Magnetic induction of the control knob of the true wireless stereo headset

Abstract

An earbud device (1) and system for improving user control in a true wireless stereo (TWS) headset using a rotatable dial (8) and a magnetic sensing arrangement such that in response to rotation of the dial (8), the magnetized portion (10) intermittently engages with the magnetic sensor (12) to indicate the degree and direction of rotation of the dial (8); wherein the dial (8) is attached to a housing (3), and the magnetic sensing arrangement includes at least one magnetized portion (10) arranged in the dial (8) and at least one magnetic sensor (12) arranged in the housing (3).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the technical field of personal listening audio devices such as earbuds, headphones and headsets, and more particularly to a control knob for a true wireless stereo (TWS) headset. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the increasing popularity of portable media players and mobile phones, the use of earphones has become more and more common. In the following disclosure, the term "earphones" will be used to refer to headphones and in-ear headphones or earplugs.

[0003] A headset is an earphone that includes one or more microphones, thus providing the equivalent functionality of a telephone handset with hands-free operation. Headsets can have a single earpiece (mono) or two earpieces (binaural mono or stereo). In addition to personal use for listening to and sending audio, headset applications include aviation, theater or television studio intercom systems, and console or PC gaming. These applications all require some form of user control to adjust volume, audio mix, or active noise cancellation (ANC) effects.

[0004] However, creating a good physical user interface in small portable headphones, such as true wireless stereo (TWS) headsets, is challenging due to their small form factor and lack of visual feedback (the user cannot directly see the headset when operating it). Many existing solutions use a set of buttons for user control, but their small size and proximity to other buttons make it difficult for users to locate the function of each button.

[0005] Another option is to use a rotary volume knob as a user interface to implement user control, but existing physical components used for this purpose (usually potentiometers or rotary encoders) are often very tall (in the direction of the rotation pivot axis) and cannot be used in TWS and other portable headsets. Summary of the Invention

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a device and method for improving user control in a headset, thereby overcoming or at least reducing the above-mentioned problems.

[0007] The above and other objects are achieved by the features of the independent claims. Further implementations are apparent from the dependent claims, the detailed description and the drawings.

[0008] According to a first aspect, an earplug device is provided, comprising:

[0009] case;

[0010] a dial rotatably attached to the housing, in the shape of a disk and including at least one magnetized portion and at least one non-magnetized portion;

[0011] at least one magnetic sensor disposed in the housing;

[0012] wherein the at least one magnetized portion is configured to intermittently engage with the at least one magnetic sensor in response to rotation of the dial.

[0013] A combination of one or more magnetized portions arranged on the dial (control knob) intermittently engages with a magnetic sensor in the earbud housing, reducing the size of the dial with a flat physical structure so that it can be integrated into a small, lightweight TWS headset.

[0014] Another advantage of a combination dial earbud with this magnetic sensing arrangement is that a larger diameter dial can be used for the earbud, thereby improving the user interface experience. Another advantage is that all of the above advantages can be achieved without increasing, or only slightly increasing, the overall size of the earbud unit, thereby still allowing for a lightweight, portable structure that can be placed in or over the ear canal.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the earbud device includes two magnetic sensors, which are used to subsequently engage with the same at least one magnetized part in response to the rotation of the dial, wherein the order in which the two magnetic sensors engage with the magnetized parts indicates the rotation direction of the dial.

[0016] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the two magnetic sensors are used to generate a first sensor signal and a second sensor signal, respectively, in response to engagement with the at least one magnetized portion; a difference signal between the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal may display positive pulses and negative pulses; and a sequence of the positive pulses and the negative pulses in the difference signal indicates a rotation direction of the dial.

[0017] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the dial includes a pivot having a cylindrical body and extending from a center point of the dial, wherein the dial is rotatably attached to the housing via the pivot; and the at least two magnetic sensors are arranged in the housing at substantially similar radial distances from the pivot.

