Active Sound Design: Notes

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2018 Jaguar XE and 2017 Jaguar XE. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Active sound design is an enhancement of the vehicle engine sound, reproduced and emitted over the vehicle speaker system.

Audio systems with an external Audio Amplifier Module (AAM) have an engine speed (Revolutions Per Minute (RPM)) input when the following engines are fitted:

Ingenium I4 2.0L Diesel 240PS
Ingenium I4 2.0L Petrol 300PS

Engine speed input for the Audio Amplifier Module (AAM) is provided by the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) via a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal. The engine speed input allows the AAM to provide a digital audio enhancement of the engine sound.

The PCM also outputs signals for:

Engine torque
Road speed
Power mode
JaguarDrive mode selected.

These signals are transmitted on the FlexRay systems bus to the Body Control Module/Gateway Module (BCM/GWM) assembly. The BCM/GWM assembly relays the signals on the High Speed (HS) Controller Area Network (CAN) comfort systems bus.

The signals are received by:

The Audio Head Unit (AHU) on InControl Touch systems
The Infotainment Master Controller (IMC) on InControl Touch Pro systems.

The AAM contains software to operate the enhanced engine sound output.

The AAM uses the signals and the engine speed signal to provide an enhanced engine sound output over the audio speakers as an overlay to current audio system output. The sound is further enhanced when the JaguarDrive mode is in the Dynamic setting.

The enhanced engine sound output over the vehicle speakers is active when the engine is running. It remains active even when the audio volume is at zero or infotainment system is turned off. There is no customer interaction with the system which is always active.

If a fault occurs on the engine speed output between the PCM and the AMM, Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC)s are recorded in the PCM and the AAM.