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

• US 20170048635A1
• Filed: 11/01/2016
• Published: 02/16/2017
• 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 10,009,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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. (canceled)

2. A system for extending battery life of a microphone unit, the system comprising:

a base station unit comprising a recording device and configured to wirelessly communicate with the microphone unit;

wherein the microphone unit is configured to;

enter a mute mode responsive to a determination that the recording device is not recording video;

transmit compressed muted audio data;

determine whether the recording device is recording video; and

responsive to a positive determination, unmute the microphone unit.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the recording device is configured to record the compressed muted audio data.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the compressed muted audio data comprises at least one string of zeros compressed into a short string of data.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the at least one string of zeros represents silence.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein responsive to unmuting the microphone unit, the microphone unit is configured to:

discontinue transmission of the compressed muted audio data; and

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

7. The system according to claim 2, wherein responsive to unmuting the microphone unit, the microphone unit is configured to:

discontinue transmission of the compressed muted audio data; and

transmit uncompressed audio data.

8. The system according to claim 2, wherein the microphone unit comprises a wireless microphone unit.

9. The system according to claim 2, wherein the compressed muted audio data comprises run-length-encoded muted audio data.

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

muting the microphone unit responsive to a determination that a recording device of a base station unit is not recording video;

transmitting, by the microphone unit, compressed muted audio data;

determining, by the microphone unit, whether the recording device is recording video; and

responsive to a positive determination, unmuting the microphone unit.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the recording device is configured to record the compressed muted audio data.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein, responsive to the muting step, the muted audio data defaults to zero.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the compressed muted audio data comprises at least one string of zeros compressed into a short string of data.

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

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein, responsive to the muting step, audio data representing silence is received by a transmit/receive unit of the microphone unit.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein, responsive to the unmuting step, the microphone unit performs the following steps:

discontinuing transmission of the compressed 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 10, wherein, responsive to the unmuting step, the microphone unit performs the following steps:

discontinuing transmission of the compressed muted audio data; and

transmitting uncompressed audio data.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the muting step comprises disconnecting a sound pickup device of the microphone unit from a transmit/receive unit of the microphone unit.

19. The method according to claim 10, wherein the muting step comprises muting the microphone unit utilizing analog mute circuitry.

20. The method according to claim 10, wherein the muting step comprises muting the microphone unit utilizing digital mute circuitry.