Physical and Filter Pinna Models Based on Anthropometry

This paper addresses the fundamental problem of relating the anthropometry of the pinna to the localization cues it creates. The HRTFs for isolated pinnae (which are called PRTFs) are analyzed and modeled for sound sources directly in front of the listener. It is shown that a low-order filter model, with parameters suggested by or derived from pinna anthropometry, provides a good fit to the data. Methods are reported for adjusting the model parameters to fit the PRTF data. It is often possible to estimate the model parameters from a few geometrical measurements of the pinna. However, direct estimation from pinna anthropometry in general remains an unsolved problem, and the nature of this problem is discussed.