Display system having an audio output device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12439191-B2
Application number	US-202318375574-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2023
Priority date	Jun 14, 2018
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display system comprising:
a head-mounted display unit that outputs visual content to a user and that includes one or more sensors;
an audio output device that outputs aural content to the user; and
a controller that controls the head-mounted display unit to output the visual content and the audio output device to output the aural content, wherein the controller is configured to determine a position of the audio output device using the one or more sensors, and
wherein the aural content that is output by the head-mounted display unit is output according to the position of the audio output device relative to the head-mounted display unit.

2. The display system according to claim 1 , wherein the audio output device is a detachable speaker unit that is detachably coupleable to the head-mounted display unit.

3. The display system according to claim 2 , wherein the audio output device is configured to not output aural content until the audio output device is coupled to the head-mounted display unit.

4. The display system according to claim 2 , wherein the audio output device receives power from the head-mounted display unit and receives audio signals associated with the visual content when the audio output device is coupled with the head-mounted display unit.

5. The display system according to claim 1 , wherein audio signal processing of the aural content that is output by the audio output device changes as the audio output device is moved toward a coupling location on the head-mounted display unit.

6. The display system according to claim 5 , wherein the audio signal processing of the aural content is an adjustment to a volume of the aural content.

7. The display system according to claim 5 , wherein the audio signal processing of the aural content is an adjustment to an equalization of the aural content.

8. The display system according to claim 5 , wherein the audio signal processing of the aural content is an adjustment to a dynamic range of the aural content.

9. The display system according to claim 1 , wherein the audio output device is a detachable audio output device and an acoustic transparency of the audio output device is activated automatically when the detachable audio output device is coupled with the head-mounted display unit.

10. The display system according to claim 1 , wherein the audio output device is a detachable audio output device and a noise cancellation of the audio output device is activated automatically when the detachable audio output device is coupled with the head-mounted display unit.

11. The display system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the position of the audio output device based upon visual recognition of the audio output device using the one or more sensors.

12. The display system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the position of the audio output device based upon tracking a beacon signal emitted from the audio output device.

13. A display system comprising:
a head-mounted display unit that outputs visual content to a user;
a detachable audio output device that outputs aural content to the user; and
a controller that controls the head-mounted display unit to output the visual content and the detachable audio output device to output the aural content,
wherein a noise cancellation of the detachable audio output device is activated automatically after a predetermined time period after connecting the detachable audio output device to the head-mounted display unit.

14. The display system of claim 13 , wherein the detachable audio output device outputs the aural content according to movement of the head-mounted display unit.

15. The display system of claim 13 , wherein the detachable audio output device is configured to not output aural content until the detachable audio output device is coupled to the head-mounted display unit.

16. The display system of claim 13 , wherein the detachable audio output device receives power from the head-mounted display unit when the detachable audio output device is coupled to the head-mounted display unit.

17. The display system of claim 13 , wherein the noise cancellation is configured to inhibit the user from hearing sounds from an environment in which the user is located.

18. The display system of claim 13 , wherein an acoustic transparency of the detachable audio output device is activated automatically when the detachable audio output device is coupled with the head-mounted display unit.

19. The display system of claim 13 , wherein the head-mounted display unit includes a built-in audio output device, and wherein a volume of aural content output from the built-in audio output device is decreased when the detachable audio output device is coupled to the head-mounted display unit.

20. A display system comprising:
a head-mounted display unit that includes a built-in audio output device and that outputs visual content to a user;
a detachable audio output device that outputs aural content to the user; and
a controller that controls the head-mounted display unit to output the visual content and the detachable audio output device to output the aural content,
wherein upon coupling the detachable audio output device to the head-mounted display unit, the aural content that is output from the detachable audio output device is a primary source of the aural content and a volume of aural content output from the built-in audio output device is decreased.

21. The display system of claim 20 , wherein upon coupling the detachable audio output device to the head-mounted display unit, a volume of the aural content output from the detachable audio output device is increased.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Evans Neal D
• Vandyke James W
• Hulva Andrew M
• Silfvast Robert D
• Eubank Christopher T

Classifications

• H04R5/0335

  Earpiece support, e.g. headbands or neckrests (for monophonic headphones H04R1/105) · CPC title

• H04R5/02

  Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers · CPC title

• H03G5/025

  Equalizers; Volume or gain control in limited frequency bands · CPC title

• G02B27/017

  Head mounted · CPC title

• G06F3/011

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