Overview
EN ISO 15006:2011 - Road vehicles: Specifications for in-vehicle auditory presentation defines ergonomic requirements for presenting auditory information (speech and sounds) from Transport Information and Control Systems (TICS) to vehicle occupants. Published by CEN/ISO, it applies primarily when the vehicle is in motion and aims to maximize auditory signal intelligibility, usability and safety while avoiding auditory and mental overload.
Key topics
- Scope and purpose
- Ergonomic specifications for in‑vehicle auditory displays used by drivers and passengers.
- Guidance on balancing audibility and comfort.
- Signal specifications
- Recommended frequency range: 200 Hz to 8 000 Hz for in‑vehicle signals.
- For tonal signals, the main audible component should lie between 400 Hz and 2 000 Hz to account for age‑related hearing loss.
- Use of broadband or separated narrowband components to aid localisation and attention.
- Signal levels and loudness
- Loudness concepts expressed in sones and relationships to sound pressure level (SPL) and specific loudness.
- Annexes provide procedures for masked specific loudness SNR and conversion between SPL and loudness.
- Coding and classification
- Guidance on speech vs. non‑speech (tonal) coding, temporal classifications and unit-of-information structuring.
- Prioritization and safety
- Procedures for prioritizing auditory signals from TICS, including time‑critical and safety warning signals.
- Recommendations for redundancy and compliance checks to ensure warnings are effective under noisy conditions.
- Measurement and normative references
Applications
- Who uses it
- Vehicle OEMs, HMI and UX designers, acoustics and audio engineers, telematics and infotainment suppliers, safety engineers, test laboratories and regulatory bodies.
- Practical uses
- Designing chimes, spoken prompts, navigation instructions and driver-assistance alerts that remain intelligible in real driving noise.
- Setting audio system tuning, speaker placement and signal encoding to reduce distraction and ensure timely driver responses.
- Establishing acceptance criteria for auditory warnings and integrating redundancy for critical alerts.
Related standards
EN ISO 15006:2011 is essential for anyone tasked with vehicle HMI sound design, specifying evidence‑based practices to make in‑vehicle auditory information clear, safe and ergonomically appropriate.
