Sound Source Localization using HRTF database

We propose a sound source localization method using the Head-Related-Transfer-Function (HRTF) to be implemented in a robot platform. In conventional localization methods, the location of a sound source is estimated from the time delays of wave fronts arriving in each microphone standing in an array formation in free-field. In case of a human head this corresponds to Interaural-Time-Delay (ITD) which is simply the time delay of incoming sound waves between the two ears. Although ITD is an excellent sound cue in stimulating a lateral perception on the horizontal plane, confusion is often raised when tracking the sound location from ITD alone because each sound source and its mirror image about the interaural axis share the same ITD. On the other hand, HRTFs associated with a dummy head microphone system or a robot platform with several microphones contain not only the information regarding proper time delays but also phase and magnitude distortions due to diffraction and scattering by the shading object such as the head and body of the platform. As a result, a set of HRTFs for any given platform provides a substantial amount of information as to the whereabouts of the source once proper analysis can be performed. In this study, we introduce new phase and magnitude criteria to be satisfied by a set of output signals from the microphones in order to find the sound source location in accordance with the HRTF database empirically obtained in an anechoic chamber with the given platform. The suggested method is verified through an experiment in a household environment and compared against the conventional method in performance.