SBIR Phase II: Active Noise Reduction System With Voice Pass-Through

这个项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力符合医学向预防范例的趋势，遵循这样的前提，即预防问题通常比治疗问题或管理未来的赤字成本更低。新生儿重症监护病房(NICU)中过多的噪音显然与这些监护区患者的认知障碍有关。然而，将婴儿与任何声音接触隔离也不利于语言技能的发展。该项目将研究和开发一种系统，该系统将提供更稳定的NICU停留时间，减少导致发育延迟的神经并发症，并减少听力损失的发生。美国儿科学会？指南规定，新生儿患者不应暴露在大于45dBA的噪音中，但医院努力做到这一点。部署这种具有语音直通功能的噪音衰减系统将有助于医院为其新生儿群体提供适当的环境。医院管理人员和临床主任对这一解决方案表示了热情。这个小企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目旨在开发一种用于NICU孵化器的有源降噪系统，同时允许父母的声音基本上不减弱。为了实现噪声衰减，在培养箱内外监测不需要的噪声，并使用与检测到的噪声完全异相的对应信号来很大程度上消除不需要的噪声。该系统将采用多通道混合系统，同时使用反馈和前馈元件。虽然这是一种更复杂的方法，但事实证明，与更简单的解决方案相比，这具有性能优势。在这一阶段，衰减区的大小将扩大，算法将适应不同形状的多个孵化器，并将实施一套故障安全条款。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is in line with the trend in medicine towards a prevention paradigm, following the premise that preventing problems is generally less costly than treating the problem or managing a future deficit. Excessive noise in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) has been clearly linked to cognitive deficits among the patients of these care areas. However, isolating the infants from any voice contact is also detrimental to language skill development. This project will investigate and develop a system that will provide for a more stable stay in the NICU, mitigate neurologic complications leading to developmental delays, and lessen the occurrence of hearing loss. The American Academy of Pediatrics? guidelines state that neonatal patients should not be exposed to noises greater than 45dBA yet hospitals struggle to achieve this. Deploying such a noise attenuation system with voice pass through capabilities will help hospitals provide the proper environment for their neonatal populations. Hospital administrators and clinical directors have expressed enthusiasm for this solution.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 2 project seeks to develop an active noise reduction system for use in an NICU incubator, while allowing a parent's voice to pass through essentially unattenuated. To achieve the noise attenuation, the unwanted noise is monitored outside and inside the incubator and a corresponding signal exactly out of phase with the detected noise is used to largely cancel the unwanted noise. The system will employ a multi-channel hybrid system employing both feedback and feedforward elements. While a more complex approach, this has been shown to have performance advantages over simpler solutions. In this phase, the size of the zone of attenuation will be expanded, the algorithm will be adapted to multiple incubators having differing shapes, and a set of fail-safe provisions will be implemented.