Automatic isochronous adaptive layer mode switching

Abstract

The invention relates to automatic isochronous adaptive layer mode switching. Devices, methods, and systems for automatically switching modes of an isochronous adaptive layer are disclosed herein. The system establishes a connection group through a wireless transceiver, wherein the connection group includes a listening device and other devices. The wireless transceiver may send data packets to the connection group using the communication connection in a data packet mode. The system may determine a reconfiguration of the communication connection based on active states of other devices within the connection group, wherein the reconfiguration includes changing a data packet mode of the communication connection to a second data packet mode. The system may then cause the wireless transceiver to transmit data packets over the communication connection in a second data packet mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication systems, and in particular, to streaming audio over a wireless communication system (eg, Bluetooth) that may utilize, for example, an isochronous adaptation layer. Background Art

[0002] In wireless audio streaming, such as using Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), a user may connect a listening device (e.g., hearing aid, earphone, speaker, headset, etc.) to a host device (e.g., computer, laptop, smartphone, etc.) via a Bluetooth LE connection to stream music and / or make voice calls while listening to audio using the listening device. In this case, the Bluetooth LE specification defines different types of audio streaming configurations that depend on the presence of other devices in the audio source's piconet (e.g., a group of devices (CIG) sharing the same channel as the host).

[0003] When no other devices are connected in the same group, the audio stream communication configuration with the listening device can use an "unframed" communication mode. In the unframed communication mode, audio service data unit (SDU) frames are received at 10 millisecond (ms) intervals and the audio SDU frames are sent to the listening device at 10 ms isochronous (ISO) intervals (e.g., defined at the ISO Adaptation Layer ISOAL). In the event that other devices (e.g., a Bluetooth keyboard and / or mouse) are connected to the computer / laptop in the same group as the listening device, the audio stream configuration of the listening device can use an "unsegmented framed" mode (also known as "framed unsegmented mode"), where SDU frames received at 10 ms are sent to the listening device at 7.5 ms ISO intervals without any SDU segmentation.

[0004] When the audio stream is operated in unsegmented framing mode, this may add an additional 5 bytes of data that may need to be sent by the source (e.g., computer / laptop) and received by the listening device to conform to the 7.5ms interval. This may cause both the listening device and the computer / laptop to consume unnecessary power. Summary of the invention

[0005] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a device is provided, comprising: a wireless transceiver, which can be configured to communicate with an external device using a Bluetooth low energy connection; and a communication controller, which is configured to: establish a connection group including a listening device and other devices via the wireless transceiver, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to send data packets to the connection group using a communication connection in a data packet mode; determine a reconfiguration of the communication connection based on the activity status of the other devices in the connection group, wherein the reconfiguration includes changing the data packet mode of the communication connection to a second data packet mode; and cause the wireless transceiver to send the data packets through the communication connection in the second data packet mode.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, comprising instructions, which, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform the following operations: establishing a connection group including an audio device and other devices, wherein a wireless transceiver is configured to send data to the connection group via a communication connection at a first isochronous stream interval, wherein the communication connection is configured to send an audio stream to the audio device; and based on the activity state of the other devices, reconfiguring the wireless transceiver to send the audio stream to the audio device via the communication connection at a second isochronous stream interval. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] In the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals generally refer to the same parts in different views. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but generally emphasize illustrating the exemplary principles of the present disclosure. In the following description, various exemplary aspects of the present disclosure are described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0008] Figure 1 An exemplary flow diagram illustrating source data units (SDUs) and protocol data units (PDUs) for automatically switching modes of an isochronous adaptation layer between a source device / host and a listening device;

[0009] Figure 2 An example flow chart showing audio connection establishment of a listening device and automatic mode switching based on a state change of another Bluetooth connected device;

[0010] Figure 3 A schematic flow chart of a method for automatically switching a mode of an isochronous adaptation layer is depicted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings that show exemplary details and features by way of illustration.

[0012] The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs.

