Method and system for connecting an audio accessory device to a client computing device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for connecting an audio accessory device to a client computing device. The technology involves establishing a wireless communication link or connection between a first audio accessory device, a second audio accessory device, and a client computing device. After receiving a signal from the client computing device to initiate audio output, both the first audio accessory device and the second audio accessory device can perform a series of steps in parallel to establish a connection with the client computing device and with each other. The series of steps can include relaying one or more acknowledgment (ACK) signals between the audio accessory devices to confirm correct reception of the signal from the client computing device at both audio accessory devices. Alternatively, the series of steps can include transmitting an interference signal from one of the audio accessory devices to prevent the ACK signal from the other audio accessory device from reaching the client computing device and initiating audio output.

Description

[0001] Division Explanation

[0002] This application is a divisional application of Chinese Patent Application No. 201980024308.0, with an application date of May 1, 2019.

[0003] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0004] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 665,750, filed on May 2, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0005] Earbuds typically include a pair of speakers that can be worn at least partially in a user's ear. Some earbuds can be considered "truly wireless", i.e., there is no wired connection between either earbud and a client device that provides a signal including encoded data packets to the earbuds to generate sound for the user. For truly wireless earbuds, a power - saving method is to have both earbuds in the pair listen to the same channel with the client device and separately decode the received packets to produce an audio output. In these and many other embodiments, only one earbud in the pair can send an acknowledgment (ACK) packet or signal to the client device in response to receiving a packet from the client device. When the other earbud in the pair loses a packet for some reason, for example, there may be a glitch in the generated sound. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Aspects of the present disclosure provide a method. The method includes establishing, by one or more processors at a first audio accessory device, a first wireless connection with a second audio accessory device and a second wireless connection with a client computing device; receiving, at a first time point via the second wireless connection, a first signal from the client computing device by one or more processors; determining, by one or more processors, whether the first signal is acceptable; when the first signal is acceptable, transmitting, by one or more processors, a first acknowledgment (ACK) signal to the second audio accessory device via the first wireless connection; determining, by one or more processors, whether one or more processors receive a second ACK signal within a time amount, the second ACK signal including a time stamp of a second time point when a second signal from the client computing device is received at the second audio accessory device; when the second ACK signal is received within the time amount, determining, by one or more processors, a status identifier of the first audio accessory device, the status identifier including a master device or a slave device; and operating, by one or more processors, the first audio accessory device based on the determined status identifier.

[0007] Other aspects of the present disclosure provide another method. The method includes establishing, by one or more processors at a first audio accessory device, a first wireless connection with a second audio accessory device and a second wireless connection with a client computing device; receiving, at a first point in time via the second wireless connection, a first signal from the client computing device by one or more processors; determining, by one or more processors, whether the first signal is acceptable; when the first signal is not acceptable, determining, by one or more processors, whether the first audio accessory device is a slave device with respect to the second audio accessory device; and when the first audio accessory device is a slave device, transmitting, by one or more processors, an interference signal configured to prevent the client computing device from receiving an acknowledgment (ACK) signal from the second audio accessory device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 is a functional diagram of an example system 100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0009] Figure 2 is a perspective view of an example system 100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 3A is a flowchart 300A of an example method in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 3B and 3C is a signal timing diagram of an example method illustrating Figure 3A in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 4A is a flowchart 400A of an example method in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4B and 4C is a signal timing diagram illustrating Figure 4A of an example method in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] OVERVIEW

[0015] The technology relates to establishing a wireless communication link or connection between a first audio accessory device, a second audio accessory device, and a client computing device. The first audio accessory device and the second audio accessory device can be a pair of earbuds configured to provide audio playback or audio output to a user as a single unit. After receiving a signal from the client computing device to initiate audio output, the first audio accessory device and the second audio accessory device can each execute a series of steps in parallel to establish a connection with the client computing device and optionally with each other. The series of steps can be configured such that audio output is initiated only when both audio accessory devices have correctly received a signal from the client computing device.

