Wireless headset having adaptive powering

• US 9,294,830 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Terlizzi, Jeffrey J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Tan H
• Application Number:
  US13/460,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20120212063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 455/343.5, 455/3.06, 455/426, 455/31, 455/33, 455/13.4, 455/9, 455/572, 455/573, 455/574, 455/127.5, 307/80, 307/43, 307/52, 361/93.8, 361/104, 361/11, 361/78, 361/79, 361/93.1, 320/136, 713/322, 713/300, 323/318, 323/288, 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3866 carried on the head
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0274 for an electrical connector module
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0277 for a printed circuit board assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
• 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 1/1025 Accumulators or arrangements for charging secondary cells per se H01M10/00; charging in general H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/105 Manufacture of mono- or stereophonic headphone components
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/147 at least one of the printed circuits being bent or folded, e.g. by using a flexible printed circuit H05K1/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system that includes a bus, a battery, core processing circuitry, radio frequency (RF) processing circuitry, first power regulating circuitry, second power regulating circuitry, and control circuitry is provided. The bus can be coupled to receive power from a source external to the system. The core processing circuitry and RF processing circuitry can be selectively coupled to each other via a switch. The switch can be operative to turn ON and OFF based on a signal level received on the bus. The first power regulating circuitry can be electrically coupled to the bus, the core processing circuitry, and the switch. The second power regulating circuitry can be electrically coupled to the battery, the RF processing circuitry, and the switch. The control circuitry can be operative to selectively turn ON and OFF the first power regulating circuitry and the second power regulating circuitry based on a number of monitored conditions.

Claims

1. A method for regulating power in an electronic device comprising first power regulating circuitry, second power regulating circuitry, core processing circuitry, and radio frequency (RF) processing circuitry, the method comprising:

monitoring a bus power level;

monitoring a battery charge level;

selectively powering the core processing circuitry using the first power regulating circuitry based on the bus power level and the battery charge level; and

selectively powering the RF processing circuitry using the second power regulating circuitry based on the battery charge level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively powering the core processing circuitry occurs independently of the selectively powering the RF processing circuitry.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively powering the RF processing circuitry occurs independently of the bus power level.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating the first power regulating circuitry when the monitored bus power level is at least a predetermined value.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating the second power regulating circuitry when the monitored battery charge level is at least a predetermined value.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the core processing circuitry to instruct the second power regulating circuitry to remain turned ON.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selectively powering the core processing circuitry using the second power regulating circuitry.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

instructing the second power regulating circuitry to power the core processing circuitry and the RF processing circuitry when the monitored bus power level is below a predetermined value of bus power and the monitored battery power level is at least a predetermined value of battery charge.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

electrically coupling the core processing circuitry to the second power regulating circuitry when the monitored bus power level is below a predetermined value.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

electrically decoupling the core processing circuitry from the second power regulating circuitry when the monitored bus power level is at least a predetermined value.

11. A method for regulating power in an electronic device comprising first power regulating circuitry, second power regulating circuitry, and processing circuitry that comprises a first power consumption portion and a second power consumption portion, the method comprising:

monitoring a bus power level;

monitoring a battery charge level;

selectively powering the first power consumption portion using at least one of the first power regulating circuitry and the second power regulating circuitry based on the bus power level; and

independent of whether the first power consumption portion is powered, selectively powering the second power consumption portion using at least one of the first power regulating circuitry and the second power regulating circuitry based on the battery charge level.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first power consumption portion comprises core processing circuitry.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the core processing circuitry comprises boot-up circuitry.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the second power consumption portion comprises radio frequency (RF) processing circuitry.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

monitoring an operating condition of the electronic device; and

selectively powering at least one of the first power consumption portion and the second power consumption portion using at least one of the first power regulating circuitry and the second power regulating circuitry based on the monitored operating condition.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the selectively powering the first power consumption portion is further based on the monitored battery charge level.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the selectively powering the second power consumption portion is further based on the monitored bus power level.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

electrically coupling the first power consumption portion to the second power consumption portion when the monitored bus power level is below a predetermined bus power level.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

electrically decoupling the first power consumption portion from the second power consumption portion when the monitored bus power level is at least a predetermined bus power level.

20. A method for regulating power in an electronic device, the method comprising:

monitoring a bus power level corresponding to input power received by the electronic device;

monitoring a battery charge level corresponding to a battery in the electronic device;

selectively powering a first portion of the electronic device using a first power regulating circuitry; and

selectively powering a second portion of the electronic device using a second power regulating circuitry based on the battery charge level, wherein the first portion is selectively powered independently of the second portion.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first power regulating circuitry and the second power regulating circuitry are in the electronic device.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

instructing the first power regulating circuitry to power the first portion of the electronic device when the monitored bus power level is at least a predetermined bus power level; and

instructing the second power regulating circuitry to power the second portion of the electronic device when the monitored battery power level is at least a predetermined battery charge level.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

electrically coupling the first portion of the electronic device to the second portion of the electronic device based on the monitored bus power level.