Comparison of two state-of-the-art rotating dipole sound source imaging technologies: Models, algorithms and applications

The acoustic imaging technology for rotating dipole sources has been one of the topics concerned. In recent years, two state-of-the-art imaging technologies for rotating dipole sources were proposed, including beamforming technologies based on the predefined axis direction (PAD-DBF) and frequency-domain deconvolution (FDD-DBF). However, a systematic comparison of these two imaging technologies does not currently exist. In this paper, the models and imaging algorithms are firstly systematically compared and analyzed to explore the differences between the two technologies and provide guidance on the application of the technology. Secondly, extensive simulations are investigated to analyze the performance of the two imaging technologies under different working conditions. Finally, the two imaging technologies are applied to the semi-anechoic chamber test for rotating dipole sources and the actual BO105 rotor wind tunnel test, respectively, which is further used to compare and validate the imaging effectiveness and applicability of the two technologies. The analysis shows that both technologies can effectively achieve rotating dipole source localization. The PAD-DBF technology can achieve a more accurate rotating dipole source location, higher imaging resolution at a lower time cost, and it can get more robust imaging results in the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the wind tunnel environment. In contrast, the FDD-DBF technology can get a more accurate sound source magnitude while effectively imaging the rotating dipole source.