A Scalable Configurable Acoustic Processor for Emerging Audio Applications

非常大的声学换能器阵列将改变我们感知、产生和操纵声音的方式。然而，现有的声学处理系统无法支持大型阵列。该项目解决了大型声学阵列在规模、时间精度、延迟和同步方面的挑战。该项目的研究将使声学阵列从阻碍大规模操作的电子性能瓶颈中解放出来。涉及大规模电声系统的新音频技术有望改变声学应用，并有可能通过非接触式操作和手术改变生物学和医学。例如，高分辨率声全息术有望实现生物标本的非接触式操作、非侵入性手术和增强现实的新模式。通过提供详细的声景，大型灵敏阵列使环境和工业监测达到了新的水平。例如，高精度声学成像可以定位野生动物，查明机器故障，识别风力涡轮机的噪音。此外，活性超材料将使声景的构建和控制成为可能。这些材料可以在重量敏感的航空航天应用中管理声音环境，并通过针对城市环境中的声音碎片提供健康益处。例如，大型活性超材料表面可以使飞机机舱安静，甚至可以实现声隐身。该项目将在本科电路课程中引入声音处理，并使用声音，而不是光学和电磁学，来直观地理解具有挑战性的应用物理概念，如全息和超材料。本研究将为本科生和高中生提供有益和有意义的研究机会。该项目将解决新兴声学应用的规模、时间和信噪比（SNR）挑战，并通过新的混合信号电路技术改变音频处理，为新兴声学应用提供前所未有的空间分辨率、时间分辨率和动态范围。尺度与换能器的数量相对应，最终决定了分辨率和信噪比。此外，声学超材料等实际应用在大规模上效果最好。大型阵列的另一个挑战是通过相位控制和精确时间同步实现时间精度。该研究将研究新技术，以解决阻碍大规模声学全息、声学成像和有源声学超材料的关键尺度、时间分辨率和延迟问题。此外，本研究还将解决大规模阵列系统的同步和分布式处理问题。新技术将使大规模高保真系统具有前所未有的时间精度、时间控制和低延迟。该项目将使用试验台系统来展示新技术的潜力。最后，本研究将探讨位流可配置混合信号处理的潜在权衡。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Very large acoustic transducer arrays will transform how we sense, generate, and manipulate sound. However, existing acoustic processing systems are not able to support large arrays. This project tackles the challenges of scale, time accuracy, latency and synchronization in large acoustic arrays. The research of this project will free acoustic arrays from the electronic performance bottlenecks that impede large-scale operation. The new audio technologies involving large-scale electro-acoustic systems promise transformative acoustic applications and will have the potential to transform biology and medicine through contactless manipulation and surgery. For example, high-resolution acoustic holography promises contactless manipulation of biological specimens, non-invasive surgery, and new modes for augmented reality. By providing detailed soundscapes, large sensitive arrays allow new levels of environmental and industrial monitoring. For example, high precision acoustic imaging can locate wildlife, pinpoint machine faults, and identify noise from wind turbines. In addition, active metamaterials will enable the construction and control of soundscapes. These materials can manage the sound environment in weight-sensitive aerospace applications and provide health benefits by targeting the sound debris that litters urban environments. For example, large active metamaterial surfaces can quieten aircraft cabins or even enable acoustic invisibility. The project will introduce sound processing in the undergraduate circuits curriculum and use sounds, instead of optics and electromagnetics, to provide an intuitive understanding of challenging applied physics concepts such as holography and metamaterials. This research will provide rewarding and meaningful research opportunities for undergraduate and high-school students. This project will tackle scale, time, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) challenges of emerging acoustic applications and transform audio processing with new mixed-signal circuit techniques that deliver unprecedented spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and dynamic range for emerging acoustic applications. The scale, which corresponds to the number of transducers, ultimately determines the resolution and the SNR. Furthermore, practical applications such as acoustic metamaterials work best on a large scale. Another challenge for large arrays is temporal accuracy through phase control and precise time synchronization. The research will investigate new techniques to address the critical scale, time resolution, and latency problems that impede large-scale acoustic holography, acoustic imaging, and active acoustic metamaterials. In addition, the research will address issues of synchronization and distributed processing for large-scale arrayed systems. The new techniques will enable large-scale high-fidelity systems with unprecedented time accuracy, time control, and low latency. The project will use testbed systems to showcase the potential of the new techniques. Finally, the research will explore the potential tradeoffs of configurable mixed-signal processing of bitstream.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.