[0013] In the drawings, it should be noted that unless otherwise described, like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.

[0014] The phrases "at least one" and "one or more" may be understood to include quantities greater than or equal to one (e.g., one, two, three, four, […], etc.). With respect to a group of elements, the phrase "at least one of..." may be used herein to refer to at least one element of the group consisting of the elements. For example, with respect to a group of elements, the phrase "at least one of..." may be used herein to indicate a selection of: one of the listed elements, a plurality of the listed elements, a plurality of individually listed elements, or a multiple of a plurality of individually listed elements.

[0015] The words "plurality" and "multiple" in the specification and claims clearly refer to numbers greater than one. Therefore, any phrase that explicitly refers to a number of elements (e.g., "plurality [elements]", "multiple [elements]") that explicitly refers to more than one of the elements. For example, the phrase "plurality" can be understood to include a number greater than or equal to two (e.g., two, three, four, five, […], etc.).

[0016] The phrases "group," "set," "collection," "series," "sequence," "grouping," and the like in the specification and claims, if any, refer to a quantity equal to or greater than one, i.e., one or more. The terms "proper subset," "reduced subset," and "smaller subset" refer to a subset of a set that is not equal to a set, e.g., a subset of a set that contains fewer elements than a set.

[0017] As used herein, the term "data" may be understood to include information in any suitable analog or digital form, for example, provided as a file, a portion of a file, a set of files, a signal or stream, a portion of a signal or stream, a set of signals or streams, etc. In addition, the term "data" may also be used to represent a reference to information, for example, in the form of a pointer. However, the term "data" is not limited to the above examples, and may take various forms and represent any information understood in the art.

[0018] For example, the term "processor" or "controller" used in this article can be understood as any type of technical entity (e.g., hardware, software and / or a combination of both) that allows processing data. Data can be processed according to one or more specific functions performed by a processor or controller. In addition, the processor or controller used in this article can be understood as any type of circuit, for example, any type of analog or digital circuit. The processor or controller can therefore be or include an analog circuit, a digital circuit, a mixed signal circuit, software, firmware, a logic circuit, a processor, a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc., or any combination thereof. Any other type of implementation of each function that will be further described in detail below can also be understood as a processor, a controller or a logic circuit. It should be understood that any two (or more) of the processors, controllers or logic circuits described in detail herein can be implemented as a single entity with equivalent functions, etc., and on the contrary, any single processor, controller, or logic circuit described in detail herein can be implemented as two (or more) independent entities with equivalent functions, etc.

[0019] As used herein, "memory" is understood to be a computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium) that can store data or information for retrieval. Therefore, references to "memory" included herein may be understood to refer to volatile or non-volatile memory, including random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state memory, magnetic tape, hard disk drives, optical disk drives, 3D XPoint TM etc., or any combination thereof. Registers, shift registers, processor registers, data buffers, etc. are also included in the term memory. The term "software" refers to any type of executable instructions, including firmware.

[0020] Unless expressly specified, the term "sending" includes direct (point-to-point) and indirect transmission (through one or more intermediate points). Similarly, the term "receiving" includes direct and indirect reception. In addition, the terms "sending", "receiving", "communication" and other similar terms include physical transmission (such as transmission of radio signals) and logical transmission (such as transmission of digital data through logical software-level connections). For example, a processor or controller can send or receive data in the form of radio signals through a software-level connection with another processor or controller, where the physical transmission and reception are handled by radio layer components such as radio frequency (RF) transceivers and antennas, and the logical transmission and reception through software-level connections are performed by the processor or controller. The term "communication" includes one or both of sending and receiving, i.e., unidirectional or bidirectional communication in one or both directions of incoming and outgoing directions. The term "computing" includes "direct" calculations performed by mathematical expressions / formulas / relationships, as well as "indirect" calculations performed by lookup or hash table and other array indexing or searching operations.

