IP Library Granted Patent US 11,589,182
Granted Patent B2
US 11,589,182 · App. 17/528,473 · Granted Feb 21, 2023

Dual listener positions for mixed reality

Inventor: Anastasia Andreyevna Tajik (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
H04S7/303G02B27/0101G02B27/0172G06T19/006H04R1/403H04R3/12G02B2027/0138H04R2430/20H04R2499/15H04S2400/11H04S2420/01
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,589,182
App. No.
17/528,473
Filed
Nov 17, 2021
Granted
Feb 21, 2023
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2651
USPC
381/310
Abstract

A method of presenting audio comprises: identifying a first ear listener position and a second ear listener position in a mixed reality environment; identifying a first virtual sound source in the mixed reality environment; identifying a first object in the mixed reality environment; determining a first audio signal in the mixed reality environment, wherein the first audio signal originates at the first virtual sound source and intersects the first ear listener position; determining a second audio signal in the mixed reality environment, wherein the second audio signal originates at the first virtual sound source, intersects the first object, and intersects the second ear listener position; determining a third audio signal based on the second audio signal and the first object; presenting, to a first ear of a user, the first audio signal; and presenting, to a second ear of the user, the third audio signal.

Claims (55)

1. A method of presenting audio signals in a mixed reality environment, the method comprising:

identifying a listener position in the mixed reality environment;

identifying a virtual sound source in the mixed reality environment;

identifying an object in the mixed reality environment;

determining a first audio signal in the mixed reality environment, wherein the first audio signal originates at the virtual sound source and intersects the listener position;

determining whether the first audio signal intersects the object;

in accordance with a determination that the first audio signal intersects the object:

determining a second audio signal based on the first audio signal and the object; and

presenting, via a speaker to an ear of a user, the second audio signal; and

in accordance with a determination that the first audio signal does not intersect the object:

forgoing determining the second audio signal; and

presenting, via the speaker to the ear of the user, the first audio signal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the second audio signal based on the first audio signal and the object comprises applying a low-pass filter to the first audio signal according to a parameter, the parameter determined based on the object.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the second audio signal based on the first audio signal and the object comprises applying an attenuation to the first audio signal, wherein a strength of the attenuation is determined based on the object.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the object comprises identifying a real object.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein identifying the real object comprises using a sensor to determine a position of the real object relative to the user in the mixed reality environment.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the sensor comprises a depth camera.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising generating helper data corresponding to the real object.

8. The method of claim 4 , further comprising determining a virtual object corresponding to the real object.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying a second object, wherein the first audio signal intersects the second object and a third audio signal is determined based on the second object.

10. A system comprising:

a wearable head device comprising a speaker; and

one or more processors configured to execute a method comprising:

identifying a listener position in a mixed reality environment;

identifying a virtual sound source in the mixed reality environment;

identifying an object in the mixed reality environment;

determining a first audio signal in the mixed reality environment, wherein the first audio signal originates at the virtual sound source and intersects the listener position;

determining whether the first audio signal intersects the object;

in accordance with a determination that the first audio signal intersects the object:

determining a second audio signal based on the first audio signal and the object; and

presenting, via the speaker to a user of the wearable head device, the second audio signal; and

in accordance with a determination that the first audio signal does not intersect the object:

forgoing determining the second audio signal; and

presenting, via the speaker to the user of the wearable head device, the first audio signal.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein determining the second audio signal based on the first audio signal and the object comprises applying a low-pass filter to the first audio signal according to a parameter, the parameter determined based on the object.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein determining the second audio signal based on the first audio signal and the object comprises applying an attenuation to the first audio signal, wherein a strength of the attenuation is determined based on the object.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein identifying the object comprises identifying a real object.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising a sensor, wherein identifying the real object comprises using the sensor to determine a position of the real object relative to the user in the mixed reality environment.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the sensor comprises a depth camera.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises generating helper data corresponding to the real object.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises determining a virtual object corresponding to the real object.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises identifying a second object, wherein the first audio signal intersects the second object and a third audio signal is determined based on the second object.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to execute a method comprising:

identifying a listener position in the mixed reality environment;

identifying a virtual sound source in the mixed reality environment;

identifying an object in the mixed reality environment;

determining a first audio signal in the mixed reality environment, wherein the first audio signal originates at the virtual sound source and intersects the listener position;

determining whether the first audio signal intersects the object;

in accordance with a determination that the first audio signal intersects the object:

determining a second audio signal based on the first audio signal and the object; and

presenting, via a speaker to an ear of a user, the second audio signal; and

in accordance with a determination that the first audio signal does not intersect the object:

forgoing determining the second audio signal; and

presenting, via the speaker to the ear of the user, the first audio signal.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein determining the second audio signal based on the first audio signal and the object comprises applying an attenuation to the first audio signal, wherein a strength of the attenuation is determined based on the object.

Assignments (3)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 15, 2025
From: MAGIC LEAP, INC.; MENTOR ACQUISITION ONE, LLC; MOLECULAR IMPRINTS, INC.
To: CITIBANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 073109/0476 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 21, 2023
From: TAJIK, ANASTASIA ANDREYEVNA
To: MAGIC LEAP, INC.
Reel/Frame 064341/0019 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 24, 2022
From: MOLECULAR IMPRINTS, INC.; MENTOR ACQUISITION ONE, LLC; MAGIC LEAP, INC.
To: CITIBANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 060338/0665 →