Earset assembly using acoustic waveguide

• US 8,103,029 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Think-A-Move Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Think-A-Move Ltd.
• Inventors: Ngia, Lester S. H., Vlach, Christopher F., Pruthi, Tarun
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Creighton
• Application Number:
  US12/272,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20090209304A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 704/246, 704/E15.001
• US Class Current: 381/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1091 Details not provided for in groups H04R1/1008 - H04R1/1083
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 9/08 Microphones

Abstract

An earset assembly including a first earpiece, a second earpiece, and an electrical circuit. The first earpiece includes an internal microphone to capture speech of a user and an internal speaker, and is positionable with respect to a first ear of the user so that the internal microphone detects the speech from the first ear of the user. The second earpiece includes an internal speaker, and is positionable with respect to a second ear of the user. The electrical circuit operatively connects the internal microphone and the internal speakers to a communication device. In an audio listening state, the electrical circuit is configured to operatively couple the internal speakers respectively to first and second audio ports of the communication device for outputting stereo audio content with the speakers, and the internal microphone is switched to an off state. In a communication state, the electrical circuit is configured to switch the internal speaker of the first earpiece to an off state, switch the internal microphone of the first earpiece to an on state for voice communication and operatively couple the internal microphone to a microphone port of the communication device, and maintain the operative coupling of the internal speaker of the second earpiece to the respective audio port for use in the voice communication.

Claims

1. An earset assembly, comprising:

a first earpiece having an internal microphone to capture speech of a user and an internal speaker, the first earpiece positionable with respect to a first ear of the user so that the internal microphone detects the speech from the first ear of the user;

a second earpiece having an internal speaker, the second earpiece positionable with respect to a second ear of the user; and

an electrical circuit operatively connecting the internal microphone and the internal speakers to a communication device, wherein;

in an audio listening state, the circuit is configured to operatively couple the internal speakers respectively to first and second audio ports of the communication device for outputting stereo audio content with the speakers, and the internal microphone is switched to an off state; and

in a communication state, the circuit is configured to switch the internal speaker of the first earpiece to an off state, switch the internal microphone of the first earpiece to an on state for voice communication and operatively couple the internal microphone to a microphone port of the communication device, and maintain the operative coupling of the internal speaker of the second earpiece to the respective audio port for use in the voice communication.

2. The earset assembly of claim 1, further comprising a frequency equalizer to apply frequency equalization to the speech captured by the internal microphone.

3. The earset assembly of claim 2, further comprising a frequency equalization switch that switches the coupling of the microphone to the microphone port between bypassing the frequency equalizer and coupling the internal microphone to the communication device through the frequency equalizer to perform the frequency equalization on the captured speech of the user.

4. The earset assembly of claim 1, further comprising a hook condition switch to provide an on-hook condition or an off-hook condition of the communication device.

5. The earset assembly of claim 4, wherein the hook condition switch creates a resistance short between the microphone port and a ground port of the communication device to establish the off-hook condition.

6. The earset assembly of claim 4, further comprising an audio state switch that selectively switches between the operative coupling of the internal speaker of the first earpiece for the audio listening state, and the operative coupling of the internal microphone for the communication state.

7. The earset assembly of claim 4, further comprising a frequency equalizer to apply frequency equalization to the speech captured by the internal microphone.

8. The earset assembly of claim 1, further comprising an audio state switch that selectively switches between the operative coupling of the internal speaker of the first earpiece for the audio listening state, and the operative coupling of the internal microphone for the communication state.

9. The earset assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first or second earpieces includes an external microphone to generate an audio signal representation of ambient sound.

10. The earset assembly of claim 9, wherein the representation of the ambient sound is output to the user with at least one of the internal speakers.

11. The earset assembly of claim 9, further comprising an external microphone amplifier that controls amplitude of the audio signal representation of ambient sound.

12. The earset assembly of claim 9, wherein the external microphone is a part of the first ear piece.

13. The earset assembly of claim 12, wherein a second external microphone generates an audio signal representation of ambient sound, and is a part of the second earpiece.

14. The earset assembly of claim 13, wherein the audio signal representation of ambient sound of the first external microphone is output to the user with the internal speaker of the first earpiece and the audio signal representation of ambient sound of the second external microphone of the second earpiece is output to the user with the internal speaker of the second earpiece.

15. The earset assembly of claim 1, wherein the first earpiece includes an acoustic waveguide between the internal microphone and an ear canal of the user.

16. The earset assembly of claim 1, wherein the earpieces each include an acoustic waveguide between the speaker and the ear canal of the user.

17. A method of audio playback and voice communication, comprising:

in an audio listening state, outputting stereo audio content to a user with first and second internal speakers, the first internal speaker being part of a first earpiece positionable with respect to a first ear of the user, the first earpiece also including an internal microphone to capture speech from the first ear, and the second internal speaker being part of a second earpiece positionable with respect to a second ear of the user; and

switching from the audio listening state to a communication state in which the speech from the user is captured and the second speaker is used to output sounds for the voice communication, wherein;

for the audio listening state, a circuit that interfaces the earpieces with an electronic device is configured to operatively couple the internal speakers respectively to first and second audio ports of the electronic device for outputting the stereo audio content to the internal speakers, and the internal microphone is switched to an off state; and

for the communication state, the circuit is configured to switch the internal speaker of the first earpiece to an off state, switch the internal microphone of the first earpiece to an on state for the voice communication and operatively couple the internal microphone to a microphone port of the electronic device, and maintain the operative coupling of the internal speaker of the second earpiece to the respective audio port of the electronic device for use in the voice communication.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising frequency equalizing the speech captured by the internal microphone.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising detecting ambient sound with at least one external microphone and outputting a representation of the detected ambient sound with at least one of the internal speakers.

20. An earset assembly, comprising:

a first earpiece having an internal microphone to capture speech of a user and an internal speaker, the first earpiece positionable with respect to a first ear of the user so that the internal microphone detects the speech from the first ear of the user;

a second earpiece having an internal speaker, the second earpiece positionable with respect to a second ear of the user; and

an electrical circuit operatively connecting the internal microphone and the internal speakers to a communication device, wherein;

in an audio listening state, the circuit is configured to operatively couple the internal speakers respectively to first and second audio ports of the communication device for outputting stereo audio content with the speakers, and the internal microphone is switched to an off state; and

in a communication state, the circuit is configured to switch the internal speaker of the first earpiece to an off state, switch the internal microphone of the first earpiece to an on state for voice communication and operatively couple the internal microphone to a microphone port of the communication device, and maintain the operative coupling of the internal speaker of the second earpiece to the respective audio port for use in the voice communication, and wherein;

at least one of the first or second earpieces includes an external microphone to generate an audio signal representation of ambient sound, and the earset assembly further comprises an external sound control switch that switches between the output of the representation of ambient sound and the output of the stereo audio.