The initial head gesture and coordinate system in anthropometric parameters measurement for head-related transfer functions customization

Abstract

Head related transfer functions (HRTFs) depend on the sound source position and individualized anthropometry of subject. Accordingly, HRTF measurement usually accompanies with head and pinna-related anthropometric measurement on corresponding subjects. Based on a baseline database of HRTFs and anthropometric parameters, individualized HRTFs of new subject can be customized from anthropometric measurement (Zotkin, et al., 2003). Obviously, the accuracy of anthropometric measurement influences the performance of customized HRTFs. However, the measurement of some pinna-related anthropometric parameters, such as the pinna rotation angel and pinna flare angle, is sensitive to the initial head gesture and coordinate system. In present work, the Frankfurt plane was adopted to initialize the head gesture under the same coordinate system so as to ensure the consistency of anthropometric and HRTF measurement. The suggested method is adopted to measure the head and pinna-related anthropometric parameters of 56 subjects, yielding reasonable and consistent results. [This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant No. 11104082.]