Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP
Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP

Noise control through AI - smart windows and ventilation concepts from Fraunhofer

Personalized window control system: smart, automatic acoustic control

Artificial intelligence is conquering more and more areas of our lives. Whether it is light or temperature, many things can be intelligently controlled and individually adjusted. The latest innovation level is our smart window control, which, thanks to artificial intelligence, adapts to the preferences and needs of its users and automatically closes when it gets too noisy. What you perceive as a disturbing noise may be music to the ears of your neighbor. That is why personalization is particularly important when it comes to “smart noise control”.

 

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Personalised window control system
© Fraunhofer IBP
The window control system adapts to the needs and preferences of the user.

Poor air quality can cause tiredness and impaired concentration. To avoid this, regular airing is important. Many people prefer natural ventilation, i.e. fresh air from direct openings to the outside, such as windows. However, using windows to ventilate a room poses other problems that affect a person’s well-being. A particular problem is external noise, which is perceived very differently by the individual. The aim of personalized window control is therefore to open and close windows automatically to suit the user's needs. First and foremost, individual noise perception is taken into account. However, factors such as a comfortable temperature, the time of day, the weather and indoor air quality also play a role.

With the automatic window control system, you can personalize and intelligently configure noise control. Thanks to extremely sensitive sensors and artificial intelligence, all windows can be controlled fully automatically according to your personal perception of noise. The windows close automatically when your personal noise limit is reached. This technology is not only suitable for the home: offices, but the concept can also be applied to schools and other buildings, thus making the quality of a person’s stay more pleasant and preventing the negative consequences of noise or poor air quality. Used in combination with existing sensor systems, smart home solutions can be extended to include the aspect of noise control.

By working together in interdisciplinary teams, we offer expertise in all the fields required to develop personalized noise control concepts. To this end, we focus on three main areas:

  • Our building acoustics experts develop and evaluate prototypes of sound-insulating products and components.
  • A different team of scientists designs the prototype in line with user requirements and addresses the question: How can noise control be personalized via user feedback?
  • The two disciplines are linked by expertise in the fields of noise analysis and machine learning.

Teams of experts from the Fraunhofer Institutes IBP and IPA were involved in developing the personalized window control system, applying their knowledge in acoustics, ergonomics and artificial intelligence to design the smart window control system according to user needs.

They first built a simple prototype, primarily to evaluate technical feasibility. In addition, they collected a wide variety of data about the potential users, for example through usage scenarios, user surveys in the field, and auditory experiments. An AI model was also created to couple subjective assessments with technical features. The result was a personalizable window control system that adapts to the wishes of its users.

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