Apple Inc.

Neal D Evans

Nikolas T Vitt

Christopher T Eubank

Robert Denton Silfvast

Jonathan D Sheaffer

James W VanDyke

Jesse A Lippert

Daniel K Boothe

Andrew M Hulva

Jeremy C Franklin

Martin E Johnson

Christopher R Wilk

Brad G Boozer

Ruchir M Dave

Darshan R Kasar

Jae Hwang Lee

Symeon Delikaris Manias

James William Vandyke

Shai Messingher Lang

Peter Victor Jupin

Paul Meade

Anthony Sagala Montevirgen

Sean Anthony Ramprashad

Dennis R Pyper

Gregory B Arndt

Janhavi S Agashe

David S Wilkes, Jr

A display system includes a head-mounted display unit and a detachable speaker unit. The head-mounted display unit outputs visual content to a user and provides a visual pass-through of a real environment to the user. The detachable speaker unit is detachably coupleable to the head-mounted display unit for providing aural content to the user. At least one of the visual content or the aural content is changed according to a position of the detachable speaker unit relative to the head-mounted display unit.

Display system having an audio output device

A method for self-calibrating a sound pickup process that uses a microphone array in a wearable device that also includes a loudspeaker, where the microphone array being in a physical arrangement with respect to the loudspeaker. The method obtains, for each of several microphones of the microphone array, one or more transfer functions that each represent a response of the microphone to sound from a position in an acoustic space. The method determines whether a physical arrangement of the microphone array with respect to the loudspeaker has changed and adjusts the transfer function, for at least one of the microphones of the several microphones, in response to determining that the current physical arrangement of the microphone array with respect to the loudspeaker has changed.

Self-calibrating microphone and loudspeaker arrays for wearable audio devices

A method performed by a processor of a computer system including a headset that is to be worn on a head of a user. The method drives a speaker of the headset with an input audio signal to output sound into an environment. The method determines that the speaker is at least partially covered with a cupped hand. In response to determining that the speaker is at least partially covered with the cupped hand, applying a gain to the input audio signal to reduce an output sound level of the speaker.

Privacy with extra-aural speakers

Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods for providing situational awareness for HMD users. Some implementations involve providing a CGR experience to a first user wearing an HMD in a physical environment. Audio data or image data is obtained from a sensor at the physical environment during the CGR experience and an emotional state or direction of attention of a second person other than the first user is detected based on the audio data or image data. A notification or other change is provided in the CGR experience based on detecting the emotional state or direction of attention of the second person.

Situational awareness for head mounted devices

A method for routing audio content through an electronic device that is to be worn by a user. The method obtains a communication and determines whether the communication is private. In response to determining that the communication is private, the method drives a bone conduction transducer of the electronic device with an audio signal associated with the communication. In response to determining that the communication is not private, however, the method drives a speaker of the electronic device with the audio signal.

Bone conduction transducers for privacy

A system including an audio source device having a first microphone and a first speaker for directing sound into an environment in which the audio source device is located and a wireless audio receiver device having a second microphone and a second speaker for directing sound into a user's ear. The audio source device is configured to 1) capture, using the firs microphone, speech of the user as a first audio signal, 2) reduce noise in the first audio signal to produce a speech signal, and 3) drive the first speaker with the speech signal. The wireless audio receiver device is configured to 1) capture, using the second microphone, a reproduction of the speech produced by the first speaker as a second audio signal and 2) drive the second speaker with the second audio signal to output the reproduction of the speech.

Own voice reinforcement using extra-aural speakers

A method performed by a processor of an electronic device. The method presents a computer-generated reality (CGR) setting including a first user and several other users. The method obtains, from a microphone, an audio signal that contains speech of the first user. The method obtains, from a sensor, sensor data that represents a physical characteristic of the first user. The method determines, based on the sensor data, whether to initiate a private conversation between the first user and a second user of the other users, and in accordance with a determination to initiate the private conversation, initiates the private conversation by providing the audio signal to the second user.

Private conversations in a virtual setting

A system including an audio source device having a first microphone and a first speaker for directing sound into an environment in which the audio source device is located and a wireless audio receiver device having a second microphone and a second speaker for directing sound into a user's ear. The audio source device is configured to 1) capture, using the first microphone, speech of the user as a first audio signal, 2) reduce noise in the first audio signal to produce a speech signal, and 3) drive the first speaker with the speech signal. The wireless audio receiver device is configured to 1) capture, using the second microphone, a reproduction of the speech produced by the first speaker as a second audio signal and 2) drive the second speaker with the second audio signal to output the reproduction of the speech.

An audio component for a head-mounted display system includes a first port through which sound is projected to a user during operation in a first audio mode, a second port through which sound is projected to a user during operation in a second audio mode, an insulator positioned along an acoustic path between the first port and the second port, wherein the insulator is configured to inhibit sound projection along the acoustic path by isolating the first port from the second port, and an earpiece configured to engage the audio component to an ear of the a user, to deliver sound from the audio component to the user, and to reduce ambient noise from a surrounding environment during operation of the audio component in the second audio mode.

Display devices with multimodal audio

A head-mounted device includes a housing assembly and a headband that is connected to the housing assembly and is movable between a use position and a storage position. The head-mounted device also includes a first magnetic component that is located on the headband and a second magnetic component that is located on the headband. The first magnetic component is spaced from the second magnetic component in the use position, and the first magnetic component and the second magnetic component are magnetically attracted to each other in the storage position.

Headband for head-mounted device with magnetic components

A head-mountable device can include a speaker unit that provides structural support to its own components and electrical connections between other components. The arrangement of conductive strips within a back plate of a speaker unit can provide the structural support needed by the components of a speaker while allowing components on opposing sides of the speaker unit to be operably connected to each other. By providing both functions with the conductive strips of a back plate, the total space required is minimized so that the head-securement element (e.g., band) of the head-mountable device maintains a thin profile.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Neal D Evans