[0016] A series of steps can include relaying one or more acknowledgment (ACK) signals between audio accessory devices to confirm the correct reception of signals from a client computing device at two audio accessory devices. Alternatively, a series of steps can include transmitting an interference signal from one of the audio accessory devices to prevent an ACK signal from another audio accessory device from reaching the client computing device and initiating audio output.

[0017] The features described herein can allow wireless audio accessory devices to connect to client devices more reliably. Not only can all audio accessory devices communicate with the client device, but audio output can only be initiated after all audio accessory devices are ready to do so. Additionally, power consumption at the audio accessory devices can be reduced when both audio accessory devices receive signals directly from the client device as compared to when one of the audio accessory devices communicates more frequently between the client computing device and the other audio accessory device.

[0018] Example System

[0019] Figure 1 and Figure 2 FIG. 1 depicts an example system 100 in which the features described herein can be implemented. It should not be considered to limit the scope of the disclosure or the usefulness of the features described herein. In this example, system 100 can include a computing device.

[0020] The computing device can include one or more processors 112 and a memory 114 as well as various other components as discussed below. The memory 114 of the computing device can store information accessible by one or more processors 112, including instructions 116 executable by one or more processors 112. The memory can also include data 118 that can be retrieved, manipulated, or stored by the processor. The memory can be any non-transitory type capable of storing information accessible by the processor, such as a hard drive, memory card, ROM, RAM, DVD, CD-ROM, writeable and read-only memory.

[0021] The instructions 116 can be any set of instructions to be executed directly by one or more processors, such as machine code, or any set of instructions to be executed indirectly by one or more processors, such as a script. In this regard, the terms "instructions," "application," "steps," and "program" can be used interchangeably herein. The instructions can be stored in a target code format for direct processing by the processor or in any other computing device language, including scripts or collections of independent source code modules that are interpreted on demand or compiled in advance. The functions, methods, and routines of the instructions are described in more detail below.

[0022] Data 118 can be retrieved, stored, or modified by one or more processors 112 according to instructions 116. For example, although the subject matter described herein is not limited to any particular data structure, data can be stored in computer registers, as a table with many different fields and records, or as an XML document in a relational database. Data can also be formatted in any computer device-readable format such as, but not limited to, binary values, ASCII, or Unicode. Additionally, data can include any information sufficient to identify relevant information such as numbers, descriptive text, proprietary codes, pointers, references to data stored in other memories such as at other network locations, or information used by a function to compute relevant data.

[0023] One or more processors 112 can be any conventional processor such as a commercially available CPU. Alternatively, the processor can be a special-purpose component such as an application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) or other hardware-based processor. Although not required, one or more of the computing devices can include special-purpose hardware components to perform specific computing processes faster or more efficiently such as decoding video, matching video frames to images, distorting video, encoding distorted video, and the like.

[0024] Although Figure 1 Functionally, the processor, memory, and other elements of a computing device are illustrated as being within the same block, however, the processor, computer, computing device, or memory can actually include multiple processors, computers, computing devices, or memories that may or may not be stored within the same physical housing. For example, the memory can be a hard disk drive or other storage medium located in a housing different from that of the computing device. Accordingly, references to a processor, computer, computing device, or memory will be understood to include references to a collection of processors, computers, computing devices, or memories that may or may not operate in parallel.

[0025] A computing device can include one or more processors 131, 141 and memories 132, 142 that have the same or similar characteristics as the one or more processors 112 and memory 114 of the computing device. As Figure 1 shown, the memory of the computing device can also store information such as instructions 133, 143 and data 134, 144 in the same or similar manner as described above with respect to memory 114, instructions 116, and data 118.

