Transverse pressure distributions in a simple model ear canal occluded by a hearing aid test fixture

The sound field in a model ear canal with a hearing aid test fixture has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. Large transverse variations of sound pressure level, as much as 20 dB at 8 kHz, were found across the inner face of the hearing aid. Variations are greatest near the outlet port of the receiver and the vent port. Deeper into the canal, the transverse variations are less significant and, at depths greater than 4 mm, only a longitudinal variation remains. The model canal was cylindrical, 7.5 mm diameter, and terminated with a Zwislocki coupler to represent absorption by the human middle ear. The outer end of the canal was driven by the receiver in the hearing aid test fixture, with the acoustic output entering the canal through a 1 mm port. The hearing aid was provided with a 20-mm-long vent, either 1 or 2 mm in diameter. The sound field inside the canal was measured using a specially designed 0.2-mm-diam probe microphone [Daigle and Stinson, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 116, 2618 (2004)]. In parallel, calculations of the interior sound field were performed using a boundary element technique and found to agree well with measurements.     

Experimental studies of flow noise around a surfacing device

The wall pressure fluctuations in turbulent boundary layers play an important role in acoustic measurements carried out in moving media. Results of measuring the frequency spectra of wall pressure fluctuations around a surfacing device are presented. The spatial resolution achieved in measuring the wall pressure fluctuations is investigated. It is demonstrated that the results of hydrodynamic flow noise measurements strongly depend on the aperture size of the measuring acoustic transducer and its orientation in the turbulent boundary layer. The pseudosound pressure fluctuation spectra observed in a series of experiments with surfacing devices show that the resolution of the pressure receivers operating in the turbulent boundary layers considerably varies. On the basis of systematic measurements of wall pressure fluctuations by miniature and distributed receivers at high Reynolds numbers, the effect of the geometric dimensions of a pressure receiver on its resolution in the flow noise measurements is studied. An experimental method is proposed for estimating the receiver-induced distortions.     

Focusing of longitudinal ultrasonic waves in air with an aperiodic flat lens

Modeling and experimental results of an ultrasonic aperiodic flat lens for use in air are presented. Predictive modeling of the lens is performed using a hybrid genetic-greedy algorithm constrained to a linear structure. The optimized design parameters are used to fabricate a lens. A method combining a fiber-disk arrangement and scanning laser vibrometer measurements is developed to characterize the acoustic field distribution generated by the lens. The focal spot size is determined to be 0.88 of the incident wavelength of 80-90 kHz at a distance of 2.5 mm from the lens. Theoretically computed field distributions, optimized frequency of operation, and spatial resolution focal length are compared with experimental measurements. The differences between experimental measurements and the theoretical computations are analyzed. The theoretical calculation of the focal spot diameter is 1.7 mm which is 48% of the experimental measurement at a frequency of 80-90 kHz. This work illustrates the capabilities of a hybrid algorithm approach to design of flat acoustic lenses to operate in air with a resolution of greater than the incident wavelength and the challenges of characterizing acoustic field distribution in air.     

Acoustic intensity,impedance and reflection coefficient in the human ear canal

The sound power per unit cross-sectional area was determined in human ear canals using a new method based on measuring the pressure distribution (P) along the length of variable cross-section acoustic waveguides. The technique provides the pressure/power reflection coefficients (R/R) as well as the acoustic intensity of the nonplanar incident wave (I+, the acoustic input to the ear) and the nonplanar outgoing wave (I-, the acoustic output of the ear). Results were compared to the classical acoustic impedance (Z) and associated plane-wave power reflection coefficient (R(Z)). Performance of the method was investigated theoretically using horn equation simulations and evaluated experimentally using pressure data recorded in nonuniform waveguides. The method was applied in normal-hearing young adults to determine ear-canal position- and frequency-dependence of I(+/-), R, and R(Z) using random phase broadband stimuli (1-15 kHz; approximately 75 dB SPL). Reflection coefficient (R) measurements at two different locations within individual human ear canals exhibited a position dependence averaging deltaR approximately 0.1 (over 6 mm distance)--a difference consistent with predictions of inviscid acoustics in nonuniform waveguides. Since this position dependence was relatively small, an "optimized" position-independent reflection coefficient was defined to facilitate practical application and intersubject comparisons.     

