Head-mounted device dipole audio components

Abstract

The audio assembly provides audio content to a user. The audio assembly includes an elongated body, a negative exhaust assembly, and a positive exhaust assembly. The elongated body includes an audio waveguide. The negative exhaust assembly is coupled to the elongated body and includes at least one negative exhaust port for exhausting negative sound pressure waves generated by the rear surface of a transducer coupled to a first end of the audio waveguide. The positive exhaust assembly is part of the elongated body and coupled to a second end of the audio waveguide. The positive exhaust assembly includes at least one positive exhaust port for exhausting positive sound pressure waves generated by the front surface of the transducer.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to audio components used in headsets, and more particularly to headset dipole audio components.

[0002] background

[0003] Head-mounted devices (e.g., in artificial reality systems) typically include an audio component configured to provide audio to a user. Some conventional audio components implement monopole speakers, in which sound pressure waves propagate from a single surface toward the user's ears. One disadvantage of using monopole speakers includes inefficient power usage, as typical monopole speakers include an enclosure with a fixed air volume, which increases the amount of work required to drive the monopole speaker.

[0004] Overview

[0005] The present disclosure relates to an audio assembly coupled to a head-mounted device that provides audio content to a user. The audio assembly includes an elongated body, a transducer, a negative exhaust assembly, and a positive exhaust assembly. The elongated body includes an audio waveguide having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The transducer is coupled to the first end of the audio waveguide. The negative exhaust assembly is coupled to the rear side of the transducer and includes at least one negative exhaust port that exhausts negative sound pressure waves generated by the rear surface of the transducer. The positive exhaust assembly is part of the elongated body and coupled to the second end of the audio waveguide. The positive exhaust assembly includes at least one positive exhaust port that exhausts positive sound pressure waves generated by the front surface of the transducer. The exhausted sound pressure waves can be detected by the user's ears. The audio content can be supplemented by other content provided by the head-mounted device, such as artificial reality content, visual content, tactile feedback content, etc.

[0006] Therefore, the invention relates to an audio component according to claim 1. Advantageous embodiments may comprise the features of the dependent claims.

[0007] Thus, an audio component according to the present invention includes an elongated body including an audio waveguide having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. A transducer is coupled to the elongated body at the first end of the audio waveguide and is configured to generate positive sound pressure waves from a front surface of the transducer and negative sound pressure waves from a rear surface of the transducer, wherein the front surface is opposite to the rear surface. A negative exhaust assembly is coupled to the transducer and includes at least one negative exhaust port for exhausting the negative sound pressure waves generated by the rear surface of the transducer. A positive exhaust assembly is a portion of the elongated body coupled to the second end of the audio waveguide and includes at least one positive exhaust port for exhausting the positive sound pressure waves.

[0008] In one embodiment, the elongated body may have a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side being oriented toward the user's ear, wherein the positive drain of the positive drain assembly is on the first side of the elongated body.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the positive drain port of the positive drain assembly may be a slit.

[0010] In another embodiment, the transducer may include a diaphragm, the rear surface of the transducer is the rear surface of the diaphragm, and the front surface of the transducer is the front surface of the diaphragm, wherein the diaphragm is substantially parallel to the first side of the elongated body.

[0011] In one embodiment, the audio assembly may further include a cover removably coupled to the second side of the elongated body, which covers the second side of the elongated body when the cover is coupled to the second side of the elongated body, and a strap removably coupled to the cover, the strap being configured to hold the audio assembly on the user's head.

[0012] In another embodiment, the elongated body may have a twist such that the first end of the audio waveguide rotates relative to the second end of the audio waveguide.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the audio assembly may further include a rear chamber coupled to the transducer on a rear surface, wherein the negative exhaust port of the negative exhaust assembly is located on the rear chamber and exhausts negative sound pressure waves from the rear chamber. Optionally, the audio assembly may further include one or more head-mounted device coupling elements located on the rear chamber, the head-mounted device coupling elements removably coupling the audio assembly to the head-mounted device.

[0014] In another embodiment of the audio component, the positive venting component can be configured closer to the user's ear than the negative venting component.

[0015] According to another embodiment, the audio waveguide may include one or more supports located within the audio waveguide, wherein the supports provide structural support to the audio waveguide.

[0016] In one embodiment, the transducer may include a diaphragm and a frame perpendicular to the diaphragm, wherein the rear surface of the transducer is the rear surface of the diaphragm, the front surface of the transducer is the front surface of the diaphragm, and the diaphragm is coupled to a ledge of the frame. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a head mounted device according to one or more embodiments.

[0019] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a partially disassembled head-mounted device according to one or more embodiments.

[0020] Figure 3is a perspective view of an audio assembly according to one or more embodiments.

[0021] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Exploded view of the audio components.

[0022] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of two types of transducers of an audio component according to one or more embodiments.

[0023] Figure 6A yes Figure 1 First view of the left audio component.

[0024] Figure 6B yes Figure 1 Second view of the left audio component.

[0025] Figure 6C yes Figure 1 Third view of the left audio component.

[0026] Figure 6D yes Figure 1 Fourth view of the left audio component of the .

[0027] Figure 6E yes Figure 1 Fifth view of the left audio component of the .

[0028] Figure 7 A system environment of an artificial reality system including a head mounted device according to one or more embodiments.

[0029] The accompanying drawings depict embodiments of the present disclosure for illustrative purposes only. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods shown herein may be employed without departing from the principles or benefits of the present disclosure described herein.

[0030] Detailed description

[0031] Overview

[0032] A head-mounted device is configured to provide audio content to a user of the head-mounted device. The head-mounted device incorporates one or more audio components, each of which generates sound pressure waves that are received as audio content by one or more ears of the user. Each audio component is configured as a dipole audio component that utilizes positive and negative sound pressure waves to create audio content. When the diaphragm of the transducer displaces forward, a high-pressure region is generated in front of the diaphragm, generating positive sound pressure waves from the front surface of the diaphragm, and a low-pressure region is generated behind the diaphragm, generating negative sound pressure waves from the rear surface of the diaphragm. Each audio component includes an elongated body, a negative discharge component for discharging the negative sound pressure waves, and a positive discharge component for discharging the positive sound pressure waves to the user's ears. The elongated body includes an audio waveguide for guiding the positive sound pressure waves to the user's ears. The negative discharge component includes one or more negative discharge ports for discharging the negative sound pressure waves generated by the rear surface of the transducer. The positive exhaust assembly includes at least one positive exhaust port coupled to the second end of the audio waveguide, the positive exhaust port exhausting positive sound pressure waves generated from the front surface of the transducer toward an ear of a user for providing audio content to the user.