[0026] Each computing device may be able to wirelessly exchange data with each other using one or more signals. For example, a computing device can be a device such as a mobile phone, a wireless-enabled PDA, a tablet computer, a netbook, a full-size personal computing device, or any other type of client computing device. The client computing device 110 may have all the components typically used with a personal computing device such as the processor and memory discussed above, as well as a display (e.g., a touch screen, a projector, a television, a monitor with a screen, or other device operable to display information) such as the display 122 and a user input device 124 (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, a touch sensor, one or more buttons, or a microphone). The client computing device 110 may also include a connection component 126 (shown only in Figure 1 ), which may be used to facilitate wireless connections 127a or 127b such as connections to audio accessory devices 130, 140 via a WiFi or Bluetooth protocol. For example, the connection component 126 may be a wireless transmitter and receiver.

[0027] The computing devices may both be audio accessory devices configured to communicate with the client computing device 110 via wireless connections 127a, 127b and with each other via a wireless connection 157. For example, the audio accessory device 130 may include one or more speakers 135 for generating sound, a user input device 136 that allows a user to input instructions, and a connection component 137, such as a wireless transmitter and receiver, configured to facilitate a wireless connection with the client computing device or another audio accessory device, such as wireless connections 127a and 157. Similarly, the audio accessory device 140 may include one or more speakers 145 for generating sound, a user input device 146 for allowing a user to input instructions, and a connection component 147, such as a wireless transmitter and receiver, configured to establish a wireless connection with the client computing device or another audio accessory device, such as wireless connections 127b and 157. In some examples, only one of the audio accessory devices 130, 140 has a user input device.

[0028] As Figure 2 shown, the audio accessory devices 130 and 140 may be a set of wireless earbuds. For clarity, the audio accessory device 130 may be considered the first wireless earbud in the set, corresponding to the speaker 135, and the audio accessory device 140 may be considered the second wireless earbud in the set, corresponding to the speaker 145. The audio accessory devices 130 and 140 may be configured to be worn in or at least partially in a user's ears and provide an audio output to the user based on instructions received from the client computing device 110 via wireless connections 127a and 127b. Figure 2The set of wireless earbuds shown is wireless because there is no wired connection between any audio accessory device 130 or 140 and the client computing device 110. Although the examples herein relate to wireless earbuds, the features described herein may also apply to other wireless audio accessory devices, such as wireless headphones, wireless "standalone" speaker pairs, and the like.

[0029] Example method

[0030] One or more computing devices in the audio accessory devices 130 and 140 may be configured to properly connect to the client computing device 110 using a series of response packets. In Figure 3A FIG. 300A depicts a method of connecting an audio accessory device to the client computing device 110 in accordance with some of the aspects described above, and is thus described with respect to Figure 1 example client computing device 110 and audio accessory devices 130, 140, although it should be understood that the method may be applied to any of a variety of systems. The following is described in connection with Figure 3B-3C FIG. Figure 3A which Figure 3B-3C illustrates the timing of signals transmitted between a first audio accessory device 130 and a second audio accessory device 140. For clarity, the operating timeline of the first audio accessory device 130 is shown above the dashed line in Figure 3B FIG. Figure 3C and the operating timeline of the second audio accessory device 140 is shown below the dashed line. Although Figure 3A the blocks are shown in a particular order, the order may be varied and multiple operations may be performed simultaneously. Additionally, operations may be added or omitted.

[0031] At block 302, a plurality of wireless connections are established between one or more first processors 131 of the first audio accessory device 130, one or more second processors 141 of the second audio accessory device 140, and the client computing device 110. For example, one or more first processors 131 of the first audio accessory device 130 may establish a first connection 127a with the client computing device 110, and one or more second processors 141 of the second audio accessory device 140 may establish a second connection 127b with one or more processors 112 of the client computing device 110. The first connection 127a may be a wireless connection, such as a Bluetooth connection, between the connection component 126 of the client computing device 110 and the connection component 137 of the audio accessory device 130. The second connection 127b may be a wireless connection, such as a Bluetooth connection, between the connection component 126 of the client computing device 110 and the connection component 147 of the client computing device 110. Both the first connection 127a and the second connection 127b may be configured to support a channel for streaming media from the client computing device 110 to the audio accessory devices 130, 140, such as an Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) channel.

