Beacon-Aided Adaptive Localization of Noise Sources Aboard a Pass-By Railcar Using a Trackside Microphone Array

A new adaptive “beamforming” signal-processing algorithm is developed to locate the loudest noise sources aboard a railcar that passes by a trackside immobile microphone array. This proposed microphone-array beamformer tracks the railcar´s spatial movement with the aid of two inaudible acoustic beacons placed aboard the railcar. The proposed scheme then localizes the noise sources with reference to the railcar´s coordinates. No auxiliary infrastructure (e.g., no radar or video camera) is needed besides the onboard beacons. Monte Carlo simulations and anechoic chamber experiments verify the efficacy of the proposed scheme.