Reduced microphone power-up latency

• US 9,699,550 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2014
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gustavsson, Bengt Stefan, Fitzgerald, Joseph Robert, Oliveira, Louis Dominic
• Primary Examiner(s): Paul, Disler
• Application Number:
  US14/539,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20160134966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 381 91- 92, 381110, 381 58
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/004 for microphones H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method includes generating a command at a first microphone and sending the command from the first microphone to a second microphone. The command is sent to the second microphone via a bus that is coupled to the first microphone and to the second microphone.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a command at a first microphone; and

sending the command from the first microphone to a second microphone via a bus that is coupled to the first microphone and to the second microphone, wherein the command instructs the second microphone to transition from a low power mode to a high power mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the command is a wakeup command.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting acoustic input sound at a port of the first microphone; and

sending the wakeup command to the second microphone in response to detecting the acoustic input sound.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting acoustic input sound at a port of the first microphone;

comparing a sound level of the acoustic input sound to a threshold; and

sending the wakeup command to the second microphone in response to a determination that the sound level of the acoustic input sound satisfies the threshold.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting a keyword at the first microphone; and

sending the wakeup command to the second microphone in response to detecting the keyword.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether a particular period of time has elapsed since commanding the second microphone to transition from the low power mode to the high power mode; and

sending the wakeup command to the second microphone in response to a determination that the particular period of time has elapsed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the command is a handover command that further instructs the second microphone to

perform microphone activity detection functions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the microphone activity detection functions include at least one of detecting acoustic input sound at a port of the second microphone, comparing a sound level of the acoustic input sound to a threshold, detecting a keyword at the second microphone, or determining whether a particular period of time has elapsed since commanding another microphone to transition from the low power mode to the high power mode.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the microphone activity detection functions further include sending a wakeup command to another microphone via the bus.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising transitioning into the low power mode after sending the handover command to the second microphone.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether a port of the first microphone is blocked; and

sending the handover command to the second microphone in response to a determination that the port of the first microphone is blocked.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the port of the first microphone is blocked comprises:

detecting acoustic input sound at the port of the first microphone; and

comparing a sound level of the acoustic input sound to a threshold, wherein the port of the first microphone is blocked if the sound level is below the threshold.

13. A microphone comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to perform operations comprising;

generating a command; and

sending the command from the microphone to a second microphone via a bus that is coupled to the microphone and to the second microphone, wherein the command instructs the second microphone to transition from a low power mode to a high power mode.

14. The microphone of claim 13, wherein the command is a wakeup command.

15. The microphone of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting an acoustic input sound at a port of the microphone; and

sending the wakeup command to the second microphone in response to detecting the acoustic input sound.

16. The microphone of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting an acoustic input sound at a port of the microphone;

comparing a sound level of the acoustic input sound to a threshold; and

sending the wakeup command to the second microphone in response to a determination that the sound level of the acoustic input sound satisfies the threshold.

17. The microphone of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting a keyword at the microphone; and

sending the wakeup command to the second microphone in response to detecting the keyword.

18. The microphone of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether a particular period of time has elapsed since commanding the second microphone to transition from the low power mode to the high power mode; and

sending the wakeup command to the second microphone in response to a determination that the particular period of time has elapsed.

19. The microphone of claim 13, wherein the command is a handover command that further instructs the second microphone to

perform microphone activity detection functions.

20. The microphone of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether a port of the microphone is blocked; and

sending the handover command to the second microphone in response to a determination that the port of the microphone is blocked.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor within a microphone, cause the processor to:

generate a command; and

send the command from the microphone to a second microphone via a bus that is coupled to the microphone and to the second microphone, wherein the command instructs the second microphone to transition from a low power mode to a high power mode.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the command is a wakeup command.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions are further executable to cause the processor to send the wakeup command to the second microphone in response to detecting an acoustic input sound at a port of the microphone.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions are further executable to cause the processor to send the wakeup command to the second microphone in response to a determination that a sound level of an acoustic input sound detected at a port of the microphone satisfies a threshold.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions are further executable to cause the processor to send the wakeup command to the second microphone in response to detecting a keyword.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the command is a handover command that further instructs the second microphone to

perform microphone activity detection functions.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the instructions are further executable to cause the processor to:

determine whether a port of the microphone is blocked; and

send the handover command to the second microphone in response to a determination that the port of the microphone is blocked.

28. A microphone comprising:

means for generating a command; and

means for sending the command from the microphone to a second microphone via a bus that is coupled to the microphone and to the second microphone, wherein the command instructs the second microphone to transition from a low power mode to a high power mode.

29. The microphone of claim 28, wherein the command is a wakeup command.

30. The microphone of claim 28, wherein the command is a handover command that further instructs the second microphone to

perform microphone activity detection functions.