An acoustic head simulator for hearing protector evaluation. II: Measurements in steady-state and impulse noise environments

The attenuation characteristics of hearing protection devices (HPDs) were measured using a modular acoustic head simulator. The effect in changes in the head configuration was assessed in a steady-state diffuse sound field. The use of artificial circumaural skin had a relatively small influence on the insertion loss of earmuffs (max. 6-7 dB at low frequencies). This contrasts to the very large effects found for the artificial intraaural skin on the insertion loss of earplugs (in excess of 40 dB at low frequencies for some devices). Results were also compared with real-ear attenuation at threshold (REAT) data (ANSI S3.19-1974). In general, there is good agreement between the two methods, especially for earmuffs. Design improvements are proposed for earplugs. The result of an exploratory study aimed at measuring the complex (amplitude and phase) insertion loss of HPDs using an impulse noise source are also reported.     

The use of acoustical test fixtures for the measurement of hearing protector attenuation. Part II: Modeling the external ear, simulating bone conduction, and comparing test fixture and real-ear data

This paper investigates two main features of the human head which influence the measured attenuation of circumaural and intraaural hearing protection devices (HPDs): the external ear and the different pathways of bone conduction. A theoretical model for the external ear shows that its influence on the insertion loss of HPDs, on the sensitivity level of headphones or earphones, and on the insertion gain of hearing aids, all can be described by one equation. While it is not necessary to simulate the eardrum impedance in order to measure the insertion loss of earmuffs and the sensitivity level of headphones with acoustical test fixtures (ATFs), the required accuracy of an ear simulator is more stringent when the same measurements are performed on intraaural devices. For the evaluation of HPDs, bone conduction plays an important role. We have developed a model to estimate HPD-dependent bone conduction effects. The model includes two bone conduction sources: one in the external ear and one in the middle ear. The model explains, for example, the occlusion effect of HPDs and the masking error at low frequencies due to physiological noise that arises when real-ear attenuation at threshold (REAT) measurements are made. Consequently, objectively measured insertion loss can now be used to predict REAT with improved accuracy. ATF and REAT data are compared using nine earmuffs and nine earplugs. In the majority of cases, the two sets of data agree well. Discrepancies are discussed.     

Isolating the auditory system from acoustic noise during functional magnetic resonance imaging: examination of noise conduction through the ear canal, head, and body

Approaches were examined for reducing acoustic noise levels heard by subjects during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a technique for localizing brain activation in humans. Specifically, it was examined whether a device for isolating the head and ear canal from sound (a "helmet") could add to the isolation provided by conventional hearing protection devices (i.e., earmuffs and earplugs). Both subjective attenuation (the difference in hearing threshold with versus without isolation devices in place) and objective attenuation (difference in ear-canal sound pressure) were measured. In the frequency range of the most intense fMRI noise (1-1.4 kHz), a helmet, earmuffs, and earplugs used together attenuated perceived sound by 55-63 dB, whereas the attenuation provided by the conventional devices alone was substantially less: 30-37 dB for earmuffs, 25-28 dB for earplugs, and 39-41 dB for earmuffs and earplugs used together. The data enabled the clarification of the relative importance of ear canal, head, and body conduction routes to the cochlea under different conditions: At low frequencies (< or =500 Hz), the ear canal was the dominant route of sound conduction to the cochlea for all of the device combinations considered. At higher frequencies (>500 Hz), the ear canal was the dominant route when either earmuffs or earplugs were worn. However, the dominant route of sound conduction was through the head when both earmuffs and earplugs were worn, through both ear canal and body when a helmet and earmuffs were worn, and through the body when a helmet, earmuffs, and earplugs were worn. It is estimated that a helmet, earmuffs, and earplugs together will reduce the most intense fMRI noise levels experienced by a subject to 60-65 dB SPL. Even greater reductions in noise should be achievable by isolating the body from the surrounding noise field.     

Application of the articulation index to the speech recognition of normal and impaired listeners wearing hearing protection

The present study examined the application of the articulation index (AI) as a predictor of the speech-recognition performance of normal and hearing-impaired listeners with and without hearing protection. The speech-recognition scores of 12 normal and 12 hearing-impaired subjects were measured for a wide range of conditions designed to be representative of those in the workplace. Conditions included testing in quiet, in two types of background noise (white versus speech spectrum), at three signal-to-noise ratios (+ 5, 0, - 5 dB), and in three conditions of protection (unprotected, earplugs, earmuffs). The mean results for all 21 listening conditions and both groups of subjects were accurately described by the AI. Moreover, a single transfer-function relating performance to the AI could describe all the data from both groups.     

