METHOD AND SYSTEM OF EXTENDING BATTERY LIFE OF A WIRELESS MICROPHONE UNIT

• US 20100057444A1
• Filed: 07/27/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Watchguard Video Incorporated (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Enforcement Video Incorporated (Enforcement Technology Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cilia, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,712,362 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/201
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/012 Comfort noise or silence coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/04 Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor in deaf-aid sets H04R25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/004 for microphones H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

A method of extending battery life of a wireless microphone unit includes muting the wireless microphone unit responsive to a mute signal from a base station unit, transmitting, by the wireless microphone unit, compressed muted audio data, wherein the compressed muted audio data is compressed via a first compression scheme, determining, by the wireless microphone unit, whether an unmute signal has been received from the base station unit, and responsive to a determination that the unmute signal has been received, unmuting the wireless microphone unit. The method further includes discontinuing transmission of the compressed muted audio data and transmitting compressed audio data via a second compression scheme, wherein the first transmitting step causes the wireless microphone unit to consume less power per unit of transmission time than the second transmitting step.

Claims

1. A method of extending battery life of a wireless microphone unit, the method comprising:

muting the wireless microphone unit responsive to a mute signal from a base station unit;

transmitting, by the wireless microphone unit, compressed muted audio data, wherein the compressed muted audio data is compressed via a first compression scheme;

determining, by the wireless microphone unit, whether an unmute signal has been received from the base station unit;

responsive to a determination that the unmute signal has been received, unmuting the wireless microphone unit;

discontinuing transmission of the compressed muted audio data;

transmitting compressed audio data via a second compression scheme; and

wherein the first transmitting step causes the wireless microphone unit to consume less power per unit of transmission time than the second transmitting step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first compression scheme comprises run-length encoding; and

the second compression scheme involves no compression.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, responsive to the muting step, the muted audio data defaults to zero.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the muting step comprises muting the wireless microphone unit utilizing analog mute circuitry.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the muting step comprises muting the wireless microphone unit utilizing digital mute circuitry.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, responsive to the muting step, audio data representing silence is detected by a transmit/receive unit of the wireless microphone unit.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second compression scheme comprises at least one of Digital Speech Standard (DSS), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), and MP3.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the muting step comprises operably disconnecting a sound pickup device of the wireless microphone unit from a transmit/receive unit of the wireless microphone unit.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sound pickup device comprises a microphone.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps are performed in the order listed.

11. A method of extending battery life of a wireless microphone unit, the method comprising:

muting the wireless microphone unit responsive to a mute signal from a base station unit;

transmitting, by the wireless microphone unit, run-length-encoded muted audio data;

determining, by the wireless microphone unit, whether an unmute signal has been received from the base station unit; and

responsive to a determination that the unmute signal has been received, unmuting the wireless microphone unit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, responsive to the muting step, the muted audio data defaults to zero.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the run-length-encoded muted audio data comprises at least one string of zeros compressed into a short string of data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one string of zeros represents silence.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein, responsive to the muting step, audio data representing silence is received by a transmit/receive unit of the wireless microphone unit.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein, responsive to the unmuting step, the wireless microphone unit performs the following steps:

discontinuing transmission of the run-length-encoded muted audio data; and

transmitting compressed audio data utilizing at least one of Digital Speech Standard (DSS), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), and MP3.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein, responsive to the unmuting step, the wireless microphone unit performs the following steps:

discontinuing transmission of the run-length-encoded muted audio data; and

transmitting uncompressed audio data.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the muting step comprises operably disconnecting a sound pickup device of the wireless microphone unit from a transmit/receive unit of the wireless microphone unit.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the muting step comprises muting the wireless microphone unit utilizing analog mute circuitry.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the muting step comprises muting the wireless microphone unit utilizing digital mute circuitry.

21. The method of any of claims 11, 16, or 17, wherein the steps are performed in the order listed.

22. An article of manufacture for extending battery life of a wireless microphone unit, the article of manufacture comprising:

at least one computer readable medium;

processor instructions contained on at least one computer readable medium, the processor instructions configured to be readable from the at least one computer readable medium by at least one processor and thereby cause the at least one processor to operate as to perform the following steps;

muting the wireless microphone unit responsive to a mute signal from a base station unit;

transmitting, by the wireless microphone unit, compressed muted audio data, wherein the compressed muted audio data is compressed via a first compression scheme;

determining, by the wireless microphone unit, whether an unmute signal has been received from the base station unit;

responsive to a determination that the unmute signal has been received, unmuting the wireless microphone unit;

discontinuing transmission of the compressed muted audio data;

transmitting compressed audio data via a second compression scheme; and

wherein the first transmitting step causes the wireless microphone unit to consume less power per unit of transmission time than the second transmitting step.

23. An article of manufacture for extending battery life of a wireless microphone unit, the article of manufacture comprising:

at least one computer readable medium;

processor instructions contained on at least one computer readable medium, the processor instructions configured to be readable from the at least one computer readable medium by at least one processor and thereby cause the at least one processor to operate as to perform the following steps;

muting the wireless microphone unit responsive to a mute signal from a base station unit;

transmitting, by the wireless microphone unit, run-length-encoded muted audio data;

determining, by the wireless microphone unit, whether an unmute signal has been received from the base station unit; and

responsive to a determination that the unmute signal has been received, unmuting the wireless microphone unit.