Acoustics and Ultrasound

Subject description

Principles of physical acoustics, human ear and perception of sound. Human speech. Room acoustics, sound reinforcement systems, anechoic chamber. Sound isolation and sound damping. Protection against noise. Microphone as acoustic-to-electric transducer. Speech and music recording. Speaker as electric-to-acoustic transducer. Modelling and simulation of acoustic systems. Ultrasonic transducers. Digital processing of acoustic signals. Blind source separation, convolution mixing, cocktail-party problem. Multimedia systems, sound effects, spatial sound, audio recording compression, MIDI protocol, algorithms and standards, AES3 standard. Evaluation of digital systems. Devices for sound recording and reproduction, noise and dynamic reduction systems. Noise and vibrations. Physical characteristics of noise and vibrations. Noise and vibrations influence on people's health. Infrasound. Noise and vibration measurement.

The subject is taught in programs

Objectives and competences

Students learn about the basics of acoustics, electroacoustic, measurement of audio system parameters, noise measurement, ultrasound vibrations and acoustic signal processing.

Students create an individual seminar in the form of an article and present it with an appearance in front of the auditorium. They learn to search independently and to select resources (books, magazines, articles, internet) and write an article in accordance with the requirements for publication in an expert magazine.

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures, demonstrations, preparation and presentation of individual seminar or project.

Expected study results

After successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

– have knowledge of fundamentals of acoustics, electroacoustics and audio signal processing

– interpret and explain characteristics of acoustic devices and systems

– measure noise and vibrations, interpret the results

– have knowledge of human hearing system

– independently search for and interpret resources

– write an article in accordance with the requirements for publication in an expert magazine

Basic sources and literature

Dale Ensminger, Leonard J. Bond, Ultrasonics: Fundamentals, Technologies, and Applications, CRC Press (Sept 2011).
David Howard and Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, Focal Press (Aug 2009).
Jens Blauert and Ning Xiang, Acoustics for Engineers: Troy Lectures, Springer (Jun 2009).
M. David Egan, Architectural Acoustics, J. Ross Publishing Classics (Jan 2007).
Thomas D. Rossing, Neville H. Fletcher: Principles of Vibration and Sound, Springer-Verlag (Jan 2004).
William M. Hartmann, Signals, Sound, and Sensation (Modern Acoustics and Signal Processing), American Institute of Physics (Sept 2004).