ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND HEADSET WITH SPEAKER SEAL EVALUATION CAPABILITIES

• US 20110116643A1
• Filed: 11/19/2009
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Beauchamp, Christopher Todd, Tiscareno, Victor, Sander, Wendell B., Terlizzi, Jeffrey J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,401,200 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

Electronic devices and accessories for electronic devices such as headsets are provided. The electronic devices may produce audio output. The headsets may include earbuds with speakers that play the audio output for a user while the earbuds are located in the user'"'"'s ears. Circuitry in an electronic device and a headset may be used in evaluating how well the earbuds are sealed to the user'"'"'s ears. In response to seal quality measurements, informative messages can be generated for the user, overall earbud volume may be increased, balance adjustments may be made to correct for mismatched balance between left and right earbuds, equalization settings may be adjusted, and noise cancellation circuitry settings can be changed. Electrical impedance measurements and acoustic measurements can be used in evaluating seal quality.

Claims

1. A method of using an accessory that has at least one speaker in an earbud that is inserted into a user'"'"'s ear, comprising:

with circuitry that is electrically coupled to the speaker, measuring a seal quality indicative of how well the earbud is sealed to the user'"'"'s ear; and

with the circuitry, taking action in response to the seal quality.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the circuitry comprises a current sensing resistor and wherein measuring the seal quality comprises measuring current flowing through the speaker using the current sensing resistor.

3. The method defined in claim 2 wherein measuring the seal quality comprises driving a signal through the speaker while measuring current flowing through the current sensing resistor.

4. The method defined in claim 3 wherein driving the signal through the speaker comprises driving an ultrasonic tone through the speaker.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the speaker has a primary coil and a secondary coil and wherein measuring the seal quality comprises measuring current flowing through the speaker using the secondary coil.

6. The method defined in claim 5 wherein measuring the seal quality comprises driving a signal through the primary coil while measuring current flowing through the speaker using the secondary coil.

7. The method defined in claim 6 wherein driving the signal through the primary coil comprises driving an ultrasonic tone through the primary coil.

8. The method defined in claim 1 wherein a microphone is mounted in the earbud and wherein measuring the seal quality comprises measuring sound with the microphone.

9. The method defined in claim 8 wherein measuring the seal quality comprises using the circuitry to produce a test tone with the speaker and wherein measuring the sound with the microphone comprises using the microphone to measure the sound with which the test tone is produced with the speaker.

10. The method defined in claim 9 wherein using the circuitry to produce the test tone comprises using the circuitry to produce a test tone at a frequency of less than 15 Hz.

11. An accessory, comprising:

a pair of earbuds;

a pair of microphones, each microphone being located in a respective one of the earbuds;

a pair of speakers, each speaker being located in a respective one of the earbuds;

primary speaker coils in the speakers that are driven to play back audio for a user; and

secondary speaker coils in the speakers that monitor current flow in the primary speaker coils.

12. The accessory defined in claim 11 further comprising a cable that plugs into an electronic device to receive audio signals that are used to drive the primary speaker coils.

13. A method for using an electronic device that provides audio for a user through a pair of speakers that are contained in earbuds that are located in the user'"'"'s ears, comprising:

with circuitry located at least partly in the electronic device, driving signals into the speakers in the earbuds; and

with the circuitry, evaluating how well the earbuds are sealed to the user'"'"'s ears based at least partly on seal measurements made by driving the signals into the speakers.

14. The method defined in claim 13 wherein evaluating how well the earbuds are sealed comprises making current measurements that reflect impedance values associated with the speakers.

15. The method defined in claim 14 wherein the signals comprises test tones and wherein making the current measurements comprises making current measurements while driving the test tones into the speakers.

16. The method defined in claim 13 wherein evaluating how well the earbuds are sealed comprises making acoustic measurements with microphones in the earbuds.

17. The method defined in claim 16 wherein the signals comprises test tones at frequencies less than 15 Hz and wherein making the acoustic measurements comprises using the microphones in the earbuds to make acoustic measurements while driving the test tones at frequencies less than 15 Hz into the speakers.

18. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising:

displaying a warning message on a display in the electronic device in response to the seal measurements.

19. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising:

using the circuitry in adjusting volume levels in the speakers based at least partly on the seal measurements.

20. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising:

using the circuitry in making equalization adjustments for the earbuds based at least partly on the seal measurements.

21. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising:

using the circuitry in adjusting noise cancellation circuitry.

22. A method for using an accessory that has earbuds and noise cancellation circuitry and that uses the noise cancellation circuitry to play audio for a user through a pair of speakers that are contained in the earbuds while the earbuds are located in the user'"'"'s ears, comprising:

with circuitry located at least partly in the accessory, evaluating how well the earbuds are sealed to the user'"'"'s ears based at least partly on seal measurements made using the noise cancellation circuitry; and

with the circuitry, taking action in response to the seal quality.

23. The method defined in claim 22 wherein taking action comprises inhibiting noise cancellation operations in the accessory when the seal measurements indicate that seal quality between the earbuds and the user'"'"'s ears is less than a given seal quality level.

24. The method defined in claim 23 further comprising:

supplying noise signals to the noise cancellation circuitry using at least one microphone that is associated with at least one of the earbuds.