Design of a low-cost microphone array for portable multi-platform applications.

Area of Science:

• Acoustics
• Signal Processing
• Instrumentation

Background:

• Acoustic imaging analysis is crucial for identifying noise sources and their spatial parameters.
• Simultaneously recording multi-channel audio and visual data presents a significant technical challenge for accurate sound localization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a cost-effective, adaptable hardware interconnection device for multi-microphone acoustic imaging.
• To facilitate simultaneous recording of high-fidelity audio and optional visual data for noise source analysis.

Main Methods:

• Designing a modular hardware system with readily available components and minimal PCB requirements.
• Utilizing a 3D-printed base for customizable portable microphone array configurations.
• Implementing a script for 16-channel audio recording (48 kHz, 32 bits) and optional depth camera data acquisition.

Main Results:

• The developed system is USB 2.0 compliant, ensuring broad compatibility with computers and development boards.
• Successful acquisition of multi-channel audio and point cloud data demonstrated.
• Post-processing using inverse methods enabled holographic reconstruction of noise source surface parameters and sound power approximation.

Conclusions:

• The proposed hardware setup offers a flexible and accessible solution for advanced acoustic imaging applications.
• This system simplifies the complex task of multi-modal data acquisition for noise source analysis.
• The methodology supports accurate spatial positioning and parameter estimation of acoustic sources.