Acoustic Panel With Helmholtz Resonators For Office Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing office partition systems fail to effectively reduce noise levels, particularly in the frequency range of human speech, due to high sound reflection from glass panels.
Innovation Solution
The acoustic panel assembly incorporates a quadrilateral panel frame with glass or light-transmitting impermeable solid material on opposite sides, featuring upper and lower openings that connect to an interior chamber to form a Helmholtz resonator, enhancing noise absorption by using porous material to dissipate sound energy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If glass panels are used in office partitions, then light transmission is improved, but sound reflection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous materials in two key ways: (1) porous backing material is attached to the rear surface of the glass panel to absorb sound waves that pass through the glass, and (2) porous material is placed within cavities formed by the frame structure. These porous materials convert sound energy into heat through friction and viscous losses, effectively reducing sound reflection while preserving the glass panel's light transmission properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition assembly creates a composite structure by combining glass panels with porous absorbing materials and frame elements. This composite construction integrates the optical transparency of glass with the acoustic absorption capabilities of porous materials, achieving both light transmission and sound reduction functions that neither material could provide alone.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If sound-absorbing panels comprising cloth and porous backing material are used, then noise reduction is improved, but light transmission is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sound absorption function across multiple components: the glass panel provides light transmission, porous backing material handles high-frequency sound absorption, and additional porous material in frame cavities addresses mid-frequency sounds. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its function without compromising the other properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame structure acts as an intermediary element that houses porous sound-absorbing materials in cavities without blocking the light path through the glass panel. This intermediary structure enables sound absorption while preserving visual transparency, avoiding the need to use opaque sound-absorbing materials like cloth.
3Illumination intensity
If known glass panels are used, then light transmission is improved, but noise reduction is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Porous materials are strategically positioned to absorb sound across different frequency ranges: porous backing material on the rear surface absorbs transmitted sound waves, while porous material in frame cavities absorbs incident sound. This dual placement of porous materials enables effective noise reduction while maintaining the glass panel's light transmission capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful sound reflection property of glass into a benefit by allowing sound waves to pass through the glass and be absorbed by the porous backing material. Instead of reflecting sound (which would be harmful for noise reduction), the glass-transmitted sound is captured and dissipated by the porous material, turning the glass's transparency to sound into an advantage for the overall acoustic performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration achieves an average noise reduction coefficient of at least 0.6 for 125 to 500 Hz, significantly reducing noise levels in office settings by maximizing sound absorption in the frequency range corresponding to adult human speech.
Implementation Method 1
The upper and lower openings connect to the interior chamber to form a Helmholtz resonator such that the first side of the acoustic panel assembly has an average noise reduction coefficient of at least about 0.6 for 125 to 500 Hz
Implementation Method 2
Porous material may be disposed in the upper and lower openings. The upper and lower openings connect to the interior chamber to form a Helmholtz resonator
Data Source
AI summary
An office partition system including a partition frame having front and rear sides. Front and rear transparent sheet material is disposed on the front and rear sides of the partition frame, respectively. Horizontally and vertically extending dividers are disposed between the front and rear transparent sheet material to define a plurality of vertically juxtaposed interior chambers. The front transparent sheet material comprises a plurality of first sheets, each first sheet having horizontally-extending upper and lower edges. The upper and lower edges of adjacent first sheets are vertically spaced apart to define horizontally elongated gaps therebetween. The horizontally elongated gaps are fluidly connected to interior chambers disposed above and below the horizontal dividers to define Helmholtz resonators whereby sound that is incident on the front side of the partition frame is absorbed to the Helmholtz resonance.