Evanescent Wave Audio Transducer for Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Head-mounted display systems with integrated audio reproduction devices often compromise comfort and privacy due to audio leakage, where sound travels away from the wearer and can be bothersome or intrusive to others nearby, posing a privacy threat.
Innovation Solution
The creation of evanescent audio waves by audio transducers, which decay exponentially with distance, is achieved through phase shifting and polarity control of audio signals, allowing the audio to be concentrated near the wearer's ears while minimizing leakage to others.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional audio transducers are used to reproduce audio for the wearer, then the audio experience is comfortable and immersive for the wearer, but the audio leaks to others nearby causing discomfort and privacy concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating evanescent acoustic waves that have different propagation characteristics in different spatial directions. The acoustic energy is concentrated locally near the wearer's ears while decaying exponentially in other directions, thus providing comfortable audio to the wearer while minimizing leakage to others nearby.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of acoustic wave propagation by generating evanescent waves instead of traditional propagating waves. This parameter change results in exponential decay of acoustic energy with distance, fundamentally altering how sound travels from the transducer to achieve both wearer comfort and privacy protection.
2Reliability
If audio transducers generate sound waves that travel away from the wearer, then the audio can be heard clearly by the wearer, but it creates privacy threats and discomfort for others near the wearer
Solution Approach 1:
The evanescent acoustic waves create a localized sound field that maintains high acoustic energy density near the wearer's ears for clear audio perception, while the exponential decay with distance naturally confines the audio information to the local region, preventing privacy leakage to others nearby.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the typically harmful effect of acoustic wave propagation into a beneficial privacy protection mechanism. By designing the waves to decay exponentially with distance, the natural propagation characteristic that could cause audio leakage is transformed into the very mechanism that protects audio privacy while maintaining clarity for the wearer.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides a private and comfortable audio experience for the wearer by reducing audio bleed, maintaining acceptable sound levels for the wearer while significantly lowering the sound levels perceived by others nearby.
Implementation Method 1
the audio transducer generates evanescent wave audio signals in proximity to a wearer's ear. The evanescent wave audio signals may decay in strength with distance from the at least one audio transducer.
Data Source
AI summary
A system may include at least one audio transducer and a controller. The controller may generate at least one actuation signal. The at least one actuation signal may drive the at least one audio transducer such that the at least one audio transducer generates evanescent wave audio signals in proximity to a wearer's ear. The evanescent wave audio signals may decay in strength with distance from the at least one audio transducer. Various other apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.