A Spherical Cross-Channel Algorithm for Binaural Sound Localization

Abstract

This paper proposes a sound localization algorithm inspired by a cross-channel algorithm first studied by MacDonald et. al in 2008. The original algorithm assumes that the Head Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs) of the robotic head under study are precisely known, which is rarely the case in practice. Following the idea that any head is more or less spherical, the above assumption is relaxed by using HRTFs computed using a simple spherical head model with the same head radius as the robot head. In order to evaluate the proposed approach in realistic noisy conditions, an isotropic noise field is also computed and a precise definition of the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) in a binaural context is outlined. All these theoretical developments are finally assessed with simulated and experimental signals. Despite its simplicity, the proposed approach appears to be robust to noise and to provide reliable sound localization estimations in the frontal azimuthal plane.