[0032] A third connection 157 may be established between one or more first processors 131 and one or more second processors 141. The third connection may be a wireless connection, such as a Bluetooth connection, between the connection component 137 of the audio accessory device 130 and the connection component 147 of the audio accessory device 140. Other types of wireless connections may be used for the first, second, and third connections.

[0033] At block 304, one or more first processors 131 of the first audio accessory device 130 receive a first signal from the client computing device 110 at a first time point. As Figure 3B and 3C shown, the first signal 320 is received at the first audio accessory device 130 at the first time point 322. The first signal 320 may be transmitted from the connection component 126 of the client computing device 110 and may be received at the connection component 137 of the audio accessory device 130 via the wireless connection 127a. The first signal may carry a first preamble and a first frame of audio information. The first frame of audio information may be used by one or more processors 131 to provide a first audio output from the speaker 135. The first preamble may indicate the size of the first frame of audio information. One or more first processors 131 may establish a media stream channel on the wireless connection 127a based on the received first signal.

[0034] After receiving the first signal, one or more first processors 131 may, in some cases, decode the preamble and determine that the size of the first frame of audio information requires an uplink of at least a set amount of time. The set amount of time may be determined to be longer than a threshold amount of time for relaying an acknowledgment (ACK) signal between the first audio accessory device 130 and the second audio accessory device 140. For example, referring to the examples in Figure 3B and Figure 3B , the set amount of time 324 may be 1.25 milliseconds or more or less, and the threshold amount of time 326 may be 600 microseconds or more or less. Then, one or more first processors 131 may establish a media stream channel on the wireless connection 127a, which includes selecting a packet size based on the set amount of time. The packet size may divide the first frame of audio information to be uploaded within the set amount of time.

[0035] The first signal may be related to a second signal, such as the second signal 340 shown in Figure 3B and 3C , which may also be transmitted from the connection component 126 of the client computing device 110. The second signal may carry a second preamble and a second frame of audio information. The second frame may be related to the first frame such that the second frame of audio information may be used to provide a second audio output from a speaker (such as the speaker 145 of the second audio accessory device 140) that corresponds to the audio output from the speaker 135 based on the first frame of audio information. For example, the second audio output may be the same as the first audio output, such as for providing mono audio, or the second audio output may supplement the first audio output, such as for providing stereo audio.

[0036] At block 306, one or more first processors 131 verify whether the first signal is acceptable. For example, the first signal may be verified as acceptable when an error detection code is satisfied before or after error correction of the first signal. For example, one or more first processors 131 may process the first signal using an error detection code such as a cyclic redundancy check. An error correction code may also be used to process the first signal. When verified, the process may continue to block 308a. When the first signal is not verified, such as when it does not satisfy the error detection code, the process ends at block 308b. Alternatively, at block 308b, one or more first processors 131 may transmit a negative acknowledgment (NACK) signal to the client computing device 110.

[0037] At block 308a, one or more first processors 131 transmit a first ACK signal to one or more second processors 141 after the first signal is verified as acceptable. For example, as shown in Figure 3B and 3CAs shown, a first ACK signal 328 is transmitted from a first audio accessory device 130 to a second audio accessory device 140. The first ACK signal can be transmitted via a wireless connection 157 at a second time point. The second time point can be within a threshold amount of time after the first time point. The first ACK signal can include a first timestamp regarding when the first signal is received by one or more first processors 131 or at the first time point. For example, the first ACK signal 328 can include a first timestamp for the first time point 322 when the first signal 320 is received.

[0038] At block 310, one or more first processors 131 determine whether a second ACK signal has been received via the wireless connection 157 from one or more second processors 141 within a threshold amount of time after the first time point. After one or more second processors 141 receive a second signal at a second time point, the second ACK signal can be transmitted by one or more second processors 141. The second time point can be before, simultaneous with, or after the first time point. Additionally, the second ACK signal can include a second timestamp regarding when the second signal is received by one or more second processors 141 or at the second time point. Then, depending on the determination result, the process can proceed to block 312a or 312b.

