Audio playing device group and connection method and device of audio playing devices of audio playing device group

Abstract

The invention provides an audio playing device group and an audio playing device connection method and device thereof. The audio playing device group comprises a first audio playing device and a second audio playing device, and the first audio playing device and the second audio playing device share a first address and a second address. The connection method of the audio playing device group comprises the following steps: establishing a first connection between the first audio playing device and the second audio playing device by using the first address, the first connection being based on a first Bluetooth mode; the first audio playing device uses the second address to establish a second connection and a third connection with a first audio source device, the second connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and the third connection is based on a second Bluetooth mode; and the second audio playing device uses the first address to establish a fourth connection with the first audio source device, and the fourth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept relate to the field of Bluetooth technology, and more particularly, to an audio playback device group and a method and apparatus for connecting the audio playback devices thereof. Background Art

[0002] The existing TWS (True Wireless Stereo) headphone solutions have undergone multiple rounds of technical iterations, and there are currently two mainstream solutions.

[0003] One is the snooping / mirroring solution based on classic Bluetooth audio, such as Figure 1a As shown, it mainly includes the following elements: the primary earphone (Primary Bud) establishes a classic Bluetooth connection with the audio source device (ASD, Audio Source Device), and uses the ACL (Asynchronous Connection-oriented Link) based on BR / EDR (Basic Rate / Enhanced Data Rate) technology to send data (marked as BR / EDR-ACL in the figure); the primary earphone and the slave earphone (Secondary Bud) establish an internal connection (Intra Link) through the classic Bluetooth connection; the primary earphone synchronizes the connection information of the primary earphone and the audio source device to the slave earphone through the connection between the primary and slave earphones (such as the aforementioned internal connection); the slave earphone uses the connection information synchronized by the primary earphone to monitor the audio data between the audio source device and the primary earphone, and ensures that the audio data can be correctly received on both the primary and slave earphones (or improves its possibility) through the ACK (Acknowledgement) and NACK (Negative Acknowledgement) mechanisms.

[0004] The other is the LE Audio (Low Energy Audio) solution recently launched by the Bluetooth Alliance, which solves the problem of multi-channel audio synchronization in a standard form and supports broadcasting. Figure 1bAs shown, both the left and right earphones establish connections with the audio source device, and use the LE-based ACL connection (marked as LE-ACL in the figure) and the CIS (Connected Isochronous Stream) connection to send data, where the ACL connection is used for conventional data transmission, and the CIS connection is used for isochronous data (typically such as audio data of the left and right earphones). The CIS connection has lower power consumption and is suitable for scenarios with extremely strict power consumption requirements (or standards). LE Audio has obvious standard advantages over classic Bluetooth in terms of multi-channel synchronization, and supports new application scenarios such as broadcasting and audio sharing. However, for user scenarios such as high-definition audio, voice assistants, active noise reduction, and voice enhancement that classic Bluetooth already supports, LE Audio is still evolving.

[0005] At present, most audio source devices on the market only support classic Bluetooth audio. In order to smoothly transition the user experience and improve the compatibility of headphones with audio source devices, dual-mode audio solutions (i.e., solutions that support both classic Bluetooth audio and LE Audio) are actively promoted by many leading manufacturers. However, in order to distinguish between master and slave headphones, the existing dual-mode audio solutions often use different public device addresses for the master and slave headphones. The audio source device establishes a classic Bluetooth connection and a low-power Bluetooth connection with the master headphone, and the slave headphone obtains audio data based on the connection between the master headphone and the audio source device. Although this type of solution can achieve compatibility with classic Bluetooth audio and LE Audio, when the master and slave headphones switch roles (for example, the master headphone has low battery, the master headphone is not in the ear, etc.), the two headphones exchange addresses, and synchronize the original master headphone's classic Bluetooth connection information, Profile information, low-power Bluetooth connection information, GATT (Generic Attribute Profile) Context, and LE Audio-related Profile status to the original slave headphone (i.e., the new master headphone), which increases the difficulty of software design and implementation. Summary of the invention

[0006] An object of at least one exemplary embodiment according to the inventive concept is to reduce the difficulty of implementing software design for a dual-mode TWS headset.

[0007] According to an exemplary embodiment conceived by the present invention, a connection method for an audio playback device group is provided, wherein the audio playback device group includes a first audio playback device and a second audio playback device, and the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both share a first address and a second address, and the connection method includes: establishing a first connection between the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device using the first address, wherein the first connection is based on a first Bluetooth mode; establishing a second connection and a third connection with a first audio source device using the second address by the first audio playback device, wherein the second connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and the third connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode; and establishing a fourth connection with the first audio source device using the first address by the second audio playback device, wherein the fourth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

[0008] In addition, the steps of establishing the second connection and the third connection include: the first audio playback device sets the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state; and the first audio playback device sets the connection state in the second Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state.

[0009] In addition, the step of establishing the fourth connection includes: the second audio playback device sets the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a non-discoverable connectable state.

[0010] In addition, the connection method also includes: in response to the first audio playback device switching from a main device to a slave device, the first audio playback device disconnects the third connection; and in response to the second audio playback device switching from a slave device to a main device, the second audio playback device uses the second address to establish a fifth connection with the first audio source device, wherein the fifth connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode.

[0011] In addition, the connection method also includes: in response to determining that there is a second audio source device, the main device uses the second address to establish a sixth connection and a seventh connection with the second audio source device, wherein the main device is the first device of the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device, the sixth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and the seventh connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode; and in response to determining that there is the second audio source device, the auxiliary device uses the first address to establish an eighth connection with the second audio source device, wherein the auxiliary device is the second device of the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device that is different from the first device, and the eighth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

[0012] In addition, the first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, and the second Bluetooth mode is a classic Bluetooth mode; or the first address is a static random address, and the second address is a public device address.

[0013] According to an example embodiment conceived by the present invention, a connection method for a first audio playback device in an audio playback device group is provided, the audio playback device group includes a second audio playback device, wherein the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both share a first address and a second address, and the connection method includes: using the first address to establish a first connection with the second audio playback device, wherein the first connection is based on a first Bluetooth mode; using the second address to establish a second connection and a third connection with a first audio source device, wherein the second connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and the third connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode; using the first address to establish a fourth connection between the second audio playback device and the first audio source device, and the fourth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

[0014] In addition, the steps of establishing the second connection and the third connection include: setting the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state; and setting the connection state in the second Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state.

[0015] In addition, the connection method also includes: in response to the first audio playback device switching from the main device to the auxiliary device, disconnecting the third connection; in response to the second audio playback device switching from the auxiliary device to the main device, establishing a fifth connection between the second audio playback device and the first audio source device using the second address, and the fifth connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode.

[0016] In addition, the connection method also includes: in response to determining the existence of a second audio source device, based on the first audio playback device as a main device, using the second address to establish a sixth connection and a seventh connection with the second audio source device, wherein the sixth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode and the seventh connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode; or in response to determining the existence of the second audio source device, based on the first audio playback device as a slave device, using the first address to establish an eighth connection with the second audio source device, wherein the eighth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

[0017] In addition, the first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, and the second Bluetooth mode is a classic Bluetooth mode; or the first address is a static random address, and the second address is a public device address.

[0018] According to an example embodiment conceived by the present invention, a connection method for a second audio playback device in an audio playback device group is provided, the audio playback device group includes a first audio playback device, wherein the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both share a first address and a second address, and the connection method includes: using the first address to establish a first connection with the first audio playback device, wherein the first connection is based on a first Bluetooth mode; using the first address to establish a second connection with a first audio source device, wherein the second connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and using the second address to establish a third connection and a fourth connection between the first audio playback device and the first audio source device, the third connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and the fourth connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode.

[0019] In addition, the step of establishing the second connection includes: setting the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a non-discoverable connectable state.

[0020] In addition, the connection method also includes: in response to the second audio playback device switching from the slave device to the master device, using the second address to establish a fifth connection with the first audio source device, wherein the fifth connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode, and the fourth connection is disconnected based on the first audio playback device switching from the master device to the slave device.

[0021] In addition, the connection method also includes: in response to determining the existence of a second audio source device, based on the second audio playback device being a main device, using the second address to establish a sixth connection and a seventh connection with the second audio source device, wherein the sixth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode and the seventh connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode; or in response to determining the existence of the second audio source device, based on the second audio playback device being a slave device, using the first address to establish an eighth connection with the second audio source device, wherein the eighth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

[0022] In addition, the first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, and the second Bluetooth mode is a classic Bluetooth mode; or the first address is a static random address, and the second address is a public device address.

[0023] According to an example embodiment conceived by the present invention, a first audio playback device in an audio playback device group is provided, the audio playback device group includes a second audio playback device, wherein the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both share a first address and a second address, and the first audio playback device includes: a processing circuit configured to perform the following operations: using the first address to establish a first connection with the second audio playback device, wherein the first connection is based on a first Bluetooth mode; using the second address to establish a second connection and a third connection with a first audio source device, wherein the second connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and the third connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode, and a fourth connection is established between the second audio playback device and the first audio source device using the first address, and the fourth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

[0024] In addition, the processing circuit is further configured to perform the following operations: setting the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state; and setting the connection state in the second Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state.

