The Filtered-X Least-Mean-Square (FXLMS) algorithm is widely used in active noise control due to its robustness, simplicity, and ability to be implemented in real time. In a feedforward implementation of the FXLMS algorithm, a reference signal that is highly correlated with the noise to be controlled is filtered with an estimate of the transfer function of the secondary path. The convergence characteristics of the FXLMS algorithm have been well studied. A convergence parameter is used to optimize the convergence of the algorithm. However, the optimal value for the convergence parameter is frequency dependent. Thus for noise containing multiple tones at different frequencies the convergence parameter can only be optimized for one of those tones. Other tones will have slower convergence rates and in general less attenuation than they would have if they were treated singly and parameters could be optimized for those frequencies separately. A method is developed to modify the magnitude response of the secondary path estimate while maintaining the original phase response, which equalizes the convergence characteristics over multiple frequencies, giving more uniform convergence and attenuation for all tones being controlled. Stability of the algorithm is not compromised. The modification to the FXLMS algorithm is relatively simple to implement and has been shown to increase overall attenuation of a signal containing multiple tones by an additional 6-9 dB.

Extensive disturbance rejection methods have been established for time-invariant systems. However, the development of these techniques has not focused on application to time-periodic systems in particular until recently. The filtered-X LMS algorithm is regarded as the best disturbance rejection technique for aperiodic systems by many, as has been proven in the acoustics industry for rejecting unwanted noise. Since this is essentially a feedforward approach, we might expect its performance to be good with respect to time-periodic systems in which the disturbance frequency is already known. The work presented in this thesis is an investigation of the performance of the filtered-X LMS algorithm for disturbance rejection in time-periodic systems. Two cases are examined: a generalized linear, time-periodic system and the helicopter rotor blade in forward flight. Results for the generalized system show that the filtered-X LMS algorithm does converge for time-periodic disturbance inputs and can produce very small errors. For the helicopter rotor blade system the algorithm is shown to produce very small errors, with a 96%, or 14 dB, reduction in error from the open-loop system. The filtered-X LMS disturbance rejection technique is shown to provide a successful means of rejecting timeperiodic disturbances for time-periodic systems. / Master of Science

In the last decade acoustic noise has become more and more regarded as a problem. In cars, boats, trains and aircraft, low-frequency noise reduces comfort. Lightweight materials and more powerful engines are used in high-speed vehicles, resulting in a general increase in interior noise levels. Low-frequency noise is annoying and during periods of long exposure it causes fatigue and discomfort. The masking effect which low-frequency noise has on speech reduces speech intelligibility. Low-frequency noise is sought to be attenuated in a wide range of applications in order to improve comfort and speech intelligibility. The use of conventional passive methods to attenuate low-frequency noise is often impractical since considerable bulk and weight are required; in transportation large weight is associated with high fuel consumption. In order to overcome the problems of ineffective passive suppression of low-frequency noise, the technique of active noise control has become of considerable interest. The fundamental principle of active noise control is based on secondary sources producing ``anti-noise.'' Destructive interference between the generated and the primary sound fields results in noise attenuation. Active noise control systems significantly increase the capacity for attenuating low-frequency noise without major increase in volume and weight. This doctoral dissertation deals with the topic of active noise control within the passenger cabin in aircraft, and within headsets. The work focuses on methods, controller structures and adaptive algorithms for attenuating tonal low-frequency noise produced by synchronized or moderately synchronized propellers generating beating sound fields. The control algorithm is a central part of an active noise control system. A