Wireless Ear Buds With Proximity Sensors

• US 20190058937A1
• Filed: 10/22/2018
• Published: 02/21/2019
• 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 11,109,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 having a main body portion and a stem portion extending from the main body portion;

a speaker in the main body portion;

a first sensor in the main body portion that produces a first sensor output;

a second sensor in the stem portion that produces a second sensor output; and

control circuitry that;

determines whether the ear bud has been placed in a user'"'"'s ear using the first and second sensor outputs; and

determines whether the ear bud has been removed from the user'"'"'s ear using the first sensor output without using the second sensor output.

2. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 1 further comprising a third sensor in the main body portion that produces a third sensor output.

3. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 2 further comprising a fourth sensor in the stem portion that produces a fourth sensor output.

4. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 3 wherein the control circuitry determines whether the ear bud has been removed from the user'"'"'s ear using the third sensor output without using the fourth sensor output.

5. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 4 wherein the control circuitry determines whether the ear bud has been placed in the user'"'"'s ear using the third and fourth sensor outputs.

6. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 5 wherein the first sensor comprises a tragus sensor and the third sensor comprises a concha sensor.

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

8. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 7 wherein the concha and tragus sensors each have an infrared light-emitting diode and a light detector.

9. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 8 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.

10. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 1 further comprising an accelerometer that detects movement of the housing.

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 first portion that is configured to be inserted into an ear of a user and a second portion that extends from the first portion;

a speaker in the first portion;

a first proximity sensor in the first portion; and

a second proximity sensor in the second portion, wherein the control circuitry determines that the ear bud has been placed in a user'"'"'s ear when the first proximity sensor is covered and when the second proximity sensor is uncovered.

12. The ear bud defined in claim 11 wherein the first and second proximity sensors are light-based proximity sensors.

13. The ear bud defined in claim 12 wherein the first and second proximity sensors each include an infrared light-emitting diode that produces infrared light that passes through the housing.

14. The ear bud defined in claim 13 wherein the second portion of the housing comprises an elongated stem.

15. The ear bud defined in claim 11 wherein the first proximity sensor produces a first output and the second proximity sensor produces a second output, and wherein the control circuitry determines whether the ear bud has been removed from the user'"'"'s ears using the first output without using the second output.

16. A wireless ear bud, comprising:

a housing;

a speaker in the housing;

a first light-based sensor that produces a first output indicating whether the first light-based sensor is covered or uncovered;

a second light-based sensor that produces a second output indicating whether the second light-based sensor is covered or uncovered; and

control circuitry that determines that the ear bud has been placed in a user'"'"'s ear when the first light-based sensor is covered and when the second light-based sensor is uncovered.

17. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 16 wherein the control circuitry determines that the ear bud has been removed from the user'"'"'s ear using the first output without using the second output.

18. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 16 wherein the housing comprises a main body portion and a stem portion.

19. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 18 wherein the first light-based sensor is located in the main body portion and the second light-based sensor is located in the stem portion.

20. The wireless ear bud defined in claim 19 wherein the first light-based sensor comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of:

a tragus sensor and a concha sensor.