[0025] In addition, the processing circuit is also configured to perform the following operations: in response to the first audio playback device switching from the main device to the auxiliary device, disconnecting the third connection; in response to the second audio playback device switching from the auxiliary device to the main device, establishing a fifth connection between the second audio playback device and the first audio source device using the second address, and the fifth connection is established based on the second Bluetooth mode.

[0026] In addition, the processing circuit is also configured to perform the following operations: in response to determining that there is a second audio source device, based on the first audio playback device being a main device, using the second address to establish a sixth connection and a seventh connection with the second audio source device, wherein the sixth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode and the seventh connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode; or in response to determining that there is the second audio source device, based on the first audio playback device being a slave device, using the first address to establish an eighth connection with the second audio source device, wherein the eighth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

[0027] In addition, the first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, and the second Bluetooth mode is a classic Bluetooth mode; or the first address is a static random address, and the second address is a public device address.

[0028] According to an example embodiment conceived by the present invention, a second audio playback device in an audio playback device group is provided, the audio playback device group also includes a first audio playback device, wherein the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both share a first address and a second address, and the second audio playback device includes: a processing circuit configured to perform the following operations: using the first address to establish a first connection with the first audio playback device, wherein the first connection is based on a first Bluetooth mode; using the first address to establish a second connection with a first audio source device, wherein the second connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and using the second address to establish a third connection and a fourth connection between the first audio playback device and the first audio source device, the third connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and the fourth connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode.

[0029] In addition, the processing circuit is further configured to perform the following operation: setting the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a non-discoverable connectable state.

[0030] In addition, the processing circuit is also configured to perform the following operations: in response to the second audio playback device switching from the slave device to the master device, establishing a fifth connection with the first audio source device using the second address, wherein the fifth connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode, and the fourth connection is disconnected based on the first audio playback device switching from the master device to the slave device.

[0031] In addition, the processing circuit is further configured to perform the following operations: in response to determining that there is a second audio source device, based on the second audio playback device being a primary device, using the second address to establish a sixth connection and a seventh connection with the second audio source device, wherein the sixth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode and the seventh connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode; or in response to determining that there is the second audio source device, based on the second audio playback device being a secondary device, using the first address to establish an eighth connection with the second audio source device, wherein the eighth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

[0032] In addition, the first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, and the second Bluetooth mode is a classic Bluetooth mode; or the first address is a static random address, and the second address is a public device address.

[0033] According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, there is provided an audio playback device group, wherein the audio playback device group includes the aforementioned first audio playback device and / or the aforementioned second audio playback device.

[0034] According to an example embodiment of the inventive concept, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processing circuit, cause the processing circuit to perform one or more of the aforementioned methods.

[0035] According to an example embodiment of the inventive concept, there is provided a non-transitory computer program product including computer executable instructions, which, when executed by a processing circuit, cause the processing circuit to perform one or more of the aforementioned methods.

[0036] According to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present invention, by configuring the first address and the second address at the same time in the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device of the audio playback device group, on the one hand, the two audio playback devices can use different addresses to establish a Bluetooth connection with the first audio source device, that is, the first audio playback device uses the second address, and the second audio playback device uses the first address, which can ensure the reliable establishment of the Bluetooth connection (or increase the possibility). On the other hand, the operation related to the master-slave role switching can be simplified. Specifically, from the perspective of information synchronization, since the connection of the first Bluetooth mode is established between the two audio playback devices and the first audio source device, after the master-slave role switching occurs, the original connection of the first Bluetooth mode can continue to be used and is not affected, so that the two audio playback devices only need to synchronize the connection information related to the second Bluetooth mode, and do not need to synchronize the connection information related to the first Bluetooth mode, which can simplify information synchronization and reduce the relevant calculation amount; from the perspective of address exchange, since the two audio playback devices share the same first address, when the connection of the second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device is transferred from the first audio playback device to the second audio playback device, the second audio playback device can directly use the first address it has, and there is no need to perform the operation of exchanging addresses. Therefore, when the master-slave roles of the two audio playback devices are switched, there is no need (or no) to perform address exchange, complex information synchronization and corresponding configuration. In addition, from the perspective of the first audio source device, the connection information of the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio playback device is synchronized to the second audio playback device, and the connection of the first Bluetooth mode itself has not changed, and the connection of the second Bluetooth mode between the two audio playback devices has not changed. Therefore, the connection between the first audio source device and the audio playback device group has not changed, thereby significantly reducing the difficulty of software design and implementation. In addition, since both audio playback devices have established a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device, it helps to improve the audio playback device group's tolerance to connection congestion or anomalies, and can improve the robustness of the audio playback device group.

[0037] Additional aspects and / or advantages of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the following description and in part will be apparent from the description or may be learned through practice of the present general inventive concept. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] The above and other objects and features of example embodiments of the inventive concept will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate one or more examples, in which:

[0039] Figure 1a is a topology diagram showing a true wireless stereo solution based on classic Bluetooth audio in the related art;

[0040] Figure 1b is a topology diagram showing a true wireless stereo solution based on low-power Bluetooth audio in the related art;

[0041] Figure 2 is a topology diagram showing a dual-mode audio solution of the related art;

[0042] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for connecting an audio playback device group according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

[0043] Figure 4 is a module diagram illustrating an audio playback device group according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

[0044] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing connection elements of an audio playback device group according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

[0045] Figure 6 is a topology diagram showing a single connection topology of an audio playback device group before and after role switching according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

[0046] Figure 7 is a topology diagram showing a multi-connection topology of an audio playback device group according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept when no role switching occurs;

[0047] Figure 8 is a topology diagram showing a multi-connection topology of an audio playback device group in the case of role switching according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

[0048] Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a connection method of a first audio playback device as a master device according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

[0049] Fig.10 is a flowchart illustrating a connection method of a second audio playback device as a slave device according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

[0050] Fig.11 is a block diagram illustrating a first audio playback device as a master device according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

[0051] Fig.12 is a block diagram illustrating a second main audio playing device as a slave device according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] In the following, various example embodiments of the inventive concept are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals are used to represent the same or similar elements, features and structures. However, the inventive concept is not intended to be limited by the example embodiments described herein, and is intended to be: the example embodiments of the inventive concept cover all modifications, equivalents and / or substitutes of the example embodiments described herein, as long as they are within the scope of the attached claims and their equivalents. The terms and words used in the following specification and claims are not limited to their dictionary meanings, but are only used to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the example embodiments of the inventive concept. Therefore, it should be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the following description of various example embodiments of the inventive concept is provided for illustrative purposes only, and not for the purpose of limiting the example embodiments of the inventive concept defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

[0053] It should be understood that the singular includes the plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.The terms "include", "comprising" and "having" used herein indicate the presence of disclosed functions, operations or elements, but do not exclude other functions, operations or elements.

[0054] For example, the expression "A or B" or "at least one of A and / or B" may indicate A and B, A or B. For example, the expression "A or B" or "at least one of A and / or B" may indicate (1) A, (2) B, or (3) both A and B.

[0055] In example embodiments of the present inventive concept, it is intended that when a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being "coupled" or "connected" to another component (e.g., a second component) or being "coupled" or "connected" to another component (e.g., the second component), the component may be directly connected to the other component or may be connected through another component (e.g., a third component). In contrast, when a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being "directly coupled" or "directly connected" to another component (e.g., the second component) or being directly coupled or directly connected to another component (e.g., the second component), there is no other component (e.g., the third component) between the component and the other component (e.g., between the first component and the second component).

[0056] The expression "configured to" used in describing the example embodiments of the inventive concept may be used interchangeably with expressions such as "suitable for", "capable of", "designed to", "suitable for", "manufactured to", and "capable of", for example, depending on the circumstances. The term "configured to" may not necessarily indicate "specially designed to" in terms of hardware. On the contrary, the expression "a device configured to..." in some cases may indicate that the device and another device or part "can...". For example, the expression "a processor configured to perform A, B, and C" may indicate a dedicated processor (e.g., an embedded processor) for performing the corresponding operations or a general-purpose processor (e.g., a central processing unit CPU or an application processor (AP)) for performing the corresponding operations by executing at least one software program stored in a memory device.

[0057] The terminology used in the present invention is to describe certain embodiments of the present disclosure, but is not intended to limit the scope of other examples. Unless otherwise noted herein, all terms (including technical or scientific terms) used herein may have the same (or similar) meaning as those generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Generally, the terms defined in the dictionary should be considered to have the same (or similar) meaning as the contextual meaning in the relevant field, and, unless clearly defined herein, should not be understood differently or understood as having an overly formal meaning. In any case, the terms defined in the examples of the present invention are not intended to be interpreted as excluding other examples of the present invention.

