HEADSET WITH ON-EAR DETECTION

• US 20090003641A1
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: VAN DER BILT, Casper
• Granted Patent: US 8,259,984 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/374
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/105 Earpiece supports, e.g. ear hooks for stereophonic headphones H04R5/0335
• 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

Abstract

A headset including a body configured to be affixed to an ear of a user, and a speaker for reproducing an audio signal, the speaker representing part of the body such that when the body is affixed to the ear, the speaker is positioned proximate the ear canal of the user. The headset further includes at least one sensor for producing an output indicative of whether the body is affixed to the ear. In addition, the headset includes an analyzer, operatively coupled to the at least one sensor, for analyzing whether the body is affixed to the ear based on the output of the at least one sensor.

Claims

1. A headset, comprising:

a body configured to be affixed to an ear of a user;

a speaker for reproducing an audio signal, the speaker representing part of the body such that when the body is affixed to the ear, the speaker is positioned proximate the ear canal of the user;

at least one sensor for producing an output indicative of whether the body is affixed to the ear; and

an analyzer, operatively coupled to the at least one sensor, for analyzing whether the body is affixed to the ear based on the output of the at least one sensor.

2. The headset of claim 1, further comprising a controller for controlling operation of the headset based on an output of the analyzer.

3. The headset of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a plurality of sensors positioned at different locations on the body.

4. The headset of claim 1, wherein the speaker is located in a bud portion of the body designed to be inserted in the concha when affixed to the ear, and the at least one sensor is located on the bud portion to detect when the bud portion has been inserted in the concha.

5. The headset of claim 4, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a plurality of sensors positioned at different locations on the bud portion.

6. The headset of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a semicircular portion configured to wrap around the pinna when affixing the body to the ear.

7. The headset of claim 6, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a plurality of sensors positioned at different locations along the semicircular portion.

8. The headset of claim 7, wherein the semicircular portion includes a fixed end and a distal end, and the plurality of sensors include sensors located proximate the fixed end and sensors located proximate the distal end.

9. The headset of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a plurality of sensors, and the analyzer analyzes the output of each of the sensors according to at least one predefined rule to determine whether the body is affixed to the ear.

10. The headset of claim 9, wherein the at least one predefined rule requires that the outputs of all of the sensors indicate that the body is affixed to the ear.

11. The headset of claim 9, wherein the plurality of sensors are represented by subsets, and the at least one predefined rule requires at least one of the sensors in each subset indicate that the body is affixed to the ear.

12. The headset of claim 11, wherein

the body comprises a semicircular portion configured to wrap around the pinna when affixing the body to the ear,

the semicircular portion includes a fixed end and a distal end, and the plurality of sensors include a first subset of sensors located proximate the fixed end and a second subset of sensors located proximate the distal end.

13. The headset of claim 11, wherein

the body comprises a semicircular portion configured to wrap around the pinna when affixing the body to the ear,

the semicircular portion includes an inner side which faces the skull of the user and an outer side which faces the ear flap of the user when the body is affixed to the ear, and

the plurality of sensors include a first subset of sensors located on the inner side and a second subset of sensors located on the outer side.

14. The headset of claim 1, wherein

the at least one sensor comprises a plurality of sensors positioned at different locations on the body,

the analyzer comprises a learning function configured to detect the output of each of the sensors while the body is affixed to the ear of the user, and to store the outputs in memory so as to represent a profile for the user, and

the analyzer subsequently analyzes whether the body is affixed to the ear of the user based on a comparison of the outputs of each of the sensors with the profile stored in memory.

15. The headset of claim 14, wherein the analyzer learns and stores the profiles of each of a plurality of different users, and the analyzer subsequently analyzes whether the body is affixed to the ear of a user, and if so, to which user, based on a comparison of the outputs of each of the sensors and the profiles stored in memory.

16. The headset of claim 15, further comprising a controller for controlling operation of the headset based on an output of the analyzer, at least one aspect of the control being a function of the particular user'"'"'s ear to which the analyzer determines the body to be affixed.

17. The headset of claim 16, wherein the at least one aspect of the control comprises one or more user specific operation preferences.

18. The headset of claim 1, wherein the headset comprises at least one of a wireless transceiver interface or a hardwire interface for connecting the headset to a source of the audio signal.

19. The headset of claim 1, further comprising a microphone for producing a voice signal from the user.

20. The headset of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of a capacitive sensor, optical sensor, or mechanical sensor.