A system for low-frequency noise control in small, enclosed sound fields is proposed, using compound sound sources optimized by a genetic algorithm (GA). It is the integration of the developed low-Bl driver compound sources with a GA computer program in the Python language, aiming to control the modal field. The lack of appropriate free space in small rooms is critical for positioning the secondary sound sources; therefore, the proposed system has been designed to adapt to any available position. Two quadrupole topologies of the secondary compound source are applied and examined in a room. The convergence of the algorithm to the optimal solutions is attained through parametric configuration. The spatial radiation of the compound source at a single fixed position is adapted to couple with the modal noise field and attenuate it. The experimental results indicate that the proposed system can successfully control resonances of different low frequencies down to 50 Hz at multiple positions. The tonal noise attenuation reaches up to 32 dB at 100 Hz, confirming the applicability of the small subwoofer loudspeaker configurations for low-frequency control. This new method offers a practical and effective alternative to the typical abatement techniques that use distributed monopole sources in limited spaces.

The proposed compound sound sources for low-frequency noise control applications are composed of dipole sources. Their spatial radiation, which is critical in the modal field of small, closed spaces, is intended to be controlled with independent driving signals of each dipole. The need for small and efficient low-frequency elementary monopole sources led to the proposed vented sub-woofer loudspeaker design with low force factor (low-Bl) drivers. The investigated sources are set up in quadrupole configurations and measured in terms of polar near field response patterns to verify the theoretical predictions. The measurement results consist of the validation of the proposed compound sound sources on the implementation of active noise control problems in the low-frequency range. Also, their small size and modular construction make them interesting for use in other applications.

A novel method of active noise control using adaptive radiation sound sources is investigated. A finite element model of a modal enclosed sound field is excited harmonically, representing a noise field in the low-frequency range. The control sources are comprised of elementary dipole sources for which the driving signals are adjusted by an optimization method. Two set-up cases of the proposed compound sources are investigated. The coupling of the control sources with the modal sound field is discussed. The simulated performance of the proposed method is compared with that of a system with distributed simple sources and the results show the effectiveness of the sources with adaptive radiation for active noise control in small enclosures.