Real time volumetric intensity visualization

Abstract

Near-field acoustical holography (NAH) microphone array measurement technologies are currently being investigated by NASA, the Naval Research Lab (NRL) and Boeing. One type of array geometry under investigation is a spherical arrangement of microphones that enables the computation of the intensity field surrounding the sphere using spherical NAH theory. Due to the simplicity of the required computation and the ability to pre-compute several of the required quantities, the intensity field in a volume surrounding the sphere can be reconstructed and rendered in real time as a measurement is being made. Thus, sound sources can be identified in real time by roving the spherical array around in a sound field near suspected sources and tracking the sound intensity back to the source. This presentation demonstrates the capabilities of a real time spherical NAH system that has been developed by NASA, the NRL and Boeing. The topology of the software will be discussed and the capabilities of such a system will be demonstrated.