[0039] When one or more first processors 131 determine that the second ACK signal has been received within the threshold amount of time, one or more first processors 131 can proceed to block 312a. For example, the second ACK signal can be received by one or more first processors 131 at a third time point. Then one or more first processors 131 can determine that the third time point is within the threshold amount of time after the first time point. As Figure 3B shown, when the second signal 340 is received, the second ACK signal 348 is transmitted from the second audio accessory device 140 and carries the second timestamp of the second time point 342. Then, the second ACK signal 348 is received at the first audio accessory device 130 at a third time point 330 within the threshold amount of time 326.

[0040] At block 312a, one or more first processors 131 determine whether the first time point is before the second time point. The second time point can be derived from the second ACK signal received by one or more first processors 131 and can be compared with the first time point. In Figure 3B the example illustrated, one or more first processors 131 compare the first time point 322 and the second time point 342. This can include determining whether the first time point is earlier or later in time than the second time point.

[0041] When it is determined that the first time point is before or earlier than the second time point in time, one or more first processors 131 may transmit a third ACK signal to one or more processors 112 of the client computing device 110 via the wireless connection 127a at block 314a. Additionally, one or more first processors 131 may also identify the audio accessory device 130 as the master device for communicating that only requires the use of one of the audio accessory devices 130, 140.

[0042] When it is determined that the first time point is after or later than the second time point in time, at block 314b one or more first processors 131 may identify the first audio accessory device 130 as a slave device. As a result, one or more first processors 131 may not transmit the third ACK signal to one or more processors 112 of the client computing device 110.

[0043] In the case where it is determined that the first time point is simultaneous with the second time point, one or more first processors 131 may identify the first audio accessory device 130 based on a default setting. The default setting may indicate that a given audio accessory device is the default master device or the default slave device. In Figure 3B the example shown, the first time point 322 and the second time point 342 are determined to be simultaneous. In this example, the default setting of the first audio accessory device 130 may identify the first audio accessory device as the default master device, and the default setting of the second audio accessory device 140 may identify the second audio accessory device 140 as the default slave device. Accordingly, the third ACK signal 332 is transmitted from the first audio accessory device 130 to the client computing device 110.

[0044] Returning to block 310, when one or more first processors 131 determine that the second ACK signal has not been received within a threshold amount of time after the first time point, one or more first processors 131 may enter block 312b. For example, one or more first processors 131 may determine that a threshold amount of time has elapsed after the first time point and the second ACK signal has not been received at the end of that threshold amount of time.

[0045] Then, at block 312b, one or more first processors 131 transmit a NACK signal to one or more processors 112 of the client computing device 110 via the wireless connection 127a. In Figure 3C the example, the threshold amount of time 326 elapses at the first audio accessory device 130 without receiving the second ACK signal from the second audio accessory device 140. Accordingly, the first audio accessory device 130 transmits a NACK signal 334 to the client computing device 110.

[0046] One or more second processors 141 of the second audio accessory device 140 may perform the steps depicted in flowchart 300A in parallel with one or more first processors 131 of the first audio accessory device 130. That is, one or more second processors 141 may receive a second signal from the client computing device 110 at a second time point (see block 304), verify that the second signal is acceptable (see block 306), and transmit a second ACK signal to one or more first processors 131 if the second signal is verified as acceptable (see block 308a). If the second ACK signal is transmitted, one or more second processors 141 may determine whether a first ACK signal has been received from one or more first processors 131 via the wireless connection 157 within a threshold amount of time after the second time point (see block 310). If the first ACK signal is not received within the threshold amount of time after the second time point, one or more second processors 141 may send a NACK signal (see block 310b), but if received, one or more second processors 141 may determine whether the second time point is before the first time point (see block 312a). When the second time point is before the first time point, one or more second processors 141 may send a third ACK signal to the client computing device 110 and identify the second audio accessory device 140 as the master device (see block 314a). When the second time point is after the first time point, one or more second processors 141 may identify the second audio accessory device 140 as the slave device and not send the third ACK signal (see block 314b). Alternatively, when the second time point is simultaneous with the first time point, one or more second processors 141 may identify as the default setting, in which case it may be the slave device (see block 314c).

