A compound secondary source for active noise radiation control

Based on the analysis of active noise control system with multi-channel monopole secondary sources, a kind of compound secondary source is proposed in this paper. The proposed compound secondary source consists of two closely located monopole sources with their distance much smaller than a wavelength. The characteristics of the compound source are analyzed, and the performances of the active noise control system with the compound secondary sources on the monopole primary sound field and sound radiated by a plate are investigated both numerically and experimentally. It has been found that the proposed compound secondary sources control system can provide higher noise reduction for free field noise radiation control with the same number of control channels. It is shown that the better performance in noise reduction of the compound secondary sources control system is mainly due to the directivity of the secondary sources where the energy radiation pattern of the compound sources is similar to that of the primary sources.     

Study on the analogy feedback active soft edge noise barrier

It is feasible to enhance the effect of reduction of the noise barrier on low frequency noise using the active control system. On the basis of the forerunners’ research, an analogy feedback active control system that is easy to be carried out was arranged on the top of a noise barrier to form an analogy feedback active soft edge noise barrier in order to enhance the effect of reduction of the noise barrier on low frequency noise. Through a preliminary experimental study, this method was proved to be feasible and the following preliminary conclusions on the arrangement of active control systems were made: (1) when control sources were arranged in a single row, the control effect was determined by the density of arrangement: the higher the density, the better the control effect; (2) with the same density of arrangement, the control effect of the double row arrangement was better than that of the single row arrangement; (3) with the same number of control sources, the single row arrangement had better control effect than the double row arrangement.     

Design and experimental tests of active control barriers for low-frequency stationary noise reduction in urban outdoor environment

Active noise control (ANC) techniques are based on the emission of an antiphase signal in order to cancel the noise produced by a primary source. ANC has been successfully applied especially for reducing noise in confined environments, such as headphones and ducts. In this study, we present an application of ANC concepts to the design of an anti-noise barrier for an outdoor environment and its experimental testing. Even though passive techniques are effective in noise reduction at middle-high frequencies, they become less efficient at low frequencies (below 300 Hz) due to the limited dimensions of commonly deployable barriers. In this paper, we analyze the properties of a low-cost active noise system able to efficiently operate on stationary, almost pure-tone, low-frequency noise, such as that produced by electrical transformers and reactors in power and transformation plants. A prototype has been implemented and on-the-field experimental tests have been carried out. The results (confirmed also by numerical simulations) demonstrate a remarkable efficiency in the far field, with a reduction up to 15 dB with respect to the absence of the ANC system.     

An active noise reduction earplug using a piezoelectric laterally radiating loudspeaker

This paper describes the electroacoustic behaviour of a new piezoelectric Active Noise Reduction (ANR) earplug device. The sensor is a microphone having suitable characteristics chosen from among commercially available electret microphones. The actuator is a cylindrical piezoelectric ceramic loaded with a thin fluid film. An analytic model of laterally radiating loudspeaker, based on fundamental equations of acoustics, which takes into account the effect of viscosity and heat conduction is adapted to describe the acoustic radiation of the actuator. Theoretical and experimental frequency responses in a small cavity and an example of the ANR that can be obtained with the earplug are presented.     

An electro-acoustics impedance error criterion and its application to active noise control

Characteristics of radiation impedance and its inducing variation of electrical impedance for a controllable source have been investigated. An impedance-based error criterion has been proposed and its application to active noise control is demonstrated through a coil driven loudspeaker. A general formula of radiation impedance is derived for two control strategies, according to the criterion of total acoustic power output. The radiation impedances of some commonly used sound sources are calculated. We discuss in detail the relation between variation of the input electrical impedance and radiation impedance for the two control strategies. An AC-bridge circuit is designed to measure the weak variation of electrical impedance resulted from radiation impedance. The input electrical impedance of a loudspeaker was measured and the experimental result is consistent with that of theoretical analysis. An impedance-based error criterion is proposed since the AC-bridge relative output is unique for a certain control strategy. The implementation of this criterion applied to an active control system is analyzed by simulations. An analogue control system is set up and experiments are carried out in a semi-anechoic chamber to verify the new control approach.     

