The application of cepstral techniques to the measurement of transfer functions and acoustical reflection coefficients

Cepstral processing techniques in principle allow the separation of superposed pulses, such as those which occur in acoustic reflection, where a reflected pulse is a delayed and distorted version of the incident pulse. Additionally, the impulse response of the reflecting system, or equivalently its reflection coefficient, can also be determined. In practice, the accurate extraction of the impulse response is rendered difficult by the mathematical and computational properties of the power cepstrum procedure. In particular, spectral irregularity of the incident pulse, experimental noise and cepstral aliasing can cause the impulse response in the cepstrum to be masked. However, by careful selection of the incident signal, anti-aliasing filter, sampling frequency and echo delay in relation to the total sampling time, and the use of signal processing techniques such as time domain averaging, recursive filtering in the cepstral domain and zero padding, it is possible to produce good quality cepstra in which the reflector impulse response appears as an isolated feature. Experiments conducted on an electrical analogue of the acoustical reflection process have allowed the cepstral technique to be developed and evaluated. The acoustical reflector is simulated by a passive electrical filter network; the objective of the measurement and subsequent processing is the determination of the transfer function of this network. Good agreement is obtained between theoritical and measured transfer functions for a variety of filter networks indicating that cepstral techniques may be useful for acoustical reflection measurements given adequate transducer properties and environmental conditions.     

The realization of an acoustical directional coupler

The design and realization of an acoustical directional coupler are presented. Its application as a reflectometer, i.e. for direct measurement of the acoustical reflection coefficient of materials, is described.     

The concept of cyclic sound intensity and its application to acoustical imaging

This paper demonstrates how to take advantage of the cyclostationarity property of engine signals to define a new acoustical quantity, the cyclic sound intensity, which displays the instantaneous flux of acoustical energy in the angle-frequency domain during an average engine cycle. This quantity is attractive in that it possesses the ability of being instantaneous and averaged at the same time, thus reconciling two conflicting properties into a rigourous and unambiguous framework. Cyclic sound intensity is a rich concept with several original ramifications. Among other things, it returns a unique decomposition into instantaneous active and reactive parts. Associated to acoustical imaging techniques, it allows the construction of sound radiation movies that evolve within the engine cycle and whose each frame is a sound intensity map calculated at a specific time - or crankshaft angle - in the engine cycle. This enables the accurate localisation of sources in space, in frequency and in time (crankshaft angle). Furthermore, associated to cyclic Wiener filtering, this methodology makes it possible to decompose the overall radiated sound into several noise source contributions whose cyclic sound intensities can then be analysed independently.     

The bat head-related transfer function reveals binaural cues for sound localization in azimuth and elevation

Directional properties of the sound transformation at the ear of four intact echolocating bats, Eptesicus fuscus, were investigated via measurements of the head-related transfer function (HRTF). Contributions of external ear structures to directional features of the transfer functions were examined by remeasuring the HRTF in the absence of the pinna and tragus. The investigation mainly focused on the interactions between the spatial and the spectral features in the bat HRTF. The pinna provides gain and shapes these features over a large frequency band (20-90 kHz), and the tragus contributes gain and directionality at the high frequencies (60 to 90 kHz). Analysis of the spatial and spectral characteristics of the bat HRTF reveals that both interaural level differences (ILD) and monaural spectral features are subject to changes in sound source azimuth and elevation. Consequently, localization cues for horizontal and vertical components of the sound source location interact. Availability of multiple cues about sound source azimuth and elevation should enhance information to support reliable sound localization. These findings stress the importance of the acoustic information received at the two ears for sound localization of sonar target position in both azimuth and elevation.     

Contribution of spectral cues to human sound localization

The contribution of spectral cues to human sound localization was investigated by removing cues in 1/2-, 1- or 2-octave bands in the frequency range above 4 kHz. Localization responses were given by placing an acoustic pointer at the same apparent position as a virtual target. The pointer was generated by filtering a 100-ms harmonic complex with equalized head-related transfer functions (HRTFs). Listeners controlled the pointer via a hand-held stick that rotated about a fixed point. In the baseline condition, the target, a 200-ms noise burst, was filtered with the same HRTFs as the pointer. In other conditions, the spectral information within a certain frequency band was removed by replacing the directional transfer function within this band with the average transfer of this band. Analysis of the data showed that removing cues in 1/2-octave bands did not affect localization, whereas for the 2-octave band correct localization was virtually impossible. The results obtained for the 1-octave bands indicate that up-down cues are located mainly in the 6-12-kHz band, and front-back cues in the 8-16-kHz band. The interindividual spread in response patterns suggests that different listeners use different localization cues. The response patterns in the median plane can be predicted using a model based on spectral comparison of directional transfer functions for target and response directions.     