[0021] Details of the Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) standard (and more specifically, the ISO Adaptation Layer (ISOAL)) can be found in the Bluetooth standard. See, for example, the Bluetooth Core Specification, Version 5.2 (December 31, 2019) (see Volume 6, Part G for a discussion of ISOAL). It should be understood from the following description that the automatic mode switching discussed herein is not limited to this particular version of Bluetooth, and that the automatic mode switching may be applied to any future version of the Bluetooth standard.

[0022] As described above, when using a Bluetooth low energy connection to stream audio data to a connected audio device, the communication connection can be set to either an "unframed" communication mode or a "framed" communication mode. In the unframed communication mode, audio service data unit (SDU) frames can be received at 10 millisecond (ms) intervals and sent to the listening device at 10 ms isochronous (ISO) intervals. In the framed unsegmented communication mode, SDU frames can be received at 10 millisecond (ms) intervals and sent to the listening device at 7 ms ISO intervals.

[0023] When there are other devices (e.g., a Bluetooth LE keyboard and / or mouse) connected to the host via the Bluetooth LE communication protocol in the same group as the listening device, the audio stream configuration of the listening device may need to match the connection interval of the other device(s) in the group (e.g., a 7.5ms connection interval), even if the SDU frames with the audio stream are received at 10ms. This is because, for example, a group of Bluetooth LE devices will typically communicate at the same connection interval. However, in situations where the other device(s) in the group may not be actively communicating data over the Bluetooth connection (e.g., when the other device(s) are in a low energy, low power, or inactive state), this may result in wasted transmissions (and therefore wasted power, wasted bandwidth, etc.). In this case, the listening device will be configured to have a faster ISO interval (e.g., 7.5ms) than its audio stream arrives (e.g., 10ms).

[0024] For example, using a keyboard as an example of a device connected in the same Bluetooth group as a hearing aid, the keyboard can be switched to a low energy / power mode when the user of the keyboard has not been actively typing on the keyboard for some time. In this case, when in low energy / power mode, the keyboard may have reduced data communication requirements (e.g., because there are no new keys that need to be transmitted from the keyboard to the host computer). Due to the lower data communication requirements, the keyboard will not need to communicate at a faster connection interval (e.g., 7.5ms). However, since the isochronous intervals of the listening devices in the same group are also at a faster ISO interval, the listening device may send data packets more frequently than necessary, given the intervals at which the audio streams are provided and the current states of the other devices in the group. This may add an additional 5 bytes of data for the host to send to the listening device at 7.5ms intervals. As a result, there may be a lot of unnecessary power consumption by both the listening device and the host device.

[0025] The disclosed automatic mode switching discussed in more detail below automatically switches the communication mode dynamically between a framed communication mode (e.g., at a first ISO interval) and an unframed communication mode (e.g., at a second ISO interval) based on whether there are other device(s) in the same group as the listening device and based on the current operating state of those other device(s) (e.g., whether other devices such as a Bluetooth-connected keyboard and / or mouse are idle). By automatically switching to an unframed communication mode (with, e.g., a slower ISO interval) when the other device(s) in the group are idle, the automatic switching can provide significant power savings for the listening device (e.g., particularly a listening device operated by a small battery, such as a hearing aid running on a button battery) as well as a host (e.g., a computer / laptop).

[0026] Current methods for streaming audio to a listening device over a Bluetooth LE connection can result in inefficient communication when other connected devices in the group are inactive, idle, or in low-power mode. One way that the listening device can switch to using a more efficient unframed mode (where the ISO interval matches the interval of received SDU frames) is to disconnect from the group and reestablish a new connection for the listening device such that the communication parameters can use the unframed mode. However, this type of disconnection and reconnection can be time consuming, meaning that the audio stream may need to be paused while the new connection is established. This can result in audio glitches (such as audio delays or drops) during the disconnection and reconnection period, which can ultimately result in a poor user experience for streaming audio.

