SONOMETER DANNY CESAR LANDA GARCIA JESUS DOMINGUEZ CERVANTES JESUS SANCHEZ OREA FRANCISCO JAVIER GONZALEZ MARTINEZ

FACULTAD DE INSTRUMENTACION ELECTRONICA DE LA UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA danncedj@hotmail.com INTRODUCTION The sound is a physical variable we are in contact on a daily basis, it gives us pleasant experiences such as music, it enables the speech communication and it can be used for giving an alert in multiples circumstances. Scientifically, the sound is a vibration in the air, the water or any other elastic medium, that can be detected by human hearing. The number of pressure vibrations per second its called sound frequency and its measured in cycles per second (Hz). The frequency of a sound produces a distinctive tone. For example, the sound of a thunder has a low frequency, while the siren of an ambulance has a high frequency tone. The audition range for a young and healthy individual goes from 20 Hz up to 2000 Hz. Any sound that is unpleasant to the hearing is known as noise, which is made of a complex signal compilation with different amplitudes and frequencies that randomly vary. This sound measures allows the precise and scientific analysis of bothersome sounds, however, it needs to be pointed out that due to the psychological and physiological differences between individuals, the level in which something starts being annoying of a given signal from one person to another cannot be scientifically measured. But the measures give us an objective medium for annoying sound comparative under different conditions. The measurement of sounds can be used as a monitoring tool for limit control on a range, as well as it allow us to study the behavior of the former throughout time. The most common unit in the communal noise its the decibel dB(A) and it can be measured with a sonometer provided with a type A ponderation that simulates a hearing response; the level on dB(A) it's used to describe environmental sounds as well as intruder. In the measurement of sound criteria for permanent regime noise that can be applied to a person has to be considered, for example: workers exposed during a whole work schedule to the same levels of dB(A).[3] DESCRIPTION The sonometer it's an instrument of measure that has to response in a proximate form to sound just like the human ear, giving objective and reproducibles readings on their level. The figure 1 shows a block diagram of the sonometer to develop.

PR E-AMPLIFIER

TYPE A PONDERATIO N NETWORK

AMPLIFIER

AVERAGE CONVERTER

PC (GRAPHIC
INTERFACE, DATA BASE)

MICRO CONTROLLER (ADC, RS232)

Figure1. Block diagram of the sonometer MICROPHONE: The microphone is in charge of converting the sound to an equivalent electrical signal, using a polarization circuit. The microphone type recommended for measuring sound pressure level is the condenser, which combines precision with stability, reliability, and provides an excellent frequency response from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. For this design an Electret omnidirectional condenser microphone is used. PRE-AMPLIFIER: The signal that comes from the microphone is amplified, since this electrical signal is small and needs to be filtered by a ponderation network. PONDERATION NETWORK: Is an RC type passive electrical circuit, which adjust the signal to a type A ponderation curve, and that sensitivity with the frequency has the same response of the human hearing. AVERAGE CONVERTER: Up to this point the signal is treated as AC and its necessary to obtain its effective value using an average converter (which transforms this signal on direct current (DC)). Said circuit obtains its effective value using an RMS detector (Root Mean Square). MICROCONTROLLER: The task of this dispositive is to convert an analog signal coming from the average converter, to a digital one in order to transmit the data by RS-232 to a computer. PC: This is the last stage, when the measured signal is going to be monitored by software developed with LabView, using a graphic interface to visualize the signal on decibels. Also this software allows to storage all the measures made into a data base.