[0058] There is currently a dual-mode audio solution called Split CIG (Split Connected Isochronous Group), whose low-power Bluetooth mode mimics the split form of the classic Bluetooth mode. In this solution, the master and slave headphones have different public device addresses (Public Address). The public device address is assigned by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and is a unique and unchanging address for Bluetooth devices. In classic Bluetooth mode, the public device address is required to establish a connection. Figure 2 As an example, the topology diagram of the scheme is shown. Figure 1a And for Figure 1a As described in the introduction, the classic Bluetooth mode can refer to a Bluetooth communication mode that uses an ACL connection based on BR / EDR technology to transmit data. Figure 2 BR / EDR-ACL is used to represent a classic Bluetooth connection, and this disclosure does not limit this. Figure 2As shown, the public device address of the master headset is represented as P1, and the public device address of the slave headset is represented as P2. A classic Bluetooth connection BR / EDR-ACL (P1<->P2) is established between the master and slave headsets, and a classic Bluetooth connection BR / EDR-ACL (P0<->P1) and a low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P0<->P1) are established between the audio source device and the master headset. After the Bluetooth connection is established, the audio source device and the master headset each determine the access address (Access Address) according to their own public device addresses, so that the audio source device and the headset can transmit data based on the access address.

[0059] In terms of data transmission, in classic Bluetooth mode, the slave earphone monitors the audio data between the master earphone and the audio source device. In low-power Bluetooth mode, the slave earphone does not use the isochronous stream feature of the LE Audio standard to send and receive audio, but imitates the separation form in classic Bluetooth mode, that is, the master earphone is responsible for the main data transmission and control tasks, and separates part of the data to the slave earphone. Specifically, the master earphone broadcasts two different PACs (Published Audio Capability) through the master earphone to inform the audio source device that the master earphone supports left and right channels. When there is an audio service, the audio source device will establish a CIG (Connected Isochronous Group) based on the received PAC information. The CIG includes CIS (Left) that carries the left channel audio data and CIS (Right) that carries the right channel audio data. Both CISs are attached to the low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P0<->P1) between the audio source device and the master earphone. The master headset synchronizes one of the CIS connection information to the slave headset through the classic Bluetooth connection BR / EDR-ACL (P1<->P2) between the master and slave headsets. The connection information includes the aforementioned access address, connection key, etc. Figure 2 As shown, when the left earphone is used as the master earphone and the right earphone is used as the slave earphone, the master earphone synchronizes the connection information of the CIS (Right) carrying the right channel audio data to the slave earphone, and vice versa, the master earphone synchronizes the connection information of the CIS (Left) carrying the left channel audio data to the slave earphone. After the slave earphone receives the CIS connection information synchronized by the master earphone, it can fully serve this CIS (using its public device address P2) using the CIS connection information, including directly receiving data, directly replying ACK, and directly sending microphone data, but it cannot perform other control tasks.

[0060] After the role switch occurs between the master and slave earphones, the original master earphone needs to (or should) synchronize the classic Bluetooth connection information and Profile information to the new master earphone so that the new master earphone can maintain the classic Bluetooth connection BR / EDR-ACL (P0<->P1) with the audio source device. This is an existing operation in the classic Bluetooth mode. Since this solution does not utilize the isochronous flow characteristics of the LE Audio standard, but imitates the separation form of the classic Bluetooth mode, it is also necessary (or should) to additionally synchronize the low-power Bluetooth connection information, GATT Context and LE Audio-related Profile status so that the new master earphone can maintain the low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P0<->P1) with the audio source device. At the same time, since it is necessary to continue to use the previously determined access address to realize data transmission, and the public device address matched by the access address is the public device address P1 of the original master earphone, the two earphones also need to exchange the public device address so that the new master earphone has the public device address P1 of the original master earphone, and it is necessary (or should) to perform corresponding configuration to instruct the master earphone to perform the above-mentioned address exchange operation when the master-slave role switch occurs. These complex information synchronization, address exchange and corresponding configurations make this method more difficult to implement in software design.

[0061] In addition, after completing the information synchronization, the new master headset needs to recalculate the CIS anchor point (the time point when the first CIS data packet is sent in the low-power Bluetooth connection event) and the CIS information offset (the time offset from the ACL anchor point of the connection event counter to the first CIS anchor point), which will also bring additional calculations. In addition, there is only one low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P0<->P1) between the audio source device and the master and slave headsets. Once this low-power Bluetooth connection is congested or abnormal, it will affect the two CIS connections, and the robustness is low.

[0062] Figure 3 1 is a flow chart showing a method for connecting an audio playback device group according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. According to the exemplary embodiment, the audio playback device group includes a first audio playback device (e.g., a first headset, a first hearing aid, a first speaker, a first smart device, etc.) and a second audio playback device (e.g., a second headset, a second hearing aid, a second speaker, a second smart device, etc.), and the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both have (or share) a first address and a second address.

[0063] Reference Figure 3 In operation S301, a first audio playback device as a master device and a second audio playback device as a slave device both use a first address to establish a first Bluetooth mode connection with each other.

[0064] This operation ensures (or increases the possibility of) that information can be easily transferred between two audio playback devices.

[0065] As an example, regarding the difference between a primary device and a secondary device, in addition to being responsible for establishing a connection and pairing with an audio source device, receiving audio signals from the audio source device, and forwarding them to the secondary device, the primary device usually also undertakes more control tasks, such as volume control, answering calls, activating a voice assistant, power management (such as issuing reminders when the battery is low), etc. The secondary device is usually responsible for receiving audio signals from the primary device and playing them to achieve a stereo effect. In some cases, the secondary device can also perform some control tasks, such as touch control, but these functions are usually managed by the primary device. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0066] In operation S302, the first audio playback device uses the second address to establish a connection in a first Bluetooth mode and a connection in a second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device.

[0067] The master device can realize the connection of two different Bluetooth modes, so that the audio playback device group can support different Bluetooth modes, ensuring (or increasing the possibility of) the compatibility of the audio playback device group with the audio source device. It should be understood that the present disclosure provides the ability to establish connections with audio source devices in different Bluetooth modes. The audio playback device group can establish a connection with the first audio source device in the same Bluetooth mode as the first audio source device supports. The audio playback device group can establish two Bluetooth mode connections with the first audio source device at the same time, or it may not establish two Bluetooth mode connections with the first audio source device at the same time.

[0068] As an example, the first Bluetooth mode is the low-power Bluetooth mode, and the second Bluetooth mode is the classic Bluetooth mode, which is compatible with the two mainstream Bluetooth modes in the current industry. The second address is a public device address, which can support the establishment of a classic Bluetooth mode connection. The first address can be a random device address (Random Address), such as a static random address (StaticRandom Address) and a private random address (Private Random Address), which can be randomly (or pseudo-randomly) generated after the device is started to meet the additional requirements (or standards) in the low-power Bluetooth mode. Specifically, on the one hand, the number of low-power Bluetooth devices far exceeds the number of classic Bluetooth devices, and the application and management of public device addresses are relatively cumbersome, resulting in increased costs for address purchase and maintenance. Random device addresses can help reduce costs; on the other hand, a large part of the application scenarios of the low-power Bluetooth mode is broadcast communication, which means that as long as the address of the device is known, all information can be obtained, which poses a security risk. By adopting a non-fixed random device address, the risk of information leakage can be reduced and security can be improved. It should be understood that in the present disclosure, if both the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device have a first address and a second address, a fixed common device address and a non-fixed random device address can be shared, so that there is no need to exchange addresses when a role switch occurs. Although the random device address may change at this time, the first address configured by the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device after each change can remain the same (or similar). According to an example embodiment, the "first address" here may represent a first address shared by the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device.

[0069] According to an example embodiment, operation S302 includes: the first audio playback device sets the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the second address; the first audio playback device sets the connection state in the second Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state to establish a connection in the second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the second address. Specifically, when the first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, the first audio playback device uses the second address to send a discoverable and connectable broadcast (specifically, the broadcast is sent using the second address as its identifiable address) to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device. By setting the discoverable and connectable connection state of the first audio playback device as the master device in both Bluetooth modes, the first audio source device can discover the master device and establish a connection in the second Bluetooth mode and a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with it, thereby ensuring reliable device connection (or increasing the possibility) in both Bluetooth modes.

[0070] In operation S303, the second audio playback device establishes a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the first address.

[0071] The auxiliary device uses the second address not used by the main device to establish a Bluetooth connection with the first audio source device, so that it can be distinguished from the main device. Specifically, the auxiliary device only establishes a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device, and does not establish a connection in the second Bluetooth mode. It can obtain the connection information synchronized with the main device based on the Bluetooth connection established between the main and auxiliary devices, and then obtain the audio source data by monitoring the data transmitted between the main device and the first audio source device under the connection in the second Bluetooth mode. Based on this, when the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device switch roles, the connection in the first Bluetooth mode between the second audio playback device and the first audio source device can continue to be used without being affected, and the two audio playback devices share the first address and the second address, so that the two audio playback devices do not need to (or do not) perform address exchange and complex information synchronization in the first Bluetooth mode, and the connection between the first audio source device and the audio playback device group does not need to change, thereby significantly reducing the difficulty of software design and implementation.

