Far-field directivity estimation with a cube-shaped array of 256 MEMS microphones

The far-field directivity function (FFDF) of a sound source characterises the angular dependence of the acoustic fields far away from this source. This function can be estimated by performing a spherical wave expansion (SWE) of the sound field from pressure measurements distributed around the source. The truncation order of the SWE is a critical parameter that depends on the number of measurement points and on the spatial sampling scheme used for the measurements. Unfortunately, for irregular sampling schemes, no theoretical result allows to determine a truncation order. In this work, a surrounding cuboid microphone array composed of 256 MEMS microphones is deployed. A cross-validation framework is used in order to determine an optimal truncation order for the SWE of the field radiated by a test source. The quality of the reconstructed field is assessed on the frequency range 100-5000 Hz. Finally, the estimated SWEs and far-field directivities are compared to an analytical model of the test source.