Transparent piezoelectric film speakers for windows with active noise mitigation function

Abstract

Noise pollution has a significant negative effect on psychological health and quality of life. The building envelop, particularly windows often constitute to the primary path for external noise sources to travel into the buildings. Here we have designed and fabricated transparent piezoelectric film speakers as secondary area sound source for active noise mitigation for window application with ventilation function. The performance properties of the obtained transparent speaker and its effectiveness for active noise mitigation are evaluated through numerical simulations as well as experimental measurements. The produced transparent piezoelectric film speaker exhibited enhanced overall sound pressure level (SPL) and broader frequency response range with a significantly improved SPL at frequencies below 300 Hz. Furthermore, compared to an electromagnetic speaker as a point secondary sound source, using the transparent piezoelectric film speaker as an area source resulted in more uniform noise mitigation with substantially larger averaged SPL reduction. The results presented here show the potentials and advantages of transparent piezoelectric film speakers for active noise mitigation.