[0033] The audio assembly proves to be beneficial over conventional monopole audio assemblies because it produces improved sound quality, improved leakage reduction, and improved power efficiency in low frequencies. A dipole effect is created in the near field with positive and negative sound pressure waves, where the poles of the dipole are effectively the locations of the positive- and negative-discharging components. Placing the positive-discharging component closer to the user's ear than the negative-discharging component results in the user's ear being closer to one of the poles of the dipole. This improves bass response at low frequencies because fewer positive sound pressure waves interfere destructively with the negative sound pressure waves.

[0034] Another benefit of dipole audio components is reduced leakage, where leakage refers to the transmission of sound pressure waves to the local area of ​​the audio component, for example, where others can hear sound pressure waves intended for the user of the audio component. In the far field, positive and negative sound pressure waves (especially at lower frequencies) destructively interfere, reducing the degree of leakage. Note that the improvement in bass response depends on the distance between the positive-emitting and negative-emitting components. Therefore, reducing the distance may reduce the bass response to the user because the user can perceive more negative sound pressure waves, but it will also reduce leakage at higher acoustic frequencies (due to more destructive interference occurring at shorter wavelengths).

[0035] Dipole audio components also improve power efficiency. In traditional monopole audio components, the back chamber has a fixed volume of air (i.e., is not exhausted), which effectively acts as a spring against the diaphragm. As the diaphragm displaces, the air in the back chamber is pressurized or depressurized, exerting a reaction force on the diaphragm. This spring-like property increases the workload on the transducer. In a dipole audio component, the back chamber with a certain volume of air is exhausted (e.g., via a negative exhaust component), eliminating the spring-like property and thus improving power efficiency. In addition, removing the fixed volume of the back chamber allows for a reduced form factor.

[0036] Embodiments of the present invention may include or be implemented in conjunction with an artificial reality system. Artificial reality is a form of reality that has been adjusted in some way before being presented to a user, which may include, for example, virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, hybrid reality, or some combination and / or derivative thereof. Artificial reality content may include fully generated content or content generated in combination with captured (e.g., real-world) content. Artificial reality content may include video, audio, tactile sensations, or some combination thereof, and any of which may be presented in a single channel or in multiple channels (e.g., stereoscopic video that produces a three-dimensional effect to the viewer). In addition, in some embodiments, artificial reality may also be associated with applications, products, accessories, services, or some combination thereof that are used, for example, to create content in the artificial reality and / or to be used in other ways in the artificial reality (e.g., to perform activities in the artificial reality). An artificial reality system that provides artificial reality content may be implemented on a variety of platforms, including a handheld device, a head-mounted device (e.g., an eyewear device, a head-mounted display (HMD) assembly having an eyewear device as a component, an HMD connected to a host computer system, a standalone HMD), a mobile device or computing system, or any other hardware platform capable of providing artificial reality content to one or more viewers. In addition, the artificial reality system may implement multiple input / output devices for receiving user input that may affect the artificial reality content provided to the user.

[0037] Head-mounted device

[0038] Figure 1is a perspective view of a head-mounted device 100 according to one or more embodiments. The head-mounted device 100 presents content to a user. Examples of content presented by the head-mounted device 100 include visual content, audio content, haptic feedback content, artificial reality content, or some combination thereof. The head-mounted device 100 may be an eyewear device or a head-mounted display (HMD). The head-mounted device 100 includes a front rigid body 105, a strap 110, a plurality of cameras (i.e., camera 115, camera 120, camera 125, camera 130), two audio components (i.e., left audio component 135 and right audio component 140), a display system (not shown), and a sensor device 145, among other components. In other embodiments, the head-mounted device 100 may include fewer or additional components than those listed herein, display systems, haptic feedback devices, light sources, additional cameras, controllers, and the like. Similarly, the various operations described below may be variably distributed among the components in the head-mounted device 100.

[0039] The front rigid body 105 holds the cameras 115, 120, 125, 130, the sensor device 145, and the display system (not shown). The front rigid body 105 is coupled to the user's face around the user's eyes. The front rigid body 105 has a front side that serves as the outer surface of the front rigid body 105, which is directed away from the user's body when the head-mounted device 100 is worn. The front rigid body 105 is held within the display system so that the display system can provide visual content to the user's eyes. The front rigid body 105 is attached to a strap 110 that can be used to hold the front rigid body 105 to the user's face when the user wears the head-mounted device 100. The strap 110 can be made of an elastic material that provides sufficient force to hold the front rigid body 105 to the user's face.

[0040] A plurality of cameras, including camera 115, camera 120, camera 125, and camera 130, capture images of the environment of the head mounted device 100. The plurality of cameras are placed on the outer surface of the rigid body 105. Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, camera 115 is oriented upward and toward the right side of the head-mounted device 100; camera 120 is oriented upward and toward the left side of the head-mounted device 100; camera 125 is oriented downward and toward the left side of the head-mounted device 100; and camera 130 is oriented downward and toward the right side of the head-mounted device 100. These cameras are positioned on substantially similar planes with partially overlapping fields of view, e.g., at least one pair of cameras has overlapping fields of view. In some implementations, two or more of the plurality of cameras may have completely overlapping fields of view. The cameras are capable of capturing images in multiple optical channels (e.g., luminance (luma), infrared, red, green, or blue). Each camera includes at least a camera sensor capable of detecting light, but may also include any optical elements for focusing light, etc. In some embodiments, the camera sensor provides image data including intensity values ​​at each pixel of light detected in each of the plurality of optical channels. In other embodiments, the head-mounted device 100 may include additional cameras positioned anywhere around the front rigid body 105, e.g., to capture images of the surroundings of the head-mounted device 100. Image data, including images or video captured by the camera, can be presented to the user of the head mounted device 100. In addition, the head mounted device 100 can enhance the image data in some manner to generate augmented reality content. The image data can further rely on depth sensing of the environment in which the head mounted device 100 is operating.

