A low-cost multi-channel ANC system

Abstract

In hot and humid cities like Singapore with many high-rise buildings, erecting noise barriers to mitigate noise at their effective height is not practical as it would be too costly. It would take up the already scarce land space and compromise the natural ventilation and aesthetics of the landscape. A real-time multichannel ANC system for open windows is introduced as a solution by NTU researchers to mitigate environmental noise and preserve ventilation. Although the ANC system is proven to be successful in reducing noise through open windows, its effectiveness is limited by physical constraints like the size of speakers and processing power. Hence, it would be more efficient and cost-effective to target noise cancellation in a narrow band of frequencies.

This project focuses on the development of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) aimed to determine the optimal frequency range for ANC to maximize the perceptual effects of noise reduction using different types of noise profiles as the audio stimuli. The GUI would be used in future subjective experiments to quantify the perceptual effects of different noise types through sound evaluation techniques.