The acoustical Klein-Gordon equation: the wave-mechanical step and barrier potential functions

The transformed form of the Webster equation is investigated. Usually described as analogous to the Schr?dinger equation of quantum mechanics, it is noted that the second-order time dependency defines a Klein-Gordon problem. This "acoustical Klein-Gordon equation" is analyzed with particular reference to the acoustical properties of wave-mechanical potential functions, U(x), that give rise to geometry-dependent dispersions at rapid variations in tract cross section. Such dispersions are not elucidated by other one-dimensional--cylindrical or conical--duct models. Since Sturm-Liouville analysis is not appropriate for inhomogeneous boundary conditions, the exact solution of the Klein-Gordon equation is achieved through a Green's-function methodology referring to the transfer matrix of an arbitrary string of square potential functions, including a square barrier equivalent to a radiation impedance. The general conclusion of the paper is that, in the absence of precise knowledge of initial conditions on the area function, any given potential function will map to a multiplicity of area functions of identical relative resonance characteristics. Since the potential function maps uniquely to the acoustical output, it is suggested that the one-dimensional wave physics is both most accurately and most compactly described within the Klein-Gordon framework.     

The role of spectral modulation cues in virtual sound localization

Sound localization cues generally include interaural time difference, interaural intensity difference, and spectral cues. The purpose of this study is to investigate the important spectral cues involved in so-called head related transfer functions (HRTFs) using a combination of HRTF analyses and a virtual sound localization (VSL) experiment. Previous psychoacoustical and physiological studies have both suggested the existence of spectral modulation frequency (SMF) channels for analyzing spectral information (e.g., the spectral cues coded in HRTFs). SMFs are in a domain related to the Fourier transform of HRTFs. The relationship between various SMF regions and sound localization was tested here by filtering or enhancing HRTFs in the SMF domain under a series of conditions using a VSL experiment. Present results revealed that azimuth localization was not significantly affected by HRTF manipulation. Applying notch filters between 0.1 and 0.4 cyclesoctave or between 0.35 and 0.65 cyclesoctave resulted in significantly less accurate elevation responses at low elevations, while spectral enhancement in these two SMF regions did not produce a significant change in sound localization. Likewise, low-pass filtering at 2 cyclesoctave did not significantly influence localization accuracy, suggesting that the major cues for sound localization are in the SMF region below 2 cyclesoctave.     

The influence of pinnae-based spectral cues on sound localization

The role of pinnae-based spectral cues was investigated by requiring listeners to locate sound, binaurally, in the horizontal plane with and without partial occlusion of their external ears. The main finding was that the high frequencies were necessary for optimal performance. When the stimulus contained the higher audio frequencies, e.g., broadband and 4.0-kHz high-pass noise, localization accuracy was significantly superior to that recorded for stimuli consisting only of the lower frequencies (4.0- and 1.0-kHz low-pass noise). This finding was attributed to the influence of the spectral cues furnished by the pinnae, for when the stimulus composition included high frequencies, pinnae occlusion resulted in a marked decline in localization accuracy. Numerous front-rear reversals occurred. Moreover, the ability to distinguish among sounds originating within the same quadrant also suffered. Performance proficiency for the low-pass stimuli was not further degraded under conditions of pinnae occlusion. In locating the 4.0-kHz high-pass noise when both, neither, or only one ear was occluded, the data demonstrated unequivocally that the pinna-based cues of the "near" ear contributed powerfully toward localization accuracy.     

The frequency response of rat vibrissae to sound

The motion of isolated rat vibrissae due to low frequency sound has been modeled and measured with good agreement (within a factor of 2) between the data and the model's predictions. As had been done in previous studies on the response of rat vibrissae to tactile stimulation [Hartmann, M. J., Johnson, N. J., Towal, R. B., and Assad, C., J. Neurosci 23, 6510-6519 (2003) and Neimark, M. A., Andermann, A. L., Hopfield, J. J., and Moore, C. I., J. Neurosci 23, 6449-6509 (2003)] the vibrissae were modeled as thin conical beams. The force of the vibrating air on a vibrissa was modeled using the exact solution for a vibrating infinite cylinder in linear fluid. A finite element method was used to model the motion of a single vibrissa fixed at its base, using the aforementioned fluid force. Values for Young's modulus and vibrissa mass density were taken from a previous study [Neimark et al. (above)]. The model had no freely fitted parameters. Motion of isolated vibrissae was measured using a video camera with microscope. The sound stimulation was created using a stereo speaker connected to a signal generator. The tuning was found to be sharp, with quality factors that varied between 3 and 7, much sharper than the motion of cricket cercal hairs or in vitro inner ear hair bundles.     