[0041] The audio components, including the left audio component 135 and the right audio component 140, provide audio content to the user of the head-mounted device 100. The audio components are configured as dipole speakers that emit both positive and negative sound pressure waves. Therefore, each audio component includes an elongated body, a negative exhaust component, and a positive exhaust component. The elongated body includes an audio waveguide configured to guide positive sound pressure waves to the user's ears. The negative exhaust component is configured to exhaust negative sound pressure waves into free space. The positive exhaust component is configured to exhaust positive sound pressure waves to the user's ears for providing audio content to the user. The positive exhaust component is closer to the user's ears than the negative exhaust component, which is placed in a recess in the front rigid body 105. Placing the negative exhaust component farther away from the user's ears than the positive exhaust component places the user's ears closer to one of the poles of the dipole (created by the positive exhaust component and the negative exhaust component), which improves the bass response in the low frequencies. The dipole also provides some leakage reduction in the far field (particularly for low frequencies) and provides improvements in power efficiency. The audio components will be Figure 2-Figure 5 Further described in .

[0042] The sensor device 145 detects movement of the head mounted device 100. The sensor device 145 includes one or more position sensors and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). In some embodiments, the sensor device 145 is embedded below a surface layer in the front rigid body 105 so that the sensor device 145 is not visible to the user of the head mounted device 100. The IMU is an electronic device that generates IMU data based on measurement signals received from one or more position sensors. The position sensor generates one or more measurement signals in response to movement of the head mounted device 100. Examples of position sensors include: one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, one or more magnetometers, another suitable type of sensor that detects movement, a type of sensor used for error correction of the IMU, or some combination thereof. The position sensor may be located outside the IMU, inside the IMU, or some combination thereof. The IMU and the position sensor will be in Figure 7 Discussed in more detail in .

[0043] A display system (not shown) provides visual content. The display system has an electronic display and an optical block, among other components. The electronic display generates image light based on the rendered visual content presented to the user. The optical block directs the image light to the viewport of the head mounted device 100, where the user's eyes will be located when the head mounted device 100 is properly worn. The display system may additionally include other optical elements for various purposes, such as focusing light, correcting aberrations and / or distortions, amplifying light, directing light from the environment, etc. The display system will be Figure 7 Discussed in more detail in .

[0044] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a partially disassembled head-mounted device 200 according to one or more embodiments. Figure 1 An embodiment of the head mounted device 100 includes a front rigid body 105 and two audio components. The audio components are removably coupled to the left and right sides of the front rigid body 105. Each audio component also includes a cover removably coupled to the elongated body. Figure 2 As shown, the right audio component 140 has a cover that is currently coupled to the elongated body, while the left audio component 135 has a left audio component cover 215 that is separate from the left audio component elongated body 220. The cover can also be attached to the strap 110. With this modular nature, the user can choose from a range of audio component sizes to couple to the front rigid body 105 and strap 110 to suit their comfort and convenience.

[0045] Dipole audio components

[0046] Figure 3is a perspective view of an audio assembly 300 according to one or more embodiments. The audio assembly 300 provides audio content to the user using a dipole effect by generating positive and negative sound pressure waves that are discharged into free space. The dipole effect is useful for reducing leakage in the far field and improving bass response in the near field given the position of the user's ears. In one or more embodiments, the audio assembly 300 provides sound pressure waves to the user's left or right ear, and an additional audio assembly 300 provides sound pressure waves to the other ear. The audio assembly 300 includes a slender body 305, a rear chamber 320, a negative discharge assembly 330, a positive discharge assembly 340, and a head-mounted device coupling element 350. Figure 1 The audio components 135 and 140 are embodiments of the audio component 300. The audio component 300 may include additional or fewer components listed herein, for example, a cover that is removably coupled to the elongated body and can then be removably coupled to a band for securing the audio component 300 to the user's head (e.g., band 110 that secures the audio components 135 and 140 and the head-mounted device 100 to the user's head). With the audio component 300 coupled to a head-mounted device, such as the head-mounted device 100, and the head-mounted device properly worn by the user, the audio component 300 is located near a side of the user's head where the positive venting component 340 is closer to the user's ear corresponding to that side of the head than the negative venting component 330. This relative placement of the negative venting component 330 and the positive venting component 340 results in the user's ear being closer to one pole of the dipole than to the other pole of the dipole. This dipole effect provides some leakage reduction in the far field (especially at low frequencies), improved bass response at low frequencies, and power efficiency compared to traditional monopole audio speakers.

[0047] The elongated body 305 acts as an audio waveguide (not shown). Figure 3 ) and includes a positive exhaust assembly 340. At a first end 310, the elongated body 305 is coupled to a transducer (not shown) that generates acoustic pressure waves. Figure 3 The elongated body 305 is also coupled to the rear chamber 320 at the first end 310. The audio waveguide within the elongated body 305 guides the positive acoustic pressure waves generated from the front surface of the transducer from the first end 310 to the second end 315, further incorporating Figure 4 The audio waveguide is described below. At the second end 315 of the elongated body is a positive discharge assembly 340 that discharges positive sound pressure waves for providing audio content to a user. The elongated body 305 can have a substantially flat profile, i.e., the width of the elongated body 305 is substantially greater than the height of the elongated body 305 at a cross-sectional portion of the elongated body 305. The elongated body 305 can further include a twist portion that rotates the first end of the audio waveguide relative to the second end of the audio waveguide. The degree of twist can generally conform to the contours of a human head.

[0048] The length of the audio waveguide can affect the characteristics of the dipole effect generated by the audio component 300. The length of the audio waveguide affects the distance between the negative drain component 330 and the positive drain component 340. As described above, the positions of the negative drain component 330 and the positive drain component 340 effectively correspond to the poles of the dipole generated by the audio component 300. Longer dipoles, i.e., a greater distance between the negative drain component 330 and the positive drain component 340, reduce bass response but also reduce leakage at higher acoustic frequencies.