板结构的声辐射模态分析及其高分辨率法向振动速度重建

提出了一种基于声辐射模态的速度基向量构建方法,该速度基向量不受网格划分的影响,可用于高分辨率的板结构法向振动速度重建。首先对板表面稀疏网格的声辐射模态进行计算,再以声辐射模态和模态系数构建板法向振动速度分布的基向量,然后由声场测量声压求解基向量系数,最后由该系数和加密网格的速度基向量重建高分辨率的板法向振动速度分布。以简支板声源进行仿真计算,当测量声压信噪比为30 dB时,低频的法向振动速度重建误差最低可达3.7%;以固支板声源在消声室中进行实验验证,131.5 Hz振动频率下的重建误差低于7%。该方法实现了只需要少量声压测量点即可精确重建板声源更高分辨率的法向振动速度分布。      

Sound pressure distribution and power flow within the gerbil ear canal from 100 Hz to 80 kHz

Sound pressure was mapped in the bony ear canal of gerbils during closed-field sound stimulation at frequencies from 0.1 to 80 kHz. A 1.27-mm-diam probe-tube microphone or a 0.17-mm-diam fiber-optic miniature microphone was positioned along approximately longitudinal trajectories within the 2.3-mm-diam ear canal. Substantial spatial variations in sound pressure, sharp minima in magnitude, and half-cycle phase changes occurred at frequencies >30 kHz. The sound frequencies of these transitions increased with decreasing distance from the tympanic membrane (TM). Sound pressure measured orthogonally across the surface of the TM showed only small variations at frequencies below 60 kHz. Hence, the ear canal sound field can be described fairly well as a one-dimensional standing wave pattern. Ear-canal power reflectance estimated from longitudinal spatial variations was roughly constant at 0.2-0.5 at frequencies between 30 and 45 kHz. In contrast, reflectance increased at higher frequencies to at least 0.8 above 60 kHz. Sound pressure was also mapped in a microphone-terminated uniform tube-an "artificial ear." Comparison with ear canal sound fields suggests that an artificial ear or "artificial cavity calibration" technique may underestimate the in situ sound pressure by 5-15 dB between 40 and 60 kHz.     

Measurements of human middle ear forward and reverse acoustics: implications for otoacoustic emissions

Middle and inner ears from human cadaver temporal bones were stimulated in the forward direction by an ear-canal sound source, and in the reverse direction by an inner-ear sound source. For each stimulus type, three variables were measured: (a) Pec--ear-canal pressure with a probe-tube microphone within 3 mm of the eardrum, (b) Vst--stapes velocity with a laser interferometer, and (c) Pv--vestibule pressure with a hydrophone. From these variables, the forward middle-ear pressure gain (M1), the cochlear input impedance (Zc), the reverse middle-ear pressure gain (M2), and the reverse middle-ear impedance (M3) are directly obtained for the first time from the same preparation. These measurements can be used to fully characterize the middle ear as a two-port system. Presently, the effect of the middle ear on otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) is quantified by calculating the roundtrip middle-ear pressure gain Gme(RT) as the product of M1 and M2. In the 2-6.8 kHz region, absolute value(Gme(RT)) decreases with a slope of -22 dB/oct, while OAEs (both click evoked and distortion products) tend to be independent of frequency; this suggests a steep slope in vestibule pressure from 2 kHz to at least 4 kHz for click evoked OAEs and to at least 6.8 kHz for distortion product OAEs. Contrary to common assumptions, measurements indicate that the emission generator mechanism is frequency dependent. Measurements are also used to estimate the reflectance of basally traveling waves at the stapes, and apically generated nonlinear reflections within the vestibule.     

