3PASS flex – Fully-automated background noise simulation to test systems with complex microphone setups
The fully-automated software 3PASS flex enables to simulate precisely background noise...
The fully-automated software 3PASS flex enables to simulate precisely background noise in different test rooms or in vehicle cabins in terms of level, frequency as well as spatial and temporal distribution in the area of the device under test. Application-specific microphone arrays (MSA I or MSA II) allow to record sound fields and to equalize the multi-channel background noise simulation system. The benefit of 3PASS flex: Equalization of the whole system is conducted fully-automated and digital.
The playback and recording system is particularly suited for testing systems with multiple distributed microphones or microphone arrays under real-world conditions. These include applications like car hands-free systems, In-Car Communication (ICC) systems, voice-controlled smart home devices, smart speakers, conference systems and televisions. When testing these systems, a good sound field reproduction must be achieved simultaneously at the positions of all microphones used. Therefore, the multi-point noise simulation (MPNS) method is applied.
The highly flexible background noise simulation system complies with the international standard ETSI TS 103 224 and the recommendations ITU-T P.1100 and P.1110, P.1120 (all Annex F) as well as P.1140 (Annex B).
In conjunction with the microphone arrays MSA I or MSA II (recording, equalization) and the hardware platform labBGN (equalization, playback) as well as loudspeakers and power amplifiers, 3PASS flex is a powerful background noise simulation system.
The fully-automated software 3PASS flex enables to simulate precisely background noise in different test rooms or in vehicle cabins in terms of level, frequency as well as spatial and temporal distribution in the area of the device under test. Application-specific microphone arrays (MSA...
The fully-automated software 3PASS flex enables to simulate precisely background noise in different test rooms or in vehicle cabins in terms of level, frequency as well as spatial and temporal distribution in the area of the device under test. Application-specific microphone arrays (MSA I or MSA II) allow to record sound fields and to equalize the multi-channel background noise simulation system. The benefit of 3PASS flex: Equalization of the whole system is conducted fully-automated and digital.
The playback and recording system is particularly suited for testing systems with multiple distributed microphones or microphone arrays under real-world conditions. These include applications like car hands-free systems, In-Car Communication (ICC) systems, voice-controlled smart home devices, smart speakers, conference systems and televisions. When testing these systems, a good sound field reproduction must be achieved simultaneously at the positions of all microphones used. Therefore, the multi-point noise simulation (MPNS) method is applied.
The highly flexible background noise simulation system complies with the international standard ETSI TS 103 224 and the recommendations ITU-T P.1100 and P.1110, P.1120 (all Annex F) as well as P.1140 (Annex B).
In conjunction with the microphone arrays MSA I or MSA II (recording, equalization) and the hardware platform labBGN (equalization, playback) as well as loudspeakers and power amplifiers, 3PASS flex is a powerful background noise simulation system.
Background noise
Background noise impairs speech intelligibility. Therefore, when testing the voice quality of systems with complex microphone setups or the quality of voice recognition systems, background noise should be considered. A system for background noise simulation consists of hardware components for recording, equalization, and playback as well as a main control software covering the functionalities.
Highlights
- 3PASS flex allows the defined sound field reproduction of multi-channel recorded background noises.
- The software enables to test voice quality and the voice recognition performance of systems with complex microphone setups in the presence of realistic background noise.
- 3PASS flex allows fast and automated digital equalization of the whole system.
- The system complies with the international standard ETSI TS 103 224 and the recommendations ITU-T P.1100 and P.1110, P.1120 (all Annex F) as well as P.1140 (Annex B).
Applications
- Tests of the voice quality of communication devices in the presence of background noise. This include e.g.:
- Mobile phones
- Smartphones (with / without display speaker)
- ANC headphones and headsets
- Voice-controlled smart home devices like smart speaker
- Vehicle hands-free terminals
- Voice-control systems in the vehicle
- In-car communication systems (ICC)
- Evaluation of voice recognition performance in communication devices in the presence of background noise like e.g.:
- Mobile phones
- Smartphones (with / without display speaker)
- ANC headphones and headsets
- Voice-controlled smart home devices like smart speaker
- Voice-control systems in the vehicle
- Precise sound field reproduction at the location of the device under test
- Equalized playback of background noise in labs and in vehicles
- Development, optimization and quality control of communication devices in the presence of background noise
- Development, Evaluation and Optimization of complex noise reduction algorithms in communication devices
Features
- 3PASS flex supports a flexible number of microphones (≤ 16) and loudspeakers (≤ 10).
- 3PASS flex provides excellent reproduction accuracy in terms of level, frequency, temporal characteristics of background noise and, above all, their spatial characteristics.
- The software enables fully-automated equalization of the whole background noise simulation system.
- 3PASS flex has an integrated recording function for creating individual audio files with background noises depending on the use case.
- Playback with other systems (e.g. ACQUA, VoCAS) can be sample-accurately synchronized via a trigger signal.
- Simulation of background noises with the 3PASS flex software requires:
- A microphone array (MSA I or MSA II) for recording and system equalization
- The mobile recording and playback system SQuadriga III for recording background noises
- The hardware platform labBGN as well as loudspeakers and a power amplifier for automated digital equalization and playback of signals generated in 3PASS flex as well as connection of the microphone array (MSA I or MSA II)
- The software option 3PASS reverb additionally allows to reproduce reverberation to evaluate voice quality in reverberant environments.
- Remote control of 3PASS flex in ACQUA or VoCAS via TCP/IP connection or a specific remote control cable.
Relevant Products
ACQUA Options
(6811,6812,6819,6820,6821,6822,6836,6839,6840,6842,6843,6844,6848,6849,6852,6853,6854,6855,6856,6857,6858,6859,6865,6866,6867,6869)
ACQUA Standards
(60000,60003,60004,60005,60009,60010,60013,60014,60018,60019,60020,60021,60023,60026,60028,60030,60032,60033,60035,60036,60038,60039,60041,60043,60044,60046,60047,60049,60055,60057,60058,60060,60062,60063,60064,60065,60066,60067,60068,60069,6711,6741,6742,6750,6770,6772,6777,6783,6788,6789,6794,6795,6796,6797,6798)
