MecSol 2015

International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

METHODOLOGY FOR
HOMOGENIZATION OF FREQUENCY
DISTRIBUTION

Bruno A. Filardi Filho

João A. de Vasconcelos
MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

MAIN TOPICS

• Introduction
• Problem Modeling
• Image Source Method
• Room Impulse Response
• Energy Decay Curve
• Coefficient of Variation
• Optimization
• Results
• Software Shots
• References
MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

INTRODUCTION - Needs

• More control in the capture / manipulation of sound

signals.
• Quality of sound reproduction in environments such as
cinemas, auditoriums and others.
Need to have the frequency response of environments, as
homogeneous as possible.

https://pt.wikipedia.org/ https://pt.wikipedia.org/ http://guitargraph.com

http://guitargraph.com
 MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

INTRODUCTION - Problem

Incidence signal
White Noise
Amplitude

Sound signals are subject to interaction with

materials that cover the surfaces of an enclosure.
Frequency High Frequency Absorber
Materials absorb/reflect each frequency range
Absorption

with different levels of absorption/reflection.

Cause distortions and “masks” the way we

Amplitude

Frequency hear the sound signals.

Frequency

Reflected Signal
(High frequencies attenuated)
 MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

INTRODUCTION - Solution

Amplitude
Incidence signal
White Noise
High Frequency Absorber

Frequency

Absorption
Low Frequency Absorber
Absorption

Frequency

Frequency
Find a way to asses the best arrangement
of materials that cover the surfaces of a
Amplitude

room, so that sound signals inside it

suffer less distortion as possible.
Frequency
Homogeneous attenuation.
MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

Problem Modeling – Image Source Method (ISM)

Benefits of ISM

• Reproduces sound signals behavior based on a particle model.

• Low computational cost compared to other wave-based
models.
• The geometric characteristics of this method, enable the
calculation of routes, reflections, angles of incidence and
location of points of contact with the surfaces.
MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

Problem Modeling – Image Source Method (ISM)

Paths and specular reflections are constructed

geometrically, mirroring the sources on the
plane of each reflective surface.

The total distance traveled by the particle is

equivalent to the distance of its image to the
receiver.
 MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

Problem Modeling – Image Source Method (ISM)

• Obtained the contact points and angles of incidence

• Knowing the sound absorption coefficient of contact materials.
Possibility of calculating the portion of the sound absorbed or reflected at each
reflection.

The product of all reflected

portions gives us the total
reflection factor.
MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

Problem Modeling – Room Impulse Response (RIR)

• Sum unit impulse function multiplied by a constant based on total reflection factor.
• The pulses are displaced in time as a function of quotient of the total distance
traveled by the particle for its speed (speed of sound).
MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

Problem Modeling – Energy Decay Curve (EDC)

Repeating the same process for different frequencies allows the acquisition of the
Frequency Response Curve of a room.
MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

Problem Modeling – Coefficient of Variation (CV)

• Data dispersion calculation based on the ratio of its standard deviation by its mean.
• Used to quantify the quality of the frequency response homogeneity according to
the energy associated with each component of its frequency response curve.
Low CV coefficient High CV coefficient
• Curves with low standard deviation • Curves with high standard deviation
• High homogeneity. • Low homogeneity.
 MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

Problem Modeling – Coefficient of Variation (CV)

OA Configuration Variables
Mutation coefficient, cloning
coefficient, problem order, number of
generations, etc.
The problem becomes minimizing the created model (based
on CV coefficient) so we can increase the homogeneity of
the frequency response of a room.

OA Output
Materials arrangement that provides the Model Input Constants
minimum value of CV according OA and Sound speed, Sample Rate, room dimensions,
template configuration. position of the source and receiver, etc.

