Synchronization of multi-channel audio communicated over bluetooth low energy

• US 9,712,266 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2013
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, Baek S., Lienhart, Renaud, Linde, Joakim
• Primary Examiner(s): Lun-See, Lao
• Application Number:
  US14/075,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20140348327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 381 1- 3, 381 17- 23, 381 80, 455 306, 455 301, 700 94
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/88 Stereophonic broadcast systems multiplex system in general H04J
• 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

This document describes techniques for synchronizing rendering of multi-channel audio output. First audio data corresponding to a first audio channel and second audio data corresponding to a second audio channel may be received. The first and second audio data may be configured for simultaneous rendering. A transmission schedule for wirelessly transmitting audio data to each of first and second audio rendering devices may be configured, according to which the first audio data may be scheduled for transmission to the first audio rendering device after the second audio data is scheduled for transmission to the second audio rendering device by a first length of time. An indication may be wirelessly transmitted to the second audio rendering device to delay rendering audio data by the first length of time. The first and second audio data may be wirelessly transmitted to the first and second audio rendering devices according to the transmission schedule.

Claims

1. A wireless device configured to communicate audio data to first and second audio rendering devices via wireless communication links that are based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, wherein the audio data is for stereo audio output that includes a plurality of stereo audio channels, wherein the plurality of stereo audio channels comprise a left and a right audio channel, the wireless device comprising:

an antenna; and

a processing element operatively coupled to the antenna;

wherein the antenna and the processing element are configured to;

receive a first plurality of audio packets and a second plurality of audio packets, wherein;

the first plurality of audio packets includes audio data for a first audio channel from the plurality of stereo audio channels;

the second plurality of audio packets includes audio data for a second audio channel from the plurality of stereo channels; and

for each audio packet in the first plurality of audio packets, there is a corresponding audio packet in the second plurality of audio packets, such that audio data in the audio packet in the first plurality of audio packets and audio data in the corresponding audio packet from the second plurality of audio packets are configured for simultaneous rendering as part of, respectively, the first audio channel and the second audio channel;

configure a transmission schedule for transmitting the first plurality of audio packets and the second plurality of audio packets, wherein, according to the transmission schedule;

audio packets from the first plurality of audio packets are scheduled for transmission to the first audio rendering device;

audio packets from the second plurality of audio packets are scheduled for transmission to the second audio rendering device; and

each audio packet of the first plurality of audio packets is scheduled for transmission at a first interval after the corresponding audio packet from the second plurality of audio packets is scheduled for transmission;

indicate to the second audio rendering device to delay rendering the audio data received in the second plurality of audio packets by the first interval, wherein said indicating is performed at a first time prior to wirelessly transmitting the first plurality of audio packets and the second plurality of audio packets, and wherein the second audio rendering device is configured to delay rendering of each of the second plurality of audio packets by the first interval; and

wirelessly transmit the first plurality of audio packets to the first audio rendering device and the second plurality of audio packets to the second audio rendering device via the wireless communication links according to the transmission schedule, wherein the first audio rendering device is configured to render the audio data received in the first plurality of audio packets without delaying the rendering by the first interval.

2. The wireless device of claim 1,

wherein corresponding packets of the first plurality of audio packets and the second plurality of audio packets are identified by sequence numbers.

3. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the processing element comprises a baseband processing element, wherein the wireless device further comprises:

an application processor operatively coupled to the baseband processing element;

wherein the first plurality of audio packets and the second plurality of audio packets are received by the baseband processing element from the application processor.

4. The wireless device of claim 1,

wherein the transmission schedule utilizes timeslicing transmission techniques.

5. The wireless device of claim 4,

wherein according to the transmission schedule, each timesliced transmission occupies a predetermined frame length, wherein configuring the transmission schedule comprises scheduling corresponding packets of the first plurality of audio packets and the second plurality of audio packets for adjacent frames.

6. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein said indicating is performed in establishing an audio streaming session with the first audio rendering device and the second audio rendering device, wherein the second audio rendering device is configured to delay rendering of each of the second plurality of audio packets according to the first interval for the remainder of the audio streaming session.

7. The wireless device of claim 1,

wherein the antenna and the processing element are further configured to:

receive a LEAP_Passthrough message from either the first or the second audio rendering device;

forward the LEAP_Passthrough message to the other of the first or the second audio rendering device.

