Method for generating a customized/personalized head related transfer function

A system for processing customized HRTFs comprising:

• an image processing device configured for:
• generating a plurality of control points that is a visual guide to acquire a captured image of at least one ear of an individual using an image capturing device;
• overlaying the plurality of control points in real-time onto a display screen of the image capturing device that provides an indication of alignment to a user;
• obtaining a shape model conformed to the captured image of the at least one ear of the individual;
• iteratively changing the plurality of control points to match the obtained shape model with the captured image of the at least one ear of the individual;
• iteratively deforming the shape model in accordance with movement of the image capturing device;
• deforming the shape model such that the plurality of control points conform to the shape of the at least one ear of the individual;
• ceasing the iterative changes of the plurality of control points in real-time, in response to the shape model conforming to the captured image of the at least one ear of the individual;
• extracting image based geometrical properties of the at least one ear of the individual from the obtained shape model;
• and
• providing the image based geometrical properties of the at least one ear of the individual to a selection processor configured to select, based on the image based geometrical properties of the at least one ear of the individual, a customized HRTF dataset for the at least one ear of the individual from a plurality of HRTF datasets that have been determined for a plurality of individuals.

A system for generating customized HRTFs comprising:

• an image processing device configured for acquiring a captured image of at least one ear of an individual and for processing a preliminary image that is a preliminary version of the captured image;
• a device processor configured for:
• generating a plurality of control points that is a visual guide to acquire a captured image of at least one ear of an individual using an image capturing device;
• overlaying the plurality of control points in real-time onto a display screen of the image capturing device that provides an indication of alignment to a user;
• obtaining to obtain a shape model conformed to the captured image of the at least one ear of the individual;
• iteratively changing the plurality of control points are changed iteratively to match the obtained shape model with the captured image of the at least one ear of the individual;
• iteratively deforming the shape model in accordance with movement of the image capturing device;
• deforming the shape model such that the plurality of control points conform to the shape of the at least one ear of the individual;
• ceasing the iterative changes of the plurality of control points in real-time, in response to the shape model conforming to the captured image of the at least one ear of the individual;
• and
• extracting image based geometrical properties of the at least one ear of the individual from the obtained shape model;
• a selection processor for receiving the extracted image based geometrical properties of the at least one ear of the individual and configured to select, based on the image based geometrical properties of the at least one ear of the individual, a customized HRTF dataset for the at least one ear of the individual from a plurality of HRTF datasets that have been determined for a plurality of individuals wherein the device processor and the selection processor can be separate units or combined into one processor;
• and
• a memory accessible by the selection processor and including the plurality of HRTF datasets, wherein the plurality of HRTF datasets is indexed by image based geometrical properties corresponding to an ear represented by each HRTF dataset in the plurality of HRTF datasets.