POWER-EFFICIENT, BALANCED, AND RELIABLE TRUE WIRELESS BLUETOOTH STEREO AUDIO SOLUTION

• US 20180184234A1
• Filed: 01/27/2017
• Published: 06/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Xianbo, Kwan, Chikan, Ding, Shawn
• Granted Patent: US 10,206,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A power-efficient, balanced, and reliable true wireless Bluetooth stereo audio solution is provided. Two audio sink devices are used to render audio content received from an audio source. One sink device is connected to the audio source via a primary link. The other sink device sniffs communication on the primary link. The two sink devices are connected via a hybrid link. In some embodiments, a token is passed dynamically between the two sink devices. The sink device that has the token acts as a primary sink device on a primary link with the source. The other sink device acts as a slave to the primary link.

Claims

1. A system for wirelessly communicating audio content, comprising:

a first audio sink device;

a second audio sink device, wherein the first and second audio sink devices are wirelessly connected via a hybrid link, and are each configured to render a different audio channel of stereo audio content wirelessly received from an audio source;

a link manager residing on at least one of the first audio sink device and second audio sink device, the link manager configured to;

compare a first link quality of a first wireless link between the first audio sink device and the audio source, with a second link quality of a second wireless link between the second audio sink device and the audio source; and

in response to the first link quality being better than the second link quality, enable the first audio sink device to wirelessly receive the stereo audio content from the audio source via the first wireless link and to transmit messages to the audio source via the first wireless link, enable the second audio sink device to wirelessly receive the stereo audio content from the audio source via the second wireless link, and disable transmission of messages from the second audio sink device to the audio source via the second wireless link.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the link manager is further configured to:

in response to the second link quality being better than the first link quality, disable transmission of messages from the first audio sink device to the audio source, and enable transmission of messages from the second audio sink device to the audio source via the second wireless link.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the link manager is further configured to determine whether a first packet of the stereo audio content received by the first audio sink device is received by the second audio sink device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the link manager is further configured to:

in response to determining that a portion of the stereo audio content is not received by the second audio sink device, enable the first audio sink device to transmit the portion of the stereo audio content to the second audio sink device via the hybrid link.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless link, the second wireless link, and the hybrid link are Bluetooth-based links.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the link manager is configured to pass a token to the first audio sink device in response to the first link quality being better than the second link quality, indicating that the first audio sink device is enabled to transmit messages to the audio source.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the link manager is configured to pass the token to the second audio sink device in response to the second wireless link quality subsequently being better than the first wireless link quality.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the link manager is configured to monitor and compare the first link quality and the second link quality in real time.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first audio sink device and the second audio sink device are configured to communicate synchronization information via the hybrid link prior to receiving the stereo audio content from the audio source.

10. A method for wirelessly communicating audio content, the method comprising:

wirelessly connecting, by a first audio sink device, to a second audio sink device via a hybrid link, the first and second audio sink devices each configured to render a different audio channel of stereo audio content wirelessly received from an audio source;

comparing, by a link manager residing on at least one of the first audio sink device and second audio sink device, a first link quality of a first wireless link between the first audio sink device and the audio source, with a second link quality of a second wireless link between the second audio sink device and the audio source;

enabling, by the link manager, the first audio sink device to wirelessly receive the stereo audio content from the audio source via the first wireless link and to transmit messages to the audio source via the first wireless link, and the second audio sink device to wirelessly receive the stereo audio content from the audio source via the second wireless link, in response to the first link quality being better than the second link quality; and

disabling, by the link manager, transmission of messages from the second audio sink device to the audio source via the second wireless link, in response to the first link quality being better than the second link quality.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

enabling, by the link manager, the second audio sink device to transmit messages to the audio source via the second wireless link, in response to the second link quality being better than the first link quality; and

disabling, by the link manager, transmission of messages from the first audio sink device to the audio source via the first link, in response to the second link quality being better than the first link quality.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining, by the link manager, whether a first packet of the stereo audio content received by the first audio sink device is received by the second audio sink device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising in response to determining that a portion of the stereo audio content is not received by the second audio sink device, enabling the first audio sink device to transmit the portion of the stereo audio content to the second audio sink device via the hybrid link.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising passing, by the link manager, a token to the first audio sink device in response to the first link quality being better than the second link quality, corresponding to the first audio sink device being enabled to transmit messages to the audio source.

15. A system for wirelessly communicating audio content, comprising:

a first sink device;

a second sink device, wherein the first and second audio sink devices are wirelessly connected via a coupling link, and synchronized with each other to render, for user consumption, a different channel of stereo content wirelessly received from a content source;

a link manager residing on at least one of the first sink device and second first sink device, the link manager configured to;

compare a first link quality of a first wireless link between the first sink device and the content source, with a second link quality of a second wireless link between the second sink device and the content source; and

in response to the first link quality being better than the second link quality, enable the first sink device to wirelessly receive the stereo content from and transmit to the content source, enable the second sink device to wirelessly receive the stereo content from the content source, and disable transmission of messages from the second sink device to the content source.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the link manager is further configured to:

in response to the second link quality being better than the first link quality, disable transmission of messages from the first sink device to the content source, and enable transmission of messages from the second sink device to the content source via the second wireless link.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the link manager is further configured to determine whether a first packet of the stereo content received by the first sink device is received by the second sink device.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the link manager is further configured to:

in response to determining that a portion of the stereo content is not received by the second sink device, enable the first sink device to transmit the portion of the stereo content to the second sink device via the hybrid link.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the first wireless link, the second wireless link, and the hybrid link are Bluetooth-based links.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the link manager is configured to pass a token dynamically between the first sink device and the second sink device depending on whether the first link quality or the second link quality is better.