Simultaneous multi-source audio output at a wireless headset

• US 9,883,271 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sampat, Kuntal
• Primary Examiner(s): Miyoshi, Jesse Y
• Application Number:
  US12/334,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20100150383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,336 Days
• Field of Search: 4555752, 4555561, 4555751, 381376, 381104, 381106
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/10 Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones H04R1/28 takes precedence; stereophonic headphones H04R5/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/01 Input selection or mixing for amplifiers or loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

A wireless headset supports simultaneous connections to two or more audio sources and can concurrently output audio from the different sources. The audio may include voice and/or audio playback, e.g., music playback. The wireless headset includes a first transceiver configured to receive a first audio input from a first source, a second transceiver configured to receive a second audio input from a second source, and an audio mixer configured to combine the first and second audio inputs into output audio.

Claims

1. A wireless headset, comprising:

a first transceiver configured to receive a first audio input from a first source;

a second transceiver configured to receive a second audio input from a second source;

a memory configured to store a plurality of audio signal weighting coefficient sets, wherein each of the weighting coefficient sets corresponds to a predetermined mix of the first audio input and the second audio input, and each of the weighting coefficient sets includes a plurality of programmable digital weighting coefficient values;

a controller configured to change the weighting coefficient values stored in the memory; and

an audio mixer, coupled to the memory, configured to;

select one of the weighting coefficient sets stored in the memory, the selected weighting coefficient set associated with a desired mix of the first audio input and the second audio input;

weight the first audio input and the second audio input with the weighting coefficient values of the selected weighting coefficient set to produce a weighted first audio input and a weighted second audio input, wherein at least one of the weighting coefficient values weights the first audio input from the first source and at least one other of the weighting coefficient values weights the second audio input from the second source, and

combine the weighted first audio input and the weighted second audio input into output audio.

2. The wireless headset of claim 1, wherein the audio mixer is configured to output a left-channel audio output, y₁, and a right-channel audio output, y₂, where

y₁=a₁x₁+b₁x₂+c₁x₃+d₁x₄

y₂=a₂x₁+b₂x₂+c₂x₃+d₂x₄,  

 

where;

x₁ represents a left stereo channel included in the first audio input,

x₂ represents a right stereo channel included in the first audio input,

x₃ represents the second audio input,

x₄ represents a microphone input, and

a₁, a₂, b₁, b₂, c₁, c₂, d₁, d₂ represent the weighting coefficients.

3. The wireless headset of claim 1, wherein the audio mixer is configured to sum the weighted first audio input and the weighted second audio input.

4. The wireless headset of claim 1, wherein the audio mixer selectively combines the weighted first audio input and the weighted second audio input by:

including only the weighted first audio input in the output audio;

including only the weighted second audio input in the output audio;

or

including both the first audio input and the second audio input in the output audio.

5. The wireless headset of claim 1, wherein the first audio input represents voice.

6. The wireless headset of claim 5, wherein the second audio input represents stereo audio.

7. The wireless headset of claim 1, further comprising a microphone configured to produce a third audio input, wherein the audio mixer is configured to combine the weighted first audio input, the weighted second audio input and the third audio input into the output audio.

8. The wireless headset of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver and the second transceiver are Bluetooth transceivers.

9. The wireless headset of claim 1, wherein the weighting coefficients are stored in the memory as a predetermined two-dimensional matrix of coefficients.

10. A method for outputting audio at a wireless headset, comprising:

receiving, at a first transceiver included in the wireless headset, a first audio input from a first source;

receiving, at a second transceiver included in the wireless headset, a second audio input from a second source;

storing a plurality of audio signal weighting coefficient sets in a memory included in the wireless headset, wherein each of the weighting coefficient sets corresponds to a predetermined mix of the first audio input and the second audio input and includes a plurality of programmable digital weighting coefficient values;

changing the weighting coefficient values stored in the memory with a controller;

selecting one of the weighting coefficient sets stored in the memory, the selected weighting coefficient set associated with a desired mix of the first audio input and the second audio input;

retrieving the selected weighting coefficient set from the memory;

weighting the first audio input and the second audio input with the weighting coefficient values of the selected weighting coefficient set to produce a weighted first audio input and a weighted second audio input, wherein at least one of the weighting coefficient values weights the first audio input from the first source and at least one other of the weighting coefficient values weights the second audio input from the second source;