[0072] According to an example embodiment, operation S303 includes: the second audio playback device sets the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to an undiscoverable connectable state, so as to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the first address. Specifically, when the first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, the second audio playback device uses the first address to send an undiscoverable connectable broadcast (specifically, the broadcast is sent using the first address as its identifiable address) to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device. By allowing the second audio playback device as an auxiliary device to only establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device, and not establishing a connection in the second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device (for example, setting the connection state in the second Bluetooth mode to an undiscoverable unconnectable state), there will be no confusion between the two audio playback devices from the perspective of the first audio source device, thereby ensuring the reliable establishment (or increasing the possibility) of the second Bluetooth mode connection. By setting the auxiliary device to a non-discoverable connectable connection state in the first Bluetooth mode, for example, using the first address to send a non-discoverable connectable broadcast, such as periodically broadcasting its own existence but not responding to scan requests from other devices, the auxiliary device can establish a first Bluetooth mode connection with a first audio source device whose existence is known (specifically, the existence of the auxiliary device is known through the main device) without being connected to other audio source devices, so that the main and auxiliary devices establish a first Bluetooth mode connection with the same (or similar) audio source devices, thereby ensuring the reliable establishment of the first Bluetooth mode connection (or increasing the possibility).

[0073] According to an exemplary embodiment, the connection method of the audio playback device group according to the example of the present disclosure also includes: in response to the first audio playback device switching to the auxiliary device and the second audio playback device switching to the main device, the first audio playback device disconnects the second Bluetooth mode connection with the first audio source device, and the second audio playback device uses the second address to establish a second Bluetooth mode connection with the first audio source device. By transferring the second Bluetooth mode connection with the first audio source device from the original main device (e.g., the first audio playback device) to the new main device (e.g., the second audio playback device) when the role switch occurs, it is possible to ensure (or improve) smooth communication between the new main device and the first audio source device, and maintain the continued operation of the second Bluetooth mode connection. The "disconnect" and "establish" here are intended to emphasize the transfer of the connection relationship of the second Bluetooth mode, and do not mean that the operation of disconnecting and establishing the connection must be performed. For example, the first audio playback device can synchronize the connection information of the second Bluetooth mode between the first audio source device and the second audio playback device, and the second audio playback device uses the connection information of the second Bluetooth mode and the second address to transmit data with the first audio source device. At this time, the first audio source device is insensitive to the role switch and will not perceive the transfer of the connection relationship. Furthermore, when the second Bluetooth mode is the classic Bluetooth mode, before the role switch occurs, in order to realize the monitoring of the auxiliary device, the main device synchronizes the connection information of the second Bluetooth mode between it and the first audio source device to the second audio playback device, so if the role switch occurs, the main device does not need (or does not) synchronize the connection information to the auxiliary device again (except when the connection information has changed, in which case the connection information can be synchronized again, and the changed connection information is updated, not for switching roles), and only informs the auxiliary device, and the auxiliary device serves as the new main device. The connection information of the second Bluetooth mode may represent all the information required (or used) to establish a connection in the second Bluetooth mode. Taking the second Bluetooth mode as the classic Bluetooth mode as an example, the connection information includes, for example, classic Bluetooth connection information (including access address, connection key, etc.) and classic Bluetooth profile information. According to an example embodiment, the first audio playback device disconnects the connection with the first audio source device in the first Bluetooth mode (e.g., BLE mode), and the second audio playback device uses the second address to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device, but the example embodiment is not limited thereto. According to an example embodiment, each of the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device may include a respective metal coil and diaphragm. Each corresponding metal coil may be excited according to an audio signal received from the first audio source device (and / or the second audio source device) to physically move the diaphragm so that the diaphragm generates sound waves corresponding to the audio signal.

[0074] According to an exemplary embodiment, the connection method of the audio playback device group according to the example of the present disclosure also includes: in response to the existence of a second audio source device, the audio playback device as the main device in the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device uses the second address to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode and a connection in the second Bluetooth mode with the second audio source device, and the audio playback device as the auxiliary device in the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device uses the first address to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the second audio source device. For an audio playback device group capable of connecting multiple audio source devices, no matter what role the two audio playback devices each play, as long as the two audio playback devices are ensured to establish a Bluetooth connection with the second audio source device using the second address and the first address according to the identity of the main device and the auxiliary device, the consistency of the connection operation under the role of the main device and the auxiliary device can be guaranteed (or improved), so that the connection relationship between the audio playback device group and the first audio source device and the second audio source device is independent of each other. The specific connection method can refer to the example above, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the first audio source device represents the audio source device that the audio playback device group is connected to first, and the second audio source device represents the audio source device that the audio playback device group is connected to later, which is not a fixed reference to the audio source device.

[0075] Next, combine Figures 4 to 8 An audio playback device group and a connection method thereof according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are introduced.

[0076] In the example, the audio playback device group is a dual-mode TWS headset, including a left headset (as a first audio playback device) and a right headset (as a second audio playback device). The first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, and the second Bluetooth mode is a classic Bluetooth mode. The first address is a static random address, and the second address is a public device address.

[0077] Reference Figure 4, the dual-mode TWS headset of this specific example is configured with a dual-mode connection module 401, an address management module 402, a master-slave management module 403, and / or a topology management module 404. The dual-mode connection module 401 is used to realize the underlying connection of the classic Bluetooth mode and the low-power Bluetooth mode, and may further include a classic Bluetooth module (not shown in the figure) and a low-power Bluetooth module (not shown in the figure). The address management module 402 is used to manage the public device address (hereinafter represented by P1) and the static random address (hereinafter represented by S1) on the two headsets. The master-slave management module 403 is used to negotiate and manage the master-slave roles of the two headsets. For example, the left headset can be the master headset and the right headset can be the slave headset by default, or the master-slave roles of the two headsets can be determined according to the power of the headset (such as battery charging), the ear status, etc. The topology management module 404 is used to manage the connection between the left and right headsets and the audio source device, as well as the connection between the left and right headsets. The basic relationship between these modules is that the address management module 402 determines that each headset uses P1 or S1 as the low-power Bluetooth connection identification address of the headset according to the headset role negotiated by the master-slave management module 403. The topology management module 404 controls the dual-mode connection module 401 to connect to the audio source device according to the headset connection identification address.

[0078] This example contains the following specific elements.

[0079] 1) The master headset and the slave headset have (or share) the same (or similar) public device address P1 and static random address S1, such as Figure 5 As shown in mark ①.

[0080] 2) A low-power Bluetooth connection (represented by LE-ACL) is established between the master and slave earphones using a static random address (S1<->S1), such as Figure 5 As shown in the mark ②. In the low-power Bluetooth mode, the connection is established by broadcasting. Specifically, to establish a connection between earphones, one earphone sends a connectable broadcast, and the other earphone scans. The scanned earphone devices use the same (or similar) identification address S to scan and connect. Therefore, even if the master and slave earphones use the same (or similar) address, they can still establish a connection.

[0081] 3) A classic Bluetooth connection (represented by BR / EDR-ACL) is established between the audio source device (with a public device address P0) and the main headset (P0<->P1), such as Figure 5 As shown in mark ③, a low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P0<->P1) is established. Figure 5 As shown in mark ④.

[0082] 4) Establish a low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P0<->S1) between the audio source device and the headset. Figure 5 As shown in mark ⑤.

[0083] 5) In classic Bluetooth mode, the slave earphone monitors (Snooping) the data transmission between the master earphone and the audio source device, such as Figure 5 As shown in mark ⑥.

[0084] 6) In low-power Bluetooth mode, the audio source device establishes a connection-based isochronous stream CIS with the main headset, such as Figure 5 As shown in the mark ⑦, the audio source device establishes a connection-based isochronous stream CIS with the headset, such as Figure 5 As shown in mark ⑧.

[0085] The connection process in different scenarios is as follows (for simplification, Figures 6 to 8 CIS connections not drawn).

[0086] 1. Single Point topology, such as Figure 6 As shown. At this time, the headset can only be connected to one audio source device. After the headset is opened and taken out of the box, a dual-mode Bluetooth connection is established with the audio source device.

[0087] a) A low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (S1<->S1) is established between the two earphones, and the master and slave earphones are determined through negotiation by the master-slave management module 403.

[0088] b) Main headset: The classic Bluetooth module is set to discoverable and connectable mode. The low-power Bluetooth module uses the P1 address as its identifiable address and sends discoverable and connectable broadcasts.

[0089] c) From the headset: The classic Bluetooth module is in an undiscoverable and unconnectable state. The low-power Bluetooth module uses the S1 address as its identifiable address and sends an undiscoverable and connectable broadcast.

[0090] d) The audio source device discovers the headset by scanning, connects and pairs it, establishes a low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P0<->P1) and a classic Bluetooth connection BR / EDR-ACL (P0<->P1) with the master headset, and establishes a low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P0<->S1) with the slave headset.

[0091] e) When the role switch occurs, the master headset synchronizes the connection information of the classic Bluetooth mode (including the classic Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P0<->P1) information and the classic Bluetooth Profile information) to the slave headset. The low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL between the audio source device and the master headset and the slave headset does not change. It should be understood that in the low-power Bluetooth mode, it is not necessary to distinguish between the master and slave headsets, only the left and right headsets need to be (or can be) distinguished. For example, when the left and right headsets try to establish a low-power Bluetooth connection with the audio source device, they will send their own unique identifier to the audio source device, and this unique identifier can be used to distinguish between the left and right headsets. The audio source device can send left channel audio data to the left headset and right channel audio data to the right headset.

