scholarly journals Co-integration of acoustic simulation software and GIS for speech intelligibility analysis in complex multi-source acoustic environments. Application to Toledo's Cathedral

2017 ◽  
Vol 141 (5) ◽  
pp. 3778-3778
Author(s):  
Antonio Pedrero ◽  
Luis Iglesias ◽  
Rogelio Ruiz ◽  
César Díaz
Keyword(s):  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Acoustic Simulation ◽  
Acoustic Environments

scholarly journals Electroacoustic assessment of wireless remote microphone systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haniyeh Salehi ◽  
Vijay Parsa ◽  
Paula Folkeard
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Signal ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
The Other ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Significant Interest ◽  
Acoustic Environments ◽  
Acoustic Conditions

Wireless remote microphones (RMs) transmit the desired acoustic signal to the hearing aid (HA) and facilitate enhanced listening in challenging environments. Fitting and verification of RMs, and benchmarking the relative performance of different RM devices in varied acoustic environments are of significant interest to Audiologists and RM developers. This paper investigates the application of instrumental speech intelligibility and quality metrics for characterizing the RM performance in two acoustic environments with varying amounts of background noise and reverberation. In both environments, two head and torso simulators (HATS) were placed 2 m apart, where one HATS served as the talker and the other served as the listener. Four RM systems were interfaced separately with a HA programmed to match the prescriptive targets for the N4 standard audiogram and placed on the listener HATS. The HA output in varied acoustic conditions was recorded and analyzed offline through computational models predicting speech intelligibility and quality. Results showed performance differences among the four RMs in the presence of noise and/or reverberation, with one RM exhibiting significantly better performance. Clinical implications and applications of these results are discussed.

scholarly journals Archaeoacoustic Examination of Lazarica Church

Acoustics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 423-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zorana Đorđević ◽  
Dragan Novković ◽  
Uroš Andrić
Keyword(s):  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Sound Field ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Central Dome ◽  
Acoustic Effect ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Medieval Church ◽  
Transmission Index ◽  
Speech Transmission

The acoustic analysis provides additional information on building tradition and related indoor practice that includes sound, thus deepening our understanding of architectural heritage. In this paper, the sound field of the Orthodox medieval church Lazarica (Kruševac city, Serbia) is examined. Lazarica is a representative of Morava architectural style, developed in the final period of the Serbian medieval state, when also the chanting art thrived, proving the importance of the aural environment in Serbian churches. The church plan is a combination of a traditional inscribed cross and a triconch. After the in situ measurement of acoustic impulse response using EASERA software, we built a computer model in the acoustic simulation software EASE and calibrated it accordingly. Following the parameters (reverberation time (T30), early decay time (EDT) and speech transmission index (STI)), we examined the acoustic effect of the space occupancy, central dome and the iconostasis. In all the cases, no significant deviation between T30 and EDT parameter was observed, which indicates uniform sound energy decay. Closing the dome with a flat ceiling did not show any significant impact on T30, but it lowered speech intelligibility. The height of iconostasis showed no significant influence on the acoustics of Lazarica church.

scholarly journals Acoustic Sensing Analytics Applied to Speech in Reverberation Conditions

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6320
Author(s):  
Piotr Odya ◽  
Jozef Kotus ◽  
Adam Kurowski ◽  
Bozena Kostek
Keyword(s):  
Speech Processing ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Transmission Index ◽  
Speech Transmission ◽  
Natural Remedies ◽  
Polish Language ◽  
Processing Control ◽  
Acoustic Environments ◽  
Acoustic Conditions

The paper aims to discuss a case study of sensing analytics and technology in acoustics when applied to reverberation conditions. Reverberation is one of the issues that makes speech in indoor spaces challenging to understand. This problem is particularly critical in large spaces with few absorbing or diffusing surfaces. One of the natural remedies to improve speech intelligibility in such conditions may be achieved through speaking slowly. It is possible to use algorithms that reduce the rate of speech (RoS) in real time. Therefore, the study aims to find recommended values of RoS in the context of STI (speech transmission index) in different acoustic environments. In the experiments, speech intelligibility for six impulse responses recorded in spaces with different STIs is investigated using a sentence test (for the Polish language). Fifteen subjects with normal hearing participated in these tests. The results of the analytical analysis enabled us to propose a curve specifying the maximum RoS values translating into understandable speech under given acoustic conditions. This curve can be used in speech processing control technology as well as compressive reverse acoustic sensing.

