APPLICATIONS OF NVH DESKTOP SIMULATOR IN VEHICLE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
In automotive development, NVH performance is typically evaluated when physical prototypes are already available, limiting design freedom and increasing late‑stage costs. This paper presents the use in Stellantis of VI‑grade Desktop NVH Simulator, enabling NVH assessment and target definition earlier in the vehicle development process.
The approach integrates NVH models into the DTS real‑time simulation environment, combining measured data, virtual vehicle models and immersive audio playback. This allows repeatable, back‑to‑back NVH evaluations under identical driving maneuvers, supporting both objective metrics and subjective assessments within a single simulator framework.
A multi‑level NVH modeling strategy is adopted within DTS. Low‑complexity models enable benchmarking and target sound definition, while higher‑fidelity Source–Path–Receiver models support root‑cause analysis, target cascading and what‑if studies. Road and wind noise are included to reproduce realistic masking effects during virtual driving.
Industrial use cases demonstrate how DTS‑based NVH simulation bridges the gap between abstract metrics and perceived sound quality, particularly for EV applications dominated by tonal phenomena, reducing dependence on late physical prototypes and accelerating NVH convergence