[0092] 2. Multipoint topology. The headset can support simultaneous connection with multiple audio source devices. When only one audio source device is connected to the headset, the connection topology is as follows: Figure 5 and Figure 6 .

[0093] a) A low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (S1<->S1) is established between the opened earphones, and the master and slave earphones are determined through negotiation by the master-slave management module 403.

[0094] b) Main headset: The classic Bluetooth module is set to discoverable and connectable mode. The low-power Bluetooth module uses the P1 address as its identifiable address and sends discoverable and connectable broadcasts.

[0095] c) From the headset: The classic Bluetooth module is in a non-discoverable and non-connectable state. The low-power Bluetooth mode uses the S1 address as its identifiable address and sends a connectable but non-discoverable broadcast.

[0096] d) The first audio source device discovers the headset by scanning, connects and pairs it, establishes a low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P0<->P1) and a classic Bluetooth connection BR / EDR-ACL (P0<->P1) with the master headset, and establishes a low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P0<->S1) with the slave headset.

[0097] e) In the case where no role switching occurs, such as Figure 7 As shown, the second audio source device that only supports low-power Bluetooth (with a public device address P2) discovers the headset through scanning, connects and pairs, establishes a low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P2<->P1) with the main headset, and establishes a low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P2<->S1) with the slave headset.

[0098] f) In the event of a role switch, such as Figure 8 As shown:

[0099] ⅰ. The left earphone (e.g. the original master earphone) switches to the slave earphone, and synchronizes its classic Bluetooth mode connection information to the right earphone (e.g. the original slave earphone, the new master earphone). The low-power Bluetooth module stops sending discoverable and connectable broadcasts with the P1 address as its identifiable address, and starts sending non-discoverable and connectable broadcasts with the S1 address as its identifiable address.

[0100] ⅱ. The right earphone (e.g., the original slave earphone) is switched to the master earphone, and the low-power Bluetooth module stops sending non-discoverable connectable broadcasts using the S1 address as its identifiable address, and starts sending discoverable connectable broadcasts using the P1 address as its identifiable address.

[0101] ⅲ. The second audio source device that only supports low-power Bluetooth discovers the headset through scanning, connects and pairs, establishes a low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P2<->P1) with the new master headset, and establishes a low-power Bluetooth connection LE-ACL (P2<->S1) with the new slave headset.

[0102] It should be understood that the above description is based on the case where the second audio source device only supports low-energy Bluetooth. The second audio source device may also only support classic Bluetooth or be compatible with classic Bluetooth and low-energy Bluetooth. The specific method for establishing a classic Bluetooth connection between the master-slave headset and the second audio source device can refer to the method for establishing a classic Bluetooth connection between the master-slave headset and the first audio source device, which will not be elaborated here.

[0103] This specific example can implement the address management method and network topology method for dual-mode TWS headphones. This example can implement the multi-connection feature of dual-mode Bluetooth audio devices, and is compatible with both audio source devices that only support classic Bluetooth and audio source devices that only support low-power Bluetooth, and can smooth the user experience during the transition period of Bluetooth audio technology. This specific example can also reduce the synchronization of connection information when the master and slave headset roles are switched, and solve the problem of inconsistent connection addresses of classic Bluetooth and low-power Bluetooth after the master and slave headset roles of dual-mode Bluetooth devices are switched.

[0104] Fig. 9 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method for connecting a first audio playback device as a master device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. According to the exemplary embodiment, the audio playback device group to which the first audio playback device belongs also includes a second audio playback device as a slave device, wherein the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both have a first address and a second address. According to the exemplary embodiment, each of the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device can share the same (or similar) first address and the same (or similar) second address.

[0105] Reference Fig. 9 In operation S901, a first Bluetooth mode connection is established with a second audio playback device using a first address.

[0106] By using the first address to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode within the audio source playback device group, the first audio playback device can facilitate information transmission between the two audio playback devices.

[0107] In operation S902, a connection in a first Bluetooth mode and a connection in a second Bluetooth mode are established with a first audio source device using a second address.

[0108] The master device can realize connection of two different Bluetooth modes, so that the audio playback device group can support different Bluetooth modes, ensuring the compatibility of the audio playback device group with the audio source device (or improving the possibility). It should be understood that the present disclosure provides the ability to establish connections with audio source devices in different Bluetooth modes. The first audio source device supports what Bluetooth mode, and the first audio playback device as the master device in the audio playback device group can establish a connection with the first audio source device in what Bluetooth mode. The first audio playback device as the master device can establish two Bluetooth mode connections with the first audio source device at the same time, or it may not establish two Bluetooth mode connections with the first audio source device at the same time. The second audio playback device as the slave device is similar to it (for example, the second audio playback device can establish a connection with the same or similar Bluetooth mode).

[0109] As an example, the first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, and the second Bluetooth mode is a classic Bluetooth mode, so as to be compatible with the two mainstream Bluetooth modes in the current industry. The second address is a public device address, which can support the establishment of a classic Bluetooth mode connection. The first address can be a random device address, such as a static random address or a private random address, which can be randomly (or pseudo-randomly) generated after the device is started to meet the additional requirements (or standards) in the low-power Bluetooth mode. Specifically, on the one hand, the number of low-power Bluetooth devices far exceeds the number of classic Bluetooth devices, and the application and management of public device addresses are relatively cumbersome, resulting in an increase in the cost of address purchase and maintenance, and random device addresses can help reduce costs; on the other hand, a large part of the application scenarios of the low-power Bluetooth mode is broadcast communication, which means that as long as the address of the device is known, all information can be obtained, and there are security risks. By adopting a non-fixed random device address, the risk of information leakage can be reduced and security can be improved. It should be understood that in the present disclosure, the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both have a first address and a second address, so that a fixed public device address and a non-fixed random device address can be shared, so that there is no need to exchange addresses when a role switch occurs. Although the random device address may change at this time, the first addresses configured for the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device only need to remain the same (or similar) after each change.

[0110] According to an example embodiment, operation S901 includes: setting the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the second address; setting the connection state in the second Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state to establish a connection in the second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the second address. Specifically, when the first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, the first audio playback device uses the second address to send a discoverable and connectable broadcast (specifically, the broadcast is sent with the second address as its identifiable address) to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device. By setting the discoverable and connectable connection state of the first audio playback device as the master device in both Bluetooth modes, the first audio source device can discover the master device and establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode and a connection in the second Bluetooth mode with it, thereby ensuring reliable device connection (or increasing the possibility) in both Bluetooth modes.

[0111] Regarding the second audio playback device as an auxiliary device, the second audio playback device uses the first address to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device. The auxiliary device uses the second address not used by the main device to establish a Bluetooth connection with the first audio source device, so that it can be distinguished from the main device. Specifically, the auxiliary device only establishes a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device, and does not establish a connection in the second Bluetooth mode. The connection information synchronized with the main device can be obtained based on the Bluetooth connection established between the main and auxiliary devices, and then the audio source data is acquired by monitoring the data transmitted by the main device and the first audio source device under the connection in the second Bluetooth mode. Based on this, when the role switching occurs between the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device, the connection in the first Bluetooth mode between the second audio playback device and the first audio source device can continue to be used without being affected, and the two audio playback devices share the first address and the second address, so that the two audio playback devices do not need to (or do not) perform address exchange and complex information synchronization in the first Bluetooth mode, and the connection between the first audio source device and the two audio playback devices does not need to change, thereby significantly reducing the difficulty of software design and implementation.

[0112] According to an example embodiment, the second audio playback device sets the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a non-discoverable connectable state to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the first address. Specifically, when the first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, the second audio playback device uses the first address to send a non-discoverable connectable broadcast (specifically, the broadcast is sent using the first address as an identifiable address of the auxiliary device) to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device. By allowing the second audio playback device as an auxiliary device to only establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device, and not establishing a connection in the second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device (for example, setting the connection state in the second Bluetooth mode to a non-discoverable non-connectable state), there will be no confusion between the two audio playback devices from the perspective of the first audio source device, thereby ensuring the reliable establishment (or increasing the possibility) of the second Bluetooth mode connection. By setting the auxiliary device to a non-discoverable connectable connection state in the first Bluetooth mode, for example, using the first address to send a non-discoverable connectable broadcast, such as periodically broadcasting its own existence but not responding to scan requests from other devices, the auxiliary device can establish a first Bluetooth mode connection with a first audio source device whose existence is known (specifically, the existence of the auxiliary device is known through the main device) without being connected to other audio source devices, so that the main and auxiliary devices establish a first Bluetooth mode connection with the same (or similar) audio source devices, thereby ensuring the reliable establishment of the first Bluetooth mode connection (or increasing the possibility).

