IRSST - Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail

Development of a microphone antenna incorporating an optical system to identify the position of the noisiest sound sources in an industrial setting

Abstract

In Quebec, deafness and hearing loss caused by exposure to noise are the most common type of occupational illness or injury. This type of injury increased sharply between 2007 and 2012.

To attenuate industrial noise, it is important to locate the sources and determine their relative contributions. This study proposes to use an acoustic antenna made up of a network of microphones to map noise sources.

An antenna of this type was developed during a postdoctoral fellowship funded by the IRSST, but it would need to be improved by, among other things, incorporating an optical system that could superimpose the mapping of noise sources onto a photograph of the workplace in question.

The development of such a tool should make it possible to better diagnose hazardous workstations and thus help determine the best solutions for abating noise at source.

Additional Information

Type: Project
Number: 2015-0075
Status: Completed
Year of completion: 2018
Team:
  • Olivier Doutres (École de technologie supérieure)
  • Franck Sgard (IRSST)
  • Thomas Padois (École de technologie supérieure)
  • Alain Berry (Université de Sherbrooke)