multiple-reference feedforward controller based on the novel actuator-individual normalized Filtered-X Least-Mean-Squares algorithm is introduced, yielding significant attenuation of such period noise. This algorithm is of the LMS-type, and owing to the novel normalization it can also be regarded as a Newton-type algorithm. The new algorithm combines low computational complexity with high performance. For that reason the algorithm is suitable for use in systems with a large number of control sources and control sensors in order to reduce the computional power required by the control system. The computational power of the DSP hardware is limited, and therefore algorithms with high computational complexity allow fewer control sources and sensors to be used, often with reduced noise attenuation as a result. In applications, such as controlling aircraft cabin noise, where a large multiple-channel system is needed to control the relative complex interior sound field, it is of great importance to keep down the computational complexity of the algorithm so that a large number of loudspeakers and microphones can be used. The dissertation presents theoretical work, off-line computer experiments and practical real-time experiments using the actuator-individual normalized algorithm. The computer experiments are principally based on real-life cabin noise data recorded during flight in a twin-engine propeller aircraft and in a helicopter. The practical experiments were carried out in a full-scale fuselage section from a propeller aircraft. / Buller i vår dagliga miljö kan ha en negativ inverkan på vår hälsa. I många sammanhang, i tex bilar, båtar och flygplan, förekommer lågfrekvent buller. Lågfrekvent buller är oftast inte skadligt för hörseln, men kan vara tröttande och försvåra konversationen mellan personer som vistas i en utsatt miljö. En dämpning av bullernivån medför en förbättrad taluppfattbarhet samt en komfortökning. Att dämpa lågfrekvent buller med traditionella passiva metoder, tex absorbenter och reflektorer, är oftast ineffektivt. Det krävs stora, skrymmande absorbenter för att dämpa denna typ av buller samt tunga skiljeväggar för att förhindra att bullret transmitteras vidare från ett utrymme till ett annat. Metoder som är mera lämpade vid dämpning av lågfrekvent buller är de aktiva. De aktiva metoderna baseras på att en vågrörelse som ligger i motfas med en annan överlagras och de släcker ut varandra. Bullerdämpningen erhålls genom att ett ljudfält genereras som är lika starkt som bullret men i motfas med detta. De aktiva bullerdämpningsmetoderna medför en effektiv dämpning av lågfrekvent buller samtidigt som volymen, tex hos bilkupen eller båt/flygplanskabinen ej påverkas nämnvärt. Dessutom kan fordonets/farkostens vikt reduceras vilket är tacksamt för bränsleförbrukningen. I de flesta tillämpningar varierar bullrets karaktär, dvs styrka och frekvensinnehåll. För att följa dessa variationer krävs ett adaptivt (självinställande) reglersystem som styr genereringen av motljudet. I propellerflygplan är de dominerande frekvenserna i kabinbullret relaterat till propellrarnas varvtal, man känner alltså till frekvenserna som skall dämpas. Man utnyttjar en varvtalssignal för att generera signaler, så kallade referenssignaler, med de frekvenser som skall dämpas. Dessa bearbetas av ett reglersystem som generar signaler till högtalarna som i sin tur generar motljudet. För att ställa in högtalarsignalerna så att en effektiv dämpning erhålls, används mikrofoner utplacerade i kabinen som mäter bullret. För att åstadkomma en effektiv bullerdämpning i ett rum, tex i en flygplanskabin, behövs flera högtalare och mikrofoner, vilket kräver ett avancerat reglersystem. I doktorsavhandlingen ''Active Control of Propeller-Induced Noise in Aircraft'' behandlas olika metoder för att reducera kabinbuller härrörande från propellrarna. Här presenteras olika strukturer på reglersystem samt beräkningsalgoritmer för att ställa in systemet. För stora system där många högtalare och mikrofoner används, samt flera frekvenser skall dämpas, är det viktigt att systemet inte behöver för stor beräkningskapacitet för att generera motljudet. Metoderna som behandlas ger en effektiv dämpning till låg beräkningskostnad. Delar av materialet som presenteras i avhandlingen har ingått i ett EU-projekt med inriktning mot bullerundertryckning i propellerflygplan. I projektet har flera europeiska flygplanstillverkare deltagit. Avhandlingen behandlar även aktiv bullerdämpning i headset, som används av helikopterpiloter. I denna tillämpning har aktiv bullerdämpning används för att öka taluppfattbarheten.

