Active control of sound transmission using a hybrid/blind decentralized control approach

Abstract

This paper presents a theoretical and experimental analysis of broadband sound transmission control of an aluminum panel in the frequency range between 30 Hz and 1 kHz. Based on the analysis of characteristics of sensor-actuator pairs, piezoelectric patches bonded on the structure are used as actuators, and collocated accelerometers are used as sensors. Then a hybrid decentralized control law is derived, which has a broad control band and puts more control authority on the most sound radiation effective mode. This control law comprises two parts: one is the direct velocity feedback controller, and the other one, relatively new, is called the negative acceleration feedback (NAF) controller. The control architecture is decentralized, which means each controller works independently. Due to the second-order dynamic property of the NAF controller and the fact that the structure’s frequencies may shift, the Hilbert-Huang method is used for quick and automatic identification of the natural frequency. Finally, open loop and closed loop experiments are presented to support the theoretical analysis. The active control results demonstrate that the panel’s vibration level can be suppressed by 16.7 dB and the broadband sound pressure level could be lowered by more than 7 dB.