[0047] After one or more processors 131 and 141 perform the steps of flowchart 300A, one of the first audio accessory device 130 and the second audio accessory device 140 may be identified as the master device and the other may be identified as the slave device. Additionally, when one or more processors of the audio accessory devices 130, 140 verify the respective signals received from the client computing device 110, the audio accessory devices 130 and 140 may be correctly synchronized with each other and may be ready to continue the streaming media transmitted from the client computing device 110. Additionally or alternatively, one or more computing devices of the audio accessory devices 130 and 140 may be configured to use interference signals to prevent incorrect audio from being played back from the client computing device 110.

[0048] In Figure 4A which, flowchart 400A depicts a method of connecting an audio accessory device to the client computing device 110 according to some of the aspects described above, and thus, with respect to Figure 1Example client computing device 110 and audio accessory device 130 are described, although it should be understood that the method can be applied to any of a variety of systems. The following is combined with Figure 4B-4C Further described Figure 4A , the Figure 4B-4C Illustrates the timing of signals transmitted between a first audio accessory device 130 and a second audio accessory device 140. For clarity, the operating timeline of the first audio accessory device 130 is shown above the dashed line in Figure 4B and Figure 4C , while the operating timeline of the second audio accessory device 140 is shown below the dashed line. Although Figure 4A The boxes are shown in a specific order, but the order can be varied and multiple operations can be performed simultaneously. Additionally, operations can be added or omitted.

[0049] At block 402, a plurality of wireless connections are established between one or more first processors 131 of the first audio accessory device 130, one or more second processors 141 of the second audio accessory device 140, and the client computing device 110 in the same or a similar manner as described in block 302.

[0050] At block 404, one or more first processors 131 of the first audio accessory device 130 receive a first signal from the client computing device 110 at a first time point. In the example shown in Figure 4B and 4C , the first signal 420 is received at the first audio accessory device 130 at the first time point 422.

[0051] The first signal can be transmitted from the connection component 126 of the client computing device 110 and can be received at the connection component 137 of the audio accessory device 130 via the wireless connection 127a. The first signal can carry a first preamble and a first frame of audio information. The first preamble can indicate the size of the first packet of audio information, and one or more processors 131 can use the first frame of audio information to provide first audio output from the speaker 135. One or more first processors 131 can establish a media stream channel on the wireless connection 127a based on the received first signal.

[0052] After receiving the first signal, in some cases, one or more first processors 131 can decode the preamble and determine that the size of the first frame of audio information requires an uplink of at least a set amount of time. The set amount of time can be determined to be shorter than the threshold amount of time for relaying an acknowledgment (ACK) signal between the first audio accessory device 130 and the second audio accessory device 140. For example, in Figure 4B and Figure 4CAmong them, the set time amount 424 is 500 microseconds or more or less, and the threshold time amount 426 is 600 microseconds or more or less.

[0053] Then one or more first processors 131 may implement an interference signal process, such as the process described regarding Figure 4A Because the set time amount is less than the threshold time amount. The interference signal processing may allow one or more first processors 131 to respond to the first signal in a time amount shorter than the set time amount. For example, Figure 4B and 4C One or more of the first processors 131 in may be configured to, when using the interference signal processing described herein, respond to the first signal with an ACK, NACK, or interference signal within 260 microseconds, which is less than the set time amount of 500 microseconds. In some embodiments, implementing an interference single process may include selecting an interference signal process from a plurality of possible processes based on the set time amount, where the plurality of possible processes further includes an ACK relay process, such as the process described regarding Figure 3A The process described.