[EN] Common audio systems are designed with the intent of creating real and immersive scenarios that allow the user to experience a particular acoustic sensation that does not depend on the room he is perceiving the sound. However, acoustic devices and multichannel rendering systems working inside a room, can impair the global audio effect and thus the 3D spatial sound. In order to preserve the spatial sound characteristics of multichannel rendering techniques, adaptive filtering schemes are presented in this dissertation to compensate these electroacoustic effects and to achieve the immersive sensation of the desired acoustic system. Adaptive filtering offers a solution to the room equalization problem that is doubly interesting. First of all, it iteratively solves the room inversion problem, which can become computationally complex to obtain when direct methods are used. Secondly, the use of adaptive filters allows to follow the time-varying room conditions. In this regard, adaptive equalization (AE) filters try to cancel the echoes due to the room effects. In this work, we consider this problem and propose effective and robust linear schemes to solve this equalization problem by using adaptive filters. To do this, different adaptive filtering schemes are introduced in the AE context. These filtering schemes are based on three strategies previously introduced in the literature: the convex combination of filters, the biasing of the filter weights and the block-based filtering. More specifically, and motivated by the sparse nature of the acoustic impulse response and its corresponding optimal inverse filter, we introduce different adaptive equalization algorithms. In addition, since audio immersive systems usually require the use of multiple transducers, the multichannel adaptive equalization problem should be also taken into account when new single-channel approaches are presented, in the sense that they can be straightforwardly extended to the multichannel case. On the other hand, when dealing with audio devices, consideration must be given to the nonlinearities of the system in order to properly equalize the electroacoustic system. For that purpose, we propose a novel nonlinear filtered-x approach to compensate both room reverberation and nonlinear distortion with memory caused by the amplifier and loudspeaker devices. Finally, it is important to validate the algorithms proposed in a real-time implementation. Thus, some initial research results demonstrate that an adaptive equalizer can be used to compensate room distortions. / [ES] Los sistemas de audio actuales están diseñados con la idea de crear escenarios reales e inmersivos que permitan al usuario experimentar determinadas sensaciones acústicas que no dependan de la sala o situación donde se esté percibiendo el sonido. Sin embargo, los dispositivos acústicos y los sistemas multicanal funcionando dentro de salas, pueden perjudicar el efecto global sonoro y de esta forma, el sonido espacial 3D. Para poder preservar las características espaciales sonoras de los sistemas de reproducción multicanal, en esta tesis se presentan los esquemas de filtrado adaptativo para compensar dichos efectos electroacústicos y conseguir la sensación inmersiva del sistema sonoro deseado. El filtrado adaptativo ofrece una solución al problema de salas que es interesante por dos motivos. Por un lado, resuelve de forma iterativa el problema de inversión de salas, que puede llegar a ser computacionalmente costoso para los métodos de inversión directos existentes. Por otro lado, el uso de filtros adaptativos permite seguir las variaciones cambiantes de los efectos de la sala de escucha. A este respecto, los filtros de ecualización adaptativa (AE) intentan cancelar los ecos introducidos por la sala de escucha. En esta tesis se considera este problema y se proponen esquemas lineales efectivos y robustos para resolver el problema de ecualización mediante filtros adaptativos. Para conseguirlo, se introducen diferentes esquemas de filtrado adaptativo para AE. Estos esquemas de filtrado se basan en tres estrategias ya usadas en la literatura: la combinación convexa de filtros, el sesgado de los coeficientes del filtro y el filtrado basado en bloques. Más especificamente y motivado por la naturaleza dispersiva de las respuestas al impulso acústicas y de sus correspondientes filtros inversos óptimos, se presentan diversos algoritmos adaptativos de ecualización específicos. Además, ya que los sistemas de audio inmersivos requieren usar normalmente múltiples trasductores, se debe considerar también el problema de ecualización multicanal adaptativa cuando se diseñan nuevas estrategias de filtrado adaptativo para sistemas monocanal, ya que éstas deben ser fácilmente extrapolables al caso multicanal. Por otro lado, cuando se utilizan dispositivos acústicos, se debe considerar la existencia de no linearidades en el sistema elactroacústico, para poder ecualizarlo correctamente. Por este motivo, se propone un nuevo modelo no lineal de filtrado-x que compense a la vez la reverberación introducida por la sala y la distorsión no lineal con memoria provocada por el amplificador y el altavoz. Por último, es importante validar los algoritmos propuestos mediante implementaciones en tiempo real, para asegurarnos que pueden realizarse. Para ello, se presentan algunos resultados experimentales iniciales que muestran la idoneidad de la ecualización adaptativa en problemas de compensación de salas. / [CAT] Els sistemes d'àudio actuals es dissenyen amb l'objectiu de crear ambients reals i immersius que permeten a l'usuari experimentar una sensació acústica particular que no depèn de la sala on està percebent el so. No obstant això, els dispositius acústics i els sistemes de renderització multicanal treballant dins d'una sala poden arribar a modificar l'efecte global de l'àudio i per tant, l'efecte 3D del so a l'espai. Amb l'objectiu de conservar les característiques espacials del so obtingut amb tècniques de renderització multicanal, aquesta tesi doctoral presenta esquemes de filtrat adaptatiu per a compensar aquests efectes electroacústics i aconseguir una sensació immersiva del sistema acústic desitjat. El filtrat adaptatiu presenta una solució al problema