HRTF personalization based on anthropometric features

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10313818-B2
Application number	US-201815876644-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2018
Priority date	Apr 29, 2014
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

The derivation of personalized HRTFs for a human subject based on the anthropometric feature parameters of the human subject involves obtaining multiple anthropometric feature parameters and multiple HRTFs of multiple training subjects. Subsequently, multiple anthropometric feature parameters of a human subject are acquired. A representation of the statistical relationship between the plurality of anthropometric feature parameters of the human subject and a subset of the multiple anthropometric feature parameters belonging to the plurality of training subjects is determined. The representation of the statistical relationship is then applied to the multiple HRTFs of the plurality of training subjects to obtain a set of personalized HRTFs for the human subject.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. One or more computer storage media storing computer-executable instructions that are executable to cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:
obtaining one or more training anthropometric feature parameters and corresponding Head-related Transfer Functions (HRTFs) of a plurality of training subjects;
obtaining a test anthropometric feature parameter of a test subject;
determining a representation of a statistical relationship between the test anthropometric feature parameter of the test subject and a subset of training anthropometric feature parameters belonging to the plurality of training subjects;
applying the representation of the statistical relationship to the HRTFs of the plurality of training subjects thereby modifying the HRTFs of the plurality of training subjects to obtain a set of personalized HRTFs for the test subject; and
modifying at least one audio-signal based on the set of personalized HRTFs.

2. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1 , further comprising generating 3-dimensional sound for the test subject using at least a pair of speakers based at least on the set of personalized HRTFs for the test subject.

3. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1 , wherein the test anthropometric feature parameter and the subset of training anthropometric feature parameters correspond to inter-pupillary distance.

4. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1 , wherein the test anthropometric feature parameter and the subset of training anthropometric feature parameters correspond to a distance between eyes.

5. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1 , wherein applying the statistical relationship to obtain the set of personalized HRTFs includes obtaining personalized HRTFs for at least one of a left ear or a right ear of the test subject.

6. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1 , wherein applying the representation of the statistical relationship includes:
determining a HRTF magnitude for the test subject by the applying the representation of the statistical relationship to the HRTFs of the plurality of training subjects;
determining a corresponding HRTF phase scaling factor for the HRTF magnitude by applying the representation of the statistical relationship to interaural time delay (ITD) data of the plurality of training subjects; and
combining the HRTF magnitude and the corresponding HRTF phase scaling factor to generate a personalized HRTF for the test subject.

7. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining includes:
obtaining a sample anthropometric feature parameter of a training subject from the plurality of training subjects via at least one of user input or an input from an automated measurement tool;
storing the sample anthropometric feature parameter of the training subject;
obtaining a set of HRTFs for the training subject via measurement of sounds transmitted to ears of the training subject from a plurality of positions in a spherical arrangement that excludes a spherical wedge;
interpolating an additional set of HRTFs for the training subject with respect to virtual positions in the spherical wedge based on the set of HRTFs; and
storing the set of HRTFs and the additional set of HRTFs of the training subject.

8. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining the test anthropometric feature parameter of the test subject via an automated measurement tool.

9. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
obtaining one or more training anthropometric feature parameters and corresponding Head-related Transfer Functions (HRTFs) of a plurality of training subjects;
obtaining a test anthropometric feature parameter of a test subject;
determining a sparse representation of the test anthropometric feature parameter of the test subject, the sparse representation representing the test anthropometric feature parameter of the test subject based at least on a subset of the one or more training anthropometric feature parameters belonging to the plurality of training subjects;
applying the sparse representation to the HRTFs of the plurality of training subjects thereby modifying the HRTFs of the plurality of training subjects to obtain a set of personalized HRTFs for the test subject: and
modifying at least one audio-signal based on the set of personalized HRTFs.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein obtaining the test anthropometric feature parameter of the test subject includes obtaining the test anthropometric feature parameter of the test subject via at least one of user input or an input from an automated measurement tool.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the sparse representation represents the test anthropometric feature parameter of the test subject as a linear superposition of the subset of the one or more training anthropometric feature parameters belonging to the plurality of training subjects.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein determining the sparse representation includes using a non-negative sparse representation term in a minimization problem for learning the sparse representation to ensure that weight values of the sparse representation are positive.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein applying the sparse representation includes:
determining a HRTF magnitude for the test subject by applying the sparse representation to the HRTFs of the plurality of training subjects;
determining a corresponding HRTF phase scaling factor for the HRTF magnitude by applying the sparse representation to interaural time delay (ITD) data of the plurality of training subjects; and
combining the HRTF magnitude and the corresponding HRTF phase scaling factor to generate a personalized HRTF for the test subject.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the test anthropometric feature parameter and the subset of the one or more training anthropometric feature parameters correspond to inter-pupillary distance.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein determining the sparse representation includes solving a minimization problem for a non-negative shrinking parameter that is tuned using a leave-one-person-out cross-validation approach.

16. A system, comprising:
processors;
a memory that includes a computer-executable components that are executable by the processors to perform a plurality of actions, the plurality of actions comprising:
obtaining one or more training anthropometric feature parameters and corresponding Head-related Transfer Functions (HRTFs) of a plurality of training subjects;
obtaining a test anthropometric feature parameter of a test subject;
determining a ridge regression representation of the test anthropometric feature parameter of the test subject, the ridge regression representation representing the test anthropometric feature of the test subject based at least on a subset of the one or more training anthropometric feature parameters belonging to the plurality of training subjects;
applying the ridge regression representation to the HRTFs of the plurality of training subjects thereby modifying the HRTFs of the plurality of training subjects to obtain a set of personalized HRTFs for the test subject and
modifying at least one audio-signal based on the set of personalized HRTFs.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein obtaining the test anthropometric feature parameter of the test subject includes obtaining the test anthropometric feature parameter of the test subject via a

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Bilinski Piotr Tadeusz
• Ahrens Jens
• Thomas Mark R P
• Tashev Ivan J
• Platt John C
• Johnston David E

Classifications

• H04S7/302 Primary

  Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation (H04S7/301 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04S2420/01

  Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD] · CPC title

• H04S2400/11

  Positioning of individual sound objects, e.g. moving airplane, within a sound field (H04S2420/13 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04S7/301

  Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone · CPC title