Headset having wirelessly linked earpieces

• US 8,155,335 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2008
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Rutschman, Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dao H
• Application Number:
  US12/048,038
• Publication Number:
  US 20080226094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,489 Days
• Field of Search: 381/11, 381/74, 381/79, 381/311, 381/384, 348/554, 348/558, 348/E5.114, 455/41.2, 455/570, 455/575.2
• US Class Current: 381/74
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

A wireless headset includes a first earpiece and a second earpiece, where the first and second earpieces communicate with each other over a wireless link. In some configurations, the first earpiece includes both a primary wireless interface for receiving audio from an audio source and a secondary wireless interface transmitting a portion of the audio to the second earpiece. The earpieces can incorporate Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to provide the wireless link between each other. The wireless headset can be configured to synchronize audio output at the earpieces, and can also include a second-earpiece detection mechanism that permits the first earpiece to be used in either a stand-alone mode, with audio output at only the first earpiece, or full-headset mode, with audio output at both earpieces when the second earpiece is detected within wireless range of the first earpiece.

Claims

1. A headset, comprising:

a first earpiece; and

a second earpiece;

wherein the first and second earpieces are configured to communicate with each other over a wireless link, and

wherein the first earpiece comprises a processor configured to transcode digitized audio prior to the digitized audio being transmitted to the second earpiece.

2. The headset of claim 1, wherein the first earpiece comprises a first wireless interface configured to communicate with an audio source over a first wireless link.

3. The headset of claim 2, wherein the first earpiece comprises a second wireless interface configured to communicate with the second earpiece over the wireless link;

and wherein the second earpiece comprises a wireless interface configured to communicate with the first earpiece over the wireless link.

4. The headset of claim 1, wherein the first earpiece is configured to transmit one or more audio packets to the second earpiece over the wireless link.

5. The headset of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to decode audio received by the first earpiece and encode at least a portion of the decoded audio using a reduced-complexity codec.

6. The headset of claim 4, wherein each of the audio packets comprises a time stamp for synchronizing audio output of the first and second earpieces.

7. The headset of claim 1, further comprising:

means for synchronizing audio output of the first and second earpieces.

8. The headset of claim 1, wherein the first earpiece transmits one or more time synchronization packets to the second earpiece over the wireless link.

9. The headset of claim 1, wherein the wireless link is a near field communication (NFC) wireless link.

10. The headset of claim 1, wherein the first earpiece includes an audio buffer configured to buffer audio for output at the first earpiece.

11. The headset of claim 1, wherein the second earpiece includes an audio buffer configured to buffer audio for output at the second earpiece.

12. The headset of claim 1, wherein the first earpiece comprises a microphone.

13. The headset of claim 1, wherein the first earpiece comprises an echo canceller.

14. A headset, comprising:

a first earpiece having;

a first wireless interface configured to communicate with an audio source over a first wireless link, and

a second wireless interface configured to communicate with a second earpiece over a second wireless link;

a processor configured to transcode first encoded audio received from the audio source into second encoded audio; and

means for transmitting the second encoded audio through the second wireless interface.

15. The headset of claim 14, wherein the first wireless interface is selected from the group consisting of a Bluetooth interface and a Wi-Fi interface.

16. The headset of claim 14, wherein the second wireless interface is a near field communication (NFC) interface.

17. The headset of claim 14, further comprising:

a processor configured to receive audio from the first wireless interface, process the audio, and transfer at least a portion of the processed audio to the second wireless interface for transmission to the second earpiece over the second wireless link.