液体材料超声处理过程中声场和流场的分布规律研究

针对合金熔体等液体材料的超声处理过程,选取水作为透明模型材料,采用数值模拟计算和示踪粒子实验方法,研究了20和490 kHz两种频率超声作用下水中的声场和流场分布.结果表明,增大变幅杆半径能够提高水中声压水平,扩大空化效应的发生区域.当超声频率为20 kHz时,水中声压最大值出现在超声变幅杆下端面处,且声压沿传播距离的增大而显著减小.如果超声频率增加至490 kHz,水中的声压级相比于20 kHz时明显提高,且声压沿着超声传播方向呈现出周期性振荡特征.两种频率超声作用下水中的流场呈现相似的分布特征,且平均流速均随着变幅杆半径增大表现出先升高后降低的趋势.变幅杆半径相同时,20 kHz频率超声作用下水中的平均流速高于490 kHz频率超声.采用示踪粒子图像测速技术实时观察和测定了水中的流速分布,发现其与计算结果基本一致.     

Mid-frequency geoacoustic inversion using bottom loss data from the Shallow Water 2006 Experiment

Geoacoustic inversion work has typically been carried out at frequencies below 1 kHz, assuming flat, horizontally stratified bottom models. Despite the relevance to Navy sonar systems many of which operate at mid-frequencies (1-10 kHz), limited inversion work has been carried out in this frequency band. This paper is an effort to demonstrate the viability of geoacoustic inversion using bottom loss data between 2 and 5 kHz. The acoustic measurements were taken during the Shallow Water 2006 Experiment off the coast of New Jersey. A half-space bottom model, with three parameters density, compressional wave speed, and attenuation, was used for inversion by fitting the model to data in the least-square sense. Inverted sediment sound speed and attenuation were compared with direct measurements and with inversion results using different techniques carried out in SW06. Inverted results of the present work are consistent with other measurements, considering the known spatial variability in this area. The observations and modeling results demonstrate that forward scattering from topographical changes is important at mid-frequencies and should be taken into account in sound propagation predictions and geoacoustic inversion. To cope with fine-scale topographic variability, measurement technique such as averaging over tracks may be necessary.     

水下强声频率对巴马小型猪肺脏病理损伤效应的观察

为探索大功率水声信号对入水哺乳动物肺脏的生物效应,以佩戴专用水下呼吸装置的巴马小型猪为实验对象,采用大功率连续声波为暴露手段,对水下正常体征状态的小型猪进行强声辐射,通过大体解剖、HE染色显微病理图像观察等方法,分析水下强声对哺乳动物肺脏器官的损伤效应。在300 Hz^10 kHz的正弦频段中,当声压级大于190 dB时,出现了不同程度的肺脏损伤。大功率水声信号对入水哺乳动物肺脏的生物效应显著,在相同声压级条件下,3 kHz水下连续波对实验动物肺脏病理损伤效应最大。      

Simulation of the acoustic field emitted from medical linear transducer in a heterogeneous tissue

A numerical model is developed to simulate the acoustic field in heterogeneous tissue from a medical linear transducer.The coupled full-wave equation for nonlinear ultrasound is solved using a staggered-grid finite difference time domain method.The distribution of acoustic pressure and power in human abdominal wall with heterogeneities in sound speed,density,and nonlinear parameter are obtained.Compared with homogeneous medium,when sound speed in tissue is uniform and density unchanged,the acoustic energy decreases only1.8 dB in the focal region;when density in tissue is uniform and sound speed unchanged,the energy decreases 3.8 dB in the focal region,which is almost the same as heterogeneous tissue.Thus,the primary factor of the aberration of focused beam is the heterogeneous distribution of the tissue sound speed.     