[0018] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the dial includes:

[0019] a first pivot directly connected to the dial;

[0020] a second pivot shaft connected to the first pivot shaft via a gear system;

[0021] At least one magnet is disposed on a side of the second pivot axis so as to define the at least one magnetized portion, the at least one magnetized portion being adapted to intermittently engage the at least one magnetic sensor in response to rotation of the dial.

[0022] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the dial includes at least one magnetic film strip, which is applied on a first surface of the dial facing the housing, thereby defining the at least one magnetized portion.

[0023] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the dial includes a plurality (N) of magnetic film strips, which are applied to the first surface in a rotationally symmetrical arrangement with intermittent gaps, wherein the intermittent gaps define the non-magnetized portion.

[0024] In a possible embodiment, preferably, the number N of the magnetic film strips is in the range of 3<N<20, and more preferably, N=16.

[0025] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, each magnetic film strip is used to cover a circular sector of the dial.

[0026] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the earplug device includes a single magnetic sensor; each of the multiple magnetic film strips includes an asymmetric shape, and the asymmetric shape is used to gradually engage with the magnetic sensor or suddenly engage with the magnetic sensor in response to the rotation of the dial, thereby indicating the rotation direction of the dial.

[0027] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the earbud device further includes a speaker configured to generate sound waves in response to an input audio signal; and the dial is a volume knob configured to adjust at least one of the total output volume of the speaker or the balance between signal components of the input audio signal. In further possible embodiments, the dial can be used to adjust other aspects of the audio signal, such as spectral balance.

[0028] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, at least a portion of the shell is configured to be placed in the ear canal or to roughly cover the opening of the ear canal of a user of the earplug device; the shell includes a first side and a second side opposite to the first side; the speaker is arranged in the shell, facing outward from the second side, and is used to generate sound waves for transmission to the interior of the ear canal; the dial is rotatably attached to the first side.

[0029] In another possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the magnetic sensor is a magnetometer, which is used to measure the direction, intensity, or relative change of the magnetic field at a specific position.

[0030] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the magnetometer is a small microelectromechanical system (MEMS) magnetic field sensor.

[0031] According to a second aspect, there is provided a system comprising:

[0032] at least one earplug device according to any possible implementation manner of the first aspect;

[0033] The host device is configured to establish a data connection with the at least one earplug device.

[0034] Data connecting the earbud device to a host device allows the earbud device to be implemented without its own storage space and limited processing means, thereby achieving a simpler construction with small size and lighter weight, which is very important in the case of TWS headsets.

[0035] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the earplug device is a True Wireless Stereo (TWS) headset; the host device is a mobile smartphone; and the data connection is established using a Bluetooth protocol.

[0036] These and other aspects will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] In the following detailed description of the present invention, aspects, embodiments and implementations will be explained in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0038] Figure 1 shows a 3D side view of the same earbud device provided by one embodiment of the first aspect, the earbud device having a solid transparent dial for illustrating the magnetic induction arrangement;

[0039] Figure 2A-2C is a cross-sectional view illustrating the functionality of a magnetic induction arrangement in an earplug provided by another embodiment of the first aspect;

[0040] Figure 3 Shows the display Figure 2A-2C signal readings of magnetic sensors of a functional magnetic sensing arrangement;

[0041] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of an earplug device having a magnet and a magnetic sensor provided by another embodiment of the first aspect is shown;

[0042] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of an earplug device having a magnetic film strip and a magnetic sensor provided by another embodiment of the first aspect is shown;

[0043] Figure 6 Another embodiment of the first aspect provides a rotationally symmetrical arrangement of magnetic film strips;

[0044] Figure 7 Another embodiment of the first aspect provides an asymmetric arrangement of magnetic film strips;

[0045] Figure 8 shows the signal reading of the magnetic sensor, which shows Figure 7 The function of the asymmetric arrangement of the magnetic film strips;

[0046] Figure 9 A cross-sectional view of an earplug device arranged in an ear canal according to another embodiment of the first aspect is shown;

[0047] Figure 10 An embodiment of the second aspect provides a system with two earbud devices, wherein the two earbud devices are data-connected to a host device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] Figure 1 The figure shows an earbud device 1 according to the present invention. The earbud device 1 includes a housing 3 and a generally flat, disc-shaped dial 8 (whose thickness is significantly smaller than its diameter), which is rotatably attached to the housing. As shown in the figure on the right, at least one magnetic sensor 12 is disposed in the housing 3, while the dial 8 includes at least one magnetized portion 10 and at least one non-magnetized portion 11. The magnetized portion 10 is disposed in or on the dial 8 to intermittently engage with the at least one magnetic sensor 12 in response to rotation of the dial 8, as described in more detail below.

