On the last Granted Patent Day of the year, Apple won 62 Patents covering Spatial Audio, Folded Zoom Cameras & more - Patently Apple

1 year ago 69

Today, the past granted patent time successful 2022, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a bid of 62 recently granted patents for Apple Inc. In this peculiar study we screen a cardinal Spatial Audio patent and links to 4 camera patents. And arsenic always, we wrapper up this week's granted patent study with our accepted listing of the remaining granted patents that were issued to Apple today.

Spatial Audio Downmixing

Apple was granted a patent contiguous that relates to computerized information processing systems and methods for audio processing, and successful peculiar to spatial audio processing.

More specifically, the patent covers 'Spatial Audio Downmixing' and the hardware it volition beryllium disposable on. Spatial Audio volition beryllium supported connected aboriginal HDTVs and Streaming Services similar Apple TV+ via MPEG-H and/or 'Higher-Order Ambisonics.'

Apple's patent inheritance notes that producing three-dimensional (3D) dependable effects successful augmented world (AR), virtual world (VR), and mixed world (MR) encompassed by the word "simulated reality" oregon SR, applications is commonly utilized to heighten media content.

For example, dependable designers adhd 3D dependable effects by manipulating sounds contained successful spatial audio objects to heighten a country successful an SR application, wherever the sounds are ambient sounds and/or discrete sounds that tin beryllium virtually located for playback by the spatial audio strategy anyplace successful the virtual 3D abstraction created by the SR application.

A caput mounted strategy whitethorn beryllium designed to person an outer show (e.g., a smartphone). The caput mounted strategy whitethorn person imaging sensor(s) and/or microphones for taking images/video and/or capturing audio of the carnal setting, respectively.

Other examples of SR systems see heads up displays, automotive windshields with the quality to show graphics, windows with the quality to show graphics, lenses with the quality to show graphics, headphones oregon earphones, talker arrangements, input mechanisms (e.g., controllers having oregon not having haptic feedback), tablets, smartphones, and desktop oregon laptop computers.

In 1 embodiment the audio information successful which the dependable is recorded oregon encoded is stored arsenic a spatial audio entity that preserves spatial characteristics of 1 oregon much recorded sounds.

In different embodiment, the spatial audio entity contains respective channels of audio information representing the 1 oregon much recorded sounds, each transmission being associated with immoderate 1 oregon much of a absorption and a determination (distance), e.g. of a root of the recorded sound.

Apple's patent FIG. 4 illustrates the spatial dependable preview process successful further detail. In 1 embodiment, a composed spatial audio entity #404, specified arsenic the combined forest/waterfall ambient sounds that is presented successful FIG. 1 further below.

(Click connected representation to Enlarge)

Further to FIG. 4, Apple notes that the spatial dependable preview idiosyncratic interface #406 generates (operation #408) a visualized spatial dependable entity #206 (see FIG. 2 below), specified arsenic a virtual globe (e.g., sphere, bubble, cube, polyhedron, etc.) successful effect to a petition (e.g., from the user) to preview the dependable represented successful the composed spatial audio entity #404.

In the illustration of FIG. 4, the entity is simply a virtual sphere having a cardinal root from which each of the spatial sounds represented by the antithetic triangles volition emanate.

In different words, each triangle whitethorn correspond a loudspeaker (acoustic output transducer) that is pointed outward and placed astatine the aforesaid determination (the cardinal root of the virtual sphere).

Apple's patent FIG. 1 beneath is simply a artifact diagram illustrating an overview of spatial dependable usage successful SR environments; FIG. 2 is simply a artifact diagram illustrating a spatial dependable preview.

For much details, reappraisal Apple's granted patent US 11540081 B2.

Apple Inventors

Chris Eubank: Engineering Manager, Audio

Matt Connolly: Software Engineer (background successful audio)

Stephen Pinto: No LinkedIn Profile was found

Camera Related Patents

Apple was besides granted a bid of 4 camera related patents today. Links to these patents are presented below:

One: Folded Optics Camera And Actuator Assembly

Two: Folded Camera

Apple's patent FIG. 1 beneath representing the '864 patent illustrates a simplified presumption of a folded optics statement camera and shows however airy is bent wrong the folded optics; Apple's patent FIG. 6 beneath representing patent '936 illustrates a cross-sectional illustration of a folded camera with 5 refractive lens elements successful the lens system.