Abstract
Head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) describe the directional filtering of the incoming sound caused
by the morphology of a listener´s head and pinnae. When an accurate model of a listener´s morphology
exists, HRTFs can be calculated numerically with the boundary element method (BEM). However, the
general recommendation to model the head and pinnae with at least six elements per wavelength
renders the BEM as a time-consuming procedure when calculating HRTFs for the full audible frequency
range. In this study, a mesh preprocessing algorithm is proposed, viz., a priori mesh grading, which
reduces the computational costs in the HRTF calculation process significantly. The mesh grading
algorithm deliberately violates the recommendation of at least six elements per wavelength in certain
regions of the head and pinnae and varies the size of elements gradually according to an a priori defined
grading function. The evaluation of the algorithm involved HRTFs calculated for various geometric objects
including meshes of three human listeners and various grading functions. The numerical accuracy and
the predicted sound-localization performance of calculated HRTFs were analyzed. A-priori mesh grading
appeared to be suitable for the numerical calculation of HRTFs in the full audible frequency range
and outperformed uniform meshes in terms of numerical errors, perception based predictions of
sound-localization performance, and computational costs.
Originalsprache | Englisch |
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Seiten (von - bis) | 99-110 |
Seitenumfang | 12 |
Fachzeitschrift | Applied Acoustics |
Volume | 114 |
Issue | 114 |
Publikationsstatus | Veröffentlicht - 2016 |
Research Field
- Ehemaliges Research Field - Mobility Systems
Schlagwörter
- Head-related transfer functions
- Boundary element method
- Mesh grading