[0049] In one embodiment, the magnetic sensor 12 is a magnetometer for measuring the direction, strength, or relative change of a magnetic field at a specific location. In one embodiment, the magnetometer is a small microelectromechanical system (MEMS) magnetic field sensor.

[0050] exist Figure 2A-2CIn one embodiment shown, two magnetic sensors 12A, 12B are arranged in the housing 3 to subsequently engage with the same magnetized portion 10 when the dial 8 is rotated in any direction. In this embodiment, the order in which the two magnetic sensors 12A, 12B engage with the magnetized portion 10 indicates the direction of rotation of the dial 8, as described below. Although the movement of a single magnetized portion 10 is considered for clarity in the figures, the same principle can be used to detect the rotation of multiple magnetized portions 10 in a symmetrical or asymmetrical arrangement, as described below. Figure 6 and Figure 7 As described in .

[0051] like Figure 3 As shown, two magnetic sensors 12A and 12B are configured to generate a first sensor signal 16 and a second sensor signal 17, respectively, in response to engagement with at least one magnetized portion 10. A difference signal 18 can then be calculated by subtracting the first sensor signal 16 from the second sensor signal 17. The difference signal 18 can then be displayed as a positive pulse 19 or a negative pulse 20 on a timeline graph. In other words, when the magnetized portion 10 moves from right to left, the difference signal 18 experiences a positive pulse 19 followed by a negative pulse 20. If the magnetized portion 10 moves from left to right, the difference signal 18 should first experience a negative pulse 20 followed by a positive pulse 19. Thus, a sensor arrangement including two magnetic sensors 12A and 12B can detect the direction of movement, thereby enabling detection and control of functions of the earbud device 1 (e.g., audio volume adjustment).

[0052] In some embodiments, Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the dial 8 and the housing 3 (or at least a portion of the housing 3 adjacent to the dial 8) are arranged to have substantially the same circular cross-section, and a pivot 9 is arranged to connect the dial 8 and the housing 3. In some embodiments, only the dial 8 and the adjacent portions of the housing 3 are arranged to have circular cross-sections, and the pivot 9 is used to connect these adjacent portions at approximately the center points of these adjacent portions.

[0053] exist Figure 5 In the embodiment shown, the dial 8 includes: a pivot 9 having a cylindrical body extending from its center point, and the dial 8 is rotatably attached to the housing 3 via the pivot 9; a magnetic sensor 12 (or two magnetic sensors 12A, 12B, as described above) is arranged in the housing 3 at a substantially similar radial distance 8 from the pivot 9. In this embodiment, the operation of the magnetic sensor can be combined with the above Figure 2A-2C and Figure 3 The same method as described above, or combined with the following Figure 7 and Figure 8 The same method is described to detect the movement of at least one magnetized portion 10 arranged on the dial 8 .

[0054] exist Figure 4 In another illustrated embodiment, dial 8 includes a first pivot 9A directly connected to dial 8 and a second pivot 9B connected to first pivot 9A via a gear system. In this embodiment, at least one magnet 13 (or magnetic film strip 14) is disposed on the side of second pivot 9B, thereby defining at least one magnetized portion 10. This at least one magnetized portion 10 is configured to intermittently engage with at least one magnetic sensor 12 in response to rotation of dial 8. Thus, using this gear mechanism, a small rotation of dial 8 can be converted into a rapid rotation of second pivot 9B, thereby enabling sufficient rotation detection resolution of dial 8.

[0055] In some embodiments, the dial 8 includes at least one magnetic film strip 14 applied to a first (lower) surface of the dial 8 facing the housing 3 , thereby defining at least one magnetized portion 10 .