[0054] At block 406, one or more first processors 131 verify that the first signal is acceptable, for example, in the same or similar manner as described above regarding block 306. When the first signal is verified as acceptable, at block 408a, one or more first processors 131 determine how to respond based on whether the first audio accessory device 130 is the master device or the slave device with respect to the second audio accessory device 140. In the case where the ACK signal is not relayed between the first and second audio accessory devices, the designation of the master device and the slave device may be preset to the default settings. When the first audio accessory device 130 is identified as the master device, at block 410a, one or more first processors 131 transmit the ACK signal to the client computing device 110. When the first audio accessory device 130 is identified as the slave device, at block 410b, one or more first processors 131 may wait for further instructions from the second audio accessory device 140 or the client computing device 110. In either case, one or more first processors 131 may then be ready to initiate the audio output from the speaker 135. In Figure 4B In the example of, the first signal 420 is verified as acceptable at the first audio accessory device 130, while the second signal 440 is verified as acceptable at the second audio accessory device 140. In addition, Figure 4B The first audio accessory device 130 in is identified as the master device with the default settings and transmits the ACK signal 428. On the other hand, the second audio accessory device 140 is identified as the slave device and does not transmit the ACK signal and waits for further instructions.

[0055] Returning to block 406, when the first signal is not verified as acceptable, one or more first processors 131 determine how to respond at block 408b based on whether the first audio accessory device 130 is the master or slave device with respect to the second audio accessory device 140. The master or slave device identification can be determined in the same or similar manner as described with respect to block 408a. When the first audio accessory device is identified as the master device, at block 410c, one or more first processors 131 transmit a NACK signal to the client computing device 110. When the first audio accessory device 130 is identified as the slave device, one or more first processors 131 transmit an interference signal at block 410d. The interference signal can be configured to prevent the client computing device 110 from receiving any ACK signal that may be transmitted by one or more second processors. For example, the interference signal can be mainly related to the length and / or other signal characteristics of the preamble of the ACK signal transmitted by at least one or more second processors.

[0056] In Figure 4C the example of, the first signal 420 is not verified as acceptable at the first audio accessory device 130, and the second signal 440 is verified as acceptable at the second audio accessory device 140. Additionally, Figure 4C the first audio accessory device in

[0057] is identified as the slave device and transmits an interference signal 430. The interference signal 430 is configured to prevent the client computing device 110 from receiving the ACK signal 442 transmitted from the second audio accessory device 140, which is the master device.

[0058] One or more second processors 141 of the second audio accessory device 140 may perform the steps described in flowchart 400 in parallel with one or more first processors 131 of the first audio accessory device 130. That is, one or more second processors 141 may receive a second signal from the client computing device 110 at a second time point (see block 404), verify whether the second signal is acceptable (see block 406), and transmit an ACK signal to the client computing device 110 if the second signal is verified as acceptable (see block 408a), and transmit an interference signal if the second signal is not verified (see block 408b).

[0059] Advantages of the foregoing systems and methods are that they mitigate packet loss, thereby reducing audio glitches during audio playback via a wireless accessory such as earbuds. The missing rate of data may correspond to the missing rate of the headers of the A2DP packets of the interference signal, and this missing rate of the data is low. The missing rate can be further reduced by setting the accessory with a weaker RF signal to act as the master device, such that the interference signal is made stronger and can effectively block the ACK signal.

[0060] Although the foregoing methods and systems have been described primarily with examples of earbud pairs, it should be understood that the first and second audio devices can be any of a variety of audio accessories, such as augmented reality or virtual reality headsets, smart glasses, speakers, video displays, and the like.

[0061] Unless otherwise stated, the above alternative examples are not mutually exclusive, but can be implemented in various combinations to achieve unique advantages. Since these and other variations and combinations of the features discussed above can be utilized without departing from the subject matter defined by the claims, the foregoing description of the embodiments should be by way of illustration rather than by way of limitation of the subject matter defined by the claims. In addition, the examples described herein and the provision of terms expressed as "such as", "including", etc. should not be construed as limiting the subject matter of the claims to specific examples; rather, the examples are intended to illustrate only one of many possible embodiments. Additionally, the same reference numerals in different figures may identify the same or similar elements.

