Key anthropometric parameters of pinna correlate with individualized head-related transfer functions

Anthropometric parameters based individualized head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) are essential to improving virtual auditory display performance. However, the interaction between anthropometric structure and sound wave is very complex, much of which is still unknown on how to measure and select proper anthropometry parameters. In the present work, a set of anthropometric parameters was measured on the 3D-scanned head models. The corresponding HRTFs were calculated using boundary element method. The correlation between anthropometric parameters and HRTFs was analyzed to select the key parameters. Result indicates that the cavum conchae depth and pinna area has strong correlation with the HRTF spectrum. A review of literature indicates that the cavum conchae depth and pinna have seldom been considered and used in previous studies on individualized HRTFs because it is difficult to be measured accurately. With our proposed methods, the new set of anthropometric parameters including cavum conchae depth and pinna area can be used to improve the recovery or customization of the individualized HRTFs.