[0049] The rear chamber 320 holds a negative exhaust assembly 330 and a head-mounted device coupling element 350. The rear chamber 320 is coupled to the first end 310 of the slender body 305 and to a transducer located at the junction between the slender body 305 and the rear chamber 320. The rear surface of the transducer (not shown) generates a negative sound pressure wave that fills the rear chamber 320. The rear chamber forms a negative exhaust port of the negative exhaust assembly 330, which is configured to exhaust the negative sound pressure waves generated from the rear surface of the transducer, for example, to improve bass response and reduce leakage. The head-mounted device may include a recess that is substantially complementary in size to the rear chamber 320. In some embodiments, the rear chamber 320 and the elongated body 305 are manufactured integrally.

[0050] The negative exhaust assembly 330 exhausts negative sound pressure waves, for example, to improve bass response and reduce leakage. The negative exhaust assembly 330 includes one or more negative exhaust ports that exhaust negative sound pressure waves into free space. In various implementations, the number of negative exhaust ports, the shape of the negative exhaust ports, the size of the negative exhaust ports, or any combination thereof may vary. For example, one implementation may utilize four negative exhaust ports in the negative exhaust assembly 330. In some embodiments, each negative exhaust port may include a negative exhaust port mesh to prevent dust from reaching the transducer. Figure 3 As shown, the negative exhaust assembly 330 includes three negative exhaust ports that are substantially elliptical and equally spaced around the rear chamber 320. From the perspective view, two of the negative exhaust ports are visible, while the third negative exhaust port is obscured. The configuration of the negative exhaust ports (i.e., the number, shape, size of the negative exhaust ports) affects one or more characteristics of the discharged negative sound pressure wave, which can affect leakage reduction, bass response, power efficiency, or any combination thereof. These characteristics can include the amplitude, frequency, reverberation, distortion, another characteristic, or any combination thereof of the sound pressure wave. Corresponding to Figure 3 In the audio assembly 300 depicted in FIG, the negative exhaust assembly 330 includes three negative exhaust ports, two of which are visible and one is obscured, ie, on the opposite side of the rear chamber 320.

[0051] The positive discharge component 340 discharges positive sound pressure waves for providing audio content to the user. The positive discharge component 340 includes at least one positive discharge port that discharges the positive sound pressure waves into free space. The discharged positive sound pressure waves can be detected by the user's ears as audio content. In a similar manner to that described for the negative discharge component 330, the configuration of the positive discharge component 340 can vary in the number of positive discharge ports, the shape of the positive discharge ports, the size of the positive discharge ports, or any combination thereof, which affects one or more characteristics of the discharged positive sound pressure waves (e.g., amplitude, frequency, reverberation, distortion, etc.). As Figure 3 As shown, the positive exhaust assembly 340 includes an approximately 0.5 square centimeter (cm2) disposed on one side of the elongated body. 2 ) is oriented toward the user's ear. When audio assembly 300 is coupled to a head-mounted device (e.g., head-mounted device 100), the positive exhaust port is positioned closer to the user's ear than the negative exhaust port of the negative exhaust assembly. Positioning the user's ear close to the positive exhaust assembly (i.e., one pole of the dipole) achieves the benefits of the dipole effect, including improved bass response and improved leakage reduction in low frequencies.

[0052] In some embodiments, the configuration of positive exhaust assembly 340 and the configuration of negative exhaust assembly 330 influence the dipole effect. In one aspect, the total open area corresponding to the positive exhaust ports of positive exhaust assembly 340 and / or the total open area of ​​the negative exhaust ports of negative exhaust assembly 330 influence the strength of the dipole effect. The total open area of ​​positive exhaust assembly 340 corresponds to the total area of ​​the one or more openings of one or more positive exhaust ports of positive exhaust assembly 340. Similarly, the total open area of ​​negative exhaust assembly 330 corresponds to the total area of ​​the one or more openings of one or more negative exhaust ports of negative exhaust assembly 330. Because the total open area of ​​either positive exhaust assembly 340 or negative exhaust assembly 330 is significantly lower than the other, the strength of the dipole effect is reduced because the impact of the sound pressure waves emitted from either positive exhaust assembly 340 or negative exhaust assembly 330 is significantly reduced compared to the sound pressure waves emitted from the other exhaust assembly. The configuration of positive exhaust assembly 340 and the configuration of negative exhaust assembly 330 can be optimized based on the strength of the dipole effect to be achieved by audio assembly 300. As mentioned, the strength of the dipole effect affects bass response and leakage reduction in low frequencies.

[0053] The configuration of the positive exhaust assembly 340 and the negative exhaust assembly 330 can also affect power efficiency. The power efficiency of the audio assembly 300 is also directly dependent on the total open area of ​​the negative exhaust assembly 330 and the total open area of ​​the positive exhaust assembly 340. Therefore, power efficiency increases with the total open area of ​​the negative exhaust assembly 330 and / or the total open area of ​​the positive exhaust assembly 340. As can be appreciated, if the openings on either end of the audio assembly 300 are smaller, less air can be moved in and out, which can build up pressure in the elongated body 305 and / or the rear chamber 320, requiring the transducer to work harder, thereby reducing the power efficiency of the audio assembly 300. The reverse is also true: when the openings on either end of the audio assembly 300 are larger, flowing air can be exhausted through the openings, which reduces the difficulty of the transducer and improves the power efficiency of the audio assembly 300.

