Vibration and sound signatures of human footsteps in buildings

Abstract

The acoustic signature of a footstep is one of several signatures that can be exploited for human recognition. Early research showed the maximum value for the force of multiple footsteps to be in the frequency band of 1-4 Hz. This paper reports on the broadband frequency-dependent vibrations and sound pressure responses of human footsteps in buildings. Past studies have shown that the low-frequency band (below 500 Hz) is well known in the literature, and generated by the force normal to the ground/floor. The seismic particle velocity response to footsteps was shown to be site specific and the characteristic frequency band was 20-90 Hz. In this paper, the high-frequency band (above 500 Hz) is investigated. The high-frequency band of the vibration and sound of a human footstep is shown to be generated by the tangential force to the floor and the floor reaction, or friction force. The vibration signals, as a function of floor coverings and walking style, were studied in a broadband frequency range. Different walking styles result in different vibration signatures in the low-frequency range. However, for the walking styles tested, the magnitudes in the high-frequency range are comparable and independent of walking style.

Sound design and perception in walking interactions

“…It is approximately independent of footwear type, but varies between individuals or walking styles (e.g., Galbraith and Barton, 1970). Higherfrequencies components of Fðo; tÞ can be attributed to fast impacts between heel or toe and ground, sliding friction and contact variations between the shoe and ground (Ekimov and Sabatier, 2006). Unlike the GRF, these components can depend on footwear, on ground surface shape and material properties.…”

“…Unlike the GRF, these components can depend on footwear, on ground surface shape and material properties. They give rise to remote signatures in the form of airborne acoustic signals, seismic vibrations of the ground, and vibrations transmitted through the shoe to the foot, which have been studied in prior literature on acoustic (Li et al, 1991;Ekimov and Sabatier, 2006;Watters, 1965) and vibrational (Cress, 1978;Ekimov and Sabatier, 2008;Galbraith and Barton, 1970) signatures of human walking. These signals vary with the local material and spatial structure of the ground and with the temporal and spatial profile of interactions between the foot of the walker and the ground surface.…”

Estimating Human Walking Pace and Direction Using Vibration Signals

“…하여 그에 맞는 서비스를 제공할 수 있다 [1]. 또한 사람의 걸음걸이에서 나오는 진동의 분석을 통해 사람이 어디를 목적지로 향하여 걷고 있는지, 혹은 로봇과 의 거리가 얼마나 떨어져 있으며, 방향은 어떻게 되는지 추 정할 수 있다.…”

Collaboratively Adaptive Vibration Sensing System for High-fidelity Monitoring of Structural Responses Induced by Pedestrians

“…Works have been done on human information monitoring through vibration induced by their activities, including identity (Ekimov and Sabatier, 2006;Itai and Yasukawa, 2008;Pan et al, 2015), gender (Bales et al, 2016a,b), location (Mirshekari et al, 2015Poston et al, 2015;Schloemann et al, 2015), trajectory (Dobbler et al, 2014;Pan et al, 2014), traffic (Subramanian et al, 2010;Pan et al, 2016), and activity (Pan et al, 2017).…”