Apple has been awarded a patent for a multimodal audio system for head-mounted display (HMD) devices, projecting sound to a user and reducing ambient noise from the surrounding environment in a tailor-made configuration.
The patent proposes using an audio component that includes a first port through which sound is projected to a user during operation in a first audio mode, using a second port through which sound is projected to a user during operations in a second audio mode.
An insulator, positioned along an acoustic path between first port [intra-aural] and second port [extra-aural], is configured to inhibit sound projection along the acoustic path between the first and second port.
The insulator is configured to inhibit sound projection along the acoustic path by isolating the first port from the second, using an earpiece configured to engage the audio component to an ear of the user, delivering sound from the audio component with reduced ambient noise from the surrounding environment.
The patent describes: “in situations or settings where privacy is a concern, the ability to choose between an intra-aural experience and an extra-aural experience may be advantageous in that it gives the user options and greater control over system operation.
“The present disclosure addresses these concerns by providing a display system that allows the user to select between a variety of audio modes to customise their experience.”