The influence of an impedance obstacle on the acoustic field inside a rectangular room

The problem of sound propagation inside a rigid-walled room containing a rectangular obstacle was solved by dividing an acoustic field into subregions and using the continuity conditions. Acoustic waves were generated by a point source. The formulas valid for an impedance obstacle extending from a room floor to its ceiling were obtained. The considered obstacle can modeled such elements as a ventilation shaft, furniture or construction pillar. The solution was expressed in the form of convergent series. To obtain accurate results, the error resulting from the use of truncated series was controlled. Additionally, to check a correctness of the proposed solution and its computer implementation, the results obtained for a negligibly small obstacle were compared with those given by the empty room model. An excellent agreement was achieved which proves a high accuracy of the used methodology. The numerical analysis shown that the calculation time of acoustic pressure in a part of an empty room can be significantly reduced by using the obtained solution. An optimal source location for noise reduction was found. The distribution of acoustic field was illustrated and some conclusions were formulated. The changes in acoustic field due to the obstacle presence were predicted and discussed.

Low frequency sound field reconstruction in a non-rectangular room using a small number of microphones

An accurate knowledge of the sound field distribution inside a room is required to identify and optimally locate corrective measures for room acoustics. However, the spatial recovery of the sound field would result in an impractically high number of microphones in the room. Fortunately, at low frequencies, the possibility to rely on a sparse description of sound fields can help reduce the total number of measurement points without affecting the accuracy of the reconstruction. In this paper, the use of Greedy algorithm and Global curve-fitting techniques are proposed, in order to first recover the modal parameters of the room, and then to reconstruct the entire enclosed sound field at low frequencies, using a reasonably low set of measurements. First, numerical investigations are conducted on a non-rectangular room configuration, with different acoustic properties, in order to analyze various aspects of the reconstruction frameworks such as accuracy and robustness. The model is then validated with an experimental study in an actual reverberation chamber. The study yields promising results in which the enclosed sound field can be faithfully reconstructed using a practically feasible number of microphones, even in complex-shaped and damped rooms.

Maximum Damping of the Lowest Room Eigenfrequency by a Monopole

In this paper, we consider the problem of sound absorption by a monopole in a rectangular room with absolutely rigid walls. The absorption efficiency is characterized by the damping coefficients of free oscillations of the “monopole-room” system. The impedance of the monopole is found, at which the damping coefficient of the resonance of the system with the lowest natural frequency is maximum. The monopole with this impedance can be realized using an active control method that allows the required impedance to be achieved over a wide frequency band.

The Effects of Adding Pyramidal and Convex Diffusers on Room Acoustic Parameters in a Small Non-Diffuse Room

This paper presents an investigation of the effects of relatively large-scale pyramidal and convex-shaped diffusers on the acoustical properties of a small non-diffuse rectangular room. Room impulse responses (RIRs) were measured in various room configurations to extract the early decay time (EDT), reverberation time (T20), early-to-late arriving sound ratio (C50), and clarity (C80). The difference between the parameters measured in the empty room were chosen to be the reference, and those measured in other room configurations was calculated. Statistical analysis of the measurement results supplements the investigation to determine whether the coverage and type of diffusers contribute significantly to the variation of the acoustical parameters. The results show that adding diffusers in the room generally decreases EDT as well as T20, and increases C50 as well as C80 for both diffuser types. The statistical analysis shows that the coverage of diffusers significantly contributes to the variation of the acoustical parameters in most conditions (octave band, diffuser type). The effect of the diffuser shape is only significant for some of the conditions (at 4 kHz, the number of diffusers). The data presented demonstrate that in a small non-diffuse room the reverberation can be controlled efficiently by redirecting the sound energy towards the most absorbing surfaces.

Representing Spatial Layout According to Intrinsic Frames of Reference

Mou and McNamara have suggested that object locations are represented according to intrinsic reference frames. In three experiments, we investigated the limitations of intrinsic reference frames as a mean to represent object locations in spatial memory. Participants learned the locations of seven or eight common objects in a rectangular room and then made judgments of relative direction based on their memory of the layout. The results of all experiments showed that when all objects were positioned regularly, judgments of relative direction were faster or more accurate for novel headings that were aligned with the primary intrinsic structure than for other novel headings; however, when one irregularly positioned object was added to the layout, this advantage was eliminated. The experiments further indicated that with a single view at study, participants could represent the layout from either an egocentric orientation or a different orientation, according to experimental instructions. Together, these results suggest that environmental reference frames and intrinsic axes can influence performance for novel headings, but their role in spatial memory depends on egocentric experience, layout regularity, and instructions.