Use of Genetic Algorithms for Design an FPGA-Integrated Acoustic Camera

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to design a broadband acoustic camera using micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) microphones. The paper describes how an optimization of the microphone array has been carried out. Furthermore, the final goal of the described optimization is that the gain in the desired direction and the attenuation of side lobes is maximized at a frequency up to 4 kHz. Throughout the research, various shapes of microphone arrays and their directivity patterns have been considered and analyzed using newly developed algorithms implemented in Matlab. A hemisphere algorithm, genetic algorithm, and genetic square algorithm were used to find the optimal position and number of microphones placed on an acoustic camera. The proposed acoustic camera design uses a large number of microphones for high directional selectivity, while a field programmable gate array system on a chip (FPGA SoC) is selected as the processing element of the system. According to the obtained results, three different acoustic camera prototypes were developed. This paper presents simulations of their characteristics, compares the obtained measurements, and discusses the positive and negative sides of each acoustic camera prototype.

Acoustic Estimation of the Direction of Arrival of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Based on Frequency Tracking in the Time-Frequency Plane

“…The geometry was, thus, chosen according to a frequency bandwidth-simplicity-portability compromise, which is obviously not the only one possible. Indeed, some studies lead to antennas with many more microphones (from 72 to 96 MEMS in [ 28 ]) with an arrangement obtained according to a hemispherical shape by optimising the gain in a given direction and the attenuation of the side lobes at a particular frequency using a genetic algorithm. A similar strategy is used in the development of a planar antenna to characterise the acoustic sources produced by a moving train [ 29 ].…”

An Acoustic Camera for Use on UAVs

“…For custom-made cameras, the CPU can be implemented on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) [ 7 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Several ACs that make use of FPGAs are in development, including ones with control algorithms optimized with gene sequencing methods [ 19 ]. Much work has been devoted to optimizing control algorithms where the algorithm is implemented on a personal computer [ 20 ].…”