混响声场条件下水声互易传递函数的测量及应用

对不规则的混响声场情况的互易测量方法进行了理论研究,对相关测量误差提出了修正方法。通过测量结果的空间平均和混响环境对声能密度影响的评估,修正了声源体积速度的计算值,并在水中进行了试验验证。经修正后的互易测量结果与正向实测结果基本一致。表明混响声场不影响互易原理有效性的成立,但影响了声源体积速度的计算,进而影响了应用互易原理对传递函数的测量。提出的修正方法在不规则的混响声场情况下简单有效,结论为今后基于互易原理的工程应用提供了参考和依据。      

Approximate reconstruction of sound fields close to the source surface using spherical nearfield acoustical holography

This paper presents an investigation of the reconstruction of sound field parameters close to the surface of arbitrarily shaped sound sources. The field is reconstructed using nearfield acoustical holography (NAH) in spherical coordinates. Of particular interest are source shapes where the Rayleigh hypothesis is violated. To overcome the limitation of the minimal sphere given by the validity restriction of the Rayleigh hypothesis an algorithm is proposed for extracting local information from the nonconvergent NAH solution. For the assessment of the results an appropriate virtual test rig is developed employing the Kirchhoff-Helmholtz integral theorem.     

Application and measurement of underwater acoustic reciprocity transfer functions in reverberant sound field

The reciprocity measurement theory in anomalous reverberant sound fields was investigated.An improved method Was proposed due to the interrelated errors.The source volume velocity Was corrected by spatial average of measurement results and evaluation of the reverberant sound field influence on acoustic energy density.The result was validated in underwater experiment,corrected reciprocity measurement results were almost the same as direct measurement results.It indicates that reverberant sound field does not affect the validitv of the principle,but influences the obtainment of source volume velocity,then influences the measurement of transfer functions with the principle.The proposed method is simple and effective in anomalous reverberant sound fields.The study mav be valuable for the applications which are based on the principle.     

统计最优平面近场声全息原理与声场分离技术

测量孔径尺寸的有限性，在基于空间傅里叶变换的平面近场声全息中会带来窗效应和卷绕误差. 为了克服窗效应和卷绕误差，引入了统计最优平面近场声全息技术. 运用声场叠加原理，证明了统计最优平面近场声全息的理论公式.通过在空间波数域限定kx,ky的取值范围，并离散其确定的空间波数面的途径，提出了一种确定波数矢量的方法.为了克服常规统计最优平面近场声全息技术的应用局限性——全息面一侧的声场必须为自由声场，提出了适用于统计最优平面近场声全息的、基于双全息面测量的空间声场分离技术. 通过实验和数值仿真对理论推导的正确性进行了验证. 关键词： 统计最优 平面近场声全息 波数矢量 声场分离     

Estimating head-related transfer functions of human subjects from pressure-velocity measurements

Direct measurements of individual head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) with a probe microphone at the eardrum are unpleasant, risky, and unreliable and therefore have not been widely used. Instead, the HRTFs are commonly measured from the blocked ear canal entrance, which excludes the effects of the individual ear canals and eardrums. This paper presents a method that allows obtaining individually correct magnitude frequency responses of HRTFs at the eardrum from pressure-velocity (PU) measurements at the ear canal entrance with a miniature PU sensor. The HRTFs of 25 test subjects with nine directions of sound incidence were estimated using real anechoic measurements and an energy-based estimation method. To validate the approach, measurements were also conducted with probe microphones near the eardrums as well as at blocked ear canal entrances. Comparisons between the different methods show that the method presented is a valid and reliable technique for obtaining magnitude frequency responses of HRTFs. The HRTF filters designed using the PU measurements are also shown to yield more correct frequency responses at the eardrum than the filters designed using measurements from the blocked ear canal entrance.     

The sound emission pattern and the acoustical role of the noseleaf in the echolocating bat, Carollia perspicillata

Carollia perspicillata (Phyllostomidae) is a frugivorous bat that emits low-intensity, broadband, frequency-modulated echolocation pulses through nostrils surrounded by a noseleaf. The emission pattern of this bat is of interest because the ratio between the nostril spacing and the emitted wavelength varies during the pulse, causing complex interference patterns in the horizontal dimension. Sound pressures around the bat were measured using a movable microphone and were referenced to those at a stationary microphone positioned directly in front of the animal. Interference between the nostrils was confirmed by blocking one nostril, which eliminated sidelobes and minima in the emission pattern, and by comparison of real emission patterns with simple computer models. The positions of minima in the patterns indicate effective nostril spacings of over a half-wavelength. Displacement of the dorsal lancet of the noseleaf demonstrated that this structure directs sound in the vertical dimension.     