[0113] According to an exemplary embodiment, the connection method of the first audio playback device according to the example of the present disclosure further includes: in response to the first audio playback device switching to the auxiliary device and the second audio playback device switching to the main device, disconnecting the second Bluetooth mode connection with the first audio source device, wherein the second audio playback device uses the second address to establish a second Bluetooth mode connection with the first audio source device. By transferring the second Bluetooth mode connection with the first audio source device from the original main device (e.g., the first audio playback device) to the new main device (e.g., the second audio playback device) when the role switch occurs, it is possible to ensure (or improve) smooth communication between the new main device and the first audio source device, and maintain the continued operation of the second Bluetooth mode connection. The "disconnect" and "establish" here are intended to emphasize the transfer of the connection relationship of the second Bluetooth mode, and do not mean that the operation of disconnecting and establishing the connection must be performed. For example, the first audio playback device can synchronize the connection information of the second Bluetooth mode between the first audio source device and the second audio playback device, and hand it over to the second audio playback device to use the connection information of the second Bluetooth mode and the second address to transmit data with the first audio source device. At this time, the first audio source device is insensitive to the role switch and will not perceive the transfer of the connection relationship. Furthermore, when the second Bluetooth mode is the classic Bluetooth mode, before the role switch occurs, in order to achieve monitoring of the auxiliary device, the main device needs to (or should) synchronize the connection information of the second Bluetooth mode between it and the first audio source device to the second audio playback device. Therefore, if the role switch occurs, the main device does not need to (or does not) synchronize the connection information to the auxiliary device again (except when the connection information has changed, in which case the connection information can be synchronized again to update the changed connection information, not for switching roles), and only informs the auxiliary device to serve as the new main device. The connection information of the second Bluetooth mode can represent all the information required (or used) to establish a connection in the second Bluetooth mode. Taking the second Bluetooth mode as the classic Bluetooth mode as an example, the connection information includes, for example, classic Bluetooth connection information (including access address, connection key, etc.) and classic Bluetooth profile information.

[0114] According to an exemplary embodiment, the connection method of the first audio playback device according to the example of the present disclosure also includes: in response to the existence of a second audio source device, the audio playback device as the main device in the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device uses the second address to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode and a connection in the second Bluetooth mode with the second audio source device, and the audio playback device as the auxiliary device in the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device uses the first address to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the second audio source device. For an audio playback device group capable of connecting multiple audio source devices, no matter what role the two audio playback devices each play, as long as the two audio playback devices are ensured to establish a Bluetooth connection with the second audio source device using the second address and the first address according to the identity of the main device and the auxiliary device, respectively, the consistency of the connection operation under the role of the main device and the auxiliary device can be guaranteed (or improved), so that the connection relationship between the audio playback device group and the first audio source device and the second audio source device is independent of each other. The specific connection method can refer to the example above, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the first audio source device represents the audio source device that the audio playback device group is connected to first, and the second audio source device represents the audio source device that the audio playback device group is connected to later, which is not a fixed reference to the audio source device.

[0115] Fig.10 : is a flowchart showing a method for connecting a second audio playback device as a secondary device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. According to the exemplary embodiment, the audio playback device group to which the second audio playback device belongs also includes a first audio playback device as a primary device, wherein the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both have a first address and a second address. The first audio playback device uses the second address to establish a connection in a first Bluetooth mode and a connection in a second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device, and can realize connections in two different Bluetooth modes, so that the audio playback device group can support different Bluetooth modes, thereby ensuring the compatibility (or increasing the possibility) of the audio playback device group with the audio source device.

[0116] It should be understood that the present disclosure provides the ability to establish connections with audio source devices in different Bluetooth modes. The first audio source device supports a certain Bluetooth mode, and the first audio playback device as the main device in the audio playback device group can establish a connection with the first audio source device in that Bluetooth mode. The first audio playback device as the main device can establish connections with the first audio source device in two Bluetooth modes at the same time, or may not establish connections with the first audio source device in two Bluetooth modes at the same time. The same applies to the second audio playback device as the auxiliary device (for example, the second audio playback device can establish a connection with the same or similar Bluetooth mode).

[0117] As an example, the first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, and the second Bluetooth mode is a classic Bluetooth mode, so as to be compatible with the two mainstream Bluetooth modes in the current industry. The second address is a public device address, which can support the establishment of a classic Bluetooth mode connection. The first address can be a random device address, such as a static random address or a private random address, which can be randomly (or pseudo-randomly) generated after the device is started to meet the additional requirements (or standards) in the low-power Bluetooth mode. Specifically, on the one hand, the number of low-power Bluetooth devices far exceeds the number of classic Bluetooth devices, and the application and management of public device addresses are relatively cumbersome, resulting in an increase in the cost of address purchase and maintenance, and random device addresses can help reduce costs; on the other hand, a large part of the application scenarios of the low-power Bluetooth mode is broadcast communication, which means that as long as the address of the device is known, all information can be obtained, and there are security risks. By adopting a non-fixed random device address, the risk of information leakage can be reduced and security can be improved. It should be understood that in the present disclosure, the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both have a first address and a second address, so that a fixed public device address and a non-fixed random device address can be shared, so that there is no need to exchange addresses when a role switch occurs. Although the random device address may change at this time, the first addresses configured for the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device only need to remain the same (or similar) after each change.

[0118] According to an example embodiment, the first audio playback device sets the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the second address; and sets the connection state in the second Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state to establish a connection in the second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the second address. Specifically, when the first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, the first audio playback device uses the second address to send a discoverable and connectable broadcast (specifically, the broadcast is sent using the second address as its identifiable address) to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device. By setting the discoverable and connectable connection state of the first audio playback device as the master device in both Bluetooth modes, the first audio source device can discover the master device and establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode and a connection in the second Bluetooth mode with it, thereby ensuring reliable device connection (or increasing the possibility) in both Bluetooth modes.

[0119] For information on how to connect a second audio player, refer to Fig.10 In operation S1001, a first Bluetooth mode connection is established with a first audio playback device using a first address.

[0120] The first audio playback device and the second audio playback device can facilitate information transmission between the two audio playback devices by using the first address to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode within the audio source playback device group.

[0121] In operation S1002, a connection in a first Bluetooth mode is established with a first audio source device using a first address.

[0122] The auxiliary device uses the second address not used by the main device to establish a Bluetooth connection with the first audio source device, so that it can be distinguished from the main device. Specifically, the auxiliary device only establishes a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device, and does not establish a connection in the second Bluetooth mode. It can obtain the connection information synchronized with the main device based on the Bluetooth connection established between the main and auxiliary devices, and then obtain the audio source data by monitoring the data transmitted between the main device and the first audio source device under the connection in the second Bluetooth mode. Based on this, when the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device switch roles, the connection in the first Bluetooth mode between the second audio playback device and the first audio source device can continue to be used without being affected, and the two audio playback devices share the second address and the first address, so that the two audio playback devices do not need to (or do not) perform address exchange and complex information synchronization in the first Bluetooth mode, and the connection between the first audio source device and the two audio playback devices does not need to change, thereby significantly reducing the difficulty of software design and implementation.

[0123] According to an example embodiment, operation S1002 includes: setting the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to an undiscoverable connectable state, so as to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the first address. Specifically, when the first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, a non-discoverable connectable broadcast is sent using the first address (specifically, the broadcast is sent using the first address as an identifiable address of the auxiliary device) to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device. By allowing the second audio playback device as an auxiliary device to only establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device, and not establishing a connection in the second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device (for example, setting the connection state in the second Bluetooth mode to an undiscoverable non-connectable state), confusion between the two audio playback devices will not be caused from the perspective of the first audio source device, thereby ensuring the reliable establishment (or increasing the possibility) of the second Bluetooth mode connection. By setting the auxiliary device to a non-discoverable connectable connection state in the first Bluetooth mode, for example, using the first address to send a non-discoverable connectable broadcast, such as periodically broadcasting its own existence but not responding to scan requests from other devices, the auxiliary device can establish a first Bluetooth mode connection with a first audio source device whose existence is known (specifically, the existence of the auxiliary device is known through the main device) without being connected to other audio source devices, so that the main and auxiliary devices establish a first Bluetooth mode connection with the same (or similar) audio source devices, thereby ensuring the reliable establishment of the first Bluetooth mode connection (or increasing the possibility).

[0124] According to an exemplary embodiment, the connection method of the second audio playback device according to the example of the present disclosure further includes: in response to the first audio playback device switching to the auxiliary device and the second audio playback device switching to the main device, using the second address to establish a connection in the second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device, wherein the first audio playback device disconnects the connection in the second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device. By transferring the connection in the second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device from the original main device (e.g., the first audio playback device) to the new main device (e.g., the second audio playback device) when the role switch occurs, it is possible to ensure (or improve) smooth communication between the new main device and the first audio source device, and maintain the continued operation of the second Bluetooth mode connection. The "disconnect" and "establish" here are intended to emphasize the transfer of the connection relationship of the second Bluetooth mode, and do not mean that the operation of disconnecting and establishing the connection must be performed. For example, the second audio playback device can receive the connection information of the second Bluetooth mode between it and the first audio source device synchronized by the first audio playback device, and use the connection information of the second Bluetooth mode and the second address to transmit data with the first audio source device. At this time, the first audio source device is insensitive to the role switch and will not perceive the transfer of the connection relationship. Furthermore, when the second Bluetooth mode is the classic Bluetooth mode, before the role switch occurs, in order to realize the monitoring of the auxiliary device, the auxiliary device needs to receive the connection information of the second Bluetooth mode between the main device and the first audio source device. Therefore, if the role switch occurs, there is no need (or no need) to synchronize the connection information again (except when the connection information has changed, in which case the connection information can be synchronized again to update the changed connection information, not for switching roles). The main device only informs the auxiliary device and the auxiliary device serves as the new main device. The connection information of the second Bluetooth mode can represent all the information required (or used) to establish a connection in the second Bluetooth mode. Taking the second Bluetooth mode as the classic Bluetooth mode as an example, the connection information includes classic Bluetooth connection information (including access address, connection key, etc.) and classic Bluetooth profile information.

