Occupant-based audio control for enclosed environments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12289574-B2
Application number	US-202217966754-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2022
Priority date	Jan 5, 2022
Publication date	Apr 29, 2025
Grant date	Apr 29, 2025

Abstract

Implementations of the subject technology provide occupant-based audio for enclosed environments. For example, an apparatus having an enclosure and one or more speakers may determine a location and/or an identity of an occupant within an enclosed environment defined by the enclosure, and operate the one or more speakers to provide audio output to the location of the occupant. The apparatus may also operate the one or more speakers to reduce the audio output to one or more other locations within the enclosure, such as to one or more non-occupant locations and/or to one or more locations of one or more other occupants. The audio output may be occupant-specific audio output, such as a personalized notifications, in one or more implementations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
determining, by a computing component, a location of an occupant in a room;
operating at least a first speaker and a second speaker that are each within the room and separated from the location by an air gap, to generate a phantom center at or near the determined location of the occupant;
determining, by the computing component, an additional location of an additional occupant within the room; and
modifying the operation of at least the first speaker and the second speaker to move the phantom center based on the determined location of the occupant and the determined additional location of the additional occupant.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, identifying an audio output as personalized audio output for the occupant prior to operating at least the first speaker and the second speaker to generate the phantom center at or near the determined location of the occupant.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein operating at least the first speaker and the second speaker comprises:
identifying a dual-directional speaker within the room that has an acoustic duct; and
operating the identified dual-directional speaker to project an audio output including first audio content through the acoustic duct toward the phantom center.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the acoustic duct comprises a slot, and wherein operating at least the first speaker and the second speaker comprises causing a portion of the audio output to exit the acoustic duct via the slot.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
obtaining, by the computing component, second audio content; and
further modifying the operation of at least the first speaker and the second speaker to project a different audio output including the second audio content toward the determined additional location and to reduce the different audio output toward at least one other location within the room.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein further modifying the operation of at least the first speaker and the second speaker comprises:
identifying an additional dual-directional speaker within the room that has an acoustic duct; and
operating the identified additional dual-directional speaker to project the different audio output through the acoustic duct of the additional dual-directional speaker toward the determined additional location.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the acoustic duct of the identified additional dual-directional speaker comprises a slot, and wherein operating the additional dual-directional speaker to reduce the different audio output at the least one other location within the room comprises causing a portion of the different audio output to exit the acoustic duct of the identified additional dual-directional speaker via the slot of the identified additional dual-directional speaker.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein operating at least the first speaker and the second speaker comprises operating a beamforming array of speakers including at least the first speaker and the second speaker to beam a first channel of an audio output toward the phantom center.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising operating the beamforming array of speakers to beam a second channel of the audio output away from the phantom center.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising operating the beamforming array of speakers to:
beam a third channel of the audio output toward a first corner of the room; and
beam a fourth channel of the audio output toward a second corner of the room.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising operating the beamforming array of speakers to beam a fifth channel of the audio output toward a top of the room.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first channel comprises a center channel, the second channel comprises an ambience channel, the third channel comprises a left surround channel, the fourth channel comprises a right surround channel, and the fifth channel comprises a rear height channel.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein operating the beamforming array of speakers comprises:
operating a first array of speakers mounted at a first common radial distance from a center of the beamforming array of speakers; and
operating a second array of speakers mounted at a second common radial distance from the center of the beamforming array of speakers, the second common radial distance larger than the first common radial distance.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the beamforming array of speakers is disposed behind a seat with in the room.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein operating at least the first speaker and the second speaker comprises operating an isobaric cross firing speaker that includes a housing defining a back volume, a first speaker diaphragm having a first surface adjacent the back volume and an opposing second surface facing the determined location within the room, and a second speaker diaphragm having a first surface adjacent the back volume and an opposing second surface facing at least one other location within the room.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein operating the isobaric cross firing speaker comprises operating the isobaric cross firing speaker in a first out-of-phase mode of operation in which the first speaker diaphragm directs a positive polarity sound toward the phantom center and the second speaker diaphragm moves out of phase with the first speaker diaphragm to generate a negative polarity sound that cancels a portion of the positive polarity sound in a direction of the at least one other location within the room.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
ceasing operating the isobaric cross firing speaker in the first out-of-phase mode of operation; and
operating the isobaric cross firing speaker in a second out-of-phase mode of operation in which the second speaker diaphragm directs a positive polarity sound toward the at least one other location and the first speaker diaphragm moves out of phase with the second speaker diaphragm to generate a negative polarity sound that cancels a portion of the positive polarity sound in a direction of the location within the room.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein a pressure within the back volume remains substantially constant during the first out-of-phase mode of operation and the second out-of-phase mode of operation.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the isobaric cross firing speaker is a first isobaric cross firing speaker, an audio output of the isobaric cross firing speaker comprises a first audio output, the location corresponds to a location of a first seat within the room, and the at least one other location corresponds to a location of a second seat within the room, the method further comprising:
operating a second isobaric speaker to project a second audio output toward the second seat and to reduce the second audio output toward the first seat.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
operating a third isobaric speaker to project a third audio output toward a third seat within the room and to reduce the third audio output toward a fourth seat within the room; and
operating a fourth isobaric speaker to project a fourth audio output toward the fourth seat and to reduce the fourth audio output toward the third seat.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the first audio output is different from at least one of the second audio output, the third audio output, and the fourth audio output.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein operat

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Boothe Daniel K
• Ilkorur Onur I
• Johnson Marty E
• Wilk Chris
• Baldioceda Oreamuno Andrea
• Maier Dan W

Classifications

• B60R11/0217

  for loud-speakers · CPC title

• H04R5/02

  Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers · CPC title

• H04R2499/13

  Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles · CPC title

• H04R2203/12

  Beamforming aspects for stereophonic sound reproduction with loudspeaker arrays · CPC title

• H04S7/303

  Tracking of listener position or orientation · CPC title