Systems and Methods Employing Multiple Individual Wireless Earbuds for a Common Audio Source

• US 20140219484A1
• Filed: 04/14/2014
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zellner, Samuel N.
• Granted Patent: US 10,499,183 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/311
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/00 Speech recognition G10L17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1066 Constructional aspects of the interconnection between earpiece and earpiece support earpiece support for monophonic headphones H04R1/105; earpiece support for stereophonic headphones H04R5/0335
• 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 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or 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: H04S 7/308 Electronic adaptation dependent on speaker or headphone connection

Abstract

Multiple individual wireless earbuds provide audio from a common audio source. A user may thereby enjoy audio in both ears while also benefiting from an entirely wireless configuration. The individual wireless earbuds may each receive the audio signal from the common audio source and then produce audio accordingly. Each earbud may have a channel setting to define whether a given earbud will produce left channel or right channel audio for a multi-channel audio signal. The individual wireless earbuds may alternatively have a master-slave configuration where a master earbud receives a wireless audio signal from the common source, plays audio based on the audio signal, and transmits a wireless signal based on the wireless audio signal to the slave earbud. The slave earbud then plays audio based on the wireless signal from the master earbud.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

adjusting, by a wireless earbud comprising a camera, an audio signal received from an audio source, the adjusting being based on an image captured by the camera; and

transmitting, by the wireless earbud, an adjusted audio signal to a speaker for audio playback.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless earbud further comprises an image recognition module.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

analyzing, using the image recognition module, the image captured by the camera; and

recognizing, by the image recognition module, an object within the image.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the object indicates an environment in which a particular volume is used for the audio playback.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless earbud further comprises a voice recognition module, and wherein the adjustment is further based upon a spoken command recognized by the voice recognition module.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless earbud further comprises a noise canceller module, and wherein the adjustment is further based on an unwanted noise canceled by the noise canceller module.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless earbud further comprises a hearing aid amplifier, and wherein the adjustment is further based on a sound amplified by the hearing aid amplifier.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the hearing aid amplifier amplifies sound received via a microphone that receives background noises.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless earbud further comprises a switch.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the audio signal includes multiple channels of audio, and wherein a channel of the multiple channels is selected using the switch.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

adjusting an audio signal received from an audio source at a wireless earbud comprising a camera, the audio signal being adjusted based on an image captured by the camera; and

transmitting an adjusted audio signal to a speaker for audio playback.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the audio signal is received from the audio source via a wireless transceiver.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the wireless earbud communicates with the audio source bi-directionally using a wireless transceiver.

14. A wireless earbud comprising:

a camera;

a controller; and

a computer readable medium that stores instructions that, when executed by the controller, cause the controller to perform operations comprising;

adjusting an audio signal received from an audio source, the audio signal being adjusted based on an image captured by the camera; and

transmitting an adjusted audio signal to a speaker for audio playback.

15. The wireless earbud of claim 14, further comprising an image recognition module.

16. The wireless earbud of claim 14, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the controller, cause the controller to perform operations further comprising:

analyzing, using the image recognition module, the image captured by the camera; and

recognizing, by the image recognition module, an object within the image.

17. The wireless earbud of claim 14, further comprising a voice recognition module, wherein adjusting the audio signal further comprises adjusting the audio signal based upon a spoken command recognized by the voice recognition module.

18. The wireless earbud of claim 14, further comprising a noise canceller module, wherein adjusting the audio signal further comprises adjusting the audio signal based on an unwanted noise canceled by the noise canceller module.

19. The wireless earbud of claim 14, further comprising a hearing aid amplifier, wherein adjusting the audio signal further comprises adjusting the audio signal based on a sound amplified by the hearing aid amplifier.

20. The wireless earbud of claim 14, further comprising a switch, wherein the audio signal comprises multiple channels of audio, and wherein a channel of the multiple channels is selected using the switch.