Electronic device and external equipment with configurable audio path circuitry

• US 8,019,096 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2009
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sander, Wendell B., Terlizzi, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Mei; Xu
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUTHERS, DOUGLAS JOHN
• Application Number:
  US12/481,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20100260341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 381/91, 381/74, 381/123, 381/122, 381/332, 381/334, 381/92, 381/77, 381/80, 381/81, 381/72, 379/433.05
• US Class Current: 381/123
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• 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 2201/107 Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/01 Input selection or mixing for amplifiers or loudspeakers for hearing aids H04R25/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/05 Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/09 Applications of special connectors, e.g. USB, XLR, in loudspeakers, microphones or headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• 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

Electronic devices and accessories such as headsets for electronic devices are provided. A microphone may be included in an accessory to capture sound for an associated electronic device. Buttons and other user interfaces may be included in the accessories. An accessory may have an audio plug that connects to a mating audio jack in an electronic device, thereby establishing a wired communications path between the accessory and the electronic device. Path configuration circuitry may be used to selectively configure the path between the electronic device and accessory to support different operational modes. Analog audio lines in the wired path may convey left and right channel analog audio channels. When it is desired to convey power over the wired path, one of the analog audio channel lines may be converted to a power line. Audio functionality may be retained by simultaneously converting a unidirectional line into a bidirectional line using hybrids.

Claims

1. An audio connector port that is coupled to a wired path, comprising:

an audio connector;

path configuration circuitry coupled to the audio connector that supports communications over a microphone line in the wired path; and

a hybrid having an input port, a common port, and an output port, wherein the common port is connected to the microphone line, wherein the path configuration circuitry is selectively configurable between;

a unidirectional path state in which analog microphone signals are conveyed over the microphone line without conveying counter-propagating analog audio signals; and

a bidirectional path state in which analog microphone signals are conveyed over the microphone line while analog audio signals are simultaneously counter-propagated over the microphone line, wherein the path configuration circuitry comprises switching circuitry that selectively switches the hybrid out of use and into use to respectively switch between the unidirectional path state and the bidirectional path state.

2. The audio connector port defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a voltage source; and

a resistor, wherein the resistor is connected between the voltage source and the microphone line.

3. The audio connector port defined in claim 2 wherein the hybrid comprises:

a summer having a negative input connected to the input port, a positive input connected to the common port, and an output connected to the output port; and

a current source connected between the common port and a ground terminal.

4. The audio connector port defined in claim 1 wherein the audio connector comprises tip, ring, and sleeve contacts.

5. An electronic device that communicates with external equipment over a wired path that includes a microphone line, right and left channel audio lines, and a ground line, the electronic device comprising:

an audio connector having contacts that are respectively connected to the microphone line, right and left channel audio lines, and ground line in the wired path; and

circuitry coupled to the audio connector, wherein the circuitry is selectively configured to;

operate in a first mode in which the circuitry receives analog microphone signals from the external equipment over the microphone line and does not receive power over the right and left channel audio lines in the wired path; and

operate in a second mode in which audio signals are transmitted over the microphone line while power is received from the external equipment over at least one of the audio lines.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 further comprising a battery to which the power that is received from the external equipment in the second mode is provided.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the audio connector comprises tip, ring, and sleeve connectors.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 further comprising digital-to-analog converter and amplifier circuitry that plays back stereo audio signals over the right and left channel audio lines when the circuitry is configured to operate in the first mode.

9. A method of using an electronic device to communicate with an accessory through an audio connector having a microphone terminal, a ground terminal, and right and left channel audio terminals, comprising:

placing the electronic device in a first configuration in which analog microphone signals are received from the accessory over the microphone terminal, a direct current (DC) microphone bias voltage is provided from the electronic device to the accessory through the microphone terminal, right channel audio signals are provided from the electronic device to the accessory through the right channel audio terminal, and left channel audio signals are provided from the electronic device to the accessory through the left channel audio terminal;

placing the electronic device in a second configuration in which the analog microphone signals are received from the accessory over the microphone terminal while analog audio signals are transmitted to the accessory from the electronic device through the microphone terminal; and

conveying a direct-current (DC) voltage through a given one of the audio channel terminals when the electronic device is in the second configuration.

10. The method defined in claim 9, wherein, when the electronic device is in the second configuration, the electronic device does not transmit analog audio signals to the accessory through the given one of the audio channel terminals.

11. An electronic device that supports communications with electronic equipment, comprising:

an audio connector having at least a microphone terminal, first and second audio channel terminals, and a ground terminal;

a voltage source that produces a voltage;

circuitry that supports bidirectional analog audio signal communications through the microphone terminal; and

switching circuitry that is selectively configured to;

in a first mode of operation, route audio channel signals to the microphone terminal while routing the voltage to the first audio channel terminal; and

in a second mode of operation, route the audio channel signals to the first audio channel terminal.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the circuitry comprises a hybrid having an input port, a common port, and an output port and wherein the common port is coupled to the microphone terminal.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 11 further comprising:

digital-to-analog converter and amplifier circuitry that produces the audio channel signals and that produces additional audio channel signals.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 further comprising supplying a microphone bias voltage to the microphone terminal through a resistor during the second mode of operation.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 further comprising supplying a microphone bias voltage to the microphone terminal through the resistor during the first mode of operation.

16. An electronic device that supports communications with external equipment over a wired path, comprising:

an audio connector that is coupled to the wired path and that has a microphone terminal, a ground terminal, a first audio signal terminal, and a second audio signal terminal; and

circuitry that is selectively configured to operate in;

a first mode in which a direct-current (DC) voltage passes through the first audio signal terminal, first analog audio channel signals are transmitted through the microphone terminal, and second analog audio channel signals are transmitted through the second audio signal terminal; and

a second mode in which the first analog audio signals are transmitted to the external equipment through the first audio signal terminal and the second analog audio signals are transmitted to the external equipment through the second audio signal terminal.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 further comprising a hybrid coupled to the microphone terminal.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the electronic device comprises a handheld electronic device with a digital-to-analog converter that plays back stereo audio, the electronic device further comprising a bias voltage source that supplies a bias voltage to the microphone terminal through at least one resistor.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the circuitry comprises power multiplexer circuitry that is selectively configured to route the direct-current voltage to the microphone terminal in the second mode.

20. An accessory to which an electronic device may be connected with a wired path, the accessory comprising:

an audio connector having a microphone terminal, a first audio channel signal terminal, a second audio channel signal terminal, and a ground terminal;

a voice microphone;

a hybrid having a common port connected to the microphone terminal, an input port that receives microphone signals from the voice microphone, and an output port; and

circuitry connected to the audio connector that is selectively configured to;

receive analog audio signal through the first audio channel signal terminal in a first mode of operation; and

receive a direct-current voltage through the first audio channel signal terminal, receive the analog audio signal through the microphone terminal, and transmit the microphone signals through the microphone terminal in a second mode of operation.

21. The accessory defined in claim 20 further comprising:

ambient noise cancellation circuitry that is powered by the direct-current voltage during the second mode of operation.

22. The accessory defined in claim 21 wherein the accessory comprises a headset having first and second speakers and first and second noise cancellation microphones respectively associated with the first and second speakers, the accessory further comprising switching circuitry that selectively routes the received direct-current voltage from the audio channel signal terminal to the ambient noise cancellation circuitry during the second mode of operation.

23. The accessory defined in claim 22 wherein the switching circuitry is configured to route the received analog audio signal to the first and second speakers in parallel to support monaural operation during the second mode of operation.

24. The accessory defined in claim 20 further comprising an ultrasonic tone transmitter coupled to the microphone terminal.