC systems. However, the LMS algorithm
cannot balance convergence speed and steady-state error due to the fixed step size and tap length. Accordingly, in this article, two improved LMS algorithms, namely, the iterative variable step-size LMS (IVS-LMS) and the variable tap-length LMS (VT-LMS), are proposed for active vehicle interior
noise control. The interior noises of a sample vehicle are measured and thereby their frequency characteristics. Results show that the sound energy of noise is concentrated within a low-frequency range below 1000 Hz. The classical LMS, IVS-LMS and VT-LMS algorithms are applied to the measured
noise signals. Results further suggest that the IVS-LMS and VT-LMS algorithms can better improve algorithmic performance for convergence speed and steady-state error compared with the classical LMS. The proposed algorithms could potentially be incorporated into other LMS-based algorithms (like
the FxLMS) used in ANC systems for improving the ride comfort of a vehicle.
