Suboptimal controller design of global active noise control system for various acoustic environments

Area of Science:

• Acoustics
• Control Systems Engineering

Background:

• Conventional active noise control (ANC) systems face challenges in experimental implementation within enclosed spaces due to extensive microphone requirements.
• Recalibration is often necessary for conventional ANC systems when noise sources, objects, or environments change, leading to increased costs and time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a global active noise control (ANC) system adaptable to various acoustic environments.
• To overcome the limitations of traditional ANC systems requiring extensive calibration for enclosed spaces.

Main Methods:

• Developed a suboptimal open-loop controller designed for free-field conditions.
• Proposed an experimental calibration approach for free-field controller design, optimizing speaker and microphone configurations based on noise source characteristics.
• Validated the controller's effectiveness through simulations and experiments in different enclosed spaces.

Main Results:

• The open-loop controller, calibrated once in the free field, demonstrated effectiveness in various enclosed acoustic environments.
• The proposed calibration method allows for flexible and efficient controller design.
• The system proved robust against changes in acoustic environments.

Conclusions:

• The designed global ANC system offers a practical and versatile solution for noise control in diverse enclosed spaces.
• The free-field calibrated open-loop controller eliminates the need for repeated recalibration, reducing complexity and cost.
• This approach facilitates the implementation of effective global ANC across different applications and settings.