The Directionality of the Frog Ear Described by a Mechanical Model

The frog ear can be modelled as two coupled eardrums with an additional sound pathway through the mouth cavity. In a previous version of this model, with realistic parameters, we were able to account very well for empirical measurements of the eardrum vibration under free- and closed-field acoustic conditions. This earlier model does not, however, adequately predict the directional characteristics of the frog ear as determined empirically. In this paper we present a modified model which will account for the directionality together with the free- and closed-field frequency responses, and which is also consistent with anatomical considerations.