Interior sound quality evaluation and forecasting of passenger vehicles based on hybrid optimization neural networks

The interior noise of vehicles directly affects the comfort of the occupants, necessitating precise evaluation and control. Existing research has focused on constructing mappings between objective parameters and subjective perceptions of noise, where back propagation neural networks (BPNNs) are widely used due to their strong nonlinear mapping capabilities. However, the selection of initial weights and thresholds can affect the predictive accuracy of BPNN. This study developed a BPNN model optimized by an intelligent algorithm for predicting the level of subjective annoyance of passengers during the movement. Initially, objective parameters of interior noise were obtained through acoustic signal processing techniques, and five parameters were selected for studying subjective annoyance through correlation analysis and two-tailed tests. Meanwhile, the actual subjective ratings of passengers on interior noise were captured for subsequent training of the model and testing of the results. Finally, the established sparrow search algorithm (SSA) and genetic algorithm (GA) optimized BPNN were used to predict subjective evaluations. The predictive accuracy and efficiency of the model were significantly improved upon validation, providing a viable alternative to traditional passenger vehicle noise assessment experiments and valuable references for future noise control and optimization efforts. The experimental results are consistent with the view that the neural network model optimized with a mixture of intelligent algorithms is closer to the passenger’s subjective annoyance level having higher accuracy and efficiency.