ACOUSTIC IN-EAR DETECTION FOR AN AUDIBLE DEVICE

Abstract

A method performed by a processor of an earphone for determining a current usage state of the earphone, which includes a loudspeaker and an air pressure sensor, wherein the method comprises: Determine, using the proximity sensor, that the distance between the earbud and an object outside the earbud is less than a threshold distance, and In response to the distance being less than the threshold distance, the air pressure sensor is activated to begin sensing the air pressure near the earphone; Obtaining a pressure signal from the air pressure sensor, which indicates air pressure near the earphone, wherein the air pressure sensor produces the pressure signal in response to the earphone being inserted into a user's ear; Processing the obtained pressure signal to determine that the earphone is in a state of use, and in response, performing at least one of (1) outputting an audio signal through the loudspeaker, signifying that the earphone is in use, (2) establishing a wireless connection with a media playback device to exchange data between the earphone and the media playback device, or (3) a combination thereof.

Description

AREA

[0001] One aspect of the invention relates to an audible device for determining that it is in a state of use, based on changes in air pressure. Other aspects are also described. BACKGROUND

[0002] Headphones are an audio device that includes a pair of loudspeakers, each positioned on top of the user's ear when the headphones are worn on or around the user's head. Similar to headphones, earphones (or in-ear headphones) are two separate audio devices, each with a loudspeaker that is inserted into the user's ear. Both headphones and earphones are typically wired to a separate playback device, such as an MP3 player, which drives each of the devices' loudspeakers with an audio signal to produce sound (e.g., music). Headphones and earphones provide a convenient method by which the user can listen to audio content privately without broadcasting the audio to other people nearby.

[0003] US 2010 / 0128887A1 concerns a system that detects the repositioning of a headphone worn by a user and changes the operating mode of a host connected to the headphone. Inside the earphone is a pressure sensor that detects a pressure change caused by the repositioning of the earphone. A signaling mechanism sends a repositioning detection signal to the host in response to a signal from the pressure sensor indicating the detection of the pressure change.

[0004] US 2013 / 0345842A1 relates to a method comprising: detecting that a first earbud and a second earbud are not both positioned in a listening position relative to a user; generating a signal in response to the detection that a first earbud and a second earbud are not both positioned in a listening position relative to a user; and, in response to the generated signal, stopping an application on a device that delivers audio to the first earbud and the second earbud. Other aspects are described and claimed. SUMMARY

[0005] Wireless audible devices, such as wireless earbuds, allow a user to listen to audio content (e.g., music) or make phone calls without broadcasting sound to others nearby. To perform these operations, the earbuds connect or pair wirelessly with a separate electronic device, such as a smartphone, using a protocol like Bluetooth to exchange audio data wirelessly. Before initiating a wireless connection with the smartphone, however, the earbuds confirm that they are being worn by the user, who, by wearing the earbuds, intends to pair them with the smartphone. Some wireless earbuds perform this confirmation process using proximity sensors that monitor proximity data to determine if there is sufficient distance between the earbuds and an object (e.g., a screen).The proximity of the earbuds to a user's head is measured below a threshold distance, indicating that the earbuds are being worn. However, relying on proximity data has drawbacks. For example, proximity data only indicates the distance between the earbuds and another object, but the data provides no information about the type of object, making them prone to false positives (e.g., if they are held in a user's hand or are in a user's pocket). Other wireless earbuds rely on an increase in occlusion gain, which occurs when a stimulus sound (e.g., low-frequency sound) is produced by the earbuds' main speaker as they are inserted into a user's ear canal. These earbuds incorporate a tip that creates an airtight seal when inserted into the user's ear canal.When the stimulus sound is generated within the sealed environment, a microphone detects an increase in a low-frequency response, indicating that the earphone is in the user's ear. However, this method relies on a near-perfect airtight seal being created by the tip. If the seal is not quite perfect, the low-frequency response will suffer, leading to inconclusive results and potentially false positives.

