A simple and robust binaural sound source localization system using interaural time difference as a cue

Abstract

This paper handles development of binaural robotic audition system which is capable of localizing sound source in the horizontal plane and proposes two simple and robust binaural sound localization algorithms using interaural time difference (ITD) as a cue. Presented algorithms for determination of ITD from recorded binaural signal are both based on interaural phase difference (IPD) spectrum which is easily obtained by performing Fourier analysis on recorded binaural signal. They are also fairly simple in nature, require no a-priori information like measurements of HRTF and/or physical parameters of the room, and the computational costs necessary for ITD identification are low. Results reported in this paper indicate that robust binaural sound source localization under various recording conditions is feasible with the proposed simple algorithms.