History of Brüel & Kjær

History of Brüel & Kjær

Brüel & Kjær plays a leading leading role in the world of sound and vibration. From the world's first charge accelerometer in 1943, which most accelerometers today are still based on, to the first portable sound level meter, to the analyzer systems for 21st-century satellite systems, Brüel & Kjær has provided industry innnovation, from the very beginning.

A humble start

per-bruel-and-viggo-kjaer

Long before the legendary “garage nerds” of Silicon Valley, Denmark had its own technological visionaries – Per V. Brüel and Viggo Kjær. Brüel was the salesman and Kjær was the scientist. In many ways, they were a perfect match – both were firmly dedicated to placing the common goals of technological progress, science, and solutions above financial prosperity. Both knew if their technology was superior, the financial rewards would soon come.

In 1942, during one of the darkest times in Danish history, they founded a company based strictly on sound and vibration measurement. They were told by friends and mentors, “A company like that will never be able to support both of you.” Yet today, Brüel & Kjær has over 1000 employees globally.

Green paint – from surplus to symbol

Starting as they did during WWII, the pair of entrepreneurs needed to scrounge for every part and scrap of wire and to paint the instrument cases, they found some surplus army-green paint. Seven decades later, Brüel & Kjær instruments can still be recognized thanks to their distinctive green colour.

The following list highlights some of the ‘green’ milestones along the way.


Brüel & Kjær through the years

1942

License to trade 1942

Per V. Brüel and Viggo Kjær founded the company and received a license to trade

1943

Hand drawing of the world's first piezoelectric accelerometer

Development of Type 4301, the world's first piezoelectric accelerometer

1948

The company moves to the site of its current headquarters in Nærum, Denmark

1949

Type 2301 level recorder

The legendary Type 2301 level recorder is introduced and remains their best selling instrument for over 25 years

1958

The company starts its global expansion, establishing a sales office in the USA, soon followed by offices throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa over the next few decades

1958

Brüel & Kjær's first condenser measurement microphones

The first condenser measurement microphones are produced, setting the standard for the entire industry

1960

Type 2203, the world’s first hand-held and transistorized sound level meter

Launch of Type 2203, the world’s first hand-held and transistorized sound level meter. Over the years, new features and functions were added, and in all, more than 32,000 units were sold worldwide

1962

Per V. Brüel, an accomplished pilot, founded Brüel & Kjær Airways. A small fleet of company-owned and operated planes were used to deliver goods and to visit customers throughout the world, and to distant destinations such as Thailand, USA and Egypt. Per Brüel was often the pilot on these flights

A small fleet of Brüel & Kjær owned and operated planes were used to deliver goods and to visit customers

1966

The world’s first airport-noise monitoring system in Toulouse, France

Brüel & Kjær installs the world’s first airport-noise monitoring system in Toulouse, France

1977

The world’s first digital filter analyzer, Type 2131

Launch of the world’s first digital filter analyzer, Type 2131, designed to measure and display octave and 1/3-octave spectra in real-time

1980

Brüel & Kjær becomes the first western electronics firm to set up a service center in the People’s Republic of China.

1981

The company celebrates the production of its 1,000,000th instrument

1981

Debut of the world’s first commercial sound-intensity analyzing system

Debut of the world’s first commercial sound-intensity analyzing system, measuring the direction of sound energy flow as well as the magnitude

1983

Type 2231, the world’s first modular sound level meter

Debut of sound level meter Type 2231, the world’s first modular sound level meter, with optimized applications that greatly increased its range of uses.

1986

Introduction of the world’s first commercial acoustical holography system (Spatial Transformation of Sound Fields, STSF) to enable a complete model of the sound field to be made

1991

Brüel & Kjær commisioned to operate the Danish Primary Laboratory of Acoustics (DPLA)

The Danish government commissions Brüel & Kjær to operate the Danish Primary Laboratory of Acoustics (DPLA) in association with the Danish Technical University

1996

Brüel & Kjær introduces what has become the backbone of our analyzer solutions: the Windows®-based PULSETM system. It included the groundbreaking concept of multi-analysis so that engineers could perform all their analyses simultaneously while monitoring the results live on-screen. The PULSE platform has evolved ever since and is now a comprehensive, flexible suite of software and hardware (including LAN-XI modular data acquisition (2008) and BK Connect sound and vibration analysis software (2018))

PULSE analyzer solutions introduced in 1996

1994

The world’s first hand-held sound intensity system, Type 2260-E

Introduction of the world’s first hand-held sound intensity system, Type 2260-E, letting users identify the source of noise and determine its power

2004

Launch of the hand-held analyzer Type 2250

Launch of the hand-held analyzer Type 2250 – the world’s first colour touch-screen sound level meter

2004

The world’s first flat surface microphone is developed with Airbus to measure sound pressure (noise) in limited spaces and where flush mounting of conventional microphone/preamplifier combinations would be impossible or cause undesired side effects

The world’s first flat surface microphone

2008

In 2004 Brüel & Kjær acquires LDS Test and Measurement

Brüel & Kjær acquires LDS Test and Measurement, adding vibration test solutions to the portfolio of offerings

2008

2008 - LAN-XI, a revolution in modular data acquisition hardware and the fifth generation of PULSE hardware, is released

LAN-XI, a revolution in modular data acquisition hardware and the fifth generation of PULSE hardware, is released

2009

The world's first Multi-Field Microphone Type 4961

Release of the world's first multi-field microphone Type 4961. Multi-field microphones ensure accurate measurements in free-, diffuse-, and multi-field conditions

2013

Sonoscout, a first tablet-based application for in-vehicle noise and vibration data recording.

Launch of Sonoscout, the world’s first tablet-based application for in-vehicle noise and vibration data recording

2013

Introduction of the world’s first wideband holography: where one measurement and one calculation covers the full frequency range

2015

2015 - Brüel & Kjær acquires Sound Answers, greatly expanding our engineering services capabilities, particularly in the automotive industry

Brüel & Kjær acquires Sound Answers, greatly expanding our engineering services capabilities, particularly in the automotive industry

2018

Brüel & Kjær and HBM announce their plans to become HBK and integrate their expertise to provide an expanded measurement and testing portfolio that will offer more comprehensive solutions and cover a wider range of testing needs