Performance Analysis of Cost-Effective Miniature Microphone Sound Intensity 2D Probe

Sensors (Basel). 2020 Jan 3;20(1):271. doi: 10.3390/s20010271.

Abstract

This article presents the functional properties of modified versions of the 2D pressure-pressure intensity probe allowing us to determine the vector of sound intensity on a plane using a mechatronic system with one or two miniature electret microphones. The introduction contains basic information about the application areas of the sound intensity and its measurement problems. Next, the principle of operation of the probes and the construction of the prototype measurement system are described. It was subjected to comparative analysis for the stability of obtained results and accuracy of directional characteristics in free field conditions. For this purpose, experiments were conducted to analyze the flow of acoustic power in an anechoic chamber using both (one- and two-microphone) probes. The results were used for a comparative metrological analysis of the described methods and to indicate the advantages and disadvantages of both constructions. The next part of the article presents an experiment concerning the measurement of the sound intensity impulse response of a room, which is an example of practical use of the probe to analyze reflections in the room, which can be used in sound engineering and architectural acoustics.

Keywords: intensity probe; pp-probe; sound intensity; sound source localization.