d'equalització de sales que es interessant baix dos punts de vista. Per una banda, el filtrat adaptatiu resol de forma iterativa el problema inversió de sales, que pot arribar a ser molt complexe computacionalment quan s'utilitzen mètodes directes. Per altra banda, l'ús de filtres adaptatius permet fer un seguiment de les condicions canviants de la sala amb el temps. Més concretament, els filtres d'equalització adaptatius (EA) intenten cancel·lar els ecos produïts per la sala. A aquesta tesi, considerem aquest problema i proposem esquemes lineals efectius i robustos per a resoldre aquest problema d'equalització mitjançant filtres adaptatius. Per aconseguir-ho, diferent esquemes de filtrat adaptatiu es presenten dins del context del problema d'EA. Aquests esquemes de filtrat es basen en tres estratègies ja presentades a l'estat de l'art: la combinació convexa de filtres, el sesgat dels pesos del filtre i el filtrat basat en blocs. Més concretament, i motivat per la naturalesa dispersa de la resposta a l'impuls acústica i el corresponent filtre òptim invers, presentem diferents algorismes d'equalització adaptativa. A més a més, com que els sistemes d'àudio immersiu normalment requereixen l'ús de múltiples transductors, cal considerar també el problema d'equalització adaptativa multicanal quan es presenten noves solucions de canal simple, ja que aquestes s'han de poder estendre fàcilment al cas multicanal. Un altre aspecte a considerar quan es treballa amb dispositius d'àudio és el de les no linealitats del sistema a l'hora d'equalitzar correctament el sistema electroacústic. Amb aquest objectiu, a aquesta tesi es proposa una nova tècnica basada en filtrat-x no lineal, per a compensar tant la reverberació de la sala com la distorsió no lineal amb memòria introduïda per l'amplificador i els altaveus. Per últim, és important validar la implementació en temps real dels algorismes proposats. Amb aquest objectiu, alguns resultats inicials demostren la idoneïtat de l'equalització adaptativa en problemes de compensació de sales. / Fuster Criado, L. (2015). Linear and nonlinear room compensation of audio rendering systems [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/59459 / TESIS

An active noise control (ANC) system has been applied to the problem of attenuating low-frequency tonal noise inside small enclosures. The intended target application of the system was the reduction of the engine firing frequency inside heavy equipment cabins. The ANC system was based on a version of the filtered-x LMS adaptive algorithm, modified for the minimization of acoustic energy density (ED), rather than the more traditional minimization of squared acoustic pressure (SP). Three loudspeakers produced control signals within a mock cabin composed of a steel frame with plywood sides and a Plexiglas® front. An energy density sensor, capable of measuring acoustic pressure as well as acoustic particle velocity, provided the error signal to the control system. The ANC system operated on a single reference signal, which, for experiments involving recorded tractor engine noise, was derived from the engine's tachometer signal. For the low frequencies at which engine firing occurs, experiments showed that ANC systems minimizing ED and SP both provided significant attenuation of the tonal noise near the operator's head and globally throughout the small cabin. The tendency was for ED control to provide a more spatially uniform amount of reduction than SP control, especially at the higher frequencies investigated (up to 200 Hz). In dynamic measurement conditions, with a reference signal swept in frequency, the ED control often provided superior results, struggling less at frequencies for which the error sensor was near nodal regions for acoustic pressure. A single control channel often yielded performance comparable to that of two control channels, and sometimes produced superior results in dynamic tests. Tonal attenuation achieved by the ANC system was generally in excess of 20 dB and reduction in equivalent sound level for dynamic tonal noise often exceeded 4 dB at the error sensor. It was shown that temperature changes likely to be encountered in practice have little effect on the initial delay through the secondary control path, and are therefore unlikely to significantly impact ANC system stability in the event that a fixed set of system identification filter coefficients are employed.

This work investigates the application of active noise control (ANC) to speech. ANC has had success reducing tonal noise. In this work, that success was extended to noise that is not completely tonal but has some tonal elements such as speech. Limitations such as causality were established on the active control of human speech. An optimal configuration for control actuators was developed for a sphere using a genetic algorithm. The optimal error sensor location was found from exploring the nulls associated with the magnitude of the radiated pressure with reference to the primary pressure field. Both numerically predicted and experimentally validated results for the attenuation of single frequency tones were shown. The differences between the numerically predicted results for attenuation with a sphere present in the pressure field and monopoles in the free-field are also discussed.The attenuation from ANC of both monotone and natural speech is shown and a discussion about the effect of causality on the results is given. The sentence “Joe took father’s shoe bench out” was used for both monotone and natural speech. Over this entire monotone speech sentence, the average attenuation was 8.6 dB with a peak attenuation of 10.6 dB for the syllable “Joe”. Natural speech attenuation was 1.1 dB for the sentence average with a peak attenuation on the syllable “bench” of 2.4 dB. In addition to the lower attenuation values for natural speech, the pressure level for the word “took” was increased by 2.3 dB. Also, the harmonic at 420 Hz in the word “father’s” of monotone speech was reduced globally up to 20 dB. Based on the results of the attenuation of monotone and natural speech, it was concluded that a reasonable amount of attenuation could be achieved on natural speech if its correlation could approach that of monotone speech.