The Acoustic Camera localizes sound sources, makes sound visible and allows your "eyes to listen".
The Acoustic Camera is a lightweight, modular and flexible system for localization, visualization and analysis of sound sources in a location-, time- and frequency-selective manner.
The Acoustic Camera from gfai tech GmbH was the first commercially usable system and came onto the market in 2001 as a pioneering technology.
Constant further developments enable measurements in the far and near fields by means of beamforming (time domain or frequency domain), intensity or holography. This opens up a wide field of activity for the Acoustic Camera. The system can be used to exactly localize sound sources from:
From low-frequency signals up to ultrasound, sources are clearly detectable making the Acoustic Camera a universally applicable analysis system.
Two types of Acoustic Camera: AC Pro system and all-in-one soundcam
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With the 3D scanner integrated in the microphone array, the geometry of the car engine and dashboard is recorded simultaneously with the recording of the acoustic data in a single measurement process. In addition, our software module DynaBeam allows the display of the main beam direction of individual noise sources like the cars ventilation system.
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The rolling noise of the wheel-rail contact is the main sound source of rail traffic. In addition to rolling noise, aeroacoustic noise on the control car and drive noise can also be localized with the help of the Acoustic Camera. The core of the evaluations is the pass-by algorithm, which enables the display of an acoustic map of the complete train.
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The all-in-one soundcam Octagon can be used to identify energy-saving potential by detecting thermal bridges and leaks on buildings.
In the video, the Acoustic Camera Octagon identifies leaks and leakage at a window as well as at a garage door. The power beamforming method used generates extremely accurate measurement data and acoustic images.
Similar to measurements with thermal imaging cameras, the results are displayed in color. The advantage of the Acoustic Camera is that the measurement is independent of temperature and can therefore also be carried out in summer.
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The Acoustic Camera is not only a helpful tool for industrial applications, it can be of great service in bioacoustics research projects. The "Mammal Communication Lab" at the University of Vienna used the Acoustic Camera to investigate the communication behavior between African elephants in Nepal.
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Beamforming is the basic algorithm for our Acoustic Camera. The individual signals are summed and evaluated according to the different run times from the target to the microphone. This effectively suppresses interference and amplifies the measurement signal.
Beamforming works both in the time and frequency domain.
The choice of camera in the microphone array is important because it records the optical image or video of the measurement object during the acoustic measurement. By integrating the sound emission over a selected time and / or frequency interval, an acoustic photo or video can be created. The acoustic information is layed over the optical image of the camera, resulting in precise acoustic mapping.
This way, acoustic data is mapped on optical information. Resolution, opening angle and frame rate play a decisive role. For this reason, the choice of camera is very important and must be made to fit the respective application. The resulting acoustic photo offers the user various analysis and evaluation options.
In the future, Intel® RealSense™ depth cameras will be installed as standard in our microphone arrays. This camera offers a wide field of view. The sensors offer high light sensitivity so that images can be taken even in dark environments. This camera offers advantages for acoustic measurements where it is essential to see as much of the scene as possible.
Despite the wide angle lens, there is no cushion effect and the optics are equalized. But the biggest advantage is probably the possibility of taking a depth image directly. This allows the automatic acquisition of the depth of focus from one perspective and thus better analysis of sound sources at different distances. For example, the correct focus for each sound source in the image can be found automatically.
The depth Information is especially useful when sound sources are at different distances from the Acoustic Camera. Defining the focus plane in that case can lead to errors, since it is not the same focus for all sound sources. With this camera, the depth Information can be measure, so the focus can be adjusted for different distances.
Baumer camera are also used in our microphone arrays. These are particularly suitable for large arrays, such as wind tunnels, due to the longer cables required and the adaptable lenses. Also in the Fibonacci array we use a Baumer camera for holography applications because of the required fisheye lens. The wide angle has advantages when the measurements are carried out in the near field. By enlarging the visible area you get a better overview of the found sound sources.
We and our customers have already had very good experiences with the Baumer. If desired, this camera can also be installed in any other array. Baumer offers integrated fixed focus cameras, which are available as USB or Ethernet versions and also have a global shutter. Depending on the application, different sensor sizes, resolutions and frame rates are individually adapted.