scholarly journals Simulating Signal Aberration and Ranging Error for Ultrasonic Indoor Positioning

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 3548
Author(s):  
Riccardo Carotenuto ◽  
Massimo Merenda ◽  
Demetrio Iero ◽  
Francesco G. Della Corte
Keyword(s):  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Indoor Positioning ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Reference Points ◽  
Signal Shape ◽  
Positioning Systems ◽  
Acoustic Simulation ◽  
Ranging Error ◽  
Acoustic Diffraction ◽  
Shape And Size

Increasing efforts toward the development of positioning techniques testify the growing interest for indoor position-based applications and services. Many applications require accurate indoor positioning or tracking of people and assets, and some market sectors are starting a rapid growth of products based on these technologies. Ultrasonic systems have already been demonstrating their effectiveness and to possess the desired positioning accuracy and refresh rates. In this work, it is shown that a typical signal used in ultrasonic positioning systems to estimate the range between the target and reference points—namely, the linear chirp—due to the effects of acoustic diffraction, in some cases, undergoes a shape aberration, depending on the shape and size of the transducer and on the angle under which the transducer is seen by the receiver. In the presence of such signal shape aberrations, even one of the most robust ranging techniques, which is based on cross-correlation, provides results affected by a much greater error than expected. Numerical simulations are carried out for a typical ultrasonic chirp, ultrasonic emitter, and range technique based on cross-correlation and for a typical office room, obtained using the academic acoustic simulation software Field II. Spatial distributions of the ranging error are provided, clearly showing the favorable low error regions. The work demonstrates that particular attention must be paid to the design of the acoustic section of the ultrasonic positioning systems, considering both the shape and size of the ultrasonic emitters and the shape of the acoustic signal used.

Research of Single Cavity Exhaust Muffler Based on AML and CFD Method

2014 ◽  
Vol 926-930 ◽  
pp. 3179-3182
Author(s):  
Huai Hui Du ◽  
Yu Hong Long ◽  
Jun Liang Liu ◽  
Wen Shang Li ◽  
Jie Cai
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Transmission Loss ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Fluid Simulation ◽  
Local Pressure ◽  
Acoustic Simulation ◽  
Virtual Lab ◽  
Cfd Method ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Single Cavity

Two mufflers of single exhaust muffler and double exhaust muffler were researched based on the method of AML technology of acoustic simulation software LMS Virtual lab and got transmission loss graph of the two mufflers, indicating that the single exhaust muffler had better effect of noise reduction. Then the fluid simulation was carried out on two mufflers and velocity and pressure cloud maps were draw based on the method of computational fluid dynamics in FLUENT. It is pointed out that the double exhaust muffler is slightly greater than the single exhaust muffler on pressure loss, this is because the airflow in single exhaust muffler is mainly jet flow and the pressure loss is mainly local pressure loss, while the airflow of double exhaust muffler is mainly rotary flow and the pressure loss is mainly frictional pressure loss. The impact that the airflow has on the cavity of the double exhaust muffler is higher.

scholarly journals Effect of competitive acoustic environments on speech intelligibility

2021 ◽  
Vol 2069 (1) ◽  
pp. 012162
Author(s):  
G E Puglisi ◽  
A Warzybok ◽  
A Astolfi ◽  
B Kollmeier
Keyword(s):  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Informational Content ◽  
Noise Sources ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Listening Tests ◽  
Noise Type ◽  
Spatial Release ◽  
Release From Masking ◽  
Acoustic Environments ◽  
Design Of Learning Environments

Abstract Excessive noise and reverberation times degrade listening abilities in everyday life environments. This is particularly true for school settings. Most classrooms in Italy are settled in historical buildings that generate competitive acoustic environments. So far, few studies investigated the effect of real acoustics on speech intelligibility and on the spatial release from masking, focusing more on laboratory conditions. Also, the effect of noise on speech intelligibility was widely investigated considering its energetic rather than its informational content. Therefore, a study involving normal hearing adults was performed presenting listening tests via headphone and considering the competitive real acoustics of two primary-school classrooms with reverberation time of 0.4 s and 3.1 s, respectively. The main objective was the investigation of the effect of reverberation and noise on the spatial release from masking to help the design of learning environments. Binaural room impulse responses were acquired, with noise sources at different azimuths from the listener’s head. The spatial release from masking was significantly affected by noise type and reverberation. Longer reverberation times brought to worst speech intelligibility, with speech recognition thresholds higher by 6 dB on average. Noise with an informational content was detrimental by 7 dB with respect to an energetic noise.

