Method and system of extending battery life of a wireless microphone unit

• US 10,009,701 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2016
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Watchguard Video Incorporated (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WatchGuard, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cilia, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Lana N
• Application Number:
  US15/340,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20170048635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/012 Comfort noise or silence coding
• 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: H04R 1/04 Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor in deaf-aid sets H04R25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/004 for microphones H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

A method of extending battery life of a wireless microphone unit includes muting the wireless microphone unit responsive to a mute signal from a base station unit, transmitting, by the wireless microphone unit, compressed muted audio data, wherein the compressed muted audio data is compressed via a first compression scheme, determining, by the wireless microphone unit, whether an unmute signal has been received from the base station unit, and responsive to a determination that the unmute signal has been received, unmuting the wireless microphone unit. The method further includes discontinuing transmission of the compressed muted audio data and transmitting compressed audio data via a second compression scheme, wherein the first transmitting step causes the wireless microphone unit to consume less power per unit of transmission time than the second transmitting step.

Claims

1. A microphone unit comprising:

a transmitter; and

a microphone coupled to the transmitter, wherein the microphone is configured to;

mute responsive to a determination that a recording device of a base station is not recording video;

via the transmitter, transmit compressed muted audio data to the base station while the microphone is muted; and

responsive to a determination, while the microphone is muted, that the recording device is recording video, unmute.

2. The microphone unit according to claim 1, wherein the recording device is configured to record the compressed muted audio data.

3. The microphone unit according to claim 1, wherein the compressed muted audio data comprises at least one string of zeros compressed into a short string of data.

4. The microphone unit according to claim 3, wherein the at least one string of zeros represents silence.

5. The microphone unit according to claim 1, wherein responsive to the unmute, the microphone is configured to:

discontinue the transmission of the compressed muted audio data; and

transmit compressed audio data utilizing at least one of Digital Speech Standard (DSS), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), and MP3.

6. The microphone unit according to claim 1, wherein responsive to the unmute, the microphone is configured to:

discontinue the transmission of the compressed muted audio data; and

transmit uncompressed audio data.

7. The microphone unit according to claim 1, wherein the microphone unit comprises a wireless microphone unit.

8. The microphone unit according to claim 1, wherein the compressed muted audio data comprises run-length-encoded muted audio data.

9. A method of extending battery life of a microphone unit comprising a microphone and a transmitter, the method comprising:

the microphone muting responsive to a determination that a recording device of a base station is not recording video;

the microphone transmitting, via the transmitter, compressed muted audio data to the base station while the microphone is muted; and

responsive to a determination, while the microphone is muted, that the recording device is recording video, the microphone unmuting.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the recording device is configured to record the compressed muted audio data.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein, responsive to the microphone muting, the compressed muted audio data defaults to zero.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the compressed muted audio data comprises at least one string of zeros compressed into a short string of data.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the at least one string of zeros represents silence.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein, responsive to the muting, audio data representing silence is received by the transmitter.

15. The method according to claim 9 comprising, responsive to the unmuting, the microphone:

discontinuing the transmission of the compressed muted audio data; and

transmitting compressed audio data utilizing at least one of Digital Speech Standard (DSS), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), and MP3.

16. The method according to claim 9 comprising, responsive to the unmuting, the microphone:

discontinuing the transmission of the compressed muted audio data; and

transmitting uncompressed audio data.

17. The method according to claim 9, wherein the muting comprises disconnecting the transmitter from the microphone.

18. The method according to claim 9, wherein the muting comprises the microphone muting utilizing analog mute circuitry.

19. The method according to claim 9, wherein the muting comprises the microphone muting utilizing digital mute circuitry.