Wireless link to transmit digital audio data between devices in a manner controlled dynamically to adapt to variable wireless error rates

• US 20080168312A1
• Filed: 01/03/2008
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jawbone Innovations, LLC
• Original Assignee: AliphCom, Inc. (AliphCom Corp.)
• Inventors: Bozarth, Bradley, Boone, Jeffrey D., Banks, Jano
• Granted Patent: US 8,489,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/39
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/005 Correction of errors induced by the transmission channel, if related to the coding algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/707 using direct sequence modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0014 by adapting the source coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0015 characterised by the adaptation strategy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0041 Arrangements at the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/09 Applications of special connectors, e.g. USB, XLR, in loudspeakers, microphones or headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

A communication system including a host transceiver, one or many device transceivers, and a wireless or wired link, in which encoded digital audio data and optionally also other auxiliary data are transmitted and received between the host transceiver and one or many device transceivers. The wireless link can but need not be a Certified Wireless USB (“CWUSB”) link, which utilizes WiMedia Ultra-Wideband (“UWB”) radio technology. For certain embodiments, packets of encoded audio data are transmitted from a host to a device or multiple devices over the wireless link utilizing a variety of data packet transfer methods, with the host adapting its algorithms dynamically to provide the digital audio content over a changing wireless error rate environment. The host intelligently controls the method of data transmission, including data encoding format, synchronization, latency, and transmission rate, in response to data transfer error information it detects or receives from each individual device in the system. Other embodiments are devices that employ audio-data-specific error concealment methods. Other embodiments concern host and device management of graceful muting and restart of audio on a device-by-device basis.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless link between a host and a device to transmit encoded audio data from the host to the device in a manner controlled dynamically to adapt to variable wireless error rates.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless link further comprises:

circuitry to send data transfer error information from the device to the host;

circuitry to dynamically control a method of transmission of the encoded audio data from the host to the device in response to the data transfer error information.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the circuitry to dynamically control the method of transmission of the encoded audio data further comprises:

data encoding format circuitry;

synchronization circuitry;

latency circuitry; and

transmission rate circuitry.

4. An apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry to provide graceful muting and restart of the device in response to the data transfer error information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless link comprises Certified Wireless Universal Serial Bus (CWUSB) circuitry that includes WiMedia Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radio circuitry.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the host includes an audio receiver and the device includes an audio speaker.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the host includes an audio/video receiver and the device includes an audio speaker.

8. A method comprising:

detecting a wireless audio module of a device;

determining capabilities of the wireless audio module;

determining a best match audio input format for the wireless audio module;

sending a wireless audio signal in the best match audio input format to the wireless audio module;

receiving an error signal from the wireless audio module;

performing error processing with respect to the wireless audio signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein performing error processing further comprises:

altering the wireless audio signal in response to the error signal;

sending the altered wireless audio signal to the wireless audio module.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein performing error processing further comprises:

executing an error recovery procedure;

retrying transmission of a wireless audio signal;

checking latency if an error signal is received from the wireless audio module;

if a maximum latency has been executed, then logging an unrecoverable error with respect to the wireless audio module.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein performing error processing further comprises:

checking how many unrecoverable errors are associated with the wireless audio module;

marking the wireless audio module for a mute sequence if a maximum number of unrecoverable errors has been exceeded by the wireless audio module.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein sending the wireless audio signal comprises:

transmitting the wireless audio signal in a Certified Wireless Universal Serial Bus (USB) WiMedia Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radio format.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein altering the wireless audio signal comprises lowering a transmission rate of the wireless audio signal.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein performing error processing further comprises:

reconfiguring a wireless audio signal sent to a second wireless audio module of a device to include an audio signal otherwise intended to be sent to the wireless audio module marked for the mute sequence.

15. A method comprising:

detecting a wireless audio module of a host;

enabling an audio output;

receiving a wireless audio packet;

detecting an error signal in the wireless audio packet;

executing an error concealment procedure.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the wireless audio packet is received in a Certified Wireless Universal Serial Bus (USB) WiMedia Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radio format.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a bidirectional wireless link to transmit digital audio data between a first device and a second device in a manner controlled dynamically to adapt to wireless error rates.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the bidirectional wireless link further comprises:

circuitry to send data transfer error information from the second device to the first device;

circuitry to dynamically control a method of transmission of the digital audio data from the first device to the second device in response to the data transfer error information.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the circuitry to dynamically control the method of transmission of the digital audio data further comprises:

data encoding format circuitry;

synchronization circuitry;

latency circuitry; and

transmission rate circuitry.

20. An apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

circuitry to provide graceful muting and restart of the second device in response to the data transfer error information.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the bidirectional wireless link comprises Certified Wireless Universal Serial Bus (CWUSB) circuitry that includes WiMedia Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radio circuitry.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first device includes an audio receiver and the second device includes an audio speaker.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first device includes an audio/video receiver and the second device includes an audio speaker.