The attenuation of hearing protectors against high-level industrial impulse noise; comparison of predicted and in situ results

Three earmuffs, each with a different cup volume and type test attenuations were measured by the MIRE technique in drop forging-workshops. The cup volumes were rated as small, medium and large. The small size was planned for military use against shots and blasts from firearms and explosions. In the drop-forging plant the unweighted peak sound pressure levels were around 140 dB, which is considered the upper limit for the linearity of the attenuation of hearing protector devices (HPD). Our results indicate that none of the earmuffs satisfied the hearing conservation purposes in the selected plant. The peak levels inside the HPDs and effective to the ear were 120-130 dB, and may be considered acceptable if the number of impulses is low. The energy equivalent levels effective to the ear were between 84 and 97 dB, i.e. far from satisfactory protection. The best protection was provided by the medium volume HPD, whereas the HPD intended for military use gave the lowest protection. The application of the HML method showed that the large volume earmuff underestimated the MIRE attenuation by 2-3 dB, whereas the medium and small volume earmuffs provided 5-11 dB lower attenuation, respectively. This difference can be explained by the clearly higher headband force in the large volume earmuff than in the medium and small volume earmuffs. The protection efficiency can be improved by wearing earmuffs and earplugs simultaneously.     

Effects of hearing protector devices on speech intelligibility

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of hearing protection devices (HPDs) on the understanding of speech in young adults with normal hearing, both in a silent situation and in the presence of ambient noise. The experimental research was carried out with the following variables: five different conditions of HPD use (without protectors, with two earplugs and with two earmuffs); a type of noise (pink noise); 4 test levels (60, 70, 80 and 90 dB[A]); 6 signal/noise ratios (without noise, +5, +10, zero, −5 and −10 dB); 5 repetitions for each case, totalling 600 tests with 10 monosyllables in each one. The variable measure was the percentage of correctly heard words (monosyllabic) in the test. The results revealed that, at the lowest levels (60 and 70 dB), the protectors reduced the intelligibility of speech (compared to the tests without protectors) while, in the presence of ambient noise levels of 80 and 90 dB and unfavourable signal/noise ratios (0, −5 and −10 dB), the HPDs improved the intelligibility. A comparison of the effectiveness of earplugs versus earmuffs showed that the former offer greater efficiency in respect to the recognition of speech, providing a 30% improvement over situations in which no protection is used. As might be expected, this study confirmed that the protectors' influence on speech intelligibility is related directly to the spectral curve of the protector's attenuation.     

Hearing protection against high-level shooting impulses in relation to hearing damage risk criteria.

The earmuff attenuation of acoustic impulses produced by large-caliber weapons was measured with a high-speed microcomputer controlled unit. The estimated accuracy was +/- 1 dB in peak sound-pressure level measurements. The peak levels outside earmuffs were 184 dB for the heavy bazooka and 172 dB for the hand-held bazooka (re: 20 microPa). Heavy bazooka impulse peak levels were attenuated from 7 to 19 dB by the earmuffs depending on the mass and volume of the measured three types of earmuffs. Hand-held bazooka impulse peak levels were attenuated by the earmuffs from 9 to 15 dB. The risk limits for hearing loss from a single impulse were exceeded in spite of the use of earmuffs when the criteria of CHABA (USA) or Pfander (Germany) were applied. The unexpectedly low attenuation was due to the low-frequency waveform of the high-level impulses. The earmuffs were found to prolong the impulse duration, which may reduce the benefit otherwise achieved by attenuation of the peak levels.     

Earmuff comfort

In many industrial and military situations it is not practical or economical to reduce ambient noise to levels that present neither a hazard to hearing nor annoyance. In these situations, personal hearing protection devices are capable of reducing the noise by 20–30 dB. Although the use of a hearing protector is recommended as a temporary solution until action is taken to control the noise, in practice, it ends up as a permanent solution in most cases. Therefore, hearing protectors must be both efficient in terms of noise attenuation and comfortable to wear. Comfort in this case is related to the agreement of the user to wear the hearing protector consistently and correctly at all times. The purpose of this paper is, firstly, to provide some background on the publications related to earmuff comfort, most of which are based on measurement of the total headband force and subjective evaluation using questionnaires. Most of the published results show a weak correlation between total headband force and subjective evaluation. Secondly, this paper presents a new method to measure the contact pressure distribution between the earmuff cushions and the circumaural flesh of the human head and estimate a comfort index. The comfort parameters were investigated and equations developed to calculate comfort indices and overall quality indices. The most important calculated comfort index is measured from the contact pressure distribution and correlated with a subjective evaluation. Measurement results for the pressure distribution of 10 earmuffs show good correlation with the subjective evaluation.     