[0125] According to an exemplary embodiment, the connection method of the second audio playback device according to the example of the present disclosure also includes: in response to the existence of a second audio source device, the audio playback device as the main device in the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device uses the second address to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode and a connection in the second Bluetooth mode with the second audio source device, and the audio playback device as the auxiliary device in the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device uses the first address to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the second audio source device. For an audio playback device group capable of connecting multiple audio source devices, no matter what role the two audio playback devices each play, as long as the two audio playback devices are ensured to establish a Bluetooth connection with the second audio source device using the second address and the first address according to the identity of the main device and the auxiliary device, respectively, the consistency of the connection operation under the role of the main device and the auxiliary device can be guaranteed (or improved), so that the connection relationship between the audio playback device group and the first audio source device and the second audio source device is independent of each other. The specific connection method can refer to the example above, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the first audio source device represents the audio source device that the audio playback device group is connected to first, and the second audio source device represents the audio source device that the audio playback device group is connected to later, which is not a fixed reference to the audio source device.

[0126] Fig.11 1 is a block diagram showing a first audio playback device as a master device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. According to an exemplary embodiment, the audio playback device group to which the first audio playback device belongs also includes a second audio playback device as a slave device, wherein both the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device have a first address and a second address.

[0127] Reference Fig.11 , the first audio playback device 1100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept may include a processing circuit 1101, and the processing circuit 1101 may include an internal connection module 1110 and / or an external connection module 1120, etc., but the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto, and the first audio playback device 1100 may include a greater or lesser number of components, such as a memory, an audio processor, etc. According to the exemplary embodiment, the processing circuit 1101 including the internal connection module 1110 and / or the external connection module 1120, etc. may include: hardware or a hardware circuit having a logic circuit; a hardware / software combination, such as a processor that executes software and / or firmware; or a combination thereof. For example, the processing circuit 1101 may more specifically include, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a system on a chip (SoC), a programmable logic unit, a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0128] The internal connection module 1110 may be configured to establish a connection in a first Bluetooth mode with the second audio playback device using the first address.

[0129] The external connection module 1120 may be configured to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode and a connection in the second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the second address, wherein the second audio playback device establishes a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the first address.

[0130] The external connection module 1120 can also be configured to set the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state, so as to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the second address, and set the connection state in the second Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state, so as to establish a connection in the second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the second address.

[0131] The external connection module 1120 can also be configured to disconnect the second Bluetooth mode connection with the first audio source device in response to the first audio playback device switching to a slave device and the second audio playback device switching to a master device, wherein the second audio playback device uses the second address to establish a second Bluetooth mode connection with the first audio source device.

[0132] The external connection module 1120 can also be configured to respond to the existence of a second audio source device, the audio playback device that serves as a main device among the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device uses the second address to establish a second Bluetooth mode connection and a first Bluetooth mode connection with the second audio source device, and the audio playback device that serves as a slave device among the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device uses the first address to establish a first Bluetooth mode connection with the second audio source device.

[0133] According to an example embodiment, the first Bluetooth mode includes a low-power Bluetooth mode, the second Bluetooth mode includes a classic Bluetooth mode, the first address includes a static random address, and the second address includes a public device address.

[0134] Fig.12 1 is a block diagram showing a second audio playback device as a slave device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. According to an exemplary embodiment, the audio playback device group to which the second audio playback device belongs also includes a first audio playback device as a master device, wherein both the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device have a first address and a second address.

[0135] Reference Fig.12, the second audio playback device 1200 according to the exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept may include a processing circuit 1201, and the processing circuit 1201 may include an internal connection module 1210 and / or an external connection module 1220, etc., but the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto, and the second audio playback device 1200 may include a greater or lesser number of components, such as a memory, an audio processor, etc. According to the exemplary embodiment, the processing circuit 1201 including the internal connection module 1210 and / or the external connection module 1220, etc. may include: hardware or a hardware circuit having a logic circuit; a hardware / software combination, such as a processor that executes software and / or firmware; or a combination thereof. For example, the processing circuit 1201 may more specifically include, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a system on a chip (SoC), a programmable logic unit, a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0136] The internal connection module 1210 may be configured to establish a connection in a first Bluetooth mode with a first audio playback device using a first address.

[0137] The external connection module 1220 may be configured to establish a first Bluetooth mode connection with the first audio source device using the first address, wherein the first audio playback device establishes a first Bluetooth mode connection and a second Bluetooth mode connection with the first audio source device using the second address.

[0138] The external connection module 1220 may also be configured to set the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a non-discoverable connectable state, so as to establish a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device using the first address.

[0139] The external connection module 1220 can also be configured to establish a second Bluetooth mode connection with the first audio source device using a second address in response to the first audio playback device switching to a slave device and the second audio playback device switching to a master device, wherein the first audio playback device disconnects the second Bluetooth mode connection with the first audio source device.

[0140] The external connection module 1220 can also be configured to respond to the existence of a second audio source device, the audio playback device that serves as a master device among the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device uses the second address to establish a second Bluetooth mode connection and a first Bluetooth mode connection with the second audio source device, and the audio playback device that serves as a slave device among the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device uses the first address to establish a first Bluetooth mode connection with the second audio source device.

[0141] According to an example embodiment, the first Bluetooth mode includes a low-power Bluetooth mode, the second Bluetooth mode includes a classic Bluetooth mode, the first address includes a static random address, and the second address includes a public device address.

[0142] According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, there is provided an audio playback device group including the aforementioned first audio playback device and / or the aforementioned second audio playback device, but the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0143] According to at least one example embodiment of the inventive concept, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, on which computer-executable instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed by a processing circuit (e.g., processing circuit 1101 and / or processing circuit 1201), the processing circuit performs at least one of the aforementioned methods. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media here may include: read-only memory (ROM), random access programmable read-only memory (PROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), flash memory, non-volatile memory, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD+R, CD-RW, CD+RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-R LTH, BD-RE, Blu-ray and / or optical disk storage, hard disk drive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD), card storage (such as, multimedia card, secure digital (SD) card or extreme digital (XD) card, etc.), magnetic tape, floppy disk, magneto-optical data storage device, optical data storage device and any other device, any other device configured to store computer programs, computer readable and / or executable instructions and / or any associated data, data files and / or data structures in a non-transitory manner and provide the computer programs and any associated data, data files and data structures to a processor or computer so that the processor and / or computer can execute the computer programs, etc. The computer program in the above non-transitory computer readable storage medium can be run and / or executed in an environment deployed in a computer device such as a client, a host, an agent device, a server, etc. In addition, in one example, the computer program and any associated data, data files and data structures are distributed on a networked computer system, so that the computer program and any associated data, data files and data structures are stored, accessed and executed in a distributed manner by one or more processors and / or computers, etc.

[0144] According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a non-transitory computer program product is provided, including computer executable instructions, which, when executed by a processing circuit (e.g., processing circuit 1101 and / or processing circuit 1201), causes the processing circuit to perform at least one of the aforementioned methods, but the example embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0145] According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, by configuring the first address and the second address at the same time in the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device of the audio playback device group, on the one hand, the two audio playback devices can use different addresses to establish a Bluetooth connection with the first audio source device, that is, the first audio playback device uses the second address, and the second audio playback device uses the first address, which can ensure (or improve) the reliable establishment of the Bluetooth connection. On the other hand, the operation related to the master-slave role switching can be simplified. Specifically, from the perspective of information synchronization, since the connection of the first Bluetooth mode is established between the two audio playback devices and the first audio source device, after the master-slave role switching occurs, the original connection of the first Bluetooth mode can continue to be used and is not affected, so that the two audio playback devices only need to synchronize the connection information related to the second Bluetooth mode, and do not need to synchronize the connection information related to the first Bluetooth mode, which can simplify information synchronization and reduce the relevant calculation amount; from the perspective of address exchange, since the two audio playback devices share the same first address, when the connection of the second Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device is transferred from the first audio playback device to the second audio playback device, the second audio playback device can directly use the first address it has, and there is no need to perform the operation of exchanging addresses. Therefore, when the master-slave role switching occurs between the two audio playback devices, there is no need (or no need) to perform address exchange, complex information synchronization and corresponding configuration. In addition, from the perspective of the first audio source device, the connection information of the first Bluetooth mode between the first audio playback device and the first audio playback device is synchronized to the second audio playback device, and the connection of the first Bluetooth mode itself has not changed, and the connection of the second Bluetooth mode between the two audio playback devices has not changed either, so the connection between the first audio source device and the audio playback device group may not change, thereby significantly reducing the difficulty of software design implementation. In addition, since both audio playback devices have established a connection in the first Bluetooth mode with the first audio source device, it helps to improve the audio playback device group's tolerance to connection congestion or anomalies, and improves the robustness of the audio playback device group.

