Devices, methods, and graphical user interfaces for interacting with three-dimensional environments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11954242-B2
Application number	US-202117563864-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2021
Priority date	Jan 4, 2021
Publication date	Apr 9, 2024
Grant date	Apr 9, 2024

Abstract

A computer system presents first computer-generated content. While presenting the first computer-generated content, the computer system detects first movement of a first user in a physical environment, and in response: in accordance with a determination that the first movement changes a spatial relationship between the first user and a second user in the physical environment from a first spatial relationship to a second spatial relationship and that the change in spatial relationship meets first criteria, the computer system changes one or more output properties of the first computer-generated content; and in accordance with the determination that the first movement changes the spatial relationship from the first spatial relationship to the second spatial relationship and that the change in spatial relationship does not meet the first criteria, the computer system presents the first computer-generated content without changing the one or more output properties of the first computer-generated content.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
at a computer system that is in communication with a first display generation component, a first audio output component, and one or more input devices:
presenting first computer-generated content in a computer-generated three-dimensional environment, wherein the computer-generated three-dimensional environment reduces a respective user's perception of a respective physical environment surrounding the respective user while the respective user is in a position to perceive the first computer-generated content in the computer-generated three-dimensional environment;
while presenting the first computer-generated content in the computer-generated three-dimensional environment, detecting first movement of a first user that is in a position to perceive the first computer-generated content in the computer-generated three-dimensional environment, wherein the first movement of the first user is in a first physical environment of the first user; and
in response to detecting the first movement of the first user in the first physical environment of the first user:
in accordance with a determination that the first movement of the first user in the first physical environment of the first user changes a spatial relationship between the first user and a second user in the first physical environment of the first user from a first spatial relationship to a second spatial relationship and a determination that the change in spatial relationship from the first spatial relationship to the second spatial relationship meets first criteria, changing one or more output properties of the first computer-generated content while presenting the first computer-generated content in the computer-generated three-dimensional environment, wherein changing the one or more output properties of the first computer-generated content while presenting the first computer-generated content in the computer-generated three-dimensional environment includes one or more of:
reducing visual prominence of at least a first portion of first computer-generated visual content, that is part of the first computer-generated content, to reveal a respective representation of the second user in a first region of a field of view provided via the first display generation component that was previously occupied by the at least the first portion of the first computer-generated visual content; and
reducing audio prominence of first computer-generated audio content, that is part of the first computer-generated content, relative to sound from the first physical environment of the first user; and

in accordance with the determination that the first movement of the first user in the first physical environment of the first user changes the spatial relationship between the first user and the second user in the first physical environment of the first user from the first spatial relationship to the second spatial relationship and a determination that the change in spatial relationship from the first spatial relationship to the second spatial relationship does not meet the first criteria, presenting the first computer-generated content in the computer-generated three-dimensional environment without changing the one or more output properties of the first computer-generated content.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein changing the one or more output properties of the first computer-generated content while presenting the first computer-generated content in the computer-generated three-dimensional environment includes reducing the audio prominence of the first computer-generated audio content, that is part of the first computer-generated content, relative to the sound from the first physical environment of the first user.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein changing the one or more output properties of the first computer-generated content while presenting the first computer-generated content in the computer-generated three-dimensional environment includes reducing the visual prominence of the first computer-generated visual content relative to a representation of the second user, while maintaining the audio prominence of the first computer-generated audio content relative to the sound from the first physical environment of the first user.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein changing the one or more output properties of the first computer-generated content while presenting the first computer-generated content in the computer-generated three-dimensional environment includes reducing the audio prominence of the first computer-generated audio content relative to the sound from the first physical environment of the first user, while maintaining the visual prominence of the first computer-generated visual content relative to a representation of the second user.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first criteria require that the first movement of the first user in the first physical environment of the first user that changes the spatial relationship between the first user and the second user in the first physical environment of the first user is detected in conjunction with detection of speech in order for the first criteria to be met.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first criteria require that the first movement of the first user in the first physical environment of the first user that changes the spatial relationship between the first user and the second user in the first physical environment of the first user includes the first user turning to face the second user.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein changing the one or more output properties of the first computer-generated content while presenting the first computer-generated content in the computer-generated three-dimensional environment includes reducing respective volumes of a first subset of frequency bands in the first computer-generated audio content without reducing respective volumes of a second subset of frequency bands in the first computer-generated audio content.

8. The method of claim 1 , including:
in response to detecting the first movement of the first user in the first physical environment of the first user:
in accordance with the determination that the first movement of the first user in the first physical environment of the first user changes the spatial relationship between the first user and the second user in the first physical environment of the first user from the first spatial relationship to the second spatial relationship and the determination that the change in spatial relationship from the first spatial relationship to the second spatial relationship meets the first criteria, enhancing the sound from the first physical environment of the first user; and
in accordance with the determination that the first movement of the first user in the first physical environment of the first user changes the spatial relationship between the first user and the second user in the first physical environment of the first user from the first spatial relationship to the second spatial relationship and the determination that the change in spatial relationship from the first spatial relationship to the second spatial relationship does not meet the first criteria, forgoing enhancing the sound from the first physical environment of the first user.

9. The method of claim 1 , including:
while presenting the first computer-generated content in the computer-generated three-dimensional environment, detecting first audio input from the first user and detecting second audio input from the second user; and
generating first virtual audio reverberations for the first audio input in accordance with simulated acoustic properties of a first three-dimensional environment and generating second virtual audio reverberations for the second

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Dascola Jonathan R
• Pastrana Vicente Israel
• Anton Peter D
• Lemay Stephen O
• Sorrentino Iii William A
• Bauerly Kristi E S
• Rockel Philipp
• Dargan Dorian D

Classifications

• G06F3/011 Primary

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G06F3/167

  Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• G06F3/013

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/012

  Head tracking input arrangements · CPC title