Wireless Ear Buds With Proximity Sensors

• US 20170094389A1
• Filed: 09/20/2016
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Saulsbury, Ashley N., McQueen, Travis J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,117,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• 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 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

Ear buds are provided that communicate wirelessly with an electronic device. To determine the current status of the ear buds and thereby take suitable action in controlling the operation of the electronic device and ear buds, the ear buds may be provided with sensor circuitry. The sensor circuitry may include proximity sensors. The ear buds may each have a housing with a main body portion that is configured to be inserted into the ear of the user and an elongated stem portion that extends from the main body portion. The proximity sensors may include sensors on the main body and sensors on the stem. The proximity sensors may be light-based sensors that emit light that passes through the housing.

Claims

1. A wireless ear bud, comprising:

a housing;

a speaker in the housing;

a concha sensor in the housing;

tragus sensor in the housing; and

an accelerometer in the housing that is configured to produce output indicative of movement of the housing.

2. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 1 wherein the concha and tragus sensors comprise light-based proximity sensors.

3. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 2 wherein the concha and tragus sensors each have an infrared light-emitting diode and each have a light detector.

4. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 3 wherein the housing comprises a wall and wherein the infrared light-emitting diodes in the concha and tragus sensors emit infrared light that passes through the wall.

5. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 1, wherein the wireless ear bud has a current operating state, the wireless ear bud further comprising:

control circuitry that is configured to determine the current operating state by analyzing output from at least the concha and tragus sensors.

6. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to determine the current operating state by analyzing output from the accelerometer.

7. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 6 wherein the concha and tragus sensors include respective infrared light-emitting diodes.

8. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 7 wherein the housing has a first portion that is configured to be inserted into an ear and a second portion that extends from the first portion, wherein the first portion has infrared-transparent portions, and wherein the infrared light from the infrared light-emitting diodes passes through the infrared-transparent portions.

9. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 8 wherein the infrared-transparent portions comprise plastic and wherein the concha sensor is configure to detect infrared light that has reflected off of a concha of the ear.

10. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 1 wherein the housing has a first portion that is configured to be inserted into an ear and a second portion that extends from the first portion, the wireless ear bud further comprising an infrared light-based proximity sensor in the second portion.

11. An ear bud, comprising:

control circuitry;

wireless circuitry that the control circuitry uses to communicate wirelessly with an electronic device;

a housing having a main body portion that is configured to be inserted into an ear of a user and a stem portion that extends from the main body portion;

a speaker in the main body portion;

a first proximity sensor on the main body portion that monitors whether the first proximity sensor is adjacent to the ear; and

a second proximity sensor on the stem portion.

12. The ear bud defined in claim 11 wherein when the main body portion is in the ear, the first proximity sensor produces a positive output indicating that the first proximity sensor is adjacent to the ear and the second proximity sensor produces a negative output indicating that no external object is adjacent to the second proximity sensor.

13. The ear bud defined in claim 12 wherein the first proximity sensor is a light-based proximity sensor.

14. The ear bud defined in claim 13 wherein the second proximity sensor is a light-based proximity sensor.

15. The ear bud defined in claim 14 wherein the first and second proximity sensors each include an infrared light-emitting diode and wherein the infrared light-emitting diodes produce infrared light that passes through the housing, the ear bud further comprising an accelerometer in the housing.

16. An ear bud, comprising:

a housing having a main body portion and a stem portion that extends from the main body portion;

a speaker in the main body portion; and

at least two proximity sensors on the housing.

17. The ear bud defined in claim 16 wherein the proximity sensors comprise:

first and second proximity sensors on the main body portion; and

third and fourth proximity sensors on the stem portion.

18. The ear bud defined in claim 16 wherein the proximity sensors include at least a first proximity sensor on the main body portion and at least a second proximity sensor on the stem portion, the ear bud further comprising:

an accelerometer; and

control circuitry that is configured to analyze outputs from the first and second proximity sensors to determine whether the main body portion has been inserted into an ear and that is configured to use the accelerometer to determine whether the housing is moving.

19. The ear bud defined in claim 18 wherein the control circuitry determines that the main body portion has been inserted to the ear when at least the first proximity sensor has a positive output indicating that the ear is adjacent to the first proximity sensor while at least the second sensor has a negative output indicating that no external object is adjacent to the second sensor.

20. The ear bud defined in claim 19 wherein the first and second proximity sensors each have an infrared light-emitting diode that emits infrared light that passes through the housing and each have a light detector.