A Low-Cost System for Quick Measurements on Noise Barriers in Situ

What is it about?

This article describes the development of a low-cost device for measuring the acoustic intrinsic characteristics of noise barriers. The system is based on the Teensy 4.1 microcontroller combined with a few other components. The measurements are carried out using a vertical linear microphone antenna housing six microphones and a lightweight loudspeaker, with a wireless connection to the main unit. Both the main system unit and the amplified loudspeaker are powered by normal 5 V universal serial bus (USB) battery packs, which are easily rechargeable and interchangeable. The system measures six impulse responses using a maximum length sequence (MLS) signal and performs a series of calculations and frequency analyses to characterize the device under test, following a simplified version of the European standards EN 1793-5 and EN 1793-6 (commonly referred to as the “Adrienne method”). One measurement takes a few minutes, obtaining results comparable to those obtained with the Adrienne method, which requires more complicated and heavy measuring equipment and is much more expensive and time-consuming.

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Photo by Pat Whelen on Unsplash

Photo by Pat Whelen on Unsplash