Swapping roles between untethered wirelessly connected devices

• US 10,142,750 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hariharan, Sriram, Ganapathi Batta, Ganesha Adkasthala, Dreier, Tad J., Wiebe, Christopher S., Saulsbury, Ashley N., Phan, Duy N., Shaw, David J., Watson, Robert D., Prats, Augustin
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Con P
• Application Number:
  US15/136,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20170311105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 381 58, 381 74, 381380, 381374, 455 412, 4555691
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1025 Accumulators or arrangements for charging secondary cells per se H01M10/00; charging in general H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/03 Connection circuits to selectively connect loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/05 Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/17 Hearing device specific tools used for storing or handling hearing devices or parts thereof, e.g. placement in the ear, replacement of cerumen barriers, repair, cleaning hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for performing a role swapping operation between a pair of non-tethered wireless ear buds after detecting a triggering event. Further, state information can be coordinated between devices, including in connection with performing a role swap between buds in a pair of wireless, untethered ear buds, where one wireless ear bud is in a primary role and is responsible for a connection with a companion device, and another wireless ear bud in the pair is in a secondary role.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

by a first wireless ear bud;

establishing, between the first wireless ear bud and a companion device, a wireless connection for communicating audio data between the companion device and the first wireless ear bud, wherein the wireless connection utilizes a first communication protocol for transferring asynchronous session data and a second communication protocol for transferring synchronous session data;

creating an additional wireless connection between the first wireless ear bud and a second wireless ear bud;

assigning the first wireless ear bud to a primary role;

detecting a triggering event; and

initiating a role swap responsive to the triggering event, the role swap comprising;

requesting the companion device to temporarily stop transmitting at least a portion of the audio data when utilizing the first communication protocol for transferring the audio data as asynchronous session data, but allowing the companion device to continue transmitting the synchronous session data when utilizing the second communication protocol;

transmitting state information from the first wireless ear bud to the second wireless ear bud;

replacing the first wireless ear bud with the second wireless ear bud in the established wireless connection;

assigning the second wireless ear bud to the primary role; and

requesting the companion device to transmit the at least a portion of the audio data to the second wireless ear bud utilizing the first communication protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating an additional wireless connection between the first wireless ear bud and the second wireless ear bud comprises exchanging device addresses.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the assigning to the second wireless ear bud the primary role comprises causing the second wireless ear bud to use a device address associated with the first wireless ear bud.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the device address associated with the first wireless ear bud comprises a media access control (MAC) address associated with the first wireless ear bud.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

by the first wireless ear bud;

detecting the triggering event by at least detecting that a battery level of the first wireless ear bud is below a predetermined value.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

by the first wireless ear bud;

detecting the triggering event by at least determining a status change of the first wireless ear bud from a worn status to a not worn status.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining the status change of the first ear bud from the worn status to the not worn status comprises detecting that the first wireless ear bud is removed from an ear.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

by the first wireless ear bud;

after detecting the triggering event, determining that the first wireless ear bud is streaming music from the companion device;

receiving, from the companion device, a signal that indicates a forthcoming break in the streaming music; and

waiting for the forthcoming break before requesting the companion device to temporarily stop transmitting the at least a portion of the audio data.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

by the first wireless ear bud;

requesting that the companion device examine an audio signal to determine the forthcoming break in the streaming music.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

by the first wireless ear bud;

waiting to initiate the role swap, after detecting the triggering event, when the first wireless ear bud and/or the second wireless ear bud is performing an automatic wireless connection process, until the automatic wireless connection process is complete.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an asynchronous connection-less (ACL) link and the second communication protocol comprises a synchronous connection-oriented (SCO) link.

12. A wireless audio device comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium have instructions stored thereon, the instructions when executed by a processor are effective to cause the wireless audio device to;

establish a wireless connection between the wireless audio device and a companion device, wherein the wireless audio device assumes a primary role, and wherein the wireless connection utilizes a first communication protocol for transferring asynchronous session data and a second communication protocol for transferring synchronous session data;

create an additional wireless connection between the wireless audio device and a second wireless audio device;

detect a triggering event;

and

initiate a role swap responsive to the triggering event;

wherein the role swap comprises;

requesting the companion device to temporarily stop transmitting over the wireless connection between the wireless audio device and the companion device when utilizing the first communication protocol for transferring the asynchronous session data, but allowing the companion communication device to continue transmitting the synchronous session data over the wireless connection when utilizing the second communication protocol; and

transferring state information to the second wireless audio device, the state information including a device address that can be used by the second wireless audio device to replace the wireless audio device in the established wireless connection with the companion device.

13. The wireless audio device of claim 12, wherein the triggering event comprises a low battery event that occurs when a battery level of the wireless audio device falls below a predetermined percentage.

14. The wireless audio device of claim 12, wherein the wireless audio device further comprises an ear bud having an in-ear detection sensor, and wherein the triggering event comprises detecting an out-of-ear status.

15. The wireless audio device of claim 12, wherein the device address comprises a media access control (MAC) address associated with the first wireless audio device.

16. The wireless audio device of claim 12, wherein the first communication protocol comprises an asynchronous connection-less (ACL) link and the second communication protocol comprises a synchronous connection-oriented (SCO) link.

17. A wireless ear bud comprising:

a communication interface;

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the wireless ear bud to;

establish a wireless connection with a companion device;

receive, from the companion device, a signal indicating that the companion device is connected to an other wireless ear bud configured in a primary role;

in response to receipt of the signal;

stop communicating with the companion device; and

assume a secondary role that includes communicating with the other wireless ear bud;

receive, from the companion device, a second signal indicating that the other wireless ear bud is no longer connected with the companion device;

in response to receipt of the second signal;

assume the primary role that includes communicating with the companion device; and

communicate, to the companion device, an additional device address that indicates the wireless ear bud has assumed the primary role;

receive, from the companion device while in the primary role, audio data;

share the audio data with an additional wireless ear bud;

request that the companion device temporarily stop transmitting at least a portion of the audio data in response to detecting a triggering event;

transmit state information to the additional wireless ear bud to allow the additional wireless ear bud to connect with the companion device and assume the primary role; and

request that the companion device transmit the at least a portion of the audio data to the additional wireless ear bud.

18. The wireless ear bud of claim 17, wherein:

communication between the companion device and the wireless ear bud comprises a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol, and

execution of the instructions further causes the wireless ear bud to request that the companion device temporarily stop transmitting data over the first communication protocol while continuing to transmit data using the second communication protocol.

19. The wireless ear bud of claim 17, wherein the detecting the triggering event comprises one or more of:

detecting when a battery level of the wireless ear bud is below a predetermined value, or

detecting when the wireless ear bud changes a status of being worn to a status of not being worn.

20. The wireless ear bud of claim 17, wherein the additional device address comprises a media access control (MAC) address associated with the other wireless ear bud.