[0006] One aspect of the invention is a method performed by an earphone to confirm that the earphone is ready for activation (e.g., wirelessly paired with a media playback device) by determining the current usage state of the earphone. This is achieved by using an air pressure sensor, which is inserted into the user's ear canal along with the earphone's speaker. The air pressure sensor produces an air pressure signal indicating the air pressure within the ear canal when the earphone is inserted into the user's ear. During and after insertion, the air pressure sensor detects changes in the air pressure within the ear canal relative to the ambient atmospheric pressure. These changes are caused by the earphone tip as it creates a seal within the ear canal and compresses the air volume during insertion.The earphone processes the air pressure signal to detect changes in the signal, such as pulses indicating that a user is inserting the earphone into their ear. Upon detecting such changes, the earphone is determined to be in use and, in response, activates. For example, the earphone may emit an audio signal (such as a start sound) through the speaker to indicate to the user that the earphone is in use. When activated, the earphone may also establish a wireless connection (such as a pair) with the media playback device to exchange data.

[0007] By using changes in air pressure to determine that the earbud is in use, it mitigates any false positives that would otherwise occur with other methods. For example, unlike proximity sensors, which would produce a false positive if the earbud were inside a user's pocket, air pressure sensors would be less prone to these occurrences because such an environment produces a small change in air pressure. Pressure changes are proportional to changes in air volume. In the case of a user's pocket, there would be a very small change in air volume because air can move freely through the pocket (e.g., because the pocket is made of breathable material).The present invention also has several advantages over other methods that use occlusion enhancement to determine that the earphone is in the user's ear. For example, unlike the occlusion enhancement method, which requires a main speaker of the earphone to generate a stimulus sound, the earphone of the present invention relies on the change in air pressure within the ear canal, without the need for a stimulus sound, thereby saving energy that would otherwise be required to activate the main speaker.In contrast to an increase in occlusion gain, which requires an airtight seal within the user's ear canal to be effective, the air pressure sensor of the present invention can accurately detect changes in air pressure to determine that the earphone is in a state of use, even though the seal created by the tip of the present invention is not airtight.

[0008] The foregoing summary does not constitute an exhaustive enumeration of all aspects of the present invention. The invention is intended to encompass all practically implementable systems and methods derived from all suitable combinations of the various aspects summarized above, as well as those disclosed in the detailed description below and expressly mentioned in the claims filed with the application. Such combinations offer certain advantages not specifically mentioned in the above summary. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The aspects of the disclosure are illustrated by way of example and without limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, where identical references denote identical elements. It should be noted that references to "a" or "a particular" aspect in this disclosure do not necessarily refer to the same aspect, and they signify at least one. Furthermore, in the interests of brevity and reducing the total number of figures, a given figure may be used to illustrate the features of more than one aspect of the invention, and it may not be necessary for all elements in the figure to be relevant to a given aspect. Fig. Figure 1 shows a progression of states of an audible device, leading to an acoustic detection that the audible device is in a state of use. Fig. Figure 2 shows a block diagram of an audible device according to one aspect of the invention. Fig. Figure 3 is a flowchart of one aspect of a process for activating an audible device based on changes in air pressure. Fig. Figure 4 shows various graphical representations of an air pressure signal produced by an air pressure sensor of an audible device. Fig. Figure 5 is a flowchart of another aspect of a process for activating the audible device based on changes in air pressure. Fig. Figure 6 shows a diagram illustrating a visual relationship between sensor data and the current state of the audible device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] Several aspects of the invention will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. In cases where the shapes, relative positions, and other aspects of the parts described in the aspects are not clearly defined, the scope of the disclosure is not limited to the parts shown, which are included solely for illustrative purposes. Even though numerous details are presented, it is understood that some aspects of the disclosure can be implemented without these details. In other cases, generally known circuits, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0011] Fig. Figure 1 illustrates an audible device 100 that activates in response to the detection of a change in air pressure when inserted into the ear 101 of a user 102. Specifically, this figure illustrates two stages 105 and 110 in which the audible device 100 is taken from a pocket 115 of the user 102 and inserted into the user's ear 101 so that the user 102 can use the audible device 100 (e.g., listen to music).

[0012] As used herein, an “audible device” may refer to any electronic in-ear, on-ear, or over-ear audio device designed to output one or more audio signals through a built-in loudspeaker. Examples of audible devices may include earphones (or in-ear loudspeakers), on-ear or over-ear headphones, or ear implants, such as hearing aids. In this figure, the audible device 100 is an earphone configured to detect changes in air pressure to determine that the audible device 100 is in a “state of use” in which the user 102 has inserted the audible device into an ear canal 120 of the user’s ear 101. As further used herein, a “state of use” may define a condition when an audible device is placed on, over, or in position with respect to one or more sections of the user’s head or ears.For example, from one perspective, an on-ear device is in a state of use when at least one part of the headphones is on the user's ears (e.g., a cushion of the device rests on the user's ear). An over-ear device is in a state of use when at least one part of the device is above the user's ear (e.g., an ear cup of the device is above the user's ear, with an ear cushion of the ear cup resting on one side of the user's head).