An acoustic head simulator for hearing protector evaluation. I: Design and construction

As an alternative to subjective methods, an acoustic head simulator was constructed for hearing protector evaluation. The primary purpose of the device is for hearing protector testing and research under high-level steady-state and impulse noise environments. The design is based on the KEMAR manikin and therefore approximates the physical dimensions and the acoustical eardrum impedance of the median human adult. The head simulator includes a mechanical reproduction of the human circumaural and intraaural tissues with a silicone rubber material. A compliant head-neck system was constructed to approximate the vibrational characteristics of the human head in a sound field in order to simulate the inertia effect of earmuffs. The bone-conducted sounds are not mechanically reproduced in the design. Applications for the device are reported in a companion article [C. Giguère and H. Kunov, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 85, 1197-1205 (1989)].     

16×0.8nmSi基SiO2阵列波导光栅设计、制备及测试

叙述了一个完整的16通道硅基二氧化硅阵列波导光栅(AWG)的设计、制备及测试过程。通道间隔为0.8nm(100GHz),解复用器的插入损耗为16.8dB,其中材料损耗为11.95dB,相邻通道串扰小于-17dB,通道插损非均匀性小于2.2dB。     

与人射线偏振光振动方向无关的低偏振度消偏器

消偏器是光纤传感器、光放大器等偏振敏感性光学系统中的关键器件,用于减小输入光的偏振度(DOP)。设计了一种与入射线偏振光振动方向无关的低偏振度消偏器,该器件中利用人为的偏振相关延迟代替了保偏光纤的双折射,并在偏振相关型消偏器前增加了一个1/4波片,从而对任意方向振动的线偏振光具有相同的消偏能力,结构紧凑。对消偏性能随波片阶数、入射光中心波长和振动方向的变化作了数值计算。实验中采用半峰全宽为0．13 nm的光源,入射线偏振光在任意方向振动时,输出光偏振度小于2．6%,消偏器的插入损耗为0．6 dB,损耗起伏小于0．11 dB。实验和数值计算结果表明,该消偏器具有低偏振度、低插入损耗和适合于宽光谱应用的优点。     

与入射线偏振光振动方向无关的低偏振度消偏器

消偏器是光纤传感器、光放大器等偏振敏感性光学系统中的关键器件,用于减小输入光的偏振度(DOP).设计了一种与入射线偏振光振动方向无关的低偏振度消偏器,该器件中利用人为的偏振相关延迟代替了保偏光纤的双折射,并在偏振相关型消偏器前增加了一个1/4波片,从而对任意方向振动的线偏振光具有相同的消偏能力,结构紧凑.对消偏性能随波片阶数、入射光中心波长和振动方向的变化作了数值计算.实验中采用半峰全宽为0.13 nm的光源,入射线偏振光在任意方向振动时,输出光偏振度小于2.6%,消偏器的插入损耗为0.6 dB,损耗起伏小于0.11 dB.实验和数值计算结果表明,该消偏器具有低偏振度、低插入损耗和适合于宽光谱应用的优点.     

Hybrid feedforward-feedback active noise reduction for hearing protection and communication

A hybrid active noise reduction (ANR) architecture is presented and validated for a circumaural earcup and a communication earplug. The hybrid system combines source-independent feedback ANR with a Lyapunov-tuned leaky LMS filter (LyLMS) improving gain stability margins over feedforward ANR alone. In flat plate testing, the earcup demonstrates an overall C-weighted total noise reduction of 40 dB and 30-32 dB, respectively, for 50-800 Hz sum-of-tones noise and for aircraft or helicopter cockpit noise, improving low frequency (<100 Hz) performance by up to 15 dB over either control component acting individually. For the earplug, a filtered-X implementation of the LyLMS accommodates its nonconstant cancellation path gain. A fast time-domain identification method provides a high-fidelity, computationally efficient, infinite impulse response cancellation path model, which is used for both the filtered-X implementation and communication feedthrough. Insertion loss measurements made with a manikin show overall C-weighted total noise reduction provided by the ANR earplug of 46-48 dB for sum-of-tones 80-2000 Hz and 40-41 dB from 63 to 3000 Hz for UH-60 helicopter noise, with negligible degradation in attenuation during speech communication. For both hearing protectors, a stability metric improves by a factor of 2 to several orders of magnitude through hybrid ANR.     

