Interaural Time Difference Estimation Using the Differential Pressure Synthesis Method

A differential pressure synthesis (DPS) method is presented. DPS facilitates rapid estimation at low and mid frequencies of acoustic pressures on the surface of the human head, based on its geometry. An arbitrary head shape is described by using spherical harmonics to deform a template shape. The spherical harmonic coefficients are used to modify the pressure on the template shape and provide an estimate of the pressure on the head. Interaural time differences (ITDs) are calculated from the phase of the pressures at the ear canal entrance positions. It is shown that ITD errors using DPS are smaller than those arising from spherical head models in the frequency range where localization is dominated by ITD cues.