Patent ID: 7664272

Claim:
A design tool for designing a sound image control device that generates a second transfer function by filtering a first transfer function indicating a transfer characteristic of a sound from a sound source to a plurality of sound receiving points on a head, the second transfer function indicating a transfer characteristic of a sound from a target sound source to the plurality of sound receiving points on the head, the target sound source being at a location different from a location of the sound source, said design tool comprising a transfer function generation unit including a processor for determining the first and second transfer functions using the plurality of sound receiving points on the head as a plurality of sound emitting points and using the sound source and the target sound source as a plurality of sound receiving points that are not on the head, wherein said transfer function generation unit includes: a potential calculation unit calculating potentials at respective nodal points on a mesh that is set on an outer surface of a three-dimensional head model representing the head, the potentials being calculated only once for each of the sound emitting points on right and left sides of the three-dimensional head model; a first transfer function generation unit generating the first transfer function by combining the potentials calculated by said potential calculation unit; and a second transfer function generation unit generating the second transfer function by combining the potentials calculated by said potential calculation unit.