Development of a mobile infrasound measurement technique

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K01351
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Natural disaster / Disaster prevention science
• Research Institution: National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
• Principal Investigator: Nishimura Ryouichi 国立研究開発法人情報通信研究機構, 耐災害ICT研究センター応用領域研究室, 主任研究員 (30323116)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 自然災害 / 音響信号処理 / センサアレイ / 環境モニタリング / インフラサウンド

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Natural phenomena strong enough to cause catastrophic disasters are often accompanied by generation of infrasound. Therefore, we tried to develop a technique to monitor infrasound with a sensor array over a wide area in order to prevent disasters by reliable forecast and prediction. With experiments using several potential devices for monitoring infrasound, it was confirmed that a comparable performance with microbarometers in terms of signal detection can be achievable by simultaneously using multiple MEMS pressure sensors, especially for measuring very low frequency signal such as observed when tsunami happens. In addition, some examples of successful sound source localization were shown which is based on the infrasound signals originally generated by a volcanic eruption and observed at multiple observation points.

Free Research Field

音響信号処理

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

従来、インフラサウンドの観測には高額な観測装置や大掛かりな設備が必要とされてきた。しかし、MEMSセンサでもある程度の精度で観測が可能であることが示され、安価で小型な機動性のあるインフラサウンド観測装置の実現性が示された。これにより、国土を網羅できるインフラサウンド観測網も現実味を帯びた話となる。これが実現できると、環境モニタリングの新たな情報源となり、自然災害に対する予報・予知の精度向上にも繋がることが期待される。