[0146] Conventional devices and methods for supporting dual-mode audio assign different public device addresses to each of the two different earphones. Therefore, in the case where the master earphone switches to the slave earphone (or vice versa), the public device addresses of the different earphones are swapped, resulting in complex synchronization between the different earphones. This situation may occur, for example, when the battery voltage of the master earphone drops below a threshold, or when it is detected that the master earphone is not in the ear (e.g., not in the user's ear). This complex synchronization leads to excessive resource consumption (e.g., power consumption, processor consumption, etc.) and excessive complexity and high manufacturing cost of the earphones.

[0147] However, according to example embodiments, an improved device and method for supporting dual-mode audio is provided. For example, the improved device and method can share the first and second addresses between two different headsets. Therefore, in the case where the master headset switches to the slave headset (or vice versa), the addresses of the different headsets will not be exchanged, and the complexity of synchronization will be reduced. Therefore, the improved device and method overcome the shortcomings of the traditional device and method, at least reduce resource consumption (e.g., power consumption, processor consumption, etc.), the complexity of the headset and / or the manufacturing cost of the headset.

[0148] According to an exemplary embodiment, the operations described in the present disclosure by any one or two of the dual-mode TWS headset, the dual-mode connection module 401, the address management module 402, the master-slave management module 403, the topology management module 404, the classic Bluetooth module, the low-power Bluetooth module, the first audio playback device 1100, the processing circuit 1101, the internal connection module 1110, the external connection module 1120, the second audio playback device 1200, the processing circuit 1201, the internal connection module 1210 and / or the external connection module 1220 can be performed by the processing circuit. The term "processing circuit" used in the present disclosure may refer to hardware including, for example, a logic circuit; a hardware / software combination, such as a processor that executes software; or a combination thereof. For example, more specifically, the processing circuit may include, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a system-on-chip (SoC), a programmable logic unit, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the like.

[0149] The various operations of the above methods can be performed by any suitable device capable of performing these operations, such as the above processing circuit. For example, as described above, the operations of the above methods can be performed by various hardware and / or software implemented in some form of hardware (e.g., processor, ASIC, etc.).

[0150] The software may include an ordered listing of executable instructions for implementing logical functions and may be implemented in any "processor-readable medium" for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device (e.g., a single-core or multi-core processor or a system containing a processor).

[0151] The blocks or operations of the methods or algorithms and / or functions described in conjunction with the example embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented directly in hardware, software modules executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium. The software module may reside in a random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically readable programmable ROM, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art.

[0152] Although example embodiments of the inventive concept have been shown and described with reference to particular examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of example embodiments of the inventive concept as defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for connecting an audio playback device group, wherein: The audio playback device group includes a first audio playback device and a second audio playback device, the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both share a first address and a second address, and the connection method includes: Establishing a first connection between the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device using the first address, wherein the first connection is based on a first Bluetooth mode; The first audio playback device uses the second address to establish a second connection and a third connection with the first audio source device, wherein the second connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and the third connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode; The second audio playback device uses the first address to establish a fourth connection with the first audio source device, wherein the fourth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

2. The connection method according to claim 1, wherein: The steps of establishing the second connection and the third connection include: The first audio playback device sets the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state; The first audio playback device sets the connection state in the second Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state.

3. The connection method according to claim 1, wherein: The steps of establishing the fourth connection include: The second audio playback device sets the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a non-discoverable connectable state.

4. The connection method according to claim 1, wherein: The connection method further comprises: In response to the first audio playback device switching from a primary device to a secondary device, the first audio playback device disconnects the third connection; and In response to the second audio playback device switching from a slave device to a master device, the second audio playback device uses the second address to establish a fifth connection with the first audio source device, wherein the fifth connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode.

5. The connection method according to claim 1, wherein: The connection method further comprises: In response to determining that there is a second audio source device, the master device uses the second address to establish a sixth connection and a seventh connection with the second audio source device, wherein the master device is a first device of the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device, the sixth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and the seventh connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode; and In response to determining that the second audio source device exists, the auxiliary device uses the first address to establish an eighth connection with the second audio source device, wherein the auxiliary device is a second device of the first audio playback device and the second audio playback device that is different from the first device, and the eighth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

6. The connection method according to claim 1, wherein: The first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, and the second Bluetooth mode is a classic Bluetooth mode; or The first address is a static random address, and the second address is a public device address.

7. A method for connecting a first audio player in an audio player group, wherein the audio player group includes a second audio player, wherein: The first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both share a first address and a second address, and the connection method includes: Using the first address to establish a first connection with the second audio playback device, wherein the first connection is based on a first Bluetooth mode; A second connection and a third connection are established with the first audio source device using the second address, wherein the second connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, the third connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode, and a fourth connection is established between the second audio playback device and the first audio source device using the first address, and the fourth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

8. The connection method according to claim 7, wherein: The steps of establishing the second connection and the third connection include: Setting the connection state in the first Bluetooth mode to a discoverable and connectable state; The connection state in the second Bluetooth mode is set to a discoverable and connectable state.

9. The connection method according to claim 7, wherein: The connection method further comprises: In response to the first audio playback device switching from the main device to the auxiliary device, the third connection is disconnected; in response to the second audio playback device switching from the auxiliary device to the main device, a fifth connection is established between the second audio playback device and the first audio source device using the second address, and the fifth connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode.

10. The connection method according to claim 7, wherein: The connection method further comprises: In response to determining that there is a second audio source device, based on the first audio playback device being the main device, using the second address to establish a sixth connection and a seventh connection with the second audio source device, wherein the sixth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and the seventh connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode; or In response to determining that the second audio source device exists, based on the first audio playback device being a slave device, an eighth connection is established with the second audio source device using the first address, wherein the eighth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

11. The connection method according to claim 7, wherein: The first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, and the second Bluetooth mode is a classic Bluetooth mode; or The first address is a static random address, and the second address is a public device address.

12. A method for connecting a second audio player in an audio player group, the audio player group including a first audio player, wherein: The first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both share a first address and a second address, and the connection method includes: Using the first address to establish a first connection with the first audio playback device, wherein the first connection is based on a first Bluetooth mode; A second connection is established with a first audio source device using the first address, wherein the second connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and a third connection and a fourth connection are established between the first audio playback device and the first audio source device using the second address, wherein the third connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and the fourth connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode.

13. The connection method according to claim 12, wherein: The steps of establishing the second connection include: The connection state in the first Bluetooth mode is set to a non-discoverable connectable state.

14. The connection method according to claim 12, wherein: The connection method further comprises: In response to the second audio playback device switching from the slave device to the slave device, a fifth connection is established with the first audio source device using the second address, wherein the fifth connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode, and the fourth connection is disconnected based on the first audio playback device switching from the master device to the slave device.

15. The connection method according to claim 12, wherein: The connection method further comprises: In response to determining that there is a second audio source device, based on the second audio playback device being the main device, using the second address to establish a sixth connection and a seventh connection with the second audio source device, wherein the sixth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and the seventh connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode; or In response to determining that the second audio source device exists, based on the second audio playback device being a slave device, an eighth connection is established with the second audio source device using the first address, wherein the eighth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

16. The connection method according to claim 12, wherein: The first Bluetooth mode is a low-power Bluetooth mode, and the second Bluetooth mode is a classic Bluetooth mode; or The first address is a static random address, and the second address is a public device address.

17. A first audio playback device in an audio playback device group, the audio playback device group including a second audio playback device, wherein: The first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both share a first address and a second address, and the first audio playback device includes: The processing circuit is configured to perform the following operations: Using the first address to establish a first connection with the second audio playback device, wherein the first connection is based on a first Bluetooth mode; A second connection and a third connection are established with the first audio source device using the second address, wherein the second connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, the third connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode, and a fourth connection is established between the second audio playback device and the first audio source device using the first address, and the fourth connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode.

18. A second audio playback device in an audio playback device group, the audio playback device group also including the first audio playback device, wherein: The first audio playback device and the second audio playback device both share a first address and a second address, and the second audio playback device includes: The processing circuit is configured to perform the following operations: Using the first address to establish a first connection with the first audio playback device, wherein the first connection is based on a first Bluetooth mode; A second connection is established with a first audio source device using the first address, wherein the second connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and a third connection and a fourth connection are established between the first audio playback device and the first audio source device using the second address, wherein the third connection is based on the first Bluetooth mode, and the fourth connection is based on the second Bluetooth mode.

19. An audio playback device group, wherein: The audio playback device group includes the first audio playback device as claimed in claim 17 and the second audio playback device as claimed in claim 18.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processing circuit, cause the processing circuit to perform the connection method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

21. A non-transitory computer program product comprising computer executable instructions, which, when executed by a processing circuit, cause the processing circuit to perform the connection method of any one of the preceding claims 1 to 16.

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