Model Input Variables

Data arrays corresponding to the
Optimization arrangement of materials installed on
the surface of the environment,
Algorithm frequency de interest. Model
(OA)
Model Output
Coefficient of variation associated with the model inputs.
 MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

OPTIMIZATION

Clonal Selection Algorithm (Inspired on the natural immunity system)

Benefits
• Requires a small number of operators
and variables.
• Simple logic. (Easy Implementation)
• No crossing operator in its structure.
(Allows easy manipulation of model
inputs).
MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

OPTIMIZATION

Algorithm
Sort arrangements,
To evaluate the CV
Generates an initial selects the best and
coefficient of each
population of N clones them in a
arrangement applying it
material arrangements. quantity proportional
to the model.
to its quality.

Repeats until it
reaches the stop
condition

Modify the structure of

Replaces the W worse the arrangements in a
arrangements for new rate inversely
arrangements. proportional to the
quality of arrangement.
MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

RESULTS

Evaluation method

• Obtained the energy curve EDC of a real room through a measurement

performed in the field.
• The parameters of the measured room served as input for three models:
• (Eric A. Lehmanna, A.M.J., 2008):
• Measurements were compared with real values also obtained in
the field.
• Results reported by the author were satisfactory.
• RIAI - Model developed by Bruno Filardi (Excludes angles of incidence of
acoustic signals during their reflection).
• RIAD - Model developed by Bruno Filardi (Considers angles of incidence of
acoustic signals during its reflection)
MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

RESULTS

EDC Curves
MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

RESULTS

Comparison metrics.
RT30 - Square of the differences between the times RT30 (Necessary time for the reflections
associated to a sound signal to decay in 30dB's).
Lower values represent higher similarity between energy decay curves.

RMSE - Sum of the square of the differences

Indicates the degree of difference between two data vectors.
Lower values represent higher similarity between energy decay curves.
MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

RESULTS – EDC CURVE

Comparison metrics – RT30

MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

RESULTS

Comparison metrics - RMSE

MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

RESULTS – EDC CURVE

Frequency response curve

Pre and Post optimization.
MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

SOFTWARE SHOTS

Localization of Image Sources

MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

SOFTWARE SHOTS

Trajectories of the sound signals

MecSol 2015
International Symposium on Solid Mechanics

REFERENCES

Alien, J.B. and Berkley, D.A., 1978. “Image method for efficiently simulating small-room acoustics”.
Beraneka, L.L., 2006. “Analysis of sabine and eyring equations and their application to concert hall audience and chair
absorption”.
BrownleeL, J., 2007. “Clonal selection algorithms”. Faculty of Information Communication Technology .
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Edition .
E. Hutchisson, F.B.M., 1931. “An experimental study of kundt’s tube dust figures”.
Eric A. Lehmanna, A.M.J., 2008. “Prediction of energy decay in room impulse responses simulated with an image source
model”.
Eyring, C.F., 1930. “Reverberation time in dead rooms”. Journal of Acoustic Society Am. 1, 168 .
Filippi P., Bergassoli A., H.D.L.J.P., 1998. “Acoustics : Basic physics, theory and methods”. Academic Press .
Korven, K., 2006. “Sound absorption coefficient as a function of angle of incidence”. Master’s Thesis .
Lara, T. L., P.A.D., 2014. “Os efeitos da direcionalidade sonora nos descritores acústicos de salas”. Monografia de
Graduação - UFLA.
Lawrence E. Kinsler, A.R.F., 1962. “Fundamentals of acoustics, second edition”. John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
P. R. Heyl, V. L. Chrisler, W.F.S., 1929. “The absorption of sound at oblique angles of incidence”. Bureau of Standards
Journal of Research .
Rastrigin, L., 1974. “Extremal control systems”. Theoretical Foundations of Engineering Cybernetics Series .
Rife, D.D., 1987. “Maximum-length sequence system analyzer manual”.
Rindel, J.H., 2000. “The use of computer modeling in room acoustics”. International Conference BALTIC-ACOUSTIC .
Sabine, W.C., 1915. “Collected papers on acoustics”.
Santos, R.J., 2002. “Um curso de geometria analítica e Álgebra linear”.
Schroeder, M., 1965. “New method of measuring reverberation time”. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 37, 409-412 .
Tobias, K., 2008. “Room acoustical engineering: Experimental and computational methods”.