[0056] exist Figure 6 In one illustrated embodiment, the dial 8 includes a plurality (N) of magnetic film strips 14 applied to the first surface in a rotationally symmetrical arrangement with intermittent gaps, wherein the intermittent gaps define the non-magnetized portion 11. Although the number N of magnetic film strips 14 is shown as N=3 and N=8 in the figures, in preferred embodiments, the number N of magnetic film strips 14 can range from 3 < N < 20, and more preferably, the number N of magnetic film strips 14 is N=16. In some embodiments, each magnetic film strip 14 is configured to cover a circular sector of the dial 8 (as shown in the left figure), while in other embodiments, the magnetic film strips 14 cover rectangular segments.

[0057] exist Figure 7 In another embodiment shown, each of the plurality of magnetic film strips 14 includes an asymmetrical shape for gradually or suddenly engaging with the magnetic sensor 12 in response to rotation of the dial 8, thereby indicating the rotation direction of the dial 8. In this embodiment, the earbud device 1 may include a single magnetic sensor 12, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 The different shapes of the signal readings shown are Figure 7 The first (and only) sensor signal 16 is shown when the dial 8 is rotated clockwise (top) and when the dial 8 is rotated counterclockwise (bottom). The different shapes of the signal 16 make it easy to detect the direction of rotation, while the single sensor 12 enables a simple and efficient construction.

[0058] Figure 9Another embodiment of an earbud device 1 is shown. For simplicity, features identical or similar to corresponding features previously described or illustrated herein are denoted by the same reference numerals used previously. In this illustrated embodiment, the earbud device 1 includes a housing 3, at least a portion of which (e.g., an earbud) is configured to be placed in an ear canal 4 or substantially cover the opening of a user's ear canal 4. The housing 3 includes a first side 3A and a second side 3B opposite the first side 3A. A dial 8 is rotatably attached to the first side 3A. A speaker 7 is also disposed in the housing 3, facing outward from the second side 3B, and is configured to generate sound waves 15 in response to an input audio signal for transmission into the interior of the ear canal 4. The speaker 7 may include a front chamber and a rear chamber isolated from the front chamber to optimize sound wave production.

[0059] In one embodiment, the dial 8 is a volume knob for adjusting at least one of the total output volume of the speaker 7 or the balance between the signal components of the input audio signal.

[0060] In a possible embodiment, the earbud device 1 may further include one or more microphones 12, which are arranged in the housing 3 and face outward from the first side 3A and are used to capture sound waves from the direction of the external environment 5. In one embodiment (not shown), the earbud device 1 includes at least two microphones, which are arranged in the housing 3 and face outward from the first side 3A and are configured to face the mouth of the user of the earbud device 1 to achieve sound beamforming.

[0061] In another embodiment, the earplug device 1 may further include a voice accelerometer for detecting the voice of the user of the earplug device 1 through vibration.

[0062] These additional inputs may generate further input signals which may be used as further components to be mixed into the input audio signal of the loudspeaker 7 , or used to control other functions of the earbud device 1 (eg de-occlusion).

[0063] Figure 10 A system provided by the present invention is shown, which includes two earbud devices 1A and 1B according to any of the above embodiments, and the two earbud devices may correspond to an implementation of a TWS earphone system configured to be used in the left ear and right ear of the user, respectively, wherein there is no wired connection between the earbud devices 1A and 1B, and the host device 2 is arranged to establish a data connection with at least one earbud device 1.

[0064] In this embodiment, the first earbud device 1A includes the rotatable dial 8 described above, and the second earbud device 1B also includes the rotatable dial 8 described above. Rotation of either dial 8 can be used to adjust the output volume of the speaker 7 or to adjust the balance between signal components of the input audio signal of the speaker 7.

[0065] The host device 2 may be a mobile smart phone, and the data connection may be established using Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocols.

[0066] Various aspects and implementations have been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments. However, other variations of the disclosed embodiments may be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed subject matter, by studying the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfil the functions of several items described in the claims. The enumeration of certain measures in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used effectively. The computer program may be stored / distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or solid-state medium provided together with or as part of other hardware, and may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunications systems.

