Binaural measurement system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10455327-B2
Application number	US-201715837214-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2017
Priority date	Dec 11, 2017
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

Various implementations include systems and approaches for binaural testing. In one implementation, a system includes a binaural test dummy including a body having: a head-and-neck region; and a set of head-mounted microphones coupled with the head-and-neck region at anatomically correct ear locations; and a control system coupled with the binaural test dummy for incrementally modifying a position of the binaural test dummy across a range of motion.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system comprising:
a binaural test dummy comprising:
a body having:
a head-and-neck region;
a set of head-mounted microphones coupled with the head-and-neck region at anatomically correct ear locations;

a base; and
a movable mount coupled with the base and the body; and

a control system coupled with the binaural test dummy for incrementally modifying a position of the body and the movable mount across a range of motion,
wherein the range of motion includes at least one of a front-to-back direction or a side-to-side direction relative to the base,
wherein the base is sized to conform to a seat cushion in a testing environment across the range of motion and remain substantially stationary on the seat cushion while the control system incrementally modifies the position of the body and the movable mount across the range of motion.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the range of motion mimics movement of a human in an intended environment, and comprises at least one of: rotation, pitch, roll, tilt or translation of the body, or positioning at least one leg or at least one arm on the body.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the control system is configured to:
modify the position of the body and the movable mount across a plurality of positions in the range of motion; and
measure a transfer function of an acoustic signal received at the set of head-mounted microphones at the plurality of positions in the range of motion.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the body further comprises:
a thorax region coupled with the movable mount; and
a shoulder region between the thorax region and the head-and-neck region.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein a region of the binaural test dummy comprises a non-rigid material configured to mimic an acoustic impedance and absorption of a reference human being.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the head-and-neck region comprises a set of openings corresponding with the anatomically correct ear locations, and wherein the set of head-mounted microphones are demountably coupled with the set of openings.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one additional head-mounted microphone coupled with the head-and-neck region at a distinct location from each of the set of head-mounted microphones, wherein the at least one additional head-mounted microphone is either horizontally offset from the set of head-mounted microphones or vertically offset from the set of head-mounted microphones.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is coupled with a base of the binaural test dummy, and wherein the control system further comprises: a user interface configured to enable direct control of the binaural test dummy, or an application programming interface configured to communicate with an acoustic measurement system.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the set of head-mounted microphones are mounted substantially flush with an outer surface of the head-and-neck region, and wherein the set of head-mounted microphones protrude from, or are inset from, the outer surface of the head-and-neck region by less than one-quarter of a wavelength of a maximum frequency of a test signal.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control system further comprises:
a signal analyzer for analyzing an acoustic signal sampled at the set of head-mounted microphones,
wherein the set of head-mounted microphones permits the signal analyzer to analyze the sampled acoustic signal without a corresponding free-field microphone measurement sample and without regard to a direction of a source of the acoustic signal.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the control system is configured to:
control a movement of the body and the movable mount across a plurality of positions in the range of motion; and
initiate the sampling of the acoustic signal after positioning the binaural test dummy at each of the plurality of positions in the range of motion.

12. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a control sub-system coupled with the binaural test dummy, wherein the control sub-system is configured to modify at least one of a location or an orientation of the set of head-mounted microphones.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the base has a sufficient weight to maintain contact with the seat cushion while the moveable mount and the body are manipulated to a plurality of positions across the range of motion.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the base further comprises a coupler for connecting with the seat cushion.

15. A method comprising:
positioning a binaural measurement system in a testing environment, the binaural measurement system comprising:
a binaural test dummy comprising:
a body having:
a head-and-neck region; and
a set of head-mounted microphones coupled with the head-and-neck region at anatomically correct ear locations;

a base; and
a movable mount coupled with the base and the body;

a control system coupled with the binaural test dummy; and
an acoustic measurement system coupled with the control system;

actuating the control system to send a test initiation signal to the acoustic measurement system for each of a plurality of positions of the body and the movable mount across a range of motion, wherein the range of motion includes at least one of a front-to-back direction or a side-to-side direction relative to the base,
wherein the base is sized to conform to a seat cushion in a testing environment across the range of motion and remain substantially stationary on the seat cushion while the control system incrementally modifies the position of the body and the movable mount across the range of motion;
sending an acoustic initiation signal from the acoustic measurement system to an environmental audio system in response to receiving the test initiation signal, the acoustic initiation signal instructing the environmental audio system to output acoustic signals;
receiving the acoustic signals from the environmental audio system at the set of head-mounted microphones while the binaural test dummy is in the plurality of positions in the range of motion; and
measuring a transfer function of the received acoustic signals for each of the plurality of positions of the body and the movable mount.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the acoustic measurement system comprises a signal analyzer configured to analyze the received acoustic signals from the set of head-mounted microphones without a corresponding free-field microphone measurement sample and without regard to a direction of a source of the received acoustic signals.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising sending position modification instructions from the control system to the binaural test dummy to adjust the position of the body and the movable mount between the plurality of positions across the range of motion.

18. A binaural test dummy comprising:
a body having;
an anatomically correct head-and-neck region;
a base; and
a movable mount coupled with the base and the body;

a set of head-mounted microphones coupled with the head-and-neck region of the body at anatomically correct ear locations, wherein the set of head-mounted microphones are directionally indifferent receptors for acoustic signals,
wherein the set of head-mounted microphones are mounted substantially flush with an outer surface of the head-and-neck region, and wherein the set of head-mounted microphones protrude from, or are inset from, the outer surface of the head-and-neck region by less than one-quarter of a wavelength of a maximum frequency of a test

Assignees

• Bose Corp

Inventors

• Oswald Charles Terence Henry
• Usmani Muhammad Haris
• Tengelsen Daniel Ross
• Struzik Ryan C
• Ickler Christopher B
• Barksdale Tobe Zetelmo
• Tiene Michael James

Classifications

• 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

• H04S7/306

  For headphones · CPC title

• H04R5/027 Primary

  Spatial or constructional arrangements of microphones, e.g. in dummy heads · CPC title

• H04S7/303

  Tracking of listener position or orientation · CPC title