

It collects sound by acting as a funnel, amplifying the sound and directing it to the auditory canal. In animals the function of the pinna is to collect sound, and perform spectral transformations to incoming sounds which enable the process of vertical localization to take place. To an impala, the pinna is useful in collecting sound This aids in vertical sound localization. It also is directionally dependent, affecting sounds coming from above more than those coming from straight ahead. This filter typically affects sounds around 10 kHz, though it can affect any frequencies from 6 – 16 kHz. In the affected frequency band – the pinna notch – the pinna creates a band-stop or notch filtering effect. Neighboring frequencies also drop significantly. This delay causes phase cancellation, virtually eliminating the frequency component whose wave period is twice the delay period. While some of the sounds that enter the ear travel directly to the canal, others reflect off the contours of the pinna first: these enter the ear canal after a very slight delay. For high frequencies, however, its value is thought to be more sophisticated. For low frequencies, it behaves similarly to a reflector dish, directing sounds toward the ear canal. The pinna works differently for low and high frequency sounds. Notch of pinna ĭue to its anatomy, the pinna largely eliminates a small segment of the frequency spectrum this band is called the pinna notch. Non-electrical hearing apparatuses which were designed to protect hearing (particularly that of musicians and others who work in loud environments) which fit snugly in the concha have been studied by the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) at the University of Southampton in the U.K. This amplification is an important factor in inner ear trauma resulting from elevated sound levels. The fennec fox uses its distinctive oversized pinnae to radiate excess heat and to amplify the sound of small prey burrowing under the desert sandĪmplification of sound by the pinna, tympanic membrane and middle ear causes an increase in level of about 10 to 15 dB in a frequency range of 1.5 kHz to 7 kHz. The filtering effect of the human pinnae preferentially selects sounds in the frequency range of human speech. The auricle collects sound and, like a funnel, amplifies the sound and directs it to the auditory canal. The auricle's functions are to collect sound and transform it into directional and other information. This explains why vesicles are classically seen on the auricle in herpes infections of the facial nerve ( Ramsay Hunt syndrome type II). These portions of the ear are supplied by the cervical plexus and a small portion by the facial nerve. The final three hillocks are derived from the second branchial arch and form the antihelix, antitragus, and lobule, respectively. Cutaneous sensation to these areas is via the trigeminal nerve, the attendant nerve of the 1st branchial arch. The first three hillocks are derived from the 1st branchial arch and form the tragus, crus of the helix, and helix, respectively. En route accessory auricles (also known as preauricular tags) may be left behind. These hillocks develop into the folds of the auricle and gradually shift upwards and backwards to their final position on the head. The developing auricle is first noticeable around the sixth week of gestation in the human fetus, developing from the auricular hillocks, which are derived from the first and second pharyngeal arches. Scapha, the depression or groove between the helix and the anthelix.Incisura anterior auris, or intertragic incisure, or intertragal notch, is the space between the tragus and antitragus.Helix is the folded over outside edge of the ear.

Fossa triangularis is the depression in the fork of the antihelix.External auditory meatus is the ear canal.Cymba conchae is the narrowest end of the concha.Crus of the helix is just above the tragus.Conchal angle is the angle that the back of the concha makes with the side of the head.Concha is the hollow next to the ear canal.Auricular sulcus is the depression behind the ear next to the head.Aperture is the entrance to the ear canal.Inferior crus (to the right of the fossa triangularis in the diagram).Superior crus (to the left of the fossa triangularis in the diagram).antihelix forms a 'Y' shape where the upper parts are:.The diagram shows the shape and location of most of these components: It is also called the pinna ( Latin for " wing" or " fin", plural pinnae), a term that is used more in zoology. The auricle or auricula is the visible part of the ear that is outside the head.