mixing the weighted first audio input and the weighted second audio input into output audio; and

outputting the output audio from the wireless headset.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein mixing includes:

summing the weighted first audio input and the weighted second audio input.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein mixing includes selectively combining the weighted first audio input and weighted second audio input by:

including only the weighted first audio input in the output audio;

including only the weighted second audio input in the output audio;

or

including both the weighted first audio input and weighted second audio input in the output audio.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first audio input represents voice.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second audio input represents stereo audio.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a third audio input from a microphone; and

mixing the weighted first audio input, the weighted second audio input and the third audio input into the output audio.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the first audio input and the second audio input are received at a first Bluetooth transceiver and a second Bluetooth transceiver, respectively.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a set of instructions executable by one or more processors, comprising:

code for receiving, at a first transceiver included in a wireless headset, a first audio input from a first source;

code for receiving, at a second transceiver included in the wireless headset, a second audio input from a second source;

code for storing a plurality of audio signal weighting coefficient sets in a memory included in the wireless headset, wherein each of the weighting coefficient sets corresponds to a predetermined mix of the first audio input and the second audio input and includes a plurality of programmable digital weighting coefficient values;

code for changing the weighting coefficient values stored in the memory with a controller;

code for selecting one of the weighting coefficient sets stored in the memory, the selected weighting coefficient set associated with a desired mix of the first audio input and the second audio input;

code for retrieving the selected weighting coefficient set from the memory;

code for weighting the first audio input and the second audio input with the weighting coefficient values of the selected weighting coefficient set to produce a weighted first audio input and a weighted second audio input, wherein at least one of the weighting coefficient values weights the first audio input from the first source and at least one other of the weighting coefficient values weights the second audio input from the second source;

code for mixing the weighted first audio input and the weighted second audio input into output audio; and

code for outputting the output audio from the wireless headset.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein code for mixing includes:

code for summing the weighted first audio input and the weighted second audio input.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the code for mixing includes code for selectively combining the weighted first audio input and the weighted second audio input by:

including only the weighted first audio input in the output audio;

including only the weighted second audio input in the output audio;

or

including both the weighted first audio input and the weighted second audio input in the output audio.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first audio input represents voice.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the second audio input represents stereo audio.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

code for receiving a third audio input from a microphone; and

code for mixing the weighted first audio input, the weighted second audio input and the third audio input into the output audio.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving, at a first transceiver included in a wireless headset, a first audio input from a first source;

means for receiving, at a second transceiver included in the wireless headset, a second audio input from a second source;

means for storing a plurality of audio signal weighting coefficient sets in a memory included in the wireless headset, wherein each of the weighting coefficient sets corresponds to a predetermined mix of the first audio input and the second audio input and includes a plurality of programmable digital weighting coefficient values;

means for changing the weighting coefficient values stored in the memory;

means for selecting one of the weighting coefficient sets stored in the memory, the selected weighting coefficient set associated with a desired mix of the first audio input and the second audio input;

means for retrieving the selected weighting coefficient set from the memory;

means for weighting the first audio input and the second audio input with the weighting coefficient values of the selected weighting coefficient set to produce a weighted first audio input and a weighted second audio input, wherein at least one of the weighting coefficient values weights the first audio input from the first source and at least one other of the weighting coefficient values weights the second audio input from the second source;

means for mixing the weighted first audio input and the weighted second audio input into output audio; and

means for outputting the output audio from the wireless headset.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the mixing means includes:

means for summing the weighted first audio input and the weighted second audio input.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the mixing means includes means for selectively combining the weighted first audio input and the weighted second audio input by:

including only the weighted first audio input in the output audio;

including only the weighted second audio input in the output audio;

or

including both the weighted first audio input and the weighted second audio input in the output audio.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the first audio input represents voice.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the second audio input represents stereo audio.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

means for receiving a third audio input from a microphone; and

means for mixing the weighted first audio input, the weighted second audio input and the third audio input into the output audio.

29. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein each of the receiving means includes a Bluetooth transceiver.

30. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for applying a time-varying gain to at least one of the first audio input or the second audio input.