[0027] The automatic mode switching method disclosed herein can reduce these problems and inefficiencies by dynamically adjusting the frame interval (e.g., from unsegmented framed mode to unframed mode) based on the activity state of the devices in the group without having to disconnect / reconnect the device group. If the other devices in the group are operating in a low-power mode, an inactive state, or an idle state, a longer connection interval can be used (and, for example, the listening device is set to unframed mode). If the other devices in the group are in a normal, active, or non-idle state, the frame interval can be switched back to a shorter connection interval (and, for example, the listening device is set to unsegmented framed mode). In this way, power is not wasted to communicate at intervals faster than the interval required to deliver the audio stream to the listening device, and audio failures are not caused by disconnecting / reconnecting the device group.

[0028] Taking a typical computer / laptop as an example, while the listening device is streaming audio via Bluetooth (e.g., during an audio call streamed to a Bluetooth-connected hearing aid), when an additional Bluetooth-connected device such as a keyboard / mouse is connected or disconnected from the computer, a conventional approach may pause the audio, disconnect the connected isochronous stream (CIS) device associated with the group (CIG), and re-establish the connection using a new set of CIG parameters for framed / unframed communication mode and corresponding ISO intervals of 10ms / 7.5ms. As described above, the disconnection and re-establishment may take some time, and thus may result in audio glitches (e.g., audio delays or drops), and ultimately a poor user experience.

[0029] In contrast, automatic mode switching of the audio streaming mode between an unsegmented framed mode (e.g., at faster ISO intervals) and a non-framed mode (e.g., at slower ISO intervals) based on the presence and / or state of other Bluetooth connected devices in the group (e.g., a mouse or keyboard) can provide a seamless way to leverage the idle states of other devices in the group to reduce power consumption of the streaming audio connection.

[0030] For example, when a Bluetooth-connected keyboard or mouse enters a low-power mode (e.g., not in use), a source device (e.g., a source device to which the listening device is also connected) can request a communication mode switch that switches the audio streaming mode from an unsegmented framed communication mode to an unframed communication mode. Similarly, when a Bluetooth-connected keyboard or mouse is connected or disconnected, the audio streaming mode can be dynamically switched between an unsegmented framed communication mode and an unframed communication mode. This automatic mode switching can allow a listening device (e.g., a hearing aid device, which may have a small form factor, is expected to operate for a long time on a battery, and is therefore cautious about power consumption) to save power and thus improve battery life. This automatic mode switching can also reduce the power consumption of the host / source computer and can improve its battery life, which can be particularly useful, for example, where the computer is a battery-powered laptop. This automatic mode switching may also provide an improved audio experience, where the lengthy process of pausing audio, disconnecting all connected isochronous stream (CIS) devices associated with the group (CIG), and re-establishing connections utilizing a new set of CIG parameters for framed / unframed communication modes and corresponding ISO intervals of 10ms / 7.5ms may not be required.

[0031] The disclosed automatic mode switching can be implemented as follows. When no other Bluetooth connected devices are connected to the host (e.g., an audio source such as a computer, laptop, smartphone, etc.), the audio stream configuration of the Bluetooth connected listening device (e.g., a hearing aid) can use an unframed mode for the communication connection. In the unframed mode, audio SDU frames are received at intervals of 10ms and sent to the listening device over the communication connection at ISO intervals of 10ms. If an additional Bluetooth device (e.g., a keyboard or mouse) is connected to the group (e.g., a shared communication connection), the audio stream configuration can switch to an unsegmented framed mode. In the unsegmented framed mode, SDU frames are received at intervals of 10ms and sent to the listening device over the communication connection at ISO intervals of 7.5ms without segmentation.

[0032] The disclosed automatic mode switching can utilize two modes that define the interval of the communication connection, in particular the audio communication between the listening device and the source (e.g., the host device from which the audio originates and to which the listening device has a Bluetooth connection). The audio communication configuration can switch between the two modes (e.g., between mode 1 and mode 2), depending on whether another device is connected and its operating state:

[0033] model ISO Interval SDU interval Framing? Not segmented? Mode 1 10 ms 10ms no no Mode 2 7.5ms 10ms yes yes

[0034] It should be understood that these two modes are merely exemplary and other modes may be defined including different combinations of ISO intervals, SDU intervals, and whether the communication is framed / unframed or unsegmented / non-unsegmented.

