Method and a device for treating noise on board an aircraft

• US 20080019536A1
• Filed: 03/23/2007
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eurocopter
• Original Assignee: Eurocopter
• Inventors: Marrot, Franck
• Application Number:
  US11/727,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20080019536A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/71.4
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17823 Reference signals, e.g. ambient acoustic environment
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17854 the filter being an adaptive filter
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17857 Geometric disposition, e.g. placement of microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17879 using both a reference signal and an error signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17883 the reference signal being derived from a machine operating condition, e.g. engine RPM or vehicle speed

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for treating noise in the cabin (20) of an aircraft, the device comprising:

• • a plurality of microphones (22 to 24) fastened to respective seats (35) of the cabin;
  • a plurality of loudspeakers (26, 27);
  • at least one treatment unit (28) arranged to receive noise measurement signals delivered by the microphones, and to deliver control signals to the loudspeakers for the purpose of attenuating the noise in the cabin, the treatment unit comprising a plurality of treatment modules associated with respective ones of the microphones and/or of the loudspeakers; and
  • at least one acoustic resonator (29 to 32) including a vent (29 to 31) coupled to a cavity (32) and connecting a loudspeaker to the cabin;
  • the acoustic resonator including a vent (29 to 31) coupled to a cavity (32), the loudspeaker and its associated resonator presenting a frequency (33 or 34) of maximum sound level (50, 500) that is less than 1000 Hz.

Claims

1. A device for treating noise in the cabin (20, 200, 201) of an aircraft (21), the device comprising:

a plurality of microphones (22 to 24) fastened to respective seats (35) of the cabin;

a plurality of loudspeakers (26, 27);

at least one treatment unit (28) arranged to receive noise measurement signals delivered by the microphones, and to deliver control signals to the loudspeakers for the purpose of attenuating the noise in the cabin, the treatment unit comprising a plurality of treatment modules associated with respective ones of the microphones and/or of the loudspeakers; and

at least one acoustic resonator (29 to 32) acoustically coupled to a loudspeaker and to the cabin;

the acoustic resonator including a vent (29 to 31) coupled to a cavity (32), the loudspeaker and its associated resonator presenting a frequency (33 or 34) of maximum sound level (50, 500) that is less than 1000 Hz.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which the frequency of maximum sound level is situated in a range from about 10 Hz to about 100 Hz.

3. A device according to claim 1, in which the frequency of maximum sound level is situated in a range from about 20 Hz to about 300 Hz.

4. A device according to claim 1, in which the vent is substantially cylindrical in shape or is tapering, being convergent and/or divergent in shape.

5. A device according to claim 1, in which two vents respectively associated with two cavities and with two loudspeakers form two resonators presenting two different respective maximum sound level frequencies (33 or 34).

6. A device according to claim 1, including a member (36, 37) for filtering signals delivered by the microphone(s), and a plurality of modules of the treatment unit for producing both low frequency signals and also medium and high frequency signals.

7. A device according to claim 1, in which the treatment unit includes a member (38) for psychoacoustically weighting signals received from the microphones or delivered to the loudspeakers.

8. A device according to claim 1, further including an electromechanical vibrator (53) secured to the structure of the helicopter and controlled by the unit (28) to attenuate noise in the cabin.

9. A method of attenuating noise on board an aircraft (21) having a cabin (20, 200, 201) fitted with a plurality of loudspeakers (26, 27) and a plurality of noise measurement sensors (22 to 24), the method comprising the following steps:

filtering the signals from each sensor to extract low frequency noise components and generating a loudspeaker control signal at least on the basis of the filtered signals in order to attenuate the sensation of noise perceived by the occupants of the cabin; and

coupling the loudspeaker to the cabin via an acoustic resonator (29 to 32) improving the efficiency of the loudspeaker at low frequencies, the acoustic resonator having a vent (29 to 31) coupled to a cavity (32), the loudspeaker and its associated resonator presenting a frequency (33 or 34) of maximum sound level (50, 500) that is less than 1000 Hz.

10. A method according to claim 9, for attenuating noise in a plurality of zones in the cabin, each zone being fitted with a microphone and with a loudspeaker, by using an attenuating device connected to the microphones and to the loudspeakers and programmed to excite the loudspeakers so as to attenuate the noise measured by the microphones, at least one loudspeaker being acoustically coupled to the cabin via a resonator comprising a cavity and a vent, the method comprising the following steps:

filtering measurement signals delivered by the microphones to produce low frequency (LF) filtered signals and medium and high frequency (MHF) filtered signals;

generating a loudspeaker control signal specific to the loudspeaker fitted to each zone of the cabin, the loudspeaker control signals being generated as a function of the filtered signals and as a function of psychoacoustic weighting in order to attenuate the sensation of noise perceived by the occupants of the cabin.

11. A program for treating noise measurement data inside an aircraft in order to deliver loudspeaker control data for the purpose of reducing noise, which program is written in a medium that is readable by a processor on board the aircraft, and that is arranged, on being executed by the processor, to perform operations of a method according to claim 9.

12. A program according to claim 11, that is arranged, on being executed by the processor, to perform psychoacoustic weighting of the noise measurement data or of the loudspeaker control data.

13. A program according to claim 11, that treats in parallel noise measurement data delivered by a plurality of sensors and/or control data for a plurality of loudspeakers.

14. A program according to claim 11, including a module for frequency filtering noise measurement data.

15. A program according to claim 11, including a noise minimizing algorithm of the LMS or RLMS type.

16. A program according to claim 11, using signals delivered by a tachometer (25) sensitive to the frequency of rotation of a rotor.

17. A device for treating noise in the cabin (20, 200, 201) of an aircraft (21), the device comprising:

a plurality of microphones (22 to 24) fastened to respective seats (35) of the cabin;

a plurality of loudspeakers (26, 27);

at least one treatment unit (28) arranged to receive noise measurement signals delivered by the microphones, and to deliver control signals to the loudspeakers for the purpose of attenuating the noise in the cabin, the treatment unit comprising a plurality of treatment modules associated with respective ones of the microphones and/or of the loudspeakers; and

at least one acoustic resonator (29 to 32) acoustically coupled to a loudspeaker and to the cabin;

the acoustic resonator including a vent (29 to 31) coupled to a cavity (32), the loudspeaker and its associated resonator presenting a frequency (33 or 34) of maximum sound level (50, 500) that is less than 1000 Hz,

and in which the treatment unit includes a member (38) for psychoacoustic weighting of the signals received from the microphones or the signals delivered to the loudspeakers.

18. A device according to claim 17, in which two vents respectively associated with two cavities and with two loudspeakers form two resonators presenting two different respective maximum sound level frequencies (33 or 34).

19. A device according to claim 17, further including an electromechanical vibrator (53) secured to the structure of the helicopter and controlled by the unit (28) to attenuate noise in the cabin.

20. A device according to claim 17, in which the vent is substantially cylindrical in shape or is tapering, being convergent and/or divergent in shape.