Improving performance of FxRLS algorithm for active noise control of impulsive noise

Active noise control (ANC) systems employing adaptive filters suffer from stability issues in the presence of impulsive noise. New impulsive noise control algorithms based on filtered-x recursive least square (FxRLS) algorithm are presented. The FxRLS algorithm gives better convergence than the filtered-x least mean square (FxLMS) algorithm and its variants but lacks robustness in the presence of high impulsive noise. In order to improve the robustness of FxRLS algorithm for ANC of impulsive noise, two modifications are suggested. First proposed modification clips the reference and error signals while, the second modification incorporates energy of the error signal in the gain of FxRLS (MGFxRLS) algorithm. The results demonstrate improved stability and robustness of proposed modifications in the FxRLS algorithm. However, another limitation associated with the FxRLS algorithm is its computationally complex nature. In order to reduce the computational load, a hybrid algorithm based on proposed MGFxRLS and normalized step size FxLMS (NSS-FXLMS) is also developed in this paper. The proposed hybrid algorithm combines the stability of NSS-FxLMS algorithm with the fast convergence speed of the proposed MGFxRLS algorithm. The results of the proposed hybrid algorithm prove that its convergence speed is faster than that of NSS-FxLMS algorithm with computational complexity lesser than that of FxRLS algorithm.     

Performance analysis of the virtual sound barrier system with a diffracting sphere

Since a practical virtual sound barrier (VSB) system has to be implemented surrounding a human’s head, the effects of such a diffracting sphere on the performance of the system are considered in this paper. It is found that the performance of the VSB system with a diffracting sphere might be improved or decreased depending on the size of the zone surrounded by the error sensors and the noise frequency, and the noise reduction distribution around the sphere tends to be uniform due to the diffraction of the sphere. Numerical simulations show that the tendency of the control performance with respect to the configuration of the system with a diffracting sphere is similar to that without the sphere. The diffracting sphere might move in the quiet zone of the VSB system, and the performance decreases with the increase of the distance between the sphere and the center of the system. However, the noise reduction level can remain more than 10 dB even when the sphere is near the border of the quiet zone. Experiments with a 16-channel cylindrical VSB system in a normal room validate the above conclusions.     

Hybrid active and passive control of fan noise

This paper deals with the global reduction of axial flow fan noise in ducts in a building using a hybrid passive-active noise control method. The effectiveness of using an infra-red device as a reference signal source is also investigated. It is shown that using such a hybrid noise control system over an axial-flow fan reduces the overall sound pressure level by 5 dB(A) in the surrounding environment and global control of the blade passing frequency can also be achieved. This paper also shows that using an infra-red device as a reference signal source produces marginally better control as compared with using a microphone reference sensor. Moreover, long term stability is guaranteed and the possibility of acoustic feedback is eliminated.     

Simulation study on active noise control for a 4-T MRI scanner

The purpose of this work is to study computationally the possibility of the application of a hybrid active noise control technique for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acoustic noise reduction. A hybrid control system combined with both feedforward and feedback loops embedded is proposed for potential application on active MRI noise reduction. A set of computational simulation studies were performed. Sets of MRI acoustic noise emissions measured at the patient's left ear location were recorded and used in the simulation study. By comparing three different control systems, namely, the feedback, the feedforward and the hybrid control, our results revealed that the hybrid control system is the most effective. The hybrid control system achieved approximately a 20-dB reduction at the principal frequency component. We concluded that the proposed hybrid active control scheme could have a potential application for MRI scanner noise reduction.     