[0035] When there are no other Bluetooth connected devices in the group, the host can send the audio stream to the listening device using Mode 1 (e.g., unframed mode, where the audio stream has a 10ms SDU frame duration and data packets are sent at 10ms ISO intervals). Therefore, unless or until an additional Bluetooth device in the group connects, the music or voice audio frames will be sent to the listening device in unframed mode. While the audio is still streaming, if an additional device is connected, the transmission of audio data packets to the listening device can be dynamically and automatically switched to Mode 2 (e.g., unsegmented framed mode, where 10ms SDU frames are sent at 7.5ms ISO intervals).

[0036] To indicate this automatic mode switch, the system may use a reserved bit (e.g., RFU bit) in the CIS data header of a protocol data unit (PDU). For example, the source may set the reserved bit to 0x01, which may indicate a mode switch between unframed mode (mode 1) and framed mode (mode 2) for the next ISO interval. If the communication with the listening device is currently in unframed mode (mode 1), the reserved bit 0x01 in the CIS data header of the PDU may indicate a switch to framed mode (mode 2) for the next ISO interval. If the communication with the listening device is currently in framed mode (mode 2), setting the reserved bit to 0x01 may indicate a switch to unframed mode (mode 1) for the next interval. If the reserved bit is 0x00, this may indicate that there is no mode switch and the mode for the next interval may remain the same as the current mode.

[0037] The disclosed automatic mode switching may also take into account the state of other Bluetooth connected devices (e.g., in the same communication group) to determine whether to switch modes. For example, when user activity on a Bluetooth connected keyboard or mouse is in a standby state, a low power state, or an idle state (e.g., the keyboard or mouse connection enters a low power mode (e.g., based on the sniffing sub-rate in the case of a classic Bluetooth connection or based on the connection sub-rate in the case of an LE Bluetooth connection)), for the audio streaming connection to the listening device, the host / source may initiate a mode switch from mode 2 to mode 1 for the next frame. Once there is an indication of user activity on the Bluetooth connected keyboard or mouse, the host / source may initiate a mode switch from mode 1 back to mode 2. Because the switch is dynamic, there is no need to pause the audio, disconnect, and re-establish the connection to change the ISO interval.

[0038] The disclosed automatic mode switching may also determine whether to switch modes based on whether the listening device provides an acknowledgement (e.g., ACK). If the host / source device receives a non-acknowledgement (e.g., NAK) in response to an indication of a mode switch request sent from the host / source (e.g., a mode switch indicator in the RFU of the header of the CIS data PDU) or does not receive an access code detection from the listening device, the host / source may continue to send the mode switch indicator as part of the CIS process until an acknowledgement is received or until the mode switch indicator changes due to new conditions when (re)sending the CIS data PDU.

[0039] Figure 1 An exemplary flow diagram 100 of SDUs and PDUs between a source device (e.g., a computer / laptop from which audio is being streamed and to which a Bluetooth device is connected) and a listening device (e.g., a hearing aid (HA)) is shown. As shown in the top row, the SDUs arrive at 10 ms intervals, with SDU2 arriving 10 ms after SDU1, SDU3 arriving 10 ms after SDU2, and SDU4 arriving 10 ms after SDU3. When SDU1 is sent, it is assumed that another Bluetooth device is part of the group and is active, so the ISO interval is 7.5 ms. Therefore, the ISO interval of the PDU for streaming audio is also 7.5 ms, as shown between PDU2 and PDU1. However, when SDU2 is sent from the source device, it is assumed that the Bluetooth connected keyboard or mouse enters low power mode. In this way, the source device can indicate a mode switch to unframed mode for the next SDU (i.e., SDU 3). The indication of the mode switch may be provided in a header field of the next PDU (ie, in this example, the PDU associated with SDU2, or PDU2, as this is when another device enters low power mode). Figure 1 , where a reserved bit 104 (RFU) may be used to indicate a mode switch (e.g., by setting the reserved bit 104 to 0x01). It should be appreciated that other header formats may be used, and other bits may be used to indicate a mode switch. For example, while this example uses a switch bit as an indication that the mode will be switched for the next frame (e.g., switching between two modes), other indications may be used, such as providing a bit code corresponding to only one of a set of possible modes (e.g., 0x00 indicates mode 1 and 0x01 indicates mode 2) for the next frame.