Claims

1. A method for connecting an audio accessory device to a client computing device, comprising: Receiving, by one or more processors at a first audio accessory device, a first signal from the client computing device; Determining, by the one or more processors, whether the first signal is acceptable; In response to determining that the first signal is acceptable, transmitting, by the one or more processors, a first acknowledgment ACK signal to a second audio accessory device; Determining, by the one or more processors, whether a second ACK signal from the second audio accessory device is received by the one or more processors within a time period; Determining, by the one or more processors, whether the first audio accessory device is a master device or a slave device based on whether the second ACK signal is received within the time period; And Operating, by the one or more processors, the first audio accessory device based on whether the first audio accessory device is a master device or a slave device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining, by the one or more processors, whether the first signal meets an error detection code, wherein, The first signal is acceptable when the first signal meets the error detection code.

3. The method according to claim 2 further includes performing error correction on the first signal by the one or more processors, wherein, Determining whether the first signal meets the error detection code is performed before the error correction of the first signal.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising performing error correction of the first signal by the one or more processors, wherein, Determining whether the first signal meets the error detection code is performed after the error correction of the first signal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The second ACK signal includes a timestamp at a time point when a second signal from the client computing device is received at the second audio accessory device.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprises: When the first signal is not acceptable and the first audio accessory device is identified as the slave device, transmitting, by the one or more processors, an interference signal configured to prevent the client computing device from receiving an ACK signal from the second audio accessory device.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprises: When the first signal is not acceptable, determining, by the one or more processors, whether the first audio accessory device is a slave device with respect to the second audio accessory device.

8. A first audio accessory device, comprising: A memory; One or more processors communicatively coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to: Receive a first signal from a client computing device; Determine whether the first signal is acceptable; In response to determining that the first signal is acceptable, transmit a first acknowledgment ACK signal to a second audio accessory device; Determine whether a second ACK signal from the second audio accessory device is received by the one or more processors within a time period; Determine whether the first audio accessory device is a master device or a slave device based on whether the second ACK signal is received within the time period; And Operate the first audio accessory device based on whether the first audio accessory device is a master device or a slave device.

9. The first audio accessory device according to claim 8, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured to determine whether the first signal meets an error detection code, wherein the first signal is acceptable when the first signal meets the error detection code.

10. The first audio accessory device according to claim 9, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured to perform error correction on the first signal, wherein it is determined whether the first signal satisfies that the error detection code is executed before the error correction of the first signal.

11. The first audio accessory device according to claim 9, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured to perform error correction on the first signal, wherein it is determined whether the first signal satisfies that the error detection code is executed after the error correction of the first signal.

12. The first audio accessory device according to claim 8, wherein, The second ACK signal includes a timestamp at a time point when a second signal from the client computing device is received at the second audio accessory device.

13. The first audio accessory device according to claim 8, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured to transmit an interference signal when the first signal is not acceptable and when the first audio accessory device is identified as the slave device, the interference signal being configured to prevent the client computing device from receiving an ACK signal from the second audio accessory device.

14. The first audio accessory device according to claim 8, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured to determine whether the first audio accessory device is a slave device with respect to the second audio accessory device when the first signal is not acceptable.

15. A system for connecting an audio accessory device to a client computing device, comprising: A first audio accessory device; A second audio accessory device; Wherein the first audio accessory device is configured to: Receive a signal from a client computing device; Determine whether the signal from the client computing device is acceptable; In response to determining that the signal from the client computing device is acceptable, transmit a first response ACK signal to the second audio accessory device; Determine whether a second ACK signal from the second audio accessory device is received within a time period; Determine whether the first audio accessory device is a master device or a slave device based on whether the second ACK signal is received within the time period; and Operate the first audio accessory device based on whether the first audio accessory device is a master device or a slave device.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein, The first audio accessory device is further configured to transmit an interference signal when the signal from the client computing device is not acceptable and when the first audio accessory device is identified as the slave device, the interference signal being configured to prevent the client computing device from receiving an ACK signal from the second audio accessory device.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein The first audio accessory device is further configured to determine whether the first audio accessory device is a slave device with respect to the second audio accessory device when the signal from the client computing device is not acceptable.

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