Embedded Linux Powering a Mobile Audio Dosimeter

Stress due to noise emissions at the workplace or during recreational activities is often underestimated. It is therefore essential to be able to measure and record such emissions in a reliable and reproducible way, thus enabling an effective protection of both the employee's health and the employer's liability by adhering to law-imposed thresholds.

To this end, a mobile audio dosimeter has been developed by the Institut für Mikroelektronik- und Mechatronik Systeme gGmbH in cooperation with the Ilmenau University of Technology on behalf of the BGN (Berufsgenossenschaft Nahrungsmittel und Gaststätten).

This contribution details how this device has been realized based on Embedded Linux. The focus of the development has been on long battery life for mobile operation, high-quality signal recording, and an intuitive graphical user interface.