[0040] At the hearing aid, PDU2 can be received (at Figure 1The source device may then send a PDU2 (in: Rx-SDU2 data) with a new ISO interval of 10ms in PDU3 and using a new communication mode for the next frame (Mode 1, refer to the table above), which is longer than the old ISO interval of 7.5ms using the old communication mode (Mode 2, refer to the table above). Mode 1 communication may continue while the Bluetooth-connected keyboard or mouse remains in low power mode. Once the Bluetooth-connected keyboard or mouse exits low power mode, the source device may indicate a mode switch again by setting reserved bit 104 (RFU) to 1 (0x01) so that the mode switches back to the old ISO interval of 7.5ms (Mode 2) for the next frame.

[0041] Figure 2 An example flow chart 200 of audio connection establishment of a listening device and mode switching based on a state change of another Bluetooth connected device is shown. The listening device (in this example, a hearing aid "HA") can establish a communication connection (CIS connection) with a host device at 210 and 211, and audio will be streamed from the host device to the HA over the connection. At 220, the audio stream can be sent over the communication connection using an unframed mode.

[0042] Next, at 225, the host can monitor whether another device (in this example, a Bluetooth keyboard and / or mouse "KB / mouse") is connected as another Bluetooth device in the group. If KB / mouse is not detected, then at 220, the audio stream can continue to be sent through the communication connection using the unframed mode. If KB / mouse is detected, then at 230, the mode can be automatically changed to stream the audio to the HA in an unsegmented framed mode. Next, at 235, the host can monitor the operating state of KB / mouse (e.g., whether KB / mouse enters low power mode). If KB / mouse has not yet entered low power mode, then at 230, the audio stream can continue to be sent through the communication connection using the framed unsegmented mode. If KM / mouse has entered low power mode, then at 240, the mode can be automatically changed to stream the audio to the HA in an unframed mode. Next, at 245, the host can monitor whether the operating state of KB / mouse changes (e.g., whether KB / mouse moves to exit low power mode and is active). If KB / mouse remains in the inactive state, the audio stream may continue to be sent over the communication connection using the unframed mode at 240. If KM / mouse has entered the active state, the mode may be automatically changed at 230 to stream the audio to the HA in the unfragmented framed mode.

[0043] Figure 3A schematic flow chart of a method 300 for automatically switching the mode of an isochronous adaptation layer is depicted. The method 300 may implement the above including Figure 1-Figure 2 Any features discussed for automatic switching.

[0044] The method 300 includes, at 310, establishing a connection group including an audio device and other devices, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to send data to the connection group via a communication connection at a first isochronous flow interval, wherein the communication connection is configured to send an audio stream to the audio device. The method 300 also includes, at 320, reconfiguring the wireless transceiver to send an audio stream to the audio device via the communication connection at a second isochronous flow interval based on the activity status of the other devices.

[0045] In the following, it is provided that the above-mentioned Figure 1-Figure 3 Various examples of one or more features of automatic switching are discussed. It is contemplated that aspects described with respect to the apparatus may also be applied to the described method, and vice versa.

[0046] Example 1 is an apparatus comprising a wireless transceiver that can be configured to communicate with an external device using a Bluetooth low energy connection. The apparatus also includes a communication controller configured to establish a connection group including a listening device and other devices via the wireless transceiver, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to send data packets to the connection group using a communication connection in a data packet mode. The communication controller is also configured to determine a reconfiguration of the communication connection based on the activity state of other devices in the connection group, wherein the reconfiguration includes changing the data packet mode of the communication connection to a second data packet mode. The communication controller is also configured to cause the wireless transceiver to send data packets through the communication connection in the second data packet mode.