噪声主动控制研究的发展与动向

本回顾了噪声主动控制的典型设计方法和常见的算法,结合当前较新的鲁棒控制方法,指出今后噪声主动控制的一些发展动向,为这一技术的实用性提供借鉴。     

Performance of a snoring noise control system based on an active partition

This paper proposes an active partition that can be placed between a snorer and a non-snorer on a bed to reduce the snoring noise around the non-snorer ears by integrating a rigid finite size passive partition with a two channel active noise control system. The noise reduction performance of the passive partition on a bed with a headboard is studied first, where the effects of the height and the width of the partition are discussed. Due to the limited partition size, the attenuation for the low-frequency diffracted noise is not sufficient, so two loudspeakers are proposed to be installed on the partition as the secondary sources to increase the overall noise attenuation. Both numerical simulations and experiments are carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed integrated snoring noise control system, and the results show that the proposed active partition can achieve over 10 dB noise attenuation at non-snorer ears in the 1/3 octave bands from 80 to 1000 Hz.     

Adaptive Laguerre filters for active noise control

Feedforward controllers are used in many active noise control (ANC) systems to generate destructive interference in noise fields. An ideal feedforward ANC controller should have an infinite impulse response (IIR) transfer function, but most available feedforward ANC controllers have finite impulse responses (FIR) instead. The main reason is related to the adaptation algorithms of ANC systems. In general, adaptive FIR filters converge faster with guaranteed stability. In this study, the adaptive Laguerre filter is proposed and tested in an ANC application with positive experimental effects. The new ANC controller is an IIR filter, but its adaptation is similar to that of a FIR filter with fast convergence and guaranteed stability. Detailed explanations and analysis are presented in the main text.     

Performance of an independent planar virtual sound barrier at the opening of a rectangular enclosure

Planar virtual sound barrier systems have been used successfully to reduce noise radiation through an opening without affecting natural ventilation and lighting. However, the complexity of a fully coupled control system grows at the rate proportional to the square of the number of channels and this make the system implementation become impractical for enclosures with large openings. To reduce the system complexity, this paper proposes an independent planar virtual sound barrier, which is a multi-channel system consisting of many independent single channel active noise control systems. Each single channel system is “independent” in the sense that the control source output of the system is updated only with the signal from its own error sensor. Based on the analytical model of sound radiation through the opening of a rectangular enclosure, the transfer functions from both primary and control sources are calculated first. Then the noise reduction performance, the stability, and the convergence behavior of both fully coupled and independent planar virtual sound barrier systems are investigated. It is found that the independent system with no control output constraint becomes inherently unstable at some frequencies; however its stability can be improved by applying some control output constraint. Reducing the number of channels and the distance between secondary loudspeakers and error microphones can also increase system stability but at the cost of smaller noise reduction. When the system is inherently stable and there is no constraint on control output, the independent system can provide the same noise reduction as the fully coupled one but with faster convergence speed.     

局域空间噪声主动控制技术的进展

低频噪声主动控制技术实现实用化，需要同时了解其在声学和电子控制方法上的可实现性，本文在系统的文献检索的基础上，综述了局域空间自适应噪声主动控制技术的发展，内容包括用次级声源控制室外局域噪声，围护结构内的局域空间和室外向室内传播的小范围区域空间噪声主动控制在声学上的限制（原理），以及各种控制策略和算法的应用，本文列出的文献包括了已有的重要研究成果，可为读者进一步了解该领域的研究提供详细的背景材料。     

空间有源消声实验研究

本文分别在半声室和普通房间进行有源消声实验，证明了作者以前提出的算法是收敛的，稳定的，以此算法构成的多通道有源消声系统对直达声和混响声都能进行了有效的控制。     

Passive and active interior noise control of box structures using the structural intensity method

This paper presents passive and active vibro-acoustic noise control methods for attenuating the interior noise level in box structures which can be an analogy of cabins of vehicle and aircraft. The structural intensity (SI) approach is adopted to identify the predominant vibration panels and interior noise sources for box structures. In the study, the finite element method is used to determine the structural vibration and structural intensity in the box surfaces. According to structural intensity vectors plot and structural intensity stream lines presentation, the possible effective control positions where the dampers may be attached and the active control forces may act to reduce vibration and interior noise, are identified. From the study, it can be demonstrated that the structural intensity approach and stream line presentation are possible methods for identifying the vibro-acoustic interior noise source and predominant panels which may be modified to reduce the interior noise level. The structural intensity methodology, passive and active noise control results can be extended to the further study of the vibration and interior noise control of actual cabins of vehicles and aircraft.     

