EARBUD INSERTION SENSING METHOD WITH CAPACITIVE TECHNOLOGY
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An earbud comprising:
- a capacitive sensor including at least one conductive trace, the at least one conductive trace being constructed and arranged to exhibit a capacitance that increases with a depth of insertion of the earbud in the ear of the user; and
a controller configured to provide an indication of the earbud being inserted into an ear of a user and to provide an indication of the depth of insertion of the earbud in the ear of the user responsive to detecting changes in capacitance of one of the at least one conductive trace relative to ground or different conductive traces relative to one another.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An earbud includes a capacitive sensor including at least one conductive trace and a controller configured to provide an indication of the earbud being inserted into an ear of a user responsive to detecting changes in capacitance of one of the at least one conductive trace relative to ground or different conductive traces relative to one another.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. An earbud comprising:
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a capacitive sensor including at least one conductive trace, the at least one conductive trace being constructed and arranged to exhibit a capacitance that increases with a depth of insertion of the earbud in the ear of the user; and a controller configured to provide an indication of the earbud being inserted into an ear of a user and to provide an indication of the depth of insertion of the earbud in the ear of the user responsive to detecting changes in capacitance of one of the at least one conductive trace relative to ground or different conductive traces relative to one another. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 28)
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7. (canceled)
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8. (canceled)
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13. A method of reducing power consumption of an earbud, the method comprising:
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determining whether the earbud is inserted into an ear of a user based on a measurement of capacitance of one of at least one conductive trace disposed on the earbud relative to ground or different conductive traces disposed on the earbud relative to one another; determining a degree of insertion of the earbud into the ear of the user from the measurement of capacitance; and causing the earbud to transition from an active state to an inactive state responsive to determining that the earbud is not inserted into the ear of the user for more than a threshold amount of time. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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16. (canceled)
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24. A method of detecting insertion of an earbud into an ear of a user, the method comprising:
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measuring a capacitance of one of at least one conductive trace disposed on the earbud relative to ground or different conductive traces disposed on the earbud relative to one another; determining a degree of insertion of the earbud into the ear of the user from the measurement of capacitance; and providing an indication of the earbud being inserted into the ear of the user responsive to the capacitance exceeding a threshold capacitance value. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 29)
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27. An earbud comprising:
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a nozzle configured to be inserted into at least an entrance of an ear canal of the user, at least a portion of the nozzle comprising a set of stacked washers, the washers comprising cores of insulating material and conductive material disposed on faces of the washers, the conductive material disposed on the faces of the washers forming a set of conductive traces; and a controller configured to provide an indication of the earbud being inserted into an ear of a user responsive to detecting changes in capacitance of one of at least one conductive trace relative to ground or different conductive traces relative to one another.
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Specification