[0047] Example 2 is the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the connection group comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy isochronous group, wherein the communication connection comprises an isochronous adaptation layer.

[0048] Example 3 is the apparatus of Example 1 or 2, wherein the data packet pattern comprises a framed pattern, and the second data packet pattern comprises an unframed pattern.

[0049] Example 4 is the apparatus of Example 3, wherein the framed mode includes data packet transmission occurring at a first equal-time interval without segmentation, and wherein the unframed mode includes data packet transmission occurring at a second equal-time interval, wherein the first equal-time interval is different from the second equal-time interval.

[0050] Example 5 is the apparatus of any of Examples 1 to 4, wherein reconfiguring comprises changing the isochronous flow interval between the first isochronous interval and the second isochronous interval.

[0051] Example 6 is the apparatus of Example 5, wherein the first equal-time interval comprises 7.5 ms and the second equal-time interval comprises 10 ms.

[0052] Example 7 is the apparatus of any one of Examples 1 to 6, wherein the activity state of the other device comprises whether the other device is in an idle mode, whether the other device is in a low power mode, or whether the other device is scheduled for transmitting data packets over the communication connection.

[0053] Example 8 is the apparatus of any of Examples 1 to 7, wherein the communication controller is configured to wait until after receiving an acknowledgement from the listening device before causing the wireless transceiver to send the data packet over the communication connection in the second data packet mode.

[0054] Example 9 is the apparatus of any one of Examples 1 to 8, wherein the data packets include streaming audio data packets.

[0055] Example 10 is the apparatus of any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the listening device comprises a hearing aid, a headphone, or a speaker.

[0056] Example 11 is the apparatus of any one of Examples 1 to 10, wherein the other device comprises a wireless mouse, a wireless keyboard, or other wireless peripheral device.

[0057] Example 12 is the apparatus of any one of Examples 1 to 11, wherein the data packets include audio data packets that have been encapsulated into protocol data units (PDUs), wherein each of the audio data packets includes a service data unit (SDU) for streaming audio data.

[0058] Example 13 is an apparatus of any one of Examples 1 to 12, wherein the communication controller is configured to cause the wireless transceiver to send data packets through the communication connection in a second data packet mode, including: the communication control device is configured to send a mode switch indicator to the wireless transceiver to change the communication connection from the data packet mode to the second data packet mode.

[0059] Example 14 is the apparatus of Example 13, wherein each of the data packets comprises a header and a payload, wherein the header comprises the mode switch indicator.

[0060] Example 15 is the apparatus of Example 14, wherein the mode switch indicator of one of the data packets is configured to indicate a reconfiguration for a subsequent one of the data packets.

[0061] Example 16 is a non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to establish a connection group including an audio device and other devices, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to send data to the connection group via a communication connection at a first isochronous flow interval, wherein the communication connection is configured to send an audio stream to the audio device. The instructions also cause the one or more processors to reconfigure the wireless transceiver to send an audio stream to the audio device via the communication connection at a second isochronous flow interval based on the activity state of the other devices.

[0062] Example 17 is the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 16, wherein the first isochronous stream interval is associated with a framed non-segmented mode for sending data to other devices, and wherein the second isochronous stream interval is associated with a non-framed mode for sending packet data units of an audio stream over a communication connection.

[0063] Example 18 is the non-transitory computer readable medium of any of Examples 16 or 17, wherein the first isochronous stream interval is based on a frame rate of data communications of other devices through the communications connection.

[0064] Example 19 is the non-transitory computer readable medium of any one of Examples 16 to 18, wherein the second isochronous stream interval is based on a frame rate of the audio stream.