[0067] Reference signs used in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. An earplug device (1), characterized in that: include: Housing (3); A dial (8) rotatably attached to the housing (3), in the shape of a disc, comprising: a first pivot (9A) having a cylindrical body extending from a center point thereof, the dial (8) being rotatably attached to the housing (3) via the first pivot (9A), The second pivot (9B) is connected to the first pivot (9A) through a gear system, At least one magnetized portion (10) is arranged on the side of the second pivot (9B), thereby defining at least one magnetized portion (10), and at least one non-magnetized portion (11); At least one magnetic sensor (12) is disposed in the housing (3); wherein the at least one magnetized portion (10) is adapted to intermittently engage with the at least one magnetic sensor (12) in response to rotation of the dial (8).

2. The earplug device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that include: Two magnetic sensors (12A, 12B) are configured to subsequently engage with the same at least one magnetized portion (10) in response to rotation of the dial (8), wherein the order in which the two magnetic sensors (12A, 12B) engage with the magnetized portion (10) indicates the direction of rotation of the dial (8).

3. The earplug device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that The two magnetic sensors (12A, 12B) are configured to generate a first sensor signal (16) and a second sensor signal (17), respectively, in response to engagement with the at least one magnetized portion (10); The difference signal (18) between the first sensor signal (16) and the second sensor signal (17) may show a positive pulse (19) and a negative pulse (20); The sequence of the positive pulses (19) and the negative pulses (20) in the difference signal (18) indicates the rotation direction of the dial (8).

4. The earplug device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that The at least two magnetic sensors (12A, 12B) are arranged in the housing (3) at substantially similar radial distances from the first pivot (9A).

5. The earplug device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that The at least one magnetized portion (10) comprises at least one magnet (13) and is arranged on a side of the second pivot (9B).

6. The earplug device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that The dial (8) comprises at least one magnetic film strip (14) applied on a first surface of the dial (8) facing the housing (3), thereby defining the at least one magnetized portion (10).

7. The earplug device (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that The dial (8) comprises N magnetic film strips (14), which are applied to the first surface in a rotationally symmetrical arrangement with intermittent gaps, wherein the intermittent gaps define the non-magnetized portion (11); The number N of the magnetic film strips (14) is in the range of 3 < N < 20.

8. The earplug device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that Each magnetic film strip (14) is used to cover a circular sector of the dial (8).

9. The earplug device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that include: a single magnetic sensor (12); Each of the N magnetic film strips (14) includes an asymmetric shape for gradually engaging with the magnetic sensor (12) or suddenly engaging with the magnetic sensor (12) in response to rotation of the dial (8), thereby indicating the rotation direction of the dial (8).

10. The earplug device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: a speaker (7) for generating sound waves in response to an input audio signal; The dial (8) is a volume knob for adjusting at least one of the total output volume of the speaker (7) or the balance between the signal components of the input audio signal.

11. The earplug device (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that At least a portion of the housing (3) is configured to be placed in an ear canal (4) or to substantially cover an opening of an ear canal (4) of a user (6) of the earplug device (1); The housing (3) comprises a first side (3A) and a second side (3B) opposite to the first side (3A); The speaker (7) is arranged in the housing (3) from the second side (3B) toward the outside, and is used to generate sound waves (15) to be transmitted to the inside of the ear canal (4); The dial (8) is rotatably attached to the first side (3A).

12. The earplug device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The magnetic sensor (12) is a magnetometer, which is used to measure the direction, intensity or relative change of the magnetic field at a specific position.

13. The earplug device (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that The magnetometer is a small microelectromechanical system (MEMS) magnetic field sensor.

14. A system, characterized in that: The system comprises: At least one earplug device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 13; A host device (2) is used for establishing a data connection with the at least one earplug device (1).

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein: The earplug device (1) is a True Wireless Stereo (TWS) headset; The host device (2) is a mobile smart phone; The data connection is established using the Bluetooth protocol.

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