An Artificial Head Which Speaks from Its Ears: Investigations on Reciprocal Transfer Path Analysis in Vehicles, Using a Binaural Sound Source

The usefulness of reciprocal transfer path analysis is becoming increasingly known. We will discuss the requirements of noise measurements in vehicles and the advantages of reciprocal methods. An acoustic model of a binaural sound source, approximating the shape of the human head, has been developed. This sound source is used for the characterization of airborne and structure-borne sound transfer functions in vehicles, automatically including the effect of the head on the sound field. In this paper, calibration procedures and technical limits of this technique are discussed, and some preliminary examples of its application are demonstrated.