[0054] The head mounted device coupling element 350 couples the audio component 300 to a head mounted device, such as the head mounted device 100. The head mounted device coupling element 350 can be implemented as a physical coupling mechanism, a magnetic coupling mechanism, or a combination thereof. With a physical coupling mechanism, the head mounted device coupling element 350 can be a physical structure on the rear chamber 320 that couples to a complementary physical structure on the head mounted device. With a magnetic coupling mechanism, the head mounted device coupling element 350 can be a magnet or a magnetic element that is attracted to a magnet. The head mounted device includes a magnet or a magnetic element that is attracted to the head mounted device coupling element 350 for coupling the audio component 300 to the head mounted device. In Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the head-mounted device coupling element is a hook-like structure embedded in the rear chamber 320 portion of the audio assembly 300. The hook-like structure hooks onto a corresponding structure on the head-mounted device. In some embodiments, one or more of the head-mounted device coupling elements 350 are formed by the slender body 305 and / or the rear chamber 320, for example, the head-mounted device coupling element 350 is a hook-like structure embedded in the rear chamber 320 (in other words, formed by the rear chamber 320). In other embodiments, one or more of the head-mounted device coupling elements 350 can be a separate component attached to the slender body 305 and / or the rear chamber 320, for example, the head-mounted device coupling element 350 is a magnet attached to the rear chamber 320. In other embodiments, the head-mounted device coupling element 350 is located elsewhere on the audio assembly 300, for example, on the slender body 305.

[0055] Figure 4 yes Figure 3Exploded view 400 of audio assembly 300. Exploded view 400 illustrates various components implemented within audio assembly 300: top portion 405 of elongated body 305, bottom portion 410 of elongated body 305, plurality of supports 420, transducer 430, plurality of negative drains 440, plurality of negative drain meshes 445, positive drain 450, and positive drain mesh.

[0056] The top portion 405 of the elongated body 305 and the bottom portion 410 of the elongated body 305 are coupled together to form Figure 3 The elongated body 305 is formed with the top portion 405 coupled to the bottom portion 410, and the elongated body 305 forms a cavity that essentially constitutes an audio waveguide. The size of the cavity affects the propagation of the sound pressure waves. Figure 4 As shown, the cavity formed by the elongated body 305 is substantially an elliptical prism. The support member 420 can further provide structural support for the cavity. Figure 4 As shown, there are eight supports 420, which are thin square prisms (or more or less) evenly arranged along the length of the audio waveguide. The configuration of the cavity can vary depending on the size, shape, the material that makes up the slender body 305, the material that can coat the inner surface of the cavity, the number of supports 420, the shape of the supports 420, the size of the supports 420, the material of the supports 420, the position of the supports 420, or any combination thereof. For example, the size and / or shape of the cavity can be optimized to be more conducive to propagation over a range of frequencies. In another example, the number and / or position of the supports 420, the material of the slender body 305 and / or the supports 420 can vary in elasticity, which affects the reflection of the sound pressure waves and thus the transmission of the audio waveguide. This can be similar when the cavity and / or the supports 420 have a coating of another material, where the coating of the material can also affect the reflection characteristics of the sound pressure waves.

[0057] Transducer 430 generates positive and negative sound pressure waves. Transducer 430 includes at least a diaphragm supported on a frame. The diaphragm's displacement is controlled to generate sound pressure waves. When oscillating, the front surface of the diaphragm, corresponding to the front surface of transducer 430, generates positive sound pressure waves, while the rear surface of the diaphragm, corresponding to the rear surface of transducer 430, generates negative sound pressure waves. Various mechanisms can be implemented to drive the displacement of the diaphragm. In one or more implementations, transducer 430 is a voice coil transducer, in which the voice coil electromagnet can be electrically controlled to drive the diaphragm. Another group of implementations utilizes an electrostatic transducer having a flexible conductive membrane that can be controlled by a conductive grid clamped on either side of the membrane, which can drive the membrane's displacement using electrostatic force. Other implementations or variations of the above implementations may include, but are not limited to, piezoelectric transducers, armature transducers, other mechanical transducers, or any combination thereof.

[0058] Return Reference Figure 4 , the negative exhaust vents 440 exhaust the negative acoustic pressure waves into free space. The negative exhaust vents 440 are openings in the rear chamber 320 that allow air, and therefore the acoustic pressure waves, to pass through the openings. As described above, the configuration of the negative exhaust vents 440 can vary with any combination of the number of negative exhaust vents 440, the shape of the negative exhaust vents 440, the size of the negative exhaust vents 440, and the like. Therefore, the amount of air or negative acoustic pressure waves that can be exhausted through the negative exhaust vents 440 depends on the total surface area of ​​the openings of all the negative exhaust vents 440. In some embodiments, a negative exhaust vent mesh 445 is placed over the negative exhaust vents. The negative exhaust vent mesh 445 can serve a variety of purposes, primarily preventing dust or other particulate matter from entering the rear chamber 320 or diffusing certain frequencies of negative acoustic pressure waves. The negative exhaust vent mesh 445 can be made of cloth, metal, plastic, another material, or any combination thereof.

[0059] The positive exhaust vent 450 exhausts positive sound pressure waves into free space. The positive exhaust vent 450 is an opening on the bottom portion 410 of the elongated body 305. When the audio assembly 300 is coupled to a head-mounted device (e.g., head-mounted device 100), the bottom portion 410 of the elongated body can be oriented toward one side of the user's head, while the top portion 405 of the elongated body 305 is oriented away from the user's head. In one or more embodiments, the positive exhaust vent 450 is a slit. In other embodiments, the positive exhaust vent 450 is another shape, another size, another orientation, is placed on the top portion 405 of the elongated body 305, is placed elsewhere on the elongated body 305, or any combination thereof. The positive exhaust vent mesh 455 covers the positive exhaust vent 450, but its construction and operation are substantially similar to the negative exhaust vent mesh 445, so its details are omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0060] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of two types of transducers of an audio component according to one or more embodiments. Transducer A 500 and transducer B 550 are voice coil speakers, which may be implemented as Figure 4Transducer 430 in FIG. Transducer A 500 and transducer B 550 are simplified abstractions of voice coil loudspeakers, each shown with a cone-shaped diaphragm and a frame. In reality, both have various other components, including a voice coil portion that drives the diaphragm. Abstractly, transducer A 500 includes a diaphragm A 510 and a frame A 520, while transducer B 550 includes a diaphragm 560 and a frame 570. In transducer A 500, frame A 520 near diaphragm A 510 is substantially planar. In transducer B 550, frame B 570 near diaphragm B 560 is L-shaped, with diaphragm B 560 attached to a small protrusion of frame B 570, and the longer portion of frame B 570 extending rearward. When comparing transducer A 500 and transducer B 550, the L-shaped frame of transducer B 550 allows the diameter of the diaphragm to be maximized within the fixed width of the transducer. Maximizing the diameter of the diaphragm optimizes the power efficiency of generating sound pressure waves because the larger diaphragm is able to displace more air when displacing the same amount as a smaller diaphragm.