Spatial Acoustic Scenarios in Multichannel Loudspeaker Systems for Hearing Aid Evaluation

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (07) ◽  
pp. 557-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giso Grimm ◽  
Birger Kollmeier ◽  
Volker Hohmann
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measures ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Sound Field ◽  
Speech Quality ◽  
Reference Condition ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
Technical Performance ◽  
Acoustic Environments

Background: Field tests and guided walks in real environments show that the benefit from hearing aid (HA) signal processing in real-life situations is typically lower than the predicted benefit found in laboratory studies. This suggests that laboratory test outcome measures are poor predictors of real-life HA benefits. However, a systematic evaluation of algorithms in the field is difficult due to the lack of reproducibility and control of the test conditions. Virtual acoustic environments that simulate real-life situations may allow for a systematic and reproducible evaluation of HAs under more realistic conditions, thus providing a better estimate of real-life benefit than established laboratory tests. Purpose: To quantify the difference in HA performance between a laboratory condition and more realistic conditions based on technical performance measures using virtual acoustic environments, and to identify the factors affecting HA performance across the tested environments. Research Design: A set of typical HA beamformer algorithms was evaluated in virtual acoustic environments of different complexity. Performance was assessed based on established technical performance measures, including perceptual model predictions of speech quality and speech intelligibility. Virtual acoustic environments ranged from a simple static reference condition to more realistic complex scenes with dynamically moving sound objects. Results: HA benefit, as predicted by signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and speech intelligibility measures, differs between the reference condition and more realistic conditions for the tested beamformer algorithms. Other performance measures, such as speech quality or binaural degree of diffusiveness, do not show pronounced differences. However, a decreased speech quality was found in specific conditions. A correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between room acoustic parameters of the sound field and HA performance. The SNR improvement in the reference condition was found to be a poor predictor of HA performance in terms of speech intelligibility improvement in the more realistic conditions. Conclusions: Using several virtual acoustic environments of different complexity, a systematic difference in HA performance between a simple reference condition and more realistic environments was found, which may be related to the discrepancy between laboratory and real-life HA performance reported previously.

A research on acoustical comfort for hearing-impaired individuals in inclusive education places

2020 ◽  
pp. 1351010X2092358
Author(s):  
Zakariyya Uzeyirli ◽  
Aslı Özçevik Bilen
Keyword(s):  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Evaluation Studies ◽  
Subjective Evaluation ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Acoustic Comfort ◽  
The Impact

The inclusive education method has substantial contributions to hearing-impaired individuals’ education and socialization. However, the poor physical environment and acoustic comfort conditions negatively affect speech intelligibility at such places and therefore, the quality of education. Upon determining that there are very few subjective evaluation studies, we conducted a study regarding the impact of acoustic comfort conditions on speech intelligibility at inclusive education places. Within the scope of the study, first, a classroom was determined, and the current acoustic conditions of the class were evaluated objectively by field acoustic measurements. A calibrated model was created in the simulation software of the relevant class and then two more models with optimum reverberation time values of 0.4 s and 0.8 s as suggested in the literature, and auralizations were performed for the models. For subjective evaluation, a subject group of hearing-impaired and normal hearing individuals fulfilling equal conditions were tested by speech discrimination test in real-time in the classroom and from auralization recordings in a laboratory setting. Regarding the results obtained, it was observed that speech intelligibility percentage of normal hearing individuals increased as expected while in hearing-impaired individuals, contrary to the expectations, percentage differed from one another, and there was no increase. Following the discussions with experts, it was concluded that different hearing aids used by hearing-impaired individuals might lead to this situation. Accordingly, it occurs that the possibility to achieve a good speech intelligibility for hearing-impaired individuals even if optimum acoustic values suggested are fulfilled in education places remains unclear.

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