Headset power source managing

• US 9,049,513 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2012
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Yamkovoy, Paul G.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLDER, REGINA NEAL
• Application Number:
  US13/622,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20140079236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1025 Accumulators or arrangements for charging secondary cells per se H01M10/00; charging in general H02J7/00
• 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 2410/05 Noise reduction with a separate noise microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices

Abstract

A power management system and method for a noise reducing headset. The power management system adjusts the operations of the noise reducing headset based on the characteristics of the power sources available to the noise reducing headset.

Claims

1. A method for operating a noise reducing headset comprising:

determining if electrical power from an external battery with an attached charging source is available, and if electrical power from the external battery with the attached charging source is available, operating communication circuitry, talk through circuitry, and active noise reduction circuitry with power from the external battery with the attached charging source;

if electrical power from the external battery with the attached charging source is not available, determining if electrical power from an external battery without an attached charging source and providing a first voltage is available, and if electrical power from the external battery without an attached charging source is available, operating the communication circuitry, the talk through circuitry, and the active noise reduction circuitry with power from the battery without the external charging source, operation of the active noise reduction circuitry being at a first gain level;

if electrical power from the external battery without an attached charging source is not available, determining if electrical power above a threshold voltage, lower than the first voltage, from an internal battery is available, and if electrical power above a threshold voltage from the internal battery source is available, operating the communication circuitry, the talk through circuitry, and the active noise reduction circuitry with power from the internal battery, operation of the active noise reduction circuitry being at a second gain level greater than the first gain level; and

if electrical power above the threshold voltage is not available from the internal battery, operating the communication circuitry and the talk through circuitry unpowered and disabling the active noise reduction circuitry.

2. The method for operating the noise reducing headset of claim 1, wherein

if electrical power from the external battery with the attached charging source is available, operating the active noise reduction circuitry at a third gain level;

and

if electrical power from the external battery with the attached charging source is not available and electrical power from the external battery without the attached charging source is available, operating the active noise reduction circuitry at the first gain level, the first gain level being lower than the third gain level.

3. The method for operating the noise reducing headset of claim 1, wherein the determining and operating operations are performed regardless of the position of a battery on/off switch.

4. A noise reducing headset comprising:

first determining and operating circuitry for determining if electrical power from an external battery with an attached charging source is available, and if electrical power from the external battery with the attached charging source is available, operating the communication circuitry, the talk through circuitry, and the active noise reduction circuitry with power from the external battery with the attached charging source;

second determining and operating circuitry for determining, in the event that electrical power from the external battery with the attached charging source is not available, if electrical power from an external battery without an attached charging source and providing a first voltage is available, and if electrical power from the external battery without an attached charging source is available, operating the communication circuitry, the talk through circuitry, and the active noise reduction circuitry with power from the external battery without the attached charging source, the second determining and operating circuitry operating the active noise reduction circuitry at a first gain level;

third determining and operating circuitry for determining, in the event that electrical power from the external battery without an attached charging source is not available, if electrical power above a threshold voltage, lower than the first voltage, from the internal battery source is available, and if electrical power electrical power above a threshold voltage from the internal battery source is available, operating the communication circuitry, the talk through circuitry, and the active noise reduction circuitry with power from the battery with the internal battery, the third determining and operating circuitry operating the active noise reduction circuitry at a second gain level greater than the first gain level; and

circuitry for operating, in the event that electrical power above the threshold voltage is not available from the internal battery, the communication circuitry and the talk through circuitry unpowered and for disabling the active noise reduction circuitry.

5. The noise reducing headset of claim 4, wherein

the first determining and operating circuitry comprises circuitry for operating the active noise reduction circuitry at a third gain level;

and

the second determining and operating circuitry comprises circuitry for operating the active noise reduction circuitry at the first gain level, the first gain level being lower than the third gain level.

6. The noise reducing headset of claim 4, wherein the headset comprises a boom microphone and wherein the headset comprises circuitry for indicating whether the boom microphone requires a bias voltage.

7. A power management system for a noise reducing headset comprising:

external receiving circuitry for receiving power from one of a plurality of external power sources;

internal receiving circuitry for receiving power from an internal battery;

electing circuitry for exclusively electing to receive electrical power from one of the external receiving circuitry or the internal receiving circuitry; and

gain controlling circuitry, responsive to the electing circuitry for controlling a gain of active noise reduction circuitry,

wherein the external receiving circuitry comprises determining circuitry for determining whether the external power source includes a battery charger and whether the external power source provides a first voltage,

the internal receiving circuitry comprises determining circuitry for determining whether the internal battery provides a second voltage, lower than the first voltage, and

the gain controlling circuitry causes the gain to be higher if the electing circuitry elects to receive power from the internal receiving circuitry than if the electing circuitry elects to receive power from the external receiving circuitry when the external power source does not include the battery charger and the first voltage is greater than the second voltage.

8. The power management system of claim 7, wherein the gain controlling circuitry causes the gain to be higher if the external source includes a battery charger than if the external source does not includes a battery charger.

9. The power management system of claim 8, wherein the external receiving circuitry comprises a voltage regulator for modifying the voltage to one level if the external power source includes the battery charger and to a different level if the external power source does not include a battery charger and wherein the gain controlling circuitry comprises a first comparator for comparing the output voltage of the voltage regulator with a predefined value.

10. The power management system of claim 9, wherein the external receiving circuitry comprises a second comparator and a third comparator for comparing the voltage of the power from the one of the plurality of external power sources with predefined voltage values.

11. The power management system of claim 8, wherein the circuitry for receiving the power from the plurality of external power sources comprises a first comparator and a second comparator for determining the voltage received from the one of the plurality of outside power sources;

and

wherein the circuitry for controlling the gain of the active noise reduction circuitry comprises a logic element, responsive to the outputs of the first and second comparators.

12. The power management system of claim 11, wherein one of the first and second comparators is an inverse comparator.

13. The power management system of claim 12, wherein the logic gate is a NAND gate.

14. The power management system of claim 7, wherein the external receiving circuitry comprises a first comparator and a second comparator for comparing the voltage of the power from the one external power source with predefined values.

15. The power management system of claim 14, wherein the circuitry for receiving power comprises an inverter, coupled to one of the first comparator or the second comparator.