[0061] Figure 6A yes Figure 1 A first view 610 of the left audio component 135. As mentioned, the left audio component 135 is an embodiment of the audio component 300. Figure 6A In the illustrated first view 610, the paper is in the XY plane, with the Z axis emerging from the page. Of note, the first end 310 of the elongated body 305 is rotated relative to the second end 315 of the elongated body 305 along the X' axis, which is parallel to the X axis. The first view 610 also illustrates one of the three negative exhaust ports 440 of the negative exhaust assembly 330 and one of the three head-mounted device coupling elements 350 located on the rear chamber 320. The first view 610 also illustrates the positive exhaust port 450 of the positive exhaust assembly 340.

[0062] Figure 6B yes Figure 1 A second view 620 of the left audio component 135. Figure 6B In the second view 620 shown, the paper is in the XZ plane, with the Y axis coming out of the page. From this perspective, the three negative exhaust ports 440 of the negative exhaust assembly 330 are evenly spaced around the rear chamber 320. Similarly, the three headgear coupling elements 350 are evenly spaced around the rear chamber 320. The positive exhaust port 450 is located on the second end 315 of the elongated body 305.

[0063] Figure 6C yes Figure 1 A third view 630 of the left audio component 135. Figure 6CIn the third view 630 shown, the paper is in the XY plane with the Z axis entering the page. From this perspective, one of the three negative drain ports 440 of the negative drain assembly 330 and one of the three head-mounted device coupling elements 350 are shown on the rear chamber 320. From this perspective, the presence of a twist in the elongated body 305 is also apparent; however, unlike Figure 6A Compared to the first view 610 , the positive drain 450 is now obscured.

[0064] Figure 6D yes Figure 1 A fourth view 640 of the left audio component 135. Figure 6D In the fourth view 640 shown, the paper is in the YZ plane, with the X-axis coming out of the page. This perspective looks down at the left audio assembly 135 from the second end 315. From this perspective, one of the three negative exhaust vents 440 of the negative exhaust assembly 330 and one of the three head-mounted device coupling elements 350 are shown on the rear chamber 320. From this perspective, the positive exhaust vent 450 is configured to discharge positive sound pressure waves generally toward the positive Y-axis.

[0065] Figure 6E yes Figure 1 A fifth view 650 of the left audio component 135. Figure 6E In the fifth view 650 shown, the paper is in the YZ plane, with the X axis entering the page. This view looks down at the left audio assembly 135 from the first end 310. From this angle, two of the three negative exhaust ports 440 of the negative exhaust assembly 330 and two of the three head-mounted device coupling elements 350 are shown on the rear chamber 320. From this angle, the positive exhaust port 450 is also obscured.

[0066] Artificial reality system environment

[0067] Figure 7 7 is a system environment of an artificial reality system 700 including a head mounted device according to one or more embodiments. The system 700 can operate in an artificial reality context (e.g., a virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality context, or some combination thereof). Figure 7 The illustrated system 700 includes a head mounted device 705 and may additionally include other input / output (I / O) devices (not shown) that may be coupled to a console 710. The head mounted device 100 is one embodiment of the head mounted device 705. Although Figure 7 An example system 700 is shown that includes one head mounted device 705, but in other embodiments, any number of additional components may be included in the system 700. In alternative configurations, different and / or additional components may be included in the system 700. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the system 700 may include a plurality of head mounted devices 705. Figure 7The functionality described by one or more of the components shown may be combined with Figure 7 The described methods are distributed among the components in different ways. For example, some or all of the functions of the console 710 can be integrated into the head mounted device 705.

[0068] The head mounted device 705 presents content to the user. The head mounted device 705 may be an eyewear device, a head mounted display, earbuds, headphones, or another type of device placed on the head. In some embodiments, the presented content includes audio content via the audio system 715, visual content via the display system 720, and haptic feedback from one or more haptic feedback devices (not shown). Figure 7 In some embodiments, the head-mounted device 705 presents virtual content to the user that is based in part on depth information of a real local area surrounding the head-mounted device 705. For example, a user wearing the head-mounted device 705 can be physically in a room, and virtual walls and a virtual floor corresponding to the walls and floor in the room are rendered as part of the virtual content presented by the head-mounted device 705. In another example, a virtual character or virtual scene can be rendered by the head-mounted device 705 as an augmentation to the view of the real world.

[0069] The head mounted device 705 includes an audio system 715, a display system 720, a depth estimation system 725, a position sensor 730, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 735. Some embodiments of the head mounted device 705 have Figure 7 In addition, in other embodiments, by combining Figure 7 The functionality provided by the various components described may be distributed differently among the components of the head-mounted device 705, or may be captured in separate components remote from the head-mounted device 705. In one or more examples, the head-mounted device 705 includes an eye tracking system, a haptic feedback system, one or more light sources (e.g., for structured illumination), and the like.

[0070] Audio system 715 presents audio content to the user of headset 705. The audio content can be provided by console 710 for presentation by headset 705. Audio system 715 includes one or more audio components that generate sound pressure waves, which constitute the audio content provided to the user of headset 705. The audio components can be embodiments of audio component 300 (e.g., one or more audio components coupled to each ear of the user). The audio components are configured as dipole speakers that emit positive and negative sound pressure waves. At least one of the audio components includes an elongated body (which includes an audio waveguide), a negative exhaust assembly, a positive exhaust assembly, and a transducer. The negative exhaust assembly is coupled to the elongated body and includes at least one negative exhaust port that exhausts negative sound pressure waves generated by a rear surface of a transducer coupled to a first end of the audio waveguide within the elongated body. The positive exhaust assembly is part of the elongated body and coupled to a second, opposite end of the audio waveguide. The positive vent assembly includes at least one positive vent that vents positive sound pressure waves generated by the front surface of the transducer. The emitted sound pressure waves from the negative and positive vent assemblies travel through free space to the user's ears, where they are perceived as at least a portion of the audio content. In other embodiments, the audio system 715 incorporates other types of audio components that can provide certain portions of the audio content, such as via bone conduction.