8. A method for a wireless device to synchronize audio rendering of multi-channel audio output by multiple audio rendering devices, wherein the multi-channel audio output comprises a left and a right audio channel, the method comprising:

at the wireless device;

receiving first audio data corresponding to a first audio channel of a multi-channel audio output and second audio data corresponding to a second audio channel of the multi-channel audio output, wherein the first audio data and the second audio data are configured for simultaneous rendering;

indicating, via wireless communication, to the second audio rendering device to delay rendering received audio data by a first length of time, wherein the second audio rendering device is configured to delay each audio packet according to the first length of time; and

wirelessly transmitting the first audio data to the first audio rendering device and the second audio data to the second audio rendering device according to a transmission schedule, wherein, according to the transmission schedule, the first audio data is transmitted to the first audio rendering device after the second audio data is transmitted to the second audio rendering device, wherein the first length of time is based on a difference in transmission time between the first audio data and the second audio data, and wherein the first audio rendering device is configured to render the audio data received without delaying the rendering by the first length of time.

9. The method of claim 8,

wherein indicating to the second audio rendering device to delay rendering received audio data by the first length of time and transmitting according to the transmission schedule configures the second audio rendering device to render the second audio data simultaneously with the first audio rendering device rendering the first audio data.

10. The method of claim 8,

wherein the first audio data and the second audio data comprise audio packets each having a sequence number, wherein the sequence numbers of the first audio data and the second audio data match, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the first audio data and the second audio data are configured for simultaneous rendering based at least in part on the sequence numbers of the first audio data and the second audio data.

11. The method of claim 8,

wherein the first audio data comprises an indication that the first audio data corresponds to the first audio channel of the multi-channel audio output, wherein the second audio data comprises an indication that the second audio data corresponds to the second audio channel of the multi-channel audio output, wherein the method further comprises:

determining to transmit the first audio data to the first audio rendering device based at least in part based on the indication that the first audio data corresponds to the first audio channel of the multi-channel audio output; and

determining to transmit the second audio data to the second audio rendering device based at least in part based on the indication that the second audio data corresponds to the second audio channel of the multi-channel audio output.

12. The method of claim 8,

wherein the first and second audio data are received at a baseband processor of the wireless device via a system bus.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein according to the transmission schedule, each timesliced connection event occupies a predetermined frame length, wherein configuring the transmission schedule comprises scheduling transmission of the first and second audio data in adjacent frames.

14. The method of claim 8,

wherein wirelessly transmitting the first audio data and the second audio data to the first and second audio rendering devices according to the transmission schedule is performed using wireless communication that is based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein said indicating is performed in establishing an audio streaming session with the first audio rendering device and the second audio rendering device, wherein the second audio rendering device is configured to delay rendering of each of the second plurality of audio packets according to the first length of time for the remainder of the audio streaming session.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

at the wireless device;

receiving a LEAP_Passthrough message from either the first or the second audio rendering device;

forwarding the LEAP_Passthrough message to the other of the first or the second audio rendering device.

17. An apparatus for a wireless device to synchronize audio rendering of multi-channel audio output by multiple audio rendering devices, wherein the multi-channel audio output comprises a left and a right audio channel, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processing elements, wherein the one or more processing elements are configured to;

establish an audio streaming session with at least a first audio rendering device and a second audio rendering device, wherein said establishing the audio streaming session comprises;

wirelessly transmitting a first message to the first audio rendering device; and

wirelessly transmitting a second message to the second audio rendering device;

wherein the second message comprises a parameter indicating to the second audio rendering device to delay rendering each received audio packet of the audio streaming session by a first length of time; and

wirelessly transmitting audio data of the audio streaming session to at least the first audio rendering device and the second audio rendering device, wherein said wireless transmitting comprises;

wirelessly transmitting a first plurality of audio packets to the first audio rendering device;

wirelessly transmitting a second plurality of audio packets to the second audio rendering device;

wherein each audio packet of the first plurality of audio packets is wirelessly transmitted the first length of time after a corresponding audio packet from the second plurality of audio packets is wirelessly transmitted, wherein the first audio rendering device is configured to render each received audio packet of the audio streaming session without delaying the rendering by the first length of time;

wherein at least the first audio rendering device and the second audio rendering device are configured to render the first plurality of packets and the second plurality of packets in a synchronized manner by using the indicated delay.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said wirelessly transmitting the audio data is performed using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein corresponding packets of the first plurality of audio packets and the second plurality of audio packets are identified by sequence numbers.

20. The apparatus of claim 17,

wherein the one or more processing elements are further configured to:

receive a LEAP_Passthrough message from either the first or the second audio rendering device;

forward the LEAP_Passthrough message to the other of the first or the second audio rendering device.