18. A method of outputting audio at a headset, comprising:

receiving audio at a first earpiece;

determining a codec type corresponding to the received audio;

determining, based on the codec type, whether to transcode the received audio;

transcoding the received audio if the codec type is in a predetermined class of codecs;

transmitting the audio from the first earpiece to a second earpiece over a wireless link;

outputting the audio at the first and second earpieces.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

if the codec type is not in the predetermined class of codecs, decoding the received audio for only a first channel;

buffering the first channel audio for output at the first earpiece; and

packetizing a second channel of received, undecoded audio for transmission to the second earpiece over the wireless link.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein transcoding includes:

decoding the received audio into first and second channels; and

encoding the second channel audio using a reduced-complexity codec.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

time stamping the first channel audio and second channel audio;

buffering the first channel audio for output at the first earpiece; and

packetizing the second channel audio for transmission to the second earpiece over the wireless link.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

the first earpiece detecting the second earpiece; and

upon detection of the second earpiece, establishing the wireless link between the first and second earpieces.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

synchronizing local clocks within the first and second earpieces.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

generating a time stamp at the first earpiece;

transmitting the time stamp to the second earpiece over the wireless link;

setting a local clock in the second earpiece based on the time stamp; and

outputting the audio at the second earpiece based on the local clock.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

the second earpiece decoding audio received over the wireless link.

26. A system for outputting audio at a headset, comprising:

means for receiving audio at a first earpiece;

means for determining a codec type corresponding to the received audio;

means for determining, based on the codec type, whether to transcode the received audio;

means for transcoding the received audio if the codec type is in a predetermined class of codecs;

means for transmitting the audio from the first earpiece to a second earpiece over a wireless link; and

means for outputting the audio at the first and second earpieces.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

means for decoding the received audio for only a first channel, if the codec type is not in the predetermined class of codecs;

means for buffering the first channel audio for output at the first earpiece; and

means for packetizing a second channel of received, undecoded audio for transmission to the second earpiece over the wireless link.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means, included in the first earpiece, for detecting the second earpiece; and

means for establishing the wireless link between the first and second earpieces, upon detection of the second earpiece.

29. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for generating a time stamp at the first earpiece;

means for transmitting the time stamp to the second earpiece over the wireless link;

means for setting a local clock in the second earpiece based on the time stamp; and

means for outputting the audio at the second earpiece based on the local clock.

30. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means, included in the second earpiece, for decoding audio received over the wireless link.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the transcoding means includes:

means for decoding the received audio into first and second channels; and

means for encoding the second channel audio using a reduced-complexity codec.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

means for time stamping the first channel audio and second channel audio;

means for buffering the first channel audio for output at the first earpiece; and

means for packetizing the second channel audio for transmission to the second earpiece over the wireless link.

33. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

means for synchronizing local clocks within the first and second earpieces.

34. A computer-readable medium embodying a set of instructions, wherein the set of instructions when executed by one or more processors comprises:

a code segment for receiving audio at a first earpiece;

a code segment for determining a codec type corresponding to the received audio;

a code segment for determining, based on the codec type, whether to transcode the received audio;

a code segment for transcoding the received audio if the codec type is in a predetermined class of codecs;

a code segment for transmitting the audio from the first earpiece to a second earpiece over a wireless link; and

a code segment for outputting the audio at the first earpiece.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, further comprising:

a code segment for decoding the received audio for only a first channel, if the codec type is not in the predetermined class of codecs;

a code segment for buffering the first channel audio for output at the first earpiece; and

a code segment for packetizing a second channel of received, undecoded audio for transmission to the second earpiece over the wireless link.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the transcoding code segment includes:

a code segment for decoding the received audio into first and second channels; and

a code segment for encoding the second channel audio using a reduced-complexity codec.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, further comprising:

a code segment for time stamping the first channel audio and second channel audio;

a code segment for buffering the first channel audio for output at the first earpiece; and

a code segment for packetizing the second channel audio for transmission to the second earpiece over the wireless link.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, further comprising:

a code segment, executable by the first earpiece, for detecting the second earpiece; and

a code segment for establishing the wireless link between the first and second earpieces, upon detection of the second earpiece.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, further comprising:

a code segment for synchronizing local clocks within the first and second earpieces.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, further comprising:

a code segment for generating a time stamp at the first earpiece;

a code segment for transmitting the time stamp to the second earpiece over the wireless link;

a code segment for setting a local clock in the second earpiece based on the time stamp; and

a code segment for outputting the audio at the second earpiece based on the local clock.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, further comprising:

a code segment, executable by the second earpiece, for decoding audio received over the wireless link.