Controlled acoustic waveguide for soundproofing

• US 6,963,647 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1999
• Issued: 11/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: Krueger, Jan, Leistner, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US09/868,251
• Time in Patent Office: 2,155 Days
• Field of Search: 381/71.5, 381/71.1, 381/71.3, 381/71.4, 381/71.7, 381/71.8, 381/71.9, 381/73.1, 381/94.1, 381/94.7
• US Class Current: 381/71.5
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 1/02 by using resonance
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 1/065 by using an active noise source, e.g. speakers
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 1/22 the parts being resilient walls
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2490/14 Dead or resonance chambers connected to gas flow tube by relatively short side-tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/172 using resonance effects

Abstract

The invention relates to a controlled acoustic wave guide configured as an elongated hollow chamber (1) which via an opening (2) in its first face end (3) is connected to a sound-conducting channel (4). The longitudinal resonances of the hollow chamber (1) can be adjusted to a sound spectrum to be dampened. To this end diaphragm vibrations are detected by means of a microphone (10) which is positioned directly in front of the diaphragm (8) of at least one loud-speaker (9) at the second face-end (6) of the hollow chamber (1). The microphone signal is then inverted using an amplifier (11) and fed back to the loud-speaker (9) after amplification in accordance with a sensor (12) signal characterizing the sound spectrum in the channel (4).

Claims

1. Controlled acoustic waveguide for use with an elongate hollow chamber, connected to at least one sound-transmitting duct via an opening on its first end surface thereof, comprising a microphone for detecting membrane vibrations so as to allow tunability of longitudinal resonances of the hollow chamber to a sound spectrum to be attenuated, the microphone being located directly in front of a membrane of at least one loudspeaker on a second end surface of the hollow chamber, and an amplifier for inverting a microphone signal, with feedback of the inverted microphone signal to said loudspeaker being in an amplified form in dependence on a sensor signal characteristic of sound in the sound-transmitting duct.

2. Controlled waveguide according to claim 1, wherein the opening is provided with a sound-transmitting protective cover made of one of a perforated sheet, a non-woven material and sheet materials.

3. Controlled waveguide according to claim 1, wherein the hollow chamber projects one of orthogonally and obliquely from the duct or conforms to a straight or bent wall of the duct.

4. Controlled waveguide according to claim 3, wherein a thermal insulating layer is provided between a wall of the duct and a wall of the hollow chamber when the hollow chamber conforms to the wall of the duct.

5. Controlled waveguide according to claim 1, wherein at least one wall of the hollow chamber is provided with cooling elements at least over part of the surface of the at least one wall.

6. Controlled waveguide according to claim 1, wherein the hollow chamber has a forced cooling apparatus a thermal exchanger type or a Peltier element type therein.

7. Controlled waveguide according to claim 1, wherein transverse partitioning is arranged to subdivide the hollow chamber into tubes of different lengths.

8. Controlled waveguide according to claim 1, wherein walls of said hollow chamber are provided with a sound absorptive cladding over at least a portion of the surface or their entire surface thereof.

9. Controlled waveguide according to claim 1, wherein the sensor signal is comprised of temperature sensors, rotational speed sensors and measuring elements for the gas flow of burners and exhaust gas systems characteristic of the sound spectrum occurring in the duct.

10. Controlled waveguide according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the at least one duct have side walls with a rectangular cross-section and a plurality of controlled waveguides are thereon.

11. Controlled waveguide according to the claim 1, wherein the hollow chamber configured as a circular and extends along a periphery of a duct.

12. Controlled waveguide according to the claim 1, wherein a central slide is positioned inside the duct configured rectangular or cylindrically so as to present an aerodynamically configuration or cylindrical duct.

13. Controlled waveguide according to claim 1, wherein an acoustically effective membrane or plate communicates with said duct in lieu of the sound-transmitting opening.

14. Method for absorbing sound using a controlled acoustic waveguide, comprising:

connecting an elongate hollow chamber to a sound-transmitting duct via an opening on a first end surface of the hollow chamber,

locating a microphone directly in front of a loudspeaker on a speaker on a second end surface of the hollow chamber,

detecting membrane vibrations of the loudspeaker via the microphone, inverting a microphone signal representative of the detected membrane vibrator, and amplifying and feeding both the inverted microphone signal to the loudspeaker in dependence on a signal characteristic of sound in the sound-transmitting duct.