[0065] Example 20 is a non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of Examples 16 to 19, wherein the instructions cause one or more processors to reconfigure the wireless transceiver to send an audio stream to an audio device via a communication connection at a second isochronous stream interval, including: the instructions cause one or more processors to indicate a switch between a first isochronous stream interval and a second isochronous stream interval via a reserved bit in a header of at least one of the data packets.

[0066] Although the present disclosure has been specifically shown and described with reference to certain aspects, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims. Therefore, the appended claims indicate the scope of the present disclosure, and therefore, are intended to include all changes within the equivalent meaning and scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A device comprising: a wireless transceiver capable of being configured to communicate with an external device using a Bluetooth low energy connection; as well as A communications controller is configured to: establishing, via the wireless transceiver, a connection group including the listening device and other devices, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to send data packets to the connection group using the communication connection in a data packet mode; determining a reconfiguration of the communication connection based on the activity status of the other devices in the connection group, wherein the reconfiguration comprises changing a data packet mode of the communication connection to a second data packet mode; and The wireless transceiver is caused to transmit the data packets over the communication connection in the second data packet mode.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The connection group comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy isochronous group, wherein the communication connection comprises an isochronous adaptation layer.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The data packet mode comprises a framed mode, and the second data packet mode comprises an unframed mode.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein: The framed mode includes data packet transmissions occurring at first equal-time intervals without segmentation, wherein the unframed mode includes data packet transmissions occurring at second equal-time intervals, wherein the first equal-time interval is different from the second equal-time interval.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The reconfiguring includes changing the isochronous flow interval between a first isochronous interval and a second isochronous interval.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein: The first isochronous interval comprises 7.5 ms, and the second isochronous interval comprises 10 ms.

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The activity status of the other device includes whether the other device is in an idle mode, whether the other device is in a low power mode, or whether the other device is scheduled for transmitting data packets over the communication connection.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The communication controller is configured to wait until after receiving an acknowledgement from the listening device before causing the wireless transceiver to transmit the data packets over the communication connection in the second data packet mode.

9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The data packets include streaming audio data packets.

10. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The listening device includes a hearing aid, a headset or a speaker.

11. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The other devices include a wireless mouse, a wireless keyboard or other wireless peripheral devices.

12. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The data packets include audio data packets that have been encapsulated into a protocol data unit (PDU), wherein each of the audio data packets includes a service data unit (SDU) for streaming audio data.

13. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The communication controller being configured to cause the wireless transceiver to send the data packets over the communication connection in the second data packet mode includes the communication controller being configured to send a mode switch indicator to the wireless transceiver to change the communication connection from the data packet mode to the second data packet mode.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein: Each of the data packets includes a header and a payload, wherein the header includes the mode switch indicator.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein: The mode switch indicator of one of the data packets is configured to indicate a reconfiguration for a subsequent one of the data packets.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform the following operations: Establish a connection group including audio devices and other devices, where: The wireless transceiver is configured to send data to the connection group via a communication connection at a first isochronous flow interval, wherein the communication connection is configured to send an audio stream to the audio device; and Based on the activity status of the other device, the wireless transceiver is reconfigured to transmit the audio stream to the audio device over the communication connection at a second isochronous stream interval.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein: The first isochronous stream interval is associated with a framed non-segmented mode for transmitting data to the other device, wherein the second isochronous stream interval is associated with a non-framed mode for transmitting packet data units of the audio stream over the communication connection.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of any one of claims 16 or 17, wherein: The first isochronous streaming interval is based on a frame rate of data communications of the other device through the communications connection.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to any one of claims 16 to 17, wherein: The second isochronous stream interval is based on a frame rate of the audio stream.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of any one of claims 16 to 17, wherein: The instructions cause the one or more processors to reconfigure the wireless transceiver to send the audio stream to the audio device through the communication connection at the second isochronous stream interval, including: the instructions cause the one or more processors to indicate switching between the first isochronous stream interval and the second isochronous stream interval via a reserved bit in a header of at least one data packet in the audio stream.

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