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Applied Sciences
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Psychoacoustic Approach to Noise: Evaluation, Estimation and Design
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Psychoacoustic Approach to Noise: Evaluation, Estimation and Design

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Acoustics and Vibrations".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 11087

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Masayuki Takada

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Acoustic Design, Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 815-8540, Japan
Interests: psychoacoustics; sound quality; environmental acoustics; soundscape; sound design
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Noise generally has an adverse effect on people and the environment. To address such problems, noise reduction should be considered as the first countermeasure. Also the psychoacoustic approach is useful for obtaining effective improvements and optimal designs to reduce adverse effects of noise. This approach has long been introduced with proven success in the automotive industry. We can now employ various methodologies for noise evaluation, including the evaluation grid method as well as traditional techniques such as semantic differential, paired comparison and methods in psychophysics. Physiological approaches are still important, although they have been adopted to evaluate the effects of noise on humans. To explore new designs related to noise, machine learning, which has shown remarkable development in recent years, may be effective. On the other hand, to evaluate the sonic environment (soundscape), the new methodology has been provided as international standards (i.e., ISO 12913-1:2014, ISO/TS 12913-2:2018). As above, a psychoacoustic approach for handling noise has been developed by incorporating techniques from various disciplines. From such a background, the present Special Issue aims to introduce recent developments in the psychoacoustic approach and their applications for noise. The editor hopes that this Special Issue will inspire further activity in the field of noise evaluation.

Research topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • žProduct sound quality
  • žPsychoacoustic-based design of noise
  • žPhysiology-based design of noise
  • Sound quality metrics
  • žSoundscape
  • žSonic environment
  • Application of machine learning to sound design
  • Analysis by synthesis of noise

Dr. Masayuki Takada
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • noise
  • psychoacoustics
  • product sound quality
  • sound quality metrics
  • physiological effects
  • soundscape
  • environmental acoustics
  • machine learning
  • sound synthesis
  • sound design

