# US 11,445,288 B2 · Artificial-reality devices with display-mounted transducers for audio playback > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,445,288 B2 - Document ID: US11445288B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/127,674 - Filed: 2020-12-18 - Published: 2021-05-20 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2019-05-17 - Assignees: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Morteza Khaleghimeybodi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11445288B2 ## CPC - H04R 1/1075: {Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones} - G02B 27/017: {Head mounted} - H04R 5/02: Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers - H04S 1/002: {Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution (control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field H04S7/30)} - H04S 7/304: {For headphones} - G02B 2027/0138: {comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera} - G02B 2027/0178: {Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C)} - H04R 1/406: {microphones} - H04R 5/027: Spatial or constructional arrangements of microphones, e.g. in dummy heads - H04R 2460/13: Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers - H04R 2499/15: Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops - H04S 2400/15: Aspects of sound capture and related signal processing for recording or reproduction - H04S 2420/01: Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD] - H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K) - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - H04S: STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS ## Abstract An artificial-reality device for audio playback is provided. The artificial-reality device includes: (i) a head-mounted display including at least one lens, and (ii) one or more transducers, coupled to the head-mounted display. The transducers are configured to generate signals that vibrate the at least one lens of the head-mounted display. The at least one lens generates acoustic waves that correspond to media presented by the head-mounted display when vibrated by the one or more transducers. In some embodiments, the head-mounted display further includes a frame, and at least one transducer of the one or more transducers is coupled to the frame of the head-mounted display. In some embodiments, at least one transducer of the one or more transducers is coupled to the at least one lens of the head-mounted display. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An artificial-reality device comprising: a head-mounted display including at least one lens; and one or more transducers, coupled to the head-mounted display, configured to generate signals within a frequency range such that the signals generated by the one or more transducers vibrate the at least one lens of the head-mounted display within the frequency range, wherein: at least one transducer of the one or more transducers is coupled to the at least one lens of the head-mounted display and is positioned along an edge of the at least one lens; the at least one lens generates acoustic waves that correspond to media presented by the head-mounted display when vibrated by the one or more transducers; and a user of the artificial-reality device cannot visually perceive the vibration of the at least one lens at frequencies within the frequency range. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The artificial-reality device of claim 1, wherein: the head-mounted display further includes a frame; and at least one transducer of the one or more transducers is coupled to the frame of the head-mounted display. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The artificial-reality device of claim 2, wherein another transducer of the one or more transducers is coupled to the at least one lens of the head-mounted display. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The artificial-reality device of claim 1, wherein the at least one transducer is positioned in a user's line of sight. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The artificial-reality device of claim 1, wherein: the at least one lens is a first lens; the head-mounted display further includes a second lens; the one or more transducers are further configured to generate signals that vibrate the second lens; and the second lens generates acoustic waves that correspond to the media presented by the head-mounted display when vibrated by the one or more transducers. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The artificial-reality device of claim 5, wherein at least one of the acoustic waves generated by the first lens constructively interferes with at least one of the acoustic waves generated by the second lens at a location near one of a user's ears. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The artificial-reality device of claim 5, wherein a first transducer of the one or more transducers is coupled to the first lens and a second transducer of the one or more transducers is coupled to the second lens. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The artificial-reality device of claim 1, wherein the head-mounted display does not include any other audio generating device in addition to the at least one lens. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The artificial-reality device of claim 1, wherein the frequency range is from 20 Hz to 20 KHz. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The artificial-reality device of claim 1, wherein characteristics of the signals generated by the one or more transducers cause the acoustic waves generated by the at least one lens to be directed towards one or both of the user's ears. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The artificial-reality device of claim 10, wherein values of the characteristics for the signals are determined based on: (i) the media presented by the head-mounted display, (ii) one or more head-related transfer functions (HRTF) computed for a user wearing the head-mounted display, and (iii) characteristics of the at least one lens. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The artificial-reality device of claim 11, wherein the characteristics of the signals include one or more of: (i) frequency, (ii) amplitude, and (iii) phase. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The artificial-reality device of claim 1, wherein: the head-mounted display includes a microphone configured to: (i) receive at least some of the acoustic waves generated by the at least one lens, and (ii) generate audio data based on the receiving; and the one or more transducers are further configured to adjust one or more characteristics of the signals based on the audio data generated by the microphone. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The artificial-reality device of claim 13, wherein adjusting the signals based on the audio data causes the acoustic waves generated by the at least one lens to be focused in a selected direction. ### Claim 15 A method comprising: at an artificial-reality device that includes: (i) a head-mounted display including at least one lens, and (ii) one or more transducers coupled to the head-mounted display: presenting, by the head-mounted display, media for a virtual scene; selecting at least one transducer, from the one or more transducers, based at least in part on audio data for the media, wherein the audio data is associated with a sound source in the virtual scene; and concurrently with the presenting, generating, via the at least one transducer, signals that vibrate the at least one lens of the head-mounted display, wherein the at least one lens generates acoustic waves that correspond to the media presented by the head-mounted display when vibrated by the at least one transducer, wherein the head-mounted display does not include any other audio generating device in addition to the at least one lens. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising, at the artificial-reality device: before generating the signals: determining values of characteristics for the signals generated by the at least one transducer based at least in part on the audio data, wherein the characteristics include one or more of (i) frequency, (ii) amplitude, and (iii) phase.