Noise reduction with perforated three-duct muffler components

This paper describes the authors’ distributed parameter approach for derivation of closed-form expressions for the four-pole parameters of the perforated three-duct muffler components. In this method, three simultaneous second-order partial differential equations are first reduced to a set of six first-order ordinary differential equations. These equations are then uncoupled by means of a modal matrix. The resulting 6 × 6 matrix is reduced to the 2 × 2 transfer matrix using the relevant boundary conditions. This is combined with transfer matrices of other elements (upstream and downstream of this perforated element) to predict muffler performance like noise reduction, which is also measured. The correlation between experimental and theoretical values of noise reduction is shown to be satisfactory.

Analysis of a hybrid noise control system for a duct

This letter proposes the combination of a passive muffler and an active noise control system for the control of very high‐level noise in ducts used with large industrial fans and similar equipment. The analysis of such a hybrid system is presented making use of electroacoustic analogies and the transfer matrix method. It turns out that a passive muffler upstream of the input microphone can indeed lower the acoustic pressure and, hence, the power requirement of the auxiliary source. The parameter that needs to be optimized (or maximized) for this purpose is a certain velocity ratio that can readily be evaluated in a closed form, making it more or less straightforward to synthesize the configuration of an effective passive muffler to go with the active noise control system.

Analysis of a linear one-dimensional active noise control system by means of block diagrams and transfer functions

In arriving at the ideal filter transfer function for an active noise control system in a duct, the effect of the auxiliary sources (generally loudspeakers) on the waves generated by the primary source has invariably been neglected in the existing literature, implying a rigid wall or infinite impedance. The present paper presents a fairly general analysis of a linear one-dimensional noise control system by means of block diagrams and transfer functions. It takes into account the passive as well as active role of a terminal primary source, wall-mounted auxiliary source, open duct radiation impedance, and the effects of mean flow and damping. It is proved that the pressure generated by a source against a load impedance can be looked upon as a sum of two pressure waves, one generated by the source against an anechoic termination and the other by reflecting the rearward wave (incident on the source) off the passive source impedance. Application of this concept is illustrated for both the types of sources. A concise closed-form expression for the ideal filter transfer function is thus derived and discussed. Finally, the dynamics of an adaptive noise control system is discussed briefly, relating its standing-wave variables and transfer functions with those of the progressive-wave model presented here.

An Area-Efficient Noise-Adaptive Neural Amplifier in 130 nm CMOS Technology

Chronic recording of neural signals is indispensable in designing efficient brain–machine interfaces and to elucidate human neurophysiology. The advent of multichannel micro-electrode arrays has driven the need for electronics to record neural signals from many neurons. The dynamic range of the system can vary over time due to change in electrode–neuron distance and background noise. We propose a neural amplifier in UMC 130 nm, 1P8M complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology. It can be biased adaptively from 200 nA to 2 $mu{rm A}$, modulating input referred noise from 9.92 $mu{rm V}$ to 3.9 $mu{rm V}$. We also describe a low noise design technique which minimizes the noise contribution of the load circuitry. Optimum sizing of the input transistors minimizes the accentuation of the input referred noise of the amplifier and obviates the need of large input capacitance. The amplifier achieves a noise efficiency factor of 2.58. The amplifier can pass signal from 5 Hz to 7 kHz and the bandwidth of the amplifier can be tuned for rejecting low field potentials (LFP) and power line interference. The amplifier achieves a mid-band voltage gain of 37 dB. In vitro experiments are performed to validate the applicability of the neural low noise amplifier in neural recording systems.

A PPCA based non-parametric modeling and retrieval of PD signal buried in excessive noise

The problem of on-line recognition and retrieval of relatively weak industrial signals such as partial discharges (PD), buried in excessive noise, has been addressed in this paper. The major bottleneck being the recognition and suppression of stochastic pulsive interference (PI) due to the overlapping broad band frequency spectrum of PI and PD pulses. Therefore, on-line, onsite, PD measurement is hardly possible in conventional frequency based DSP techniques. The observed PD signal is modeled as a linear combination of systematic and random components employing probabilistic principal component analysis (PPCA) and the pdf of the underlying stochastic process is obtained. The PD/PI pulses are assumed as the mean of the process and modeled instituting non-parametric methods, based on smooth FIR filters, and a maximum aposteriori probability (MAP) procedure employed therein, to estimate the filter coefficients. The classification of the pulses is undertaken using a simple PCA classifier. The methods proposed by the authors were found to be effective in automatic retrieval of PD pulses completely rejecting PI.

Evolution of 1/f α noise during electromigration stressing of metal film: Spectral signature of electromigration process

In this paper we report a systematic study of low-frequency 1/fα resistance fluctuation in a metal film at different stages of electromigration. The resistance fluctuation (noise) measurement was carried out in presence of a dc electromigration stressing current. We observe that in addition to the increase in the spectral power SV(f), the frequency dependence of the spectral power changes as the electromigration process progresses and the exponent α starts to change from 1 to higher value closer to 1.5. We interpret this change in α as arising due to an additional contribution to the spectral power with a 1/f3/2 component, which starts to contribute as the electromigration process progresses. This additional component SV(f) ∼ 1/f3/2 has been suggested to originate from long range diffusion that would accompany any electromigration process. The experimental observation finds support in a model simulation, where we also find that the enhancement of noise during electromigration stressing is accompanied by a change in spectral power frequency dependence.

