Operation mode switch of wireless headphones

• US 10,200,791 B1
• Filed: 05/29/2018
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bestechnic (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Bestechnic (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Liu, Junhong, Zhang, Liang, Tong, Weifeng, Luo, Fei
• Primary Examiner(s): Gay, Sonia L
• Application Number:
  US15/992,127
• Time in Patent Office: 252 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/107 Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments of wireless audio systems and methods for operation mode switch of wireless headphones are disclosed herein. In one example, a wireless audio system includes a first wireless headphone and a second wireless headphone. The first wireless headphone is configured to establish a first short-range wireless link with an audio source; transmit, to a second wireless headphone, link information associated with the first short-range wireless link; and remove the first short-range wireless link with the audio source in response to the second wireless headphone successfully establishing a second short-range wireless link with the audio source based on the link information. The second wireless headphone is configured to receive, from the first wireless headphone, the link information associated with the first short-range wireless link; and establish the second short-range wireless link with the audio source based on the link information.

Claims

1. A wireless audio system, comprising:

a first wireless headphone configured to;

establish a first short-range wireless link with an audio source;

transmit, to a second wireless headphone, link information associated with the first short-range wireless link; and

receive, from the audio source, audio information over the first short-range wireless link; and

a second wireless headphone configured to;

receive, from the first wireless headphone, the link information associated with the first short-range wireless link;

establish a second short-range wireless link with the audio source based on the link information; and

snoop the audio information over the first short-range wireless link using the second short-range wireless link, wherein;

the second wireless headphone is further configured to;

transmit, to the first wireless headphone, a first message indicative of whether the audio information is successfully snooped by the second wireless headphone; and

transmit, to the audio source, a second message determined based on whether the audio information is successfully snooped by the second wireless headphone; and

the first wireless headphone is further configured to;

receive, from the second wireless headphone, the first message; and

transmit, to the audio source, a third message indicative of whether the audio information is successfully received by the first wireless headphone, a power of the third message adjusted based on the first message,

wherein the second message and the third message determine whether the audio source can receive the third message correctly.

2. The wireless audio system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless headphone is further configured to repeatedly transmit, to the audio source, a negative acknowledge (NACK) message to cause the audio source to re-transmit the audio information until a number of re-transmission reaches a threshold.

3. The wireless audio system of claim 1, wherein:

the first wireless headphone is further configured to;

transmit, to the audio source, first microphone audio information over the first short-range wireless link;

transmit, to the second wireless headphone, a switch message instructing the second wireless headphone to enable microphone audio information transmission; and

disable microphone audio information transmission in response to the second wireless headphone enabling microphone audio information transmission; and

the second wireless headphone is further configured to;

receive, from the first wireless headphone, the switch message;

enable microphone audio information transmission in response to receiving the switch message; and

transmit, to the audio source, second microphone audio information over the second short-range wireless link.

4. The wireless audio system of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second short-range wireless links includes a synchronous connection oriented (SCO) link.

5. A method for snooping wireless audio communication, comprising:

establishing, by a first wireless headphone, a first short-range wireless link with an audio source;

transmitting, by the first wireless headphone, link information associated with the first short-range wireless link;

receiving, by a second wireless headphone, the link information;

establishing, by the second wireless headphone, a second short-range wireless link with the audio source based on the link information;

receiving, by the first wireless headphone, audio information from the audio source over the first short-range wireless link;

snooping, by the second wireless headphone, the audio information over the first short-range wireless link using the second short-range wireless link;

transmitting, by the second wireless headphone, a first message indicative of whether the audio information is successfully snooped by the second wireless headphone;

transmitting, by the second wireless headphone, a second message determined based on whether the audio information is successfully snooped by the second wireless headphone;

receiving, by the first wireless headphone, the first message; and

transmitting, by the first wireless headphone, a third message to the audio source indicative of whether the audio information is successfully received by the first wireless headphone, a power of the third message adjusted based on the first message,

wherein the second message and the third message determine whether the audio source can receive the third message correctly.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising repeatedly transmitting, by the first wireless headphone, a negative acknowledge (NACK) message to the audio source to cause the audio source to re-transmit the audio information until a number of re-transmission reaches a threshold.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

transmitting, by the first wireless headphone, first microphone audio information to the audio source over the first short-range wireless link;

transmitting, by the first wireless headphone, a switch message instructing the second wireless headphone to enable microphone audio information transmission;

receiving, by the second wireless headphone, the switch message;

enabling, by the second wireless headphone, microphone audio information transmission in response to receiving the switch message;

disabling, by the first wireless headphone, microphone audio information transmission in response to the second wireless headphone enabling microphone audio information transmission; and

transmitting, by the second wireless headphone, second microphone audio information to the audio source over the second short-range wireless link.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the first and second short-range wireless links includes a synchronous connection oriented (SCO) link.