BT and BCC communication for wireless earbuds

• US 10,091,572 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2017
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Rodzevski, Aleksandar, Midholt, Magnus
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Suthers, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US15/703,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20180007462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• Field of Search: 381 74, 381 231, 381151
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

Devices and methods for controlling the functionality of a pair of earbuds. The first earbud establishes a connection between the first earbud and an electronic device, searches for the second earbud of the pair of earbuds using Body Coupled Communication, BCC, and sends a signal from the first earbud to the electronic device including information defining whether the first earbud detected the second earbud during the search. The electronic device receives a signal from the at least one of the earbuds, the signal comprising information defining whether the earbud has detected the other earbud of the pair of earbuds using Body Coupled Communication, BCC, and sends a signal to the at least one earbud wherein the signal is controlled based on the received signal and includes information associated with controlling the functionality of the pair of earbuds.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a functionality of a pair of earbuds including a first earbud and a second earbud, wherein each earbud is wirelessly connectable to an electronic device and to each other, the method comprising:

establishing a connection between the first earbud and an electronic device;

receiving an audio signal in the first earbud from the electronic device;

sending audio channel data, based on the received audio signal, from the first earbud to the second earbud; and

switching from receiving the audio channel data in the second earbud from the first earbud to receiving the audio signal in the second earbud from the electronic device, responsive to detecting a predetermined use event.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined use event comprises detection that a battery power level of the first earbud is below a prescribed threshold level.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined use event comprises detection of a lost connection between the first earbud and the second earbud.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined use event comprises detection of a lost contact between the first earbud and the body of a user of the pair of earbuds.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

searching, by the first earbud, for the second earbud using Body Coupled Communication (BCC); and

sending a signal from the first earbud to the electronic device, the signal comprising information defining whether the first earbud detected the second earbud during the search.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein establishing a connection between the first earbud and an electronic device comprises using at least one of a Bluetooth connection or BCC connection to establish the connection.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising detecting, using a body recognizing sensor, direct contact between the first earbud and the body of a user of the first earbud.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the earbud that first detects contact is the first earbud.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from one of the first earbud or the second earbud by the electronic device, a signal comprising information associated with the functionality of the pair of earbuds; and

controlling the functionality of the pair of earbuds based on the received signal from the electronic device.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the functionality of the pair of earbuds comprises that the first earbud receives a stereo audio signal, decodes the signal into two channels of which one sent to a speaker in the first earbud and the other is sent to the second earbud.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the functionality of the pair of earbuds comprises that the first earbud or second earbud reproduces sound from a received signal in mono.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the functionality of the pair of earbuds comprises that the first earbud receives a mono audio signal and sends it to a speaker in the first earbud and the second earbud converts sound into a signal that is sent to the first earbud, the first earbud sends the signal on to the electronic device, whereby the first and the second earbud forms a headset.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the functionality of the pair of earbuds comprises that the second earbud receives a mono audio signal and sends it to a speaker in the second earbud and the first earbud converts sound into a signal that is sent to the second earbud, the second earbud sends the signal on to the electronic device, whereby the first and the second earbud forms a headset.

14. A method performed in an electronic device, for controlling the functionality of a pair of earbuds, wherein each earbud of the pair of earbuds is wirelessly connectable to the electronic device and to each other, the method comprising:

establishing a connection between the electronic device and a first earbud of the pair of earbuds;

receiving, in the electronic device, a signal from the first earbud identifying a second earbud of the pair of earbuds;

sending an audio signal to the first earbud; and

switching from sending the audio signal to the first earbud from the electronic device to sending the audio signal to the second earbud from the electronic device, responsive to detecting a predetermined use event.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said predetermined use event comprises detection that a battery power level of the first earbud is below a prescribed threshold level.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein said predetermined use event comprises detection of a lost connection between the first earbud and the second earbud.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein said predetermined use event comprises detection of a lost connection between the first earbud and the body of a user of the pair of earbuds.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the signal identifying the second earbud comprises information defining whether the first earbud has detected the second earbud using Body Coupled Communication (BCC);

the method further comprising sending a signal to at least one earbud wherein the signal is controlled based on the received signal and comprises information associated with controlling the functionality of the pair of earbuds.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the information associated with the functionality of the pair of earbuds comprises instructions to set the functionality of the first earbud and the second earbud to reproduce sound from a signal in stereo.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein the information associated with the functionality of the pair of earbuds comprises instructions to set the functionality of the first earbud or second earbud to reproduce sound from a received signal in mono.

21. The method according to claim 14, wherein the information associated with the functionality of the pair of earbuds comprises instructions to set the functionality of the first earbud to reproduce sound from a received signal in mono and of the second earbud to convert sound into a signal that is sent to the electronic device, whereby the first and the second earbud forms a headset.

22. The method according to claim 14, wherein the information associated with the functionality of the pair of earbuds comprises instructions to set the functionality of the second earbud to reproduce sound from a received signal in mono and of the first earbud to convert sound into a signal that is sent to the electronic device, whereby the first and the second earbud forms a headset.

23. A first earbud of a pair of wireless earbuds, for controlling the functionality of the pair of earbuds, wherein the pair of earbuds comprises the first earbud and a second earbud which are each wirelessly connectable to an electronic device and to each other, the first earbud comprising:

communication circuitry for short distance communication; and

processing circuitry configured to;

establish a connection, using the communication circuitry, between the first earbud and an electronic device;

receive an audio signal in the first earbud from the electronic device;

send audio channel data, based on the received audio signal, to the second earbud; and

handover receiving the audio channel data from the first earbud to the second earbud to receiving the audio signal from the electronic device to the second earbud, responsive to detecting a predetermined use event.

24. The first earbud according to claim 23, wherein said predetermined use event comprises detection that a battery power level of the first earbud is below a prescribed threshold level.

25. The first earbud according to claim 23, wherein said predetermined use event comprises detection of a lost connection between the first earbud and the second earbud.

26. The first earbud according to claim 23, wherein said predetermined use event comprises detection of a lost connection between the first earbud and the body of the user of the pair of earbuds.

27. The first earbud according to claim 23, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:

search for the second earbud of the pair of earbuds using Body Coupled Communication (BCC) of the communication circuitry; and

send a signal, using the communication circuitry, from the first earbud to the electronic device, the signal comprising information defining whether the first earbud detected the second earbud during the search.

28. The first earbud according to claim 23, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:

receive from the electronic device, a signal, using the communication circuitry, comprising information associated with the functionality of the pair of earbuds; and

control the functionality of the pair of earbuds based on the received signal from the electronic device.

29. An electronic device, for controlling the functionality of a pair of earbuds, wherein the pair of earbuds comprises a first earbud and a second earbud which are each wirelessly connectable to the electronic device and to each other, the electronic device comprising:

communication circuitry for short distance communication; and

processing circuitry configured to;

establish a connection between the electronic device and the first earbud;

receive, in the electronic device, a signal from the first earbud identifying the second earbud;

send an audio signal to the first earbud; and

switch from sending the audio signal to the first earbud from the electronic device to sending the audio signal to the second earbud from the electronic device, responsive to detecting a predetermined use event.

30. The electronic device according to claim 29, wherein said predetermined use event comprises detection of a battery power level of the first earbud being below a prescribed threshold level.

31. The electronic device according to claim 29, wherein said predetermined use event comprises detection of a lost connection between the first earbud and the second earbud.

32. The electronic device according to claim 29, wherein said predetermined use event comprises detection of a lost contact between the first earbud and the body of a user of the pair of earbuds.