Ronald Aarts
Ronald M. Aarts | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1956 Netherlands |
| Occupation(s) | Electrical engineer, physicist, inventor, professor |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Known for | Electroacoustics, biomedical signal processing, bass enhancement technologies, loudspeaker arrays |
Ronald M. Aarts (born 1956) is a Dutch expert in electrical engineering and physics, recognized as an inventor and professor with a focus on electroacoustics and biomedical signal processing technologies.
Biography
Aarts completed his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering in 1977, followed by a doctorate in physics from Delft University of Technology in 1995. He began his career at Philips Research Laboratories (formerly Natlab) in Eindhoven in 1977, initially working on servo mechanisms and signal processing for Video Longplay and compact disc players. In 1984, he transitioned to Philips' Acoustics Group, where he contributed to the creation of CAD tools and signal processing methods for loudspeaker systems. By 1994, he was leading initiatives within the Digital Signal Processing (DSP) team aimed at improving sound reproduction through DSP techniques and psychoacoustic principles.
In 2003, Aarts received the title of Philips Fellow and expanded his research into medical engineering fields, focusing on sensors and signal processing for ambulatory monitoring, sleep analysis, cardiology, perinatology, drug response monitoring (DRM), and epilepsy detection. His prolific output includes over 450 published papers and more than 250 patent applications worldwide, with over 175 filed in the United States and upwards of 100 granted patents. His inventive contributions have been recognized by Philips with the Gilles Holst Award (1999), Gold Invention Award (2012), and Diamond Invention Award (2018).
He was honored as an IEEE Fellow in 2007 and received the Chester Sall Award in 2017. Aarts was also named a Fellow of the Audio Engineering Society in 1998 and earned its Silver Medal in 2010 due to his significant advances in acoustic signal processing. Furthermore, he has chaired multiple international conferences.
Between 2005 and 2013, Aarts held a position on the Board of Trustees at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT located in Ilmenau. Since 2006, he has served as a part-time professor at Eindhoven University of Technology, overseeing graduate and doctoral research. He has managed Aarts Consultancy since 1990. After retiring from Philips in 2019, his focus shifted primarily to academic pursuits and consultancy services related to technical innovation and intellectual property.
He married Doortje Ultee (1956–2009) in 1978; together they had two sons.
Aarts encapsulates his professional ethos with the four P’s: People (Collaboration), Patents (Engineering), Papers (Research), and Products (Commercialization), which have guided his work for more than four decades.
Bass sound enhancement
Together with colleagues at Philips, Aarts developed bass enhancement technologies that exploit the psychoacoustic effect known as the "missing fundamental". Due to their size limitations, small loudspeakers cannot directly reproduce very low-frequency sounds; however, auditory perception allows these frequencies to be perceived when shifted into higher frequency ranges where speakers operate more effectively—this approach is called Ultra Bass. Alternatively, extremely low tones can be represented by a single efficient frequency component referred to as Bary Bass. When original recordings lack low-frequency content but speakers are capable of producing it, bandwidth extension techniques synthesize these frequencies under the name Infra Bass. Moreover, improving sound quality from high Q-factor low-frequency drivers is achieved by reducing bass signal decay or sustain—commonly termed punchy bass—to minimize resonance or ringing effects.
Loudspeaker arrays and their sound emission
At Philips, Aarts and his colleagues advanced loudspeaker radiation designs by employing Extended Nijboer Zernike (ENZ) polynomials to address acoustic radiation challenges involving flexible circular pistons and spherical caps mounted on rigid spheres, closely approximating real loudspeaker behavior. Utilizing multiple loudspeakers arranged in arrays improves radiation properties, such as enlarging the optimal listening area in stereophonic setups through interaural time differences (achieving position-independent stereo), enabling sound targeting to specific listeners without disturbing others (personal audio), and creating quadratic phase arrays that replicate the radiation pattern of a single loudspeaker. For these analyses, practical approximations of the Struve function have been developed.
Stereo base expansion
Philips implemented specialized signal processing on compact televisions and portable audio devices to generate phantom or virtual audio sources, producing a perception of wider soundstage beyond the physical speaker locations. This innovation, branded as Incredible sound, significantly enhanced auditory experiences on small form-factor devices. In 1996, director Spike Lee created a commercial highlighting this feature on Wall Street, New York City.
Acoustic cooling using loudspeakers
Philips engineered compact loudspeakers housed within custom enclosures that produce synthetic jets, delivering cooling solutions that are more effective, quieter, and longer-lasting than conventional fans. These synthetic jets are particularly suitable for thermal management of small surfaces up to approximately 40 cm2, offering promising applications in the cooling of miniature electronic components.
Continuous patient monitoring without hindrance
Philips investigated ambulatory monitoring technologies targeting conditions such as epilepsy, sleep disorders, and cardiac issues including atrial fibrillation. By integrating photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensors into wearable devices like sports watches—often paired with accelerometers—vital health parameters can be monitored discreetly and continuously, facilitating uninterrupted health surveillance.
Publications
A detailed compilation of Ronald M. Aarts’ academic papers and US patents can be found on his personal website.