METHODS TO CONSERVE REMOTE BATTERIES

• US 20150281824A1
• Filed: 03/28/2014
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Phuc H., Bruhn, Christopher William
• Granted Patent: US 9,723,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• 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 receives audio data wirelessly from a television receiver and outputs audio to the user through earphones. The wireless headset includes an inertial sensor that detects an orientation of the user'"'"'s head. If the orientation of the user'"'"'s head indicates that the user is sleeping, then wireless headset turns off the wireless receiver, thereby saving battery life.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, in a wireless headset worn by a user, an audio portion of a media program;

monitoring, in a sensor, a physical state of the user;

detecting, in the sensor, that the user has fallen asleep based on the physical state; and

turning off a wireless receiver of the headset in response to detecting that the user has fallen asleep

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor is an inertial sensor coupled to the wireless headset.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising determining that the user has fallen asleep based on movements of the user'"'"'s head detected by the inertial sensor.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein monitoring the physical state of the user comprises detecting, based on the output of the inertial sensor, an orientation of the headset.

5. The method of claim 3, comprising detecting that the user has fallen asleep if the headset has a particular orientation for a period of time longer than a threshold time.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the orientation indicates that the user'"'"'s head is no longer upright.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the physical state comprises monitoring the user'"'"'s breathing.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the physical state comprises monitoring whether eyes of the user are shut.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the physical state comprises monitoring a heart rate of the user.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting a signal from the wireless headset to a television receiver upon detecting that the user has fallen asleep.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising turning off the television receiver in response to receiving the signal in the television receiver.

12. The method of claim 10, comprising turning off a television coupled to the television receiver in response to receiving the signal in the television receiver.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising turning the wireless receiver back on in response to detecting that the user has woken up.

14. The method of claim 1, comprising:

transmitting the audio portion of the media program from a television receiver to the wireless headset; and

transmitting a power-down signal from the television receiver to the wireless headset in response to detecting that the user has fallen asleep.

15. A method, comprising:

transmitting audio data from a television receiver to a wireless headset;

receiving, in a television receiver, a user input selecting a condition for transmitting a power-down signal to the wireless headset; and

transmitting the power-down signal to the wireless headset upon fulfillment of the condition.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the condition is an end of a selected media program.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the condition is a particular time of day.

18. A wireless headset, comprising:

a wireless receiver configured to receive an audio portion of a media program;

a speaker configured output the audio portion to a user of the wireless headset;

a sensor configured to monitor a physical state of the user and to output a sensor signal indicative of the physical state; and

a controller coupled to the wireless receiver, the speaker, and the sensor and configured to receive the sensor signal and to turn off the wireless receiver when the sensor signal indicates that the user has fallen asleep.

19. The wireless headset of claim 18 wherein the sensor is an inertial sensor configured to monitor an orientation of the headset.

20. The wireless headset of claim 19 wherein the controller is configured to turn off the wireless receiver when the sensor signal indicates that the user'"'"'s head has not been upright for a period of time longer than a threshold time.