Patent ID: 11202144

Abstract:
An acoustic wavefront shaping device for altering the propagation of emergency siren sounds is provided. The device includes an enclosed framework containing sound channels mounted before a siren horn. The sound channels are positioned to partition the spherical wavefronts emitted by the siren and transmit each wavelet from the channel's entrance to exit into free space. The interior space of the sound channels contain acoustic macroscopic metamaterial structures that direct wavelet acoustic energy on meandering paths, which extend the transmission duration. Channels higher up in the framework, and away from the center, have straighter paths that transmit acoustic energy more quickly than other channels. The wavelets exit the channels at different times and reconfigure to form a wavefront that is squat and narrow, compared to spherical wavefronts. This wavefront expands into free space staying closer to the ground and closer to the center of the road than spherical wavefront expansion. The sound channels may be further configured with forced air currents to eliminate backscattering and eddies of acoustic energy flow, and the transmission duration of wavelets may be modified using temperature modification. Flexible macroscopic metamaterial structures can change shape in response to changing sound frequency to maintain wavefront shaping.