EARBUDS WITH BIOMETRIC SENSING

• US 20170078781A1
• Filed: 09/16/2015
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Qian, Phillip, Andersen, Esge B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,716,937 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14557 specially adapted to extracorporeal circuits
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• 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 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1091 Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/109 Arrangements to adapt hands free headphones for use on both ears
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/03 Connection circuits to selectively connect loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S

Abstract

This application relates to earbuds configured with one or more biometric sensors. At least one of the biometric sensors is configured to be pressed up against a portion of the tragus for making biometric measurements. In some embodiments, the housing of the earbud can be symmetric so that the earbud can be worn interchangeably in either a left or a right ear of a user. In such an embodiment, the earbud can include a sensor and circuitry configured to determine and alter operation of the earbud in accordance to which ear the earbud is determined to be sitting in.

Claims

1. An earbud, comprising:

an orientation sensor configured to determine an orientation of the earbud within an ear of a user of the earbud;

a microphone array including multiple microphones; and

circuitry configured to adjust an operational state of the microphones of the microphone array in accordance with information provided by the orientation sensor.

3. The earbud as recited in claim 1, wherein the microphone array comprises three microphones arranged in a triangular geometry.

4. The earbud as recited in claim 3, wherein adjusting the operational state of the microphones comprises assigning two of the three microphones to recording audio, the assigned microphones being arranged along a line oriented towards a mouth of the user.

5. The earbud as recited in claim 4, wherein the circuitry records only a portion of the audio detected by the two microphones, the portion of the audio corresponding to that audio that arrives from a direction of the mouth of the user.

6. The earbud as recited in claim 5, wherein the circuitry comprises a processor that determines which portion of the audio is arriving in the direction of the mouth of the user by executing a time difference of arrival determination.

7. The earbud as recited in claim 1, wherein the circuitry is also configured to select an audio channel from a multi-channel audio source in accordance with information provided by the orientation sensor.

8. The earbud as recited in claim 7, wherein the circuitry selects a right channel from the audio source when the information from the orientation sensor indicates the earbud is positioned within a user'"'"'s right ear and a left channel when the orientation sensor indicates the earbud is positioned within a user'"'"'s left ear.

9. The earbud as recited in claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor comprises a proximity sensor that determines an orientation of the earbud by measuring a distance between a surface of a housing of the earbud and an ear of a user.

10. The earbud as recited in claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor comprises a temperature sensor that determines an orientation of a housing of the earbud by measuring an exterior temperature of at least two regions of an exterior surface of the housing.

2. (canceled)

11. An audio device, comprising:

a device housing having a shape and size suitable for at least partial insertion into an ear of a user;

an orientation sensor configured to provide an orientation of the device housing with respect to the ear of the user;

a speaker disposed within the device housing;

an array of microphones disposed within the device housing, the array of microphones comprising a first microphone, a second microphone, and a third microphone; and

a processor configured to adjust an operational state of the speaker and the first and second microphones in accordance with the orientation of the device housing.

12. The audio device as recited in claim 11, wherein the operational states of the first and second microphones comprise an audio recording state, a disabled state and a noise cancelling state.

13. The audio device as recited in claim 11, wherein the orientation sensor comprises a temperature sensing assembly including one or more sensing surfaces arranged along an exterior surface of the device housing.

14. The audio device as recited in claim 13, wherein the temperature sensing assembly comprises a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor, the temperature sensing assembly being configured to determine an orientation of the audio device by determining which of the sensing surfaces are in direct contact with a surface of the ear.

15. The audio device as recited in claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to utilize temperature data received from the temperature sensor contacting the ear to measure core body temperature and temperature data received from the temperature sensor not contacting the ear to measure ambient temperature.

16. The audio device as recited in claim 11, further comprising a biometric sensor selected from the group consisting of a heart rate sensor, a VO₂ sensor, a GSR (galvanic skin response) sensor, an EKG sensor, an ICG sensor and a temperature sensor.

17. The audio device as recited in claim 11, wherein the shape and size is of the device housing is symmetric, the symmetry of the device housing allowing the audio device to be worn in either ear of the user.

18. An audio device, comprising:

a speaker;

a wireless transceiver;

a biometric sensor configured to measure both an orientation of the audio device in an ear of a user and a biometric parameter;

a microphone array;

an energy storage device providing power for the audio device; and

an earbud housing enclosing the speaker, the microphone array, the wireless transceiver, the biometric sensor and the energy storage device,

wherein the orientation of the earbud housing within the ear of the user of the audio device is utilized to adjust an operational state of the microphone array.

19. The audio device as recited in claim 18, wherein the biometric parameter is a core temperature of the user.

20. The audio device as recited in claim 18, wherein the microphone array comprises three microphones arranged in a triangular configuration.

21. The audio device as recited in claim 18, wherein adjusting the operating state of the microphone array comprises disabling one of the three microphones that data from the biometric sensor indicates is not aligned with another one of the microphones and a mouth of the user.