BUILD UP MICROPHONE POLARIZATION The sound waves the sensor perceives are transformed into electric energy using two metallic electrically charged plates separated by a short distance (20 m), applying a bias voltage. One of the plates acts as a fixed electrode while the other, called a diaphragm, closes in and out on the fixed plate according to the pressure variations produced by the incident sound. The displacements of the membrane produce variations in the distance that separate both elements, which gives place to variations on the condenser capacity. On figure 2 its shown the polarization of the microphone by a resistance and a capacitor. [4]

Figure 2. Microphone polarization

PONDERATION NETWORK TYPE A For the Sonometer behavior can simulate the response of the human hearing, a type A ponderation circuit was added, which is a band-pass passive filter, that allows only the frequencies between 20Hz up to 20Khz. [5] Figure3. Type A Ponderation Network

AVERAGE CONVERTER On the average converter stage, a full wave precision rectifier circuit is used for converting the signal from AC to DC. In other words the signal from the sensor which is an alternating signal is rectified by the circuit showed in the figure 4. On the output of this circuit a capacitor is added with the aim of eliminates the curls on it and therefore converting the signal in its most direct form possible. [1]

Figure 4. Average converter MICROCONTROLLER

For the communication between the prototype hardware and the PC could be made, a microcontroller was used from which an analog digital converter was used, as well as the USART to transmit data via serial to the computer. The circuit on figure 5 shows the circuit used in serial communication.

Figure 5. Connection stage between the prototype hardware and the PC

USER INTERFACE: On the PC, the sent data is processed by the microcontroller. This data is applied in a series of mathematical arrangements, resulting in the formula that gives us an output result (dB) on function with the voltage on the input. The graphic interface has a frontal panel, on which the behavior of the signal that represents the sound can be visualized. As well as a display were the decibels values can be monitored in a numeric form. This system has the advantage of storing data, in other words, it automatically creates a database, which saves the decibel registry in a determined time lapse that can vary to the commodity of the user. The interface panel is showed in the figure 6.

Figure 6 Users Interface

TESTS AND RESULTS On figure 7 we can see values obtained from comparing the pattern instrument with the voltage output of our system. These values were obtained experimentally as follow: In a noise isolated place repetitive tests were conducted placing out pattern instrument with our own prototype in a equidistant form to a variable noise generating source. Output values were sampled on decibels of the pattern instrument as well as the voltage output of our prototype. The Experimental test consisted of varying the power to the source of noise with the goal of obtaining the biggest output value spectrum possible from both devices. All the data obtained in this fashion were registered in an Excel sheet with the porpoise of be able to graph the correspondence between outputs voltages from out system against the decibels measured in our pattern instrument. By plotting the values obtained, was obtained the curve shown in Figure 7, which was obtained calibration curve of the measuring instrument:

y = 13.208ln(x) + 100.03
The value of y represents the decibels for each value in the X voltage entry; this equation was scheduled in the interface done in LabView so sample the voltages delivered by the measuring circuit, there are processed and we obtain the resultant value (decibels) and therefore, we could show it on the screen.

Figure 7. Tests The instrument that was used as a pattern is a HER-400 Steren decibelmeter, which has a measuremente range from 30 to 130 dB, an exactitude of +2dB and operates in a frequency range from 30 Hz to 8 KHz.

CONCLUSIONS -The ponderation network sensitivity varies with the frequency, this sensibility is similar to the one from the human hearing, which is why is indispensable to include in any sonometer this kind of filtering. -We conclude that our system responds in a different manner to different frequencies, in other words, it has a logarithmic response and not a linear one, as shown in Figure 7, similar to the human ear. -This system is focused to the monitoring of industrial noises, as well as in libraries, and many other applications that could appear, stressing that the behavior of sound can be saved on a database during a determined time interval for its own particular study.

BIBLIOGRAPHY [1] COUGHLIN, Robert F. y DRISCOLL, Frederick F. Amplificadores operacionales y circuitos integrados lineales, Mxico: Prentice- Hall Hispanoamericana, 1993. [2] OGATA, Katsuhiko, Ingeniera de control moderna, 3 edicin, Mxico: Prentice-Hall. [3] http://proton.ucting.udg.mx/somi/memorias/electron/Ele-32.pdf [4]http://rabfis15.uco.es/lvct/tutorial/1/paginas%20proyecto%20def/(3)%20Tecnicas%20de %20nnnmedida/microfonos.htm [5]http://www.eie.fceia.unr.edu.ar/~acustica/biblio/niveles.htm