A single-frequency alert tone is vulnerable in real-world driving environments. It is easily masked by ambient noise, such as urban background sounds and conversations, while also failing to accommodate auditory variations across different age groups.
To ensure the warning successfully reaches everyone nearby, a multi-frequency design is essential:
Mid-to-low frequencies (400–800 Hz): Longer wavelengths enable effective penetration through common ambient noise and allow the sound to travel further.
Mid-to-high frequencies (1600–2500 Hz): The human ear is most sensitive to this range, helping the sound quickly catch attention.
Beyond safety, the AVAS sound can also serve as a carrier of brand identity. For example, BMW commissioned renowned Hollywood film composer Hans Zimmer to create a unique AVAS sound, forming a distinctive acoustic signature for the brand.
Within regulatory limits, by adding harmonics (integer multiples of the base frequency) and adjusting time envelopes, kepo can provide customized sound design services, integrating AVAS into a holistic acoustic brand strategy.
