VECTOR SOUND-INTENSITY PROBES OPERATING IN A HALF-SPACE

Abstract

Method and apparatus ( 333 ) for measuring the sound-intensity vector in a half space bounded by a surface such as a wall or the ground ( 100 ) using an acoustic vector probe (AVP) ( 40 ), where the AVP consists of four small omnidirectional microphones ( 1, 2, 3 and 4 ) supported on narrow straight tubes at the vertices of an imaginary regular tetrahedron. The tubes are attached perpendicularly to a ring ( 42 ) with the microphones all pointing into the half space. The sound-intensity vector measured by the AVP determines the direction of a sound source within the half space. Interference from echoes caused by reflections from the boundary of the half space and from surrounding objects on the boundary can be reduced by attaching a concave solid structure ( 55 ) to the base of the AVP at the supporting ring ( 42 ). The inside of the concave structure is lined with absorbing material ( 65 ) to reduce interference by reflections from the structure.