Estimation of eardrum acoustic pressure and of ear canal length from remote points in the canal

Sound pressure distributions in the human ear canal, whether unoccluded or occluded with ear molds, were studied using a probe tube technique. On average, for frequencies below 6 kHz, the measuring probe tube had to be placed within 8 mm of the vertical plane containing the top of the eardrum (TOD), determined optically, in order to obtain sound pressure magnitudes within 6 dB of "eardrum pressure." To obtain that accuracy in all of the eight subjects studied, the probe had to be within 6 mm of the TOD. Since probe location relative to the drum has to be known, a purely acoustic method was developed which can be conveniently used to localize the probe-tip position, utilizing the standing wave property of the sound pressure in the ear canal. The acoustically estimated "drum location" generally lay between the optically determined vertical planes containing the TOD and the umbo. On average, the "drum location" fell 1 mm medial to the TOD. Of the 32 estimates made acoustically in various occluded and unoccluded conditions in 14 subjects, 30 estimates lay within a +/- 2-mm range of this average.     

Development of an optimised, standard-compliant procedure to calculate sound transmission loss: design of transmission rooms

A numerical procedure to estimate the transmission loss of sound insulating structures is proposed based upon the technology of acoustic measurements and standards. A virtual laboratory (VL), namely, a numerical representation of a real laboratory consisting of two reverberation rooms meeting certain sound field quality criteria is designed. VL is to be used for the numerical simulation of standardised measurements under predefined, controlled, acoustic conditions. In this paper, the design and optimisation of VL is investigated. The geometry of the transmission rooms is designed following first principles, in order for diffuse field conditions and sufficiently smooth primary mode distribution in the low frequency to be achieved. A finite element-based optimisation procedure, introduced by the author in previous work, is extended to arbitrarily shaped rooms. It is used to predict the appropriate local geometric modifications so as for improved mode distribution and smoother sound pressure fluctuations of the transmission rooms in the low-frequency range to be achieved and low-frequency measurement reproducibility and accuracy to be increased. Steady-state acoustic response analysis is performed in order to quantify the acoustic field quality of the virtual transmission rooms in the frequency range of measurements. A method to calculate the total absorption, A, of the receiving room is introduced by simulation of the reverberation time measurement procedure using Transient acoustic response analysis. The acoustic performance of VL is overall considered and is shown to meet in a sufficient degree, relative laboratory measurement standards in the frequency range of 100÷704 Hz.     

非均匀组织医学超声发射声场仿真

为了分析医学超声在非均匀组织中的分布特性,建立了超声发射声场的计算模型。采用交错网格有限差分法对耦合超声非线性方程进行数值求解,获得了声速、密度及非线性参数非均匀分布情况下人体腹壁组织内的超声声场分布数据。同均匀介质相比:当声速均匀而密度非均匀时,声束仍聚焦良好,焦点处声能下降了1.8 dB;当密度均匀而声速非均匀时,声束发散严重,焦点处声能下降了3.8 dB,下降程度与非均匀组织接近。组织声速在空间分布的非均匀性是导致聚焦声束能量分布畸变的主要原因。      

Temporary threshold shift in human subject exposed to noise

Using an audiometer,the effect of the noise level upon temporarythreshold shift(TTS)for five trained normal subjects(left ear only)was studied.The measurements were carried out after 6 min exposure(in third octave band)for different sound pressure levels ranging between 75-105 dB at three test fre-quencies 2,3,and 4 kHz.The results indicated that at exposure to noise of soundpressure level(SPL)above 85 dB,TTS increases linearly with ths SPL for all thetest frequencies.The work had extended to study the recovery curves for the sameears.The results indicated that the reduction in TTS on doubling the recoverytimes,for the two sound pressure levels 95 dB and 105 dB,occurs at a rate of near-ly 3 dB.The comparison of the recovery curve at 3 kHz with that calculated usingWard's general equation for recovery was made.Finally,to study the values ofTTS produced by exposure to certain noise at different test frequencies,distribu-tion curves for two recovery times were plotted representing TTS values,for anexposure     

