An inexpensive sensor for noise

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Occup Environ Hyg
• Personal Author:
  Hallett, Laura ; Tatum, Marcus ; Thomas, Geb ; Sousan, Sinan ; Koehler, Kirsten ; Peters, Thomas
• Description:
  Noise is a pervasive workplace hazard that varies spatially and temporally. The cost of direct-reading instruments for noise hampers their use in a network. The objectives for this work were to: (1) develop an inexpensive noise sensor (<$100) that measures A-weighted sound pressure levels within ±2 dBA of a Type 2 sound level meter (SLM; ∼$1,800); and (2) evaluate 50 noise sensors for use in an inexpensive sensor network. The inexpensive noise sensor consists of an electret condenser microphone, an amplifier circuit, and a microcontroller with a small form factor (28 mm by 47 mm by 9 mm) than can be operated as a stand-alone unit. Laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate 50 of the new sensors at 5 sound levels: (1) ambient sound in a quiet office; (2) 3 pink noise test signals from 65-85 dBA in 10 dBA increments; and (3) 94 dBA using a SLM calibrator. Ninety-four percent of the noise sensors (n = 46) were within ±2 dBA of the SLM for sound levels from 65-94 dBA. As sound level increased, bias decreased, ranging from 18.3% in the quiet office to 0.48% at 94 dBA. Overall bias of the sensors was 0.83% across the 75 dBA to 94 dBA range. These sensors are available for a variety of uses and can be customized for many applications, including incorporation into a stationary sensor network for continuous monitoring of noise in manufacturing environments.
• Subjects:
  Article Hazard Network Sensor Noise Sound Sound Pressure Level
• Source:
  J Occup Environ Hyg. 15(5):448-454
• Pubmed ID:
  29420139
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC6531045
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  T42 OH008491/OH/NIOSH CDC HHS/United States
• Volume:
  15
• Issue:
  5
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:5b4da7b2be3bdbcbe9a5f2a12d867b0acc005669bb172ede703ccb5f7a42b40c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/78719/cdc_78719_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 529.25 KB ]