[0071] The following process illustrates how audio components provide audio content. The audio system 715 obtains audio content to be provided to a user. The audio system 715 identifies one or more of the audio components to indicate that at least a portion of the audio content is to be provided. Each designated audio component drives the transducer of the audio component to generate a positive sound pressure wave from the front surface of the transducer and a negative sound pressure wave from the rear surface of the transducer. The positive sound pressure wave propagates along the audio waveguide and is discharged into free space by the positive discharge component. The negative sound pressure wave fills a rear chamber connected to the rear side of the transducer and is discharged into free space by the negative discharge component. The user's ear detects the discharged positive sound pressure wave from the positive discharge component, whereby the user perceives the audio content. By placing the positive discharge component closer to the user's ear than the negative discharge component, a dipole is generated between the discharged positive sound pressure wave and the discharged negative sound pressure wave, which can improve bass response in the low frequencies compared to traditional monopole audio speakers.

[0072] The display system 720 presents visual content to the user of the head-mounted device 705. The presented visual content may take into account the depth information determined by the depth estimation system 725. The display system 720 may include an electronic display and an optical block. The electronic display displays 2D or 3D images to the user based on data received from the console 710. In various embodiments, the electronic display includes a single electronic display or multiple electronic displays (e.g., a display for each eye of the user). Examples of electronic displays include a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, an active matrix organic light emitting diode display (AMOLED), a waveguide display, some other display, or some combination thereof.

[0073] The optical block amplifies image light received from the electronic display, corrects optical errors associated with the image light, and presents the corrected image light to the user of the head-mounted device 705. In various embodiments, the optical block includes one or more optical elements. Example optical elements included in the optical block include: a waveguide, an aperture, a Fresnel lens, a convex lens, a concave lens, a filter, a reflective surface, or any other suitable optical element that affects the image light. In addition, the optical block can include a combination of different optical elements. In some embodiments, one or more optical elements in the optical block can have one or more coatings, such as a partially reflective coating or an anti-reflective coating.

[0074] The magnification and focusing of image light by the optical block allows the electronic display to be physically smaller, lighter, and consume less power than larger displays. Additionally, the magnification can increase the field of view of the content presented by the electronic display. For example, the field of view of the displayed content can be such that the displayed content is presented using substantially all of the user's field of view (e.g., approximately 110 degrees diagonally), and in some cases, all of the user's field of view. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the amount of magnification can be adjusted by adding or removing optical elements.

[0075] In some embodiments, the optical block can be designed to correct for one or more types of optical errors. Examples of optical errors include barrel or pincushion distortion, longitudinal chromatic aberration, or lateral chromatic aberration. Other types of optical errors may also include spherical aberration, chromatic aberration, or errors due to lens field curvature, astigmatism, or any other type of optical error. In some embodiments, content provided to the electronic display for display is pre-distorted, and when the optical block receives image light generated based on the content from the electronic display, the optical block corrects the distortion.

[0076] The depth estimation system 725 determines depth information of the environment surrounding the head-mounted device 705. The depth information may include a depth map of the environment at a moment in time. The depth estimation system 725 includes two or more cameras (e.g., camera 115, camera 120, camera 125, and camera 130) and a controller. The cameras capture images of the environment with overlapping fields of view. Using the captured images, the depth estimation system 725 may use any of a number of imaging analysis techniques to determine correspondence between the captured images that can be used for depth estimation. In other embodiments, the depth estimation system 725 evaluates other data received by other components of the head-mounted device 705 to determine depth information, such as movement. For example, the head-mounted device 705 may include a proximity sensor, which may also be used alone or in combination with the captured images to determine depth information. The depth information determined by the depth estimation system 725 may be used to improve the content presented by the head-mounted device 705.

[0077] IMU 735 is an electronic device that generates data indicating the position of head-mounted device 705 based on measurement signals received from one or more position sensors 730. Position sensor 730 generates one or more measurement signals in response to movement of head-mounted device 705. Examples of position sensor 730 include one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, one or more magnetometers, another suitable type of sensor that detects movement, a type of sensor used for error correction of IMU 735, or some combination thereof. Position sensor 730 can be located external to IMU 735, internal to IMU 735, or some combination thereof.

[0078] Based on one or more measurement signals from one or more position sensors 730, the IMU 735 generates head-tracking data indicating an estimated current position of the head-mounted device 705 relative to an initial position of the head-mounted device 705. For example, the position sensors 730 include multiple accelerometers for measuring translational motion (forward / backward, up / down, left / right) and multiple gyroscopes for measuring rotational motion (e.g., pitch, yaw, and roll). In some embodiments, the IMU 735 rapidly samples the measurement signals and calculates the estimated current position of the head-mounted device 705 based on the sampled data. For example, the IMU 735 integrates the measurement signals received from the accelerometers over time to estimate a velocity vector, and integrates the velocity vector over time to determine the estimated current position of a reference point on the head-mounted device 705. Alternatively, the IMU 735 provides the sampled measurement signals to the console 710, which parses the head-tracking data to reduce errors. A reference point is a point that can be used to describe the position of the headset 705. A reference point can generally be defined as a point or position in space that is related to the orientation and position of the headset 505.

[0079] The console 710 provides content to the head mounted device 705 for processing based on information received from the head mounted device 705. Figure 7 In the example shown, the console 710 includes an application store 745, a tracking module 750, and an engine 740. Some embodiments of the console 710 have Figure 7 Similarly, the functions described further below may be implemented in different ways in combination with the modules or components described above. Figure 7 The described approach is distributed among the components of console 710 .

[0080] Application storage 745 stores one or more applications for execution by console 710. An application is a set of instructions that, when executed by the processor, generates content for presentation to the user. The content generated by the application can be responsive to input received from the user via movement of the head-mounted device 705 or via input / output devices. Examples of applications include gaming applications, conferencing applications, video playback applications, or other suitable applications.