The role of spectral components of the head-related transfer functions in evaluation of the virtual sound source motion in the vertical plane

Perception of virtual sound sources moving in the range of elevation from −45° to 45° (at zero azimuth) was studied with participation of listeners aged 57–73. The virtual sound source trajectory was created using nonindividualized head-related transfer functions and artificially synthesized spectral components specific to these functions. The percentage of correct responses in determining the direction of virtual motion depended on the way of imitation by increasing from low to high for the following succession of imitation methods: (i) displacement of the spectral minimum of broadband noise pulses within a frequency band of 5–12 kHz (the minimum retained a constant width of 1 kHz), (ii) variation of the spectral minimum width of noise pulses within 6–12 kHz, (iii) variation of the spectral maximum width within 4–8 kHz, (iv) simultaneous variation of the spectral minimum and maximum widths, (v) displacement of the spectral minimum and simultaneous variation of the spectral maximum width, and (vi) displacement of the spectral minimum and simultaneous variation of the spectral maximum width and power. For the latter stimulus, the mean percentage of correct responses (90 ± 5)% did not differ from the corresponding percentage (94 ± 3)% observed for the stimulus that was synthesized on the basis of nonindividualized head-related transfer functions and used as reference in synthesizing the spectral components.     

Active sound control by directional sources in the free field

TheprojectissupportedbyAeronauticalScienceFoundation.I.IntroductionThecontro1ofsoundfieldbyintroducingacousticsourcesisatopicofnoisecontrolinwhichanincrcasinginterestisbeingshown.Gcnerallytherearemain1ytwoaspectsinthere-searchesonActiveNoiseContro1(ANC)--theoriesofactivesoundattenuationwhichisthebasementofthetCchnique,anddesignofthecontrolsystem.Recent1y,anewtheorywhichisconsideredtohewc11suitcdtotheanalysisofpracticalproblemshasbeenpresentedbyP.A.Nc1sonetal.[ll.Itshowsthattheminimumpowe…     

Orthogonal acoustical factors of a sound field in a bamboo forest.

To investigate the acoustical quality of a sound field in a bamboo forest, acoustical measurements were conducted to obtain orthogonal acoustical factors of the sound field. These results are compared with previous results for a sound field in an ordinary forest [H. Sakai, S. Sato, and Y. Ando, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 104, 1491-1497 (1998)]. The IACC, which is defined as a maximum value of the normalized interaural cross-correlation function between signals at the ears, was 0.07 (4 kHz) and 0.16 (2 kHz) at positions 20 and 40 m from the source, respectively. These values are much better than those in the previously investigated forest. The measured subsequent reverberation time Tsub was up to 1.5 s in the frequency range above 1 kHz at the position 40 m from the source. For certain music sources with higher frequency components, therefore, sound fields in a bamboo forest have excellent acoustic properties.     

音乐厅音质设计中响度评价参量的讨论

强感级(G,dB)是评价音乐厅音质设计中重要客观参量之一,它由厅内声级按标准声源的声功率级归一化得出。我们不仅考察厅内的总强感级G,还得分别考虑其早期声和后期声的G_早和G_后,因为它们的成因和主观效果是不同的。近年从主观试验结果中获得一个意外发现,即最低频段的G_低值与中频G_中值之比,将是决定厅内低音感的主要因素,而不是过去所说的低频和中频混响时间之比。10年前,人们认为环绕感LEV只由到达听者耳际的侧向声能所决定,如今则了解到后期总声能G_后这一因素也很重要。并提出由G和侧向比值LF来估算LFV的新公式,便于设计考虑。本文对音乐厅最佳G值作了讨论。近年的一个重要发现是,音乐厅内听者响度判断主要由混响声决定,或认为因视听综合心理效应使听者的响度判断与离舞台距离几乎无关,或两者兼具。后者涉及视觉信息输入影响听觉响度体验,即所谓多维感知综合效果的心理学问题。近年有人认为G参量不能直接反映音乐厅内听众听到的绝对声压级为由,提出以音乐片段中乐队齐奏强音标志段声级L_pf作为评价音乐厅响度的新物理指标。作者对此作了全面评析,说明其存在问题和不可行性。