Development and application of audio-integrated ANC system for infant incubators

This paper presents the application of audio-integrated active noise control (ANC) system for infant incubators. The integrated ANC algorithm is developed to reduce external harmful noises while playing healthy intrauterine sounds inside the incubators. Real-time experiments are conducted to evaluate the performance of an integrated system using a Giraffe incubator from GE Healthcare. The noise reduction achieved by ANC systems at uniformly-distributed three-dimensional locations inside the incubator is presented in tables and graphically. The single-channel ANC system is integrated with intrauterine sounds to mask residual noise and create a prenatal environment for the infants, and also enhance the performance of the incubator ANC system with time-varying secondary paths. (C) 2010 Institute of Noise Control Engineering.