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1649 KiB  
Article
The Evaluation of Conventional, Electric and Hybrid Electric Passenger Car Pass-By Noise Annoyance Using Psychoacoustical Properties
by M. Ercan Altinsoy
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 5146; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12105146 - 19 May 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2990
Abstract
Road traffic noise is one of the most prominent sources of urban noise pollution. Recently, as a result of the electrification of vehicles, lower noise levels are expected in urban areas at speeds below 50 km/h. The commonly used physical descriptor, the A-weighted [...] Read more.
Road traffic noise is one of the most prominent sources of urban noise pollution. Recently, as a result of the electrification of vehicles, lower noise levels are expected in urban areas at speeds below 50 km/h. The commonly used physical descriptor, the A-weighted sound pressure level, does not sufficiently characterize the perceived annoyance of either combustion engine or electric passenger car pass-by noises. Psychoacoustical descriptors are advantageous for characterization purposes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the perceived annoyance caused by the noise from internal combustion engine, electric, and hybrid passenger cars using psychoacoustical properties. To achieve this objective, the following steps were conducted. First, the binaurally recorded sounds of 40 cars from different brands with different motorization were presented to the subjects who indicated the intensity of their perceived annoyance on a quasi-continuous scale. Second, the signal and psychoacoustical properties of the recorded sounds were analyzed. Third, a new annoyance index was developed, based on annoyance judgments and signal and psychoacoustical properties, to characterize the annoyance caused by pass-by noises. One of the novel aspects of this study is the consideration of not only the pass-by sounds of the internal combustion engine passenger cars, but also the pass-by sounds of hybrid and electric passenger cars. An acceleration from idle to a target speed of 50 km/h was selected as a traffic pass-by situation, which differs from those considered in previous studies. The results of the study show that psychoacoustical properties, such as loudness, tonality, roughness, and fluctuation strength, are very useful to characterize the annoyance perception, which is caused by single passenger car pass-by sounds in the above mentioned traffic situation. The developed index, which is a weighted combination of chosen psychoacoustical properties, can be very useful for traffic planning and traffic noise prevention measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychoacoustic Approach to Noise: Evaluation, Estimation and Design)
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11 pages, 1513 KiB  
Article
A Psychological Evaluation Model of a Good Conversation in Knowledge Creative Activities by Multiple People
by Sohei Tsujimura, Motoki Yairi and Takayoshi Okita
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 2265; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052265 - 22 Feb 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1853
Abstract
Japanese companies have been focusing on enhancing the knowledge creative activities of older office workers in recent years. In addition, the way of working in the office has been shifting from traditional divisional routine work to collaborative or creative work, and office spaces [...] Read more.
Japanese companies have been focusing on enhancing the knowledge creative activities of older office workers in recent years. In addition, the way of working in the office has been shifting from traditional divisional routine work to collaborative or creative work, and office spaces are becoming quieter, with an increasing number of extremely quiet spaces (noise level < 40 dB). A sound environment that is too quiet gives workers the impression that it is difficult to converse with others, because they are worried about what people around them may think. The appearance of the knowledge creative society in recent years has led to a desire for changes in the workplace environment to improve the productivity of intellectual activities. To realize a sound environment that encourages knowledge creative activities, study outcomes need to be accumulated. Therefore, to clarify what kind of sound environment would be appropriate for knowledge creative activities by multiple people, we conducted psychoacoustic experiments to examine the effects of sound pressure level (signal-to-noise ratio), type of sound, and reverberation time in conference rooms on the impression of a “good conversation”. In addition, we considered a causal model for the psychological evaluation of a “good conversation” by conducting a multiple regression analysis of psychological evaluations of the experimental participants. The results indicated that a sound environment considered too quiet for multiple people to have discussions about knowledge creative activities lowers the impression of a “good conversation”, whereas high levels of relaxation lead to the impression of a “good conversation”. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychoacoustic Approach to Noise: Evaluation, Estimation and Design)
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11 pages, 996 KiB  
Article
The Effect of a “Design-of-Awareness” Process on Recognition of AVAS Sound of Quiet Vehicles
by Mariko Tsuruta-Hamamura, Toki Kobayashi, Takahiro Kosuge and Hiroshi Hasegawa
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(1), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12010157 - 24 Dec 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2426
Abstract
The development of quiet vehicles, such as hybrid and electric vehicles, has environmental benefits. However, the quietness of these vehicles may increase the risk to pedestrians, particularly those with visual impairment. We hypothesized that a “design-of-awareness” process based on the concept of sound [...] Read more.
The development of quiet vehicles, such as hybrid and electric vehicles, has environmental benefits. However, the quietness of these vehicles may increase the risk to pedestrians, particularly those with visual impairment. We hypothesized that a “design-of-awareness” process based on the concept of sound education for hearing and recognizing the sound generated by the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) installed in quiet vehicles may change peoples’ attitudes toward the sound and improve their ability to detect it. To verify this hypothesis, two experiments using a quiet vehicle were conducted to examine whether participants were able to detect the AVAS sound. The results revealed that few participants were initially able to detect the AVAS sound. After the design-of-awareness process was conducted, 1 and 3 month follow-up surveys were conducted to clarify its effects and longevity. The results revealed that approximately half of the participants became able to detect the sound, and that their attitudes toward the sound were changed. In addition, the number of participants who were able to detect the sound increased over time. These results indicate that a design-of-awareness process could be helpful for training people to detect the sound of quiet vehicles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychoacoustic Approach to Noise: Evaluation, Estimation and Design)
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10 pages, 1896 KiB  
Article
Intercultural Differences in the Perception of HVAC Sound Quality in Car Cabins: From Conventional to Electric Vehicles
by Massimiliano Masullo, Katsuya Yamauchi, Minori Dan, Federico Cioffi and Luigi Maffei
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(23), 11431; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112311431 - 2 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2809
Abstract
In electric-powered cars, the production of which is increasing, the HVAC system is responsible for most of the noise inside the car’s cabin, causing significant discomfort for passengers. Moreover, the noise produced by the HVAC affects the perceptible sound inside the car cabin, [...] Read more.
In electric-powered cars, the production of which is increasing, the HVAC system is responsible for most of the noise inside the car’s cabin, causing significant discomfort for passengers. Moreover, the noise produced by the HVAC affects the perceptible sound inside the car cabin, significantly impacting the perceived quality of the vehicle. It is thus essential to investigate and quantify people’s preferences concerning HVAC noise. Our previous research revealed differences in the HVAC noise between hybrid electric (HEV) and internal combustion engine (ICEV) vehicles. A subsequent factor analysis revealed that the adjectives used to describe the sounds can be grouped into two main dimensions: Aesthetic and Loudness. The present paper highlights the results of a listening test that aimed to identify possible differences in the perception of HVACs’ sound quality between Italian and Japanese subject groups, for ICEV and HEV, in different functioning conditions. Results revealed that the most remarkable difference emerges at high air flow rates, where the Japanese group perceived the quality of sound and annoyance, respectively, to be significantly lower and significantly higher than the Italian group. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychoacoustic Approach to Noise: Evaluation, Estimation and Design)
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