Un-tethered wireless audio system

• US 9,621,987 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2015
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Watson, Clarke S., Cook, Benjamin W., Berny, Axel D., Trachewsky, Jason A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rego, Dominic
• Application Number:
  US14/696,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20150304770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 455 301, 455 305, 455 306, 4554141, 455 412, 381 58, 381 59, 381 96, 381111, 381300, 381 17, 381316
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0092 Error control systems characterised by the topology of the transmission link
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 Relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/05 Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A wireless speaker audio system configured to receive audio information wirelessly transmitted by an audio source including first and second wireless transceivers. The first wireless transceiver establishes a bidirectional secondary wireless link with the audio source for receiving and acknowledging receipt of the audio information. The first and second wireless transceivers communicate with each other via a primary wireless link. A wireless audio system including an audio source and first and second wireless transceivers. The first and second wireless transceivers communicate via a primary wireless link. The audio source communicates audio information to the first wireless transceiver via a secondary wireless link which is configured according to a standard wireless protocol. The first wireless transceiver is configured to acknowledge successful reception of audio information via the secondary wireless link.

Claims

1. A wireless speaker system configured to receive audio information wirelessly transmitted by an audio source, comprising:

a first loudspeaker including a first wireless transceiver, wherein said first loudspeaker establishes a bidirectional secondary wireless link with the audio source for receiving and acknowledging receipt of the audio information;

a second loudspeaker including a second wireless transceiver, wherein said first and second loudspeakers communicate with each other via a primary wireless link; and

wherein said first and second loudspeakers are configured to extract first and second audio channels, respectively, from the audio information and wherein the first transceiver is configured to;

receive an audio packet from the audio source through the secondary wireless link;

receive an acknowledgement corresponding to the audio packet from the second transceiver through the primary wireless link; and

transmit an audio packet acknowledgement to the audio source through the secondary wireless link.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first loudspeaker is further configured to:

determine that it did not receive, from the second transceiver, an acknowledgement corresponding to a second audio packet from the audio source, and determines not to send an acknowledgement corresponding to the second audio packet to the audio source.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first transceiver is configured to communicate a communication parameter to the second transceiver via the primary wireless link, wherein the communication parameter is to enable the second transceiver to observe the secondary wireless link and extract the second audio channel from the audio information transmitted by the audio source via the secondary wireless link.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the secondary wireless link is configured according to Bluetooth protocol.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the second transceiver does not establish a direct communication link with the audio source.

6. A speaker comprising:

a first transceiver configured to communicate with an audio source through a first bidirectional wireless link and to communicate with a second speaker through a second bidirectional wireless link; and

a processor configured to perform operations comprising;

determining whether an audio packet has been received from the audio source through the first bidirectional wireless link;

determining whether a snoop acknowledgement corresponding to the audio packet has been received from the second speaker through the second bidirectional wireless link; and

,

transmit, to the audio source, an audio packet acknowledgement corresponding to the audio packet when the audio packet has been received from the audio source and the snoop acknowledgement has been received from the second speaker.

7. The speaker of claim 6 wherein the processor is further configured to discard a second receipt of the audio packet from the audio source as a duplicate transmission.

8. The speaker of claim 6 wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine not to transmit the audio packet acknowledgement when the snoop acknowledgement has not been received from the second speaker.

9. The speaker of claim 6 wherein the first transceiver is configured to communicate a communication parameter to a second transceiver via the second bidirectional wireless link, wherein the communication parameter is to enable the second transceiver to observe the first bidirectional wireless link.

10. The speaker of claim 6 wherein the speaker comprises an ear bud.

11. The speaker of claim 6 wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine not to transmit the audio packet acknowledgement when the snoop acknowledgement has been received from the second speaker but the audio packet has not been received from the audio source.

12. The speaker of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a retransmission of the audio packet from the audio source.

13. The speaker of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

transmit a negative acknowledgement (NACK) packet when the audio packet has not been received from the audio source.

14. A method performed by a first speaker having a first wireless transceiver, to receive audio information wirelessly transmitted by an audio source, the method comprising:

establishing a bidirectional secondary wireless link with the audio source;

establishing a primary wireless link with a second wireless transceiver; and

determining whether an audio packet has been received from the audio source through the secondary wireless link;

determining whether a snoop acknowledgement corresponding to the audio packet has been received from the second transceiver through the primary wireless link; and

transmitting, to the audio source, an acknowledgement for the audio packet when the audio packet has been received from the audio source and the snoop acknowledgement corresponding to the audio packet has been received from the second transceiver.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

discarding a retransmission of the audio packet by the audio source responsive to determining that the retransmission is a duplicate audio packet.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

receiving an acknowledgement from the second transceiver in response to the retransmission; and

transmitting, by the first transceiver, an acknowledgement associated with the retransmission to the audio source.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the first transceiver is included in a first ear bud and the second transceiver is included in a second ear bud.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising

determining that an acknowledgement corresponding to a second audio packet from the audio source has not been received from the second transceiver, and determining not to send an acknowledgement corresponding to the second audio packet to the audio source.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising

transmitting a communication parameter to the second transceiver via the primary wireless link, wherein the communication parameter is to enable the second transceiver to observe the secondary wireless link.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the second transceiver does not establish a direct communication link with the audio source.