波导阵列与光纤阵列的遗传算法自动对接

设计了一种新的阵列对接方法,即将遗传算法导入光纤、光波导分支耦合器、光纤阵列的自动对接。数值仿真结果表明,常规的八通道波导分支耦合器的对接耦合能实现各通道小于9.1dB的插入损耗,最大值与最小值之差小于0.1dB,即自动对接方案具有良好的性能。     

Full scale model investigation on the acoustical protection of a balcony-like façade device (L)

The acoustical insertion losses produced by a balcony-like structure in front of a window are examined experimentally. The results suggest that the balcony ceiling is the most appropriate location for the installation of artificial sound absorption for the purpose of improving the broadband insertion loss, while the side walls are found to be the second best. Results also indicate that the acoustic modes of the balcony opening and the balcony cavity resonance in a direction normal to the window could have a great impact on the one-third octave band insertion losses. The maximum broadband road traffic noise insertion loss achieved is about 7 dB.     

一种高功率微波金属片波导移相器设计与特性分析

设计了一种高功率微波矩形波导移相器,在矩形波导中平行于电场放置金属片,沿波导宽边移动金属片,实现波导内的可变相移。通过优化设计波导和金属片的结构尺寸可实现0~360°相移,通过优化设计金属片过渡匹配结构可实现较低的插损。设计波导内为全金属结构,不存在介质材料,采用真空绝缘可以承受较高的功率传输。设计了中心频率为9.4GHz的金属片波导移相器,移相器最大插损小于0.2dB,功率容量设计达到64 MW。实验测试,移相器最大插损小于0.5dB,相频曲线呈线性关系。     

The typical noise: first step in the development of a short procedure for estimating performance of hearing protectors

An exact measurement of the effectiveness of a hearing protector requires the determination of how well it works in the specific noise in which it is to be worn. As a practical matter, though, people do not generally remain in a single noise spectrum throughout a working career or even throughout a working day, so it does not matter so much that most measurers are not likely to be equipped to perform spectrum analyses. Other techniques for judging earplugs and earmuffs are obviously necessary. Previous research has tried to find the average attenuation given by a particular device in several (or many) noises, or it has tried to deal with the attenuation given in noises given with particular C-minus-A values. In this paper, a procedure is developed for compressing these multiple-spectra calculations into a single-spectrum computation that proves to be at least as accurate as the more complex methods.     

Verifying the attenuation of earplugs in situ: method validation using artificial head and numerical simulations

The use of in situ measurements of hearing protectors' (HPD's) attenuation following the microphone in real ear (MIRE) protocol is increasing. The attenuation is hereby calculated from the difference in sound levels outside the ear and inside the ear canal behind the HPD. Custom-made earplugs have been designed with an inner bore that allows inserting a miniature microphone. A thorough understanding of the difference, henceforth called transfer function, between the sound pressure of interest at the eardrum and the one measured at the inner bore of the HPD is indispensable for optimizing the MIRE technique and extending its field of application. This issue was addressed by measurements on a head-and-torso-simulator and finite difference time domain numerical simulations of the outer ear canal occluded by an earplug. Both approaches are in good agreement and reveal a clear distinction between the sound pressure at the MIRE microphone and at eardrum, but the measured transfer functions appear to be stable and reproducible. Moreover, the most striking features of the transfer functions can be traced down to the geometrical and morphological characteristics of the earplug and ear canal.     

1.3μm光学环行器正向损耗及反向隔离比的理论及实验研究

在理论及实验上分析了影响光环行器插入损耗及反向隔离比的因素,讨论了环行器中起、检偏镜参数对其性能的影响.结果表明,起、检偏镜的各组参数存在最佳选择,以保证环行器具有低插损、高隔离比及与偏振无关的特性.作者研制的环行器正向损耗小于1dB,反向隔离比在25.5dB与28dB之间.     

Speech production in noise with and without hearing protection

People working in noisy environments often complain of difficulty communicating when they wear hearing protection. It was hypothesized that part of the workers' communication difficulties stem from changes in speech production that occur when hearing protectors are worn. To address this possibility, overall and one-third-octave-band SPL measurements were obtained for 16 men and 16 women as they produced connected speech while wearing foam, flange, or no earplugs (open ears) in quiet and in pink noise at 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 dB SPL. The attenuation and the occlusion effect produced by the earplugs were measured. The Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) was also calculated for each condition. The talkers produced lower overall speech levels, speech-to-noise ratios, and SII values, and less high-frequency speech energy, when they wore earplugs compared with the open-ear condition. Small differences in the speech measures between the talkers wearing foam and flange earplugs were observed. Overall, the results of the study indicate that talkers wearing earplugs (and consequently their listeners) are at a disadvantage when communicating in noise.