Implementation of active noise control in a multi-modal spray dryer exhaust stack

Tonal noise emitted from large-diameter spray dryer exhaust stacks used in the dairy industry can give rise to complaints from nearby communities. In many cases, the tone at the fan blade passing frequency is characterized by a frequency above the first mode cut on frequency of the exhaust stack and both its amplitude and the frequency are time varying. The variation in amplitude is a result of turbulence and temperature variations in the duct which cause angular variations in the nodal plane of modes with diametrical nodes. This in turn results in large fluctuations in sound pressure with time at any specified location in the duct, thus presenting a significant challenge for an ANC system with fixed control source and error sensor locations. In many food processing industries, the use of sound absorptive materials in silencers is not acceptable and, particularly when the fan speed is variable, it is difficult to achieve an acceptable passive solution at a reasonable cost. Here, the design and implementation of an active noise control system for tonal noise propagating above the cut-on frequency of the first higher order mode in large size cylindrical industrial exhaust stack is discussed, where the frequency and amplitude vary significantly and relatively rapidly with time. Physical system design principles and control algorithm optimization for a practical active noise control system are presented. Finally, real time control results which were achieved by a prototype installation on a large-diameter, in-service exhaust stack are given. Significant noise reductions were achieved in the community.     

应用于有源声辐射控制的一种组合次级声源

在分析多通道单极子次级源控制系统的基础上,提出一种幅度调节型组合次级声源,这种组合源由两个单极子声源构成,单极子声源的间距远小于声波的波长。文中就组合次级源在自由场中对不同初级声源辐射噪声的控制进行理论分析和实验验证,并与同等条件下的单极子次级源控制系统的降噪性能进行了比较分析。数值计算和实验结果均表明,对于不同的初级声场,在次级通道数相同的情况下,组合次级源控制系统可以得到比单极子次级源控制系统高的降噪量。     

Developments in active noise control sound systems for magnetic resonance imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners can produce noise measuring over 130 dB SPL. This noise stimulates the auditory nervous system, limiting the dynamic range for stimulus driven activity in functional MRI (fMRI) experiments and can influence other brain functions. Even for structural scans it causes subject anxiety and discomfort in addition to the impediment to communications. Here we describe the realization and validation of a sound system for sound presentation inside an MRI scanner and the modifications to a standard active noise control technique for use in the noisy and compact environment of the scanner. This paper provides a review of the technology available for the presentation of audio stimuli in an MRI environment and the modifications required for the active control of scanner noise. Some of the content has been previously published [Chambers J, Akeroyd MA, Summerfield AQ, Palmer AR. Active control of the volume acquisition noise in functional magnetic resonance imaging: method and psychoacoustical evaluation. J Acoust Soc Am 2001;110(6):3041-54; Levitt H. Transformed up-down methods in psychoacoustics. J Acoust Soc Am 1971;49:467-77], but this paper goes further in describing the stages of development as the system performance was optimised. The performance of the system and both the objective and subjective reduction of the scanner noise are reported. Finally, we discuss recent improvements to the system that are currently being evaluated and describe the theory of opto-acoustical transducers that operate on the principle of light modulation. These are immune from, and do not create, electro-magnetic interference (EMI) and radio-frequency interference (RFI).     

Insertion loss testing of active noise reduction headsets using acoustic fixture

Active Noise Reduction (ANR) technique has been available for hearing protectors and communication headsets for years. However, no standard testing method for ANR headsets has emerged. In this study, we measured insertion losses of four types of commercially available ANR headsets using an Acoustic Test Fixture (ATF) to examine the feasibility of using ATF for this kind of measurement. The measurement outlined required a minimum of instrumentation and was relatively simple to implement. The results show that this method should be especially useful for testing of prototypes and for quality control as well.