Effect of gate-drain/source overlap on the noise in 90 nm N-channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors

In this paper, we have studied the effect of gate-drain/source overlap (LOV) on the drain channel noise and induced gate current noise (SIg) in 90 nm N-channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors using process and device simulations. As the change in overlap affects the gate tunneling leakage current, its effect on shot noise component of SIg has been taken into consideration. It has been shown that “control over LOV” allows us to get better noise performance from the device, i.e., it allows us to reduce noise figure, for a given leakage current constraint. LOV in the range of 0–10 nm is recommended for the 90 nm gate length transistors, in order to get the best performance in radio frequency applications.

Prediction of Breakout Noise from a Rectangular Duct with Compliant Walls

Breakout noise from HVAC ducts is important at low frequencies, and the coupling between the acoustic waves and the structural waves plays a critical role in the prediction of the transverse transmission loss. This paper describes the analytical calculation of breakout noise by incorporating three-dimensional effects along with the acoustical and structural wave coupling phenomena. The first step in the breakout noise prediction is to calculate the inside duct pressure field and the normal duct wall vibration by using the solution of the governing differential equations in terms of Green's function. The resultant equations are rearranged in terms of impedance and mobility, which results in a compact matrix formulation. The Green's function selected for the current problem is the cavity Green's function with modification of wave number in the longitudinal direction in order to incorporate the terminal impedance. The second step is to calculate the radiated sound power from the compliant duct walls by means of an ``equivalent unfolded plate'' model. The transverse transmission loss from the duct walls is calculated using the ratio of the incident power due to surface source inside the duct to the acoustic power radiated from the compliant duct walls. Analytical results are validated with the FE-BE numerical models.

Optimization of vibrating structures to reduce radiated noise

In this work, we propose an approach for reducing radiated noise from `light' fluid-loaded structures, such as, for example, vibrating structures in air. In this approach, we optimize the structure so as to minimize the dynamic compliance (defined as the input power) of the structure. We show that minimizing the dynamic compliance results in substantial reductions in the radiated sound power from the structure. The main advantage of this approach is that the redesign to minimize the dynamic compliance moves the natural frequencies of the structure away from the driving frequency thereby reducing the vibration levels of the structure, which in turn results in a reduction in the radiated sound power as an indirect benefit. Thus, the need for an acoustic and the associated sensitivity analysis is completely bypassed (although, in this work, we do carry out an acoustic analysis to demonstrate the reduction in sound power levels), making the strategy efficient compared to existing strategies in the literature which try to minimize some measure of noise directly. We show the effectiveness of the proposed approach by means of several examples involving both topology and stiffener optimization, for vibrating beam, plate and shell-type structures.

Experimental Investigation on the Effect of Advanced Bus-Clamping Pulsewidth Modulation on Motor Acoustic Noise

Voltage source inverters (VSIs) supply nonsinusoidal voltages to induction motor drives, leading to line current distortion and torque pulsation. Conventional space vector pulsewidth modulation (PWM) techniques are widely used in VSIs on the account of good waveform quality and high dc bus utilization. In a conventional space vector PWM technique, the switching sequence begins with one zero state and ends with the other zero state in a subcycle. Some novel switching sequences have been proposed, which employ only one zero state but apply one of the two active states twice in a subcycle. One pair of such special switching sequences has recently been shown to reduce the pulsating torque considerably. In this paper, the conventional and special switching sequences are compared experimentally in terms of acoustic noise. In the low-and medium-speed ranges, the special switching sequence is seen to reduce the amplitude of the tonal component of noise at the switching frequency considerably and is also found to result in spread spectrum.

Intrinsically disordered proteins and conformational noise Implications in cancer

Intrinsically disordered proteins, IDPs, are proteins that lack a rigid 3D structure under physiological conditions, at least in vitro. Despite the lack of structure, IDPs play important roles in biological processes and transition from disorder to order upon binding to their targets. With multiple conformational states and rapid conformational dynamics, they engage in myriad and often ``promiscuous'' interactions. These stochastic interactions between IDPs and their partners, defined here as conformational noise, is an inherent characteristic of IDP interactions. The collective effect of conformational noise is an ensemble of protein network configurations, from which the most suitable can be explored in response to perturbations, conferring protein networks with remarkable flexibility and resilience. Moreover, the ubiquitous presence of IDPs as transcriptional factors and, more generally, as hubs in protein networks, is indicative of their role in propagation of transcriptional (genetic) noise. As effectors of transcriptional and conformational noise, IDPs rewire protein networks and unmask latent interactions in response to perturbations. Thus, noise-driven activation of latent pathways could underlie state-switching events such as cellular transformation in cancer. To test this hypothesis, we created a model of a protein network with the topological characteristics of a cancer protein network and tested its response to a perturbation in presence of IDP hubs and conformational noise. Because numerous IDPs are found to be epigenetic modifiers and chromatin remodelers, we hypothesize that they could further channel noise into stable, heritable genotypic changes.