[0081] The tracking module 750 calibrates the system environment using one or more calibration parameters and may adjust the one or more calibration parameters to reduce errors in the determination of the position of the head mounted device 705. The calibration performed by the tracking module 750 also takes into account information received from the IMU 735 in the head mounted device 705. In addition, if tracking of the head mounted device 705 is lost, the tracking module 750 may recalibrate some or all of the system environment.

[0082] The tracking module 750 uses information from one or more position sensors 730, the IMU 735, or some combination thereof to track the movement of the headset 705 as head tracking data. For example, the tracking module 750 determines the position of a reference point of the headset 705 in a map of the local area based on the information from the headset 705. In addition, in some embodiments, the tracking module 750 can use part of the information to predict the future position of the headset 705. The tracking module 750 provides the head tracking data, including the estimated and / or predicted future position of the headset 705, to the engine 740.

[0083] Engine 740 also executes applications within the system environment and receives depth information from depth estimation system 725, and receives position information, acceleration information, velocity information, predicted future position, or some combination thereof, of head-mounted device 705 from tracking module 750. Based on the received information, engine 740 determines content to be provided to head-mounted device 705 for presentation to the user. For example, if the received information indicates that the user is looking left, engine 740 generates content for head-mounted device 705 that reflects the user's movement within a virtual environment or within an environment that augments a local area with additional content. Furthermore, engine 740 performs actions within applications executed on console 710 in response to any input received from head-mounted device 705, and provides feedback to the user that the actions were performed. The provided feedback may be visually visible via head-mounted device 705. In response, engine 740 may perform one or more actions in the command and / or generate subsequent content to be provided to head-mounted device 705 based on the command.

[0084] Additional configuration information

[0085] The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present disclosure is presented for illustrative purposes; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Those skilled in the relevant art can recognize that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure.

[0086] Some parts of this description describe embodiments of the present disclosure from the perspective of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on information. Those skilled in the art of data processing typically use these algorithmic descriptions and representations to effectively convey the essence of their work to other persons skilled in the art. Although these operations are described functionally, computationally, or logically, it should be understood that they will be implemented by computer programs or equivalent circuits, microcodes, etc. In addition, it is sometimes convenient to view these arrangements of operations as modules without loss of generality. The described operations and their associated modules can be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof.

[0087] Any steps, operations, or processes described herein may be performed or implemented using one or more hardware or software modules, either alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, the software modules are implemented using a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code that can be executed by a computer processor to perform any or all of the steps, operations, or processes described.

[0088] Embodiments of the present disclosure may also relate to an apparatus for performing the operations described herein. The apparatus may be specially constructed for the desired purpose, and / or it may comprise a general-purpose computing device selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in a computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage medium, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions, which may be connected to a computer system bus. In addition, any computing system mentioned in the specification may include a single processor, or may be an architecture that employs multiple processor designs to increase computing power.

[0089] Embodiments of the present disclosure may also relate to products produced by the computing processes described herein. Such products may include information obtained from the computing processes, wherein the information is stored on a non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage medium and may include any embodiment of a computer program product or other data combination described herein.

[0090] Finally, the language used in the specification is selected primarily for readability and instructional purposes, and may not be selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the disclosure be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based thereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments is intended to be illustrative, not limiting, of the scope of the disclosure, which is set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. An audio component comprising: an elongated body comprising an audio waveguide having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a transducer including a diaphragm coupled to the elongated body at a first end of the audio waveguide and configured to generate positive acoustic pressure waves from a front surface of the transducer and negative acoustic pressure waves from a rear surface of the diaphragm, the front surface being opposite the rear surface; a negative exhaust assembly coupled to the diaphragm, the negative exhaust assembly including at least one negative exhaust port for exhausting negative sound pressure waves generated by a rear surface of the diaphragm; and a positive exhaust assembly that is part of the elongated body and coupled to the second end of the audio waveguide, the positive exhaust assembly including at least one positive exhaust port for exhausting the positive acoustic pressure wave; wherein the elongated body comprises a top portion of the elongated body and a bottom portion of the elongated body, the positive discharge port comprises an opening on the bottom portion of the elongated body, the at least one negative discharge port comprises an opening on the bottom portion of the elongated body, and the positive discharge component is configured to be closer to the user's ear than the negative discharge component.

2. The audio component of claim 1, wherein The elongated body has a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side being oriented toward an ear of a user, and wherein the positive drain port of the positive drain assembly is located on the first side of the elongated body.

3. The audio component of claim 2, wherein: The positive discharge port of the positive discharge assembly is a slit.

4. The audio component of claim 2, wherein: The rear surface of the transducer is a rear surface of the diaphragm, the front surface of the transducer is a front surface of the diaphragm, and wherein the diaphragm is substantially parallel to the first side of the elongated body.

5. The audio assembly of claim 2, further comprising: a cover removably coupled to the second side of the elongated body, the cover covering the second side of the elongated body when the cover is coupled to the second side of the elongated body; as well as A strap is removably coupled to the cover, the strap being configured to retain the audio assembly on the user's head.

6. The audio component of claim 1, wherein The elongated body has a twist portion that rotates the first end of the audio waveguide relative to the second end of the audio waveguide.

7. The audio assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: a rear chamber formed in the bottom portion of the elongated body, The negative discharge port of the negative discharge component is located on the rear chamber, and discharges the negative sound pressure wave from the rear chamber.

8. The audio assembly of claim 7, further comprising: One or more head-mounted device coupling elements are located on the rear chamber, and the one or more head-mounted device coupling elements removably couple the audio component to a head-mounted device.

9. The audio component of claim 1, wherein: The audio waveguide includes one or more supports positioned within the audio waveguide, wherein the supports provide structural support to the audio waveguide.

10. The audio component of claim 1, wherein The transducer includes a diaphragm and a frame perpendicular to the diaphragm, the rear surface of the transducer is the rear surface of the diaphragm, the front surface of the transducer is the front surface of the diaphragm, and the diaphragm is coupled to a protrusion of the frame.

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