Examination of bone-conducted transmission from sound field excitation measured by thresholds, ear-canal sound pressure, and skull vibrations

Bone conduction (BC) relative to air conduction (AC) sound field sensitivity is here defined as the perceived difference between a sound field transmitted to the ear by BC and by AC. Previous investigations of BC-AC sound field sensitivity have used different estimation methods and report estimates that vary by up to 20 dB at some frequencies. In this study, the BC-AC sound field sensitivity was investigated by hearing threshold shifts, ear canal sound pressure measurements, and skull bone vibrations measured with an accelerometer. The vibration measurement produced valid estimates at 400 Hz and below, the threshold shifts produced valid estimates at 500 Hz and above, while the ear canal sound pressure measurements were found erroneous for estimating the BC-AC sound field sensitivity. The BC-AC sound field sensitivity is proposed, by combining the present result with others, as frequency independent at 50 to 60 dB at frequencies up to 900 Hz. At higher frequencies, it is frequency dependent with minima of 40 to 50 dB at 2 and 8 kHz, and a maximum of 50 to 60 dB at 4 kHz. The BC-AC sound field sensitivity is the theoretical limit of maximum attenuation achievable with ordinary hearing protection devices.     

基于球形压电陶瓷的耐压水听器

利用球形压电陶瓷自身所具有的耐压能力,采用径向极化空气背衬压电球壳换能器作为声学接收敏感元件,设计并制作了一种球形耐压水听器。首先对其低频开路接收灵敏度和谐振频率等声学特性进行了分析和有限元仿真,然后对其强度和稳定性等耐压性能进行了分析和有限元仿真,最后对其声学性能和耐压能力进行了测试。测试表明,该球形耐压水听器的直径为36 mm,工作频段为50 Hz～10 kHz,低频接收灵敏度为-198.4 dB (0 dB=1 V/μPa),等效自噪声谱级为46.5 dB@1 kHz,其耐压深度可达3000 m。该耐压水听器为大深度水听器设计提供了参考,在深水声学领域具有重要的应用价值。     

Measuring derived acoustic power of an ultrasound surgical device in the linear and nonlinear operating modes

