The Hearpiece database of individual transfer functions of an in-the-ear earpiece for hearing device research

Abstract

We present a database of acoustic transfer functions of the Hearpiece, a commercially available multi-microphone multi-driver in-the-ear earpiece for hearing device research. The database includes HRTFs for 87 incidence directions as well as responses of the drivers, all measured at the four microphones of the Hearpiece as well as the eardrum in the occluded and open ear. The transfer functions were measured in both ears of 25 human participants and a KEMAR with anthropometric pinnae for five insertions of the device. We describe the measurements of the database and analyse derived acoustic parameters of the device. All regarded transfer functions are subject to differences between participants and insertions. Also, the KEMAR measurements are close to the median of human data in the present results for all assessed transfer functions. The database is a rich basis for development, evaluation and robustness analysis of multiple hearing device algorithms and applications. It is openly available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3733190.