WIRELESS HEADSET AND BATTERY STATUS INDICATION METHOD THEREOF

• US 20090135017A1
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Hee Young, Jang, Sung Hak, Lee, Geun Myeon
• Granted Patent: US 8,368,548 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/636.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1025 Accumulators or arrangements for charging secondary cells per se H01M10/00; charging in general H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40

Abstract

An enhanced wireless headset and battery status indication method is provided for indicating an accurate battery level of a wireless headset. A battery status indication method for a wireless headset determines a residual charge of a battery of the wireless headset and emits light having one of a plurality of colors from a status indication unit of the wireless headset. Each of the plurality of colors indicates a different residual charge of the battery. The wireless headset and battery status indication method also enables indicating whether the wireless headset is operating in charging mode by maintaining or blinking the battery status indication light. In addition, the wireless headset and battery status indication method enables indicating a radio communication status as well as a battery status by blinking the battery status indication light in correspondence with a communication radio scanning cycle.

Claims

1. A battery status indication method for a wireless headset, the method comprising:

determining a residual charge of a battery of the wireless headset; and

emitting light having one of a plurality of colors from a status indication unit of the wireless headset, wherein each of the plurality of colors indicates a different residual charge of the battery.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the status indication unit comprises a first light emitting device that includes at least two light emitters that emit different colors of light.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of colors of light is generated by combining the light emitted by at least one of the at least two light emitters.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the status indication unit comprises a first light emitting device that includes one light emitter that emits at least three different colors of light.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the emitting of the light comprises one of maintaining emission of the light and blinking of the light.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the emitting of the light comprises maintaining the emission of the light when the battery is coupled to an external power source.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the emitting of the light comprises the blinking the light when the battery is not coupled to an external power source.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the blinking of the light corresponds to a radio scanning cycle of a wireless communication of the wireless headset.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the status indication unit comprises a first light emitting device for emitting the light to indicate the residual charge of the battery, and wherein the status indication unit comprises a second light emitting device for emitting light to indicate a radio status of the wireless headset.

10. A wireless headset, the headset comprising:

a wireless communication unit for establishing a short range wireless communication link with an external device;

a control unit for controlling the wireless communication with the external device and for determining a residual battery charge of the wireless headset; and

a status indication unit including a first light emitting device for emitting one of a plurality of colors of light based on a result of the determination of the residual battery charge, wherein each of the plurality of colors corresponds to a different residual battery charge.

11. The headset of claim 10, wherein the first light emitting device comprises at least two light emitters that emit different colors of light.

12. The headset of claim 11, wherein the first light emitting device emits one of a first color of light generated by one light emitter, a second color of light generated by the other light emitter, and a third color of light generated by combining the first and second colors of light.

13. The headset of claim 10, wherein the first light emitting device comprises one light emitter that emits at least three different colors of light.

14. The headset of claim 10, wherein the control unit controls the status indication unit to maintain and blink the light emitted by the first light emitting device.

15. The headset of claim 14, wherein the control unit controls the status indication unit to maintain emission of the light emitted by the first light emitting device when the wireless headset is electrically coupled to an external power source.

16. The headset of claim 14, wherein the control unit controls the status indication unit to blink the light emitted by the first light emitting device when the wireless headset is not electrically coupled to an external power source.

17. The headset of claim 16, wherein the control unit controls the status indication unit to blinks the light in correspondence with a radio scanning cycle of the wireless communication unit.

18. The headset of claim 10, wherein the status indication unit further comprises a second light emitting device for indicating a radio status of the wireless communication unit.