Binaural measurement system

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.

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 signal;
• and
• a control system coupled with the base 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, and
• 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.

A system comprising:

• a binaural test dummy having:
• a body;
• a set of demountable microphones coupled with the body;
• a base;
• and
• a movable mount coupled with the base and the body,
• wherein a configuration of the set of demountable microphones is modifiable to change at least one of a location, an orientation, a type or a number of the set of demountable microphones;
• and
• a control system coupled with the binaural test dummy, the control system comprising a programmable processor that is programmed to:
• adjust a position of the body and the movable mount to a plurality of positions in 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;
• initiate sampling of an acoustic signal at the set of demountable microphones at each of the plurality of positions in the range of motion;
• and
• measure a transfer function of the sampled acoustic signal at each of the plurality of positions in the range of motion,
• 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.