Objective and motivationThe method for measuring derived acoustic power of an ultrasound point source in the form of a sonotrode tip has been considered in the free acoustic field, according to the IEC 61847 standard. The main objective of this work is measuring averaged pressure magnitude spatial distribution of an sonotrode tip in the free acoustic field conditions at different electrical excitation levels and calculation of the derived acoustic power at excitation frequency (f₀ ≈ 25 kHz). Finding the derived acoustic power of an ultrasonic surgical device in the strong cavitation regime of working, even in the considered laboratory conditions (anechoic pool), will enable better understanding of the biological effects on the tissue produced during operation with the considered device.Experimental methodThe pressure magnitude spatial distribution is measured using B&;K 8103 hydrophone connected with a B&;K 2626 conditioning amplifier, digital storage oscilloscope LeCroy Waverunner 474, where pressure waveforms in the field points are recorded. Using MATLAB with DSP processing toolbox, averaged power spectrum density of recorded pressure signals in different field positions is calculated. The measured pressure magnitude spatial distributions are fitted with the appropriate theoretical models.Theoretical approachesIn the linear operating mode, using the acoustic reciprocity principle, the sonotrode tip is theoretically described as radially oscillating sphere (ROS) and transversely oscillating sphere (TOS) in the vicinity of pressure release boundary. The measured pressure magnitude spatial distribution is fitted with theoretical curves, describing the pressure field of the considered theoretical models. The velocity and displacement magnitudes with derived acoustic power of equivalent theoretical sources are found, and the electroacoustic efficiency factor is calculated. When the transmitter is excited at higher electrical power levels, the displacement magnitude of sonotrode tip is increased, and nonlinear behaviour in loading medium appears, with strong cavitation activity produced hydrodynamically. The presence of harmonics, subharmonics and ultraharmonics as a consequence of stable cavitation is evident in the averaged power spectral density. The cavitation noise with continuous frequency components is present as a consequence of transient cavitation. The averaged pressure magnitude at the frequency components of interest (discrete and continous) in the field points is found by calculating average power spectral density of the recorded pressure waveform signal using the welch method. The frequency band of interest where average power spectral density is calculated is in the range from 15 Hz up to 120 kHz due to measurement system restrictions. The novelty in the approach is the application of the acoustic reciprocity principle on the nonlinear system (sonotrode tip and bubble cloud) to find neccessary acoustic power of the equivalent acoustic source to produce the measured pressure magnitude in the field points at the frequency components of interest.ResultsIn the nonlinear operating mode, the ROS model for the considered sonotrode tip is chosen due to the better agreement between measurement results and theoretical considerations. At higher excitation levels, it is shown that the averaged pressure magnitude spatial distribution of discrete frequency components, produced due to stable cavitation, can be fitted in the far field with the inverse distance law. The reduced electroacoustic efficiency factor, calculated at excitation frequency component as ratio of derived acoustic power with applied electrical power, is reduced from 40% in the linear to 3% in the strong nonlinear operating mode. The derived acoustic power at other frequency components (subharmonic, harmonic and ultraharmonic) is negligible in comparison with the derived acoustic power at excitation frequency.Discussion and conclusionsThe sonotrode tip and loading medium are shown in the strong cavitation regime as the coupled nonlinear dynamical system radiating acoustic power at frequency components appearing in the spectrum. The bubble cloud in the strong nonlinear operating mode decreases the derived acoustic power significantly at the excitation frequency.     

Regularization for improving the deconvolution in real-time near-field acoustic holography

Near-field acoustic holography is a measuring process for locating and characterizing stationary sound sources from measurements made by a microphone array in the near-field of the acoustic source plane. A technique called real-time near-field acoustic holography (RT-NAH) has been introduced to extend this method in the case of nonstationary sources. This technique is based on a formulation which describes the propagation of time-dependent sound pressure signals on a forward plane using a convolution product with an impulse response in the time-wavenumber domain. Thus the backward propagation of the pressure field is obtained by deconvolution. Taking the evanescent waves into account in RT-NAH improves the spatial resolution of the solution but makes the deconvolution problem "ill-posed" and often yields inappropriate solutions. The purpose of this paper is to focus on solving this deconvolution problem. Two deconvolution methods are compared: one uses a singular value decomposition and a standard Tikhonov regularization and the other one is based on optimum Wiener filtering. A simulation involving monopoles driven by nonstationary signals demonstrates, by means of objective indicators, the accuracy of the time-dependent reconstructed sound field. The results highlight the advantage of using regularization and particularly in the presence of measurement noise.     

Measurement of acoustic particle velocities in enclosed sound field: Assessment of two Laser Doppler Velocimetry measuring systems

The performances of two Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) systems adapted for measuring the acoustic particle velocities are assessed in enclosed sound field. This assessment is performed by comparing the acoustic velocities measured by means of LDV to reference acoustic velocities estimated from sound pressure measurements. The two LDV systems are based on a single optical bench which delivers an optical signal called Doppler signal. The Doppler signal, which is frequency modulated, is analyzed by means of two signal processing systems, the BSA (Burst Spectrum Analyser from Dantec) on the one hand, and a system specifically developed for the estimation of the acoustic velocity on the other hand. Once the experimental setup has been optimized for minimizing the errors made on the reference velocities, the assessment is performed and shows that both systems can measure the acoustic velocity in enclosed field in two the frequency ranges [0-4 kHz] and [0-2 kHz] respectively for acoustic velocity amplitudes of 10 mm/s and 1 mm/s.