[0013] While in this state, the audible device 100 is capable of performing one or more networking and / or audio processing operations. For example, the audible device 100 can establish a wireless connection with a media playback device (not shown), such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc., via a wireless computer network, e.g., using a Bluetooth protocol or a wireless local area network. During the established wireless connection, the audible device 100 can exchange data packets (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP) packets) with the media playback device (e.g., send and receive). In a certain sense, this wireless connection pairs the audible device 100 with the media playback device to allow the audible device 100 to perform operations that would otherwise be performed by the media playback device.For example, user 102 can participate in a hands-free telephone call initiated by the media playback device but conducted by the audible device 100. For example, the audible device 100 can receive an audio signal from the media playback device containing the audio signal of the telephone call, which the audible device 100 then plays back (e.g., renders and outputs) through a loudspeaker. In conjunction with playing back the audio signal, the audible device can include a microphone configured to capture sound (e.g., user 102's speech) and convert the sound into a microphone signal, which is then sent back to the media playback device to be replaced by sound captured by a microphone in the media playback device for the telephone call. More about the capabilities of the audible device 100 is described here.

[0014] The audible device 100 includes an ear clip (or ear loop) 103, a tip 125, and an air pressure sensor 130. In one viewpoint, the audible device 100 also includes a speaker (not shown). The ear clip 103 is a section of the audible device 100 that fits around the back of a user's ear to hold the audible device 100 in place when worn on the body by the user 102. In one viewpoint, the audible device 100 may not include the ear clip 103. The tip 125 is used to provide an airtight seal in the ear canal 120 when the audible device 100 is inserted into a user's ear 101. The seal helps to prevent a significant amount of external ambient noise from entering the ear canal 120 while the audible device 100 is in use.The airtight seal also allows the hearing device 100 to provide a better low-frequency response, thus providing an overall better sound experience for the user 102. However, if the seal is not airtight or if there is no seal at all, the low-frequency response may suffer because, when the speaker of the hearing device 100 produces sound, air escapes from the ear canal 120. From one perspective, the tip can be made of any flexible material, such as silicone, rubber, and plastic.

[0015] The air pressure sensor 130 is configured to detect air pressure outside the audible device 100 and, in response, produce an air pressure signal. The sensor 130 can be of a force collector type, detecting pressure due to an applied air force across a force collector (e.g., a diaphragm, a piston, etc.) and converting the pressure into an electrical signal. For example, the sensor 130 can be a pressure transducer that converts the voltage on a diaphragm, caused by the air pressure, into a corresponding air pressure signal. From one perspective, the sensor 130 can be more like a microphone (e.g., a reference or speech microphone) than a specialized electrical component, such as a pressure transducer, similar to the microphone used in Fig. 2 is described. From another perspective, the air pressure sensor 130 can be a barometer or any type of sensor capable of producing a signal representing air pressure.

[0016] If, as previously described, a conventional audible device is located in a user's pocket, the device may indeed activate accidentally while in the user's pocket (as in stage 105 of Fig. (1 shown). For example, conventional audible devices can activate in response to a proximity sensor detecting that the device is within a threshold distance of an object, such as the side of a person's head. However, this approach can lead to many false positives or erroneous activations of the audible devices because most proximity sensors cannot distinguish between the objects from which the distance is calculated. In particular, since the audible device is located in the user's pocket 115, which is a confined space, it would most likely do so if the audible device 100 used these methods (e.g., proximity data) to activate, as the proximity sensor would detect the fabric of the pocket 115 at close range.Therefore, proximity sensors alone may not provide an adequate level of confidence that an audible device is currently in a state of use.

[0017] Unlike conventional approaches, the audible device 100 does not activate at stage 105 because the air pressure sensor 130 does not detect any change in air pressure while the audible device 100 is in the user's pocket 115. From one perspective, the audible device 100, although inactive, may be in a power-saving mode in which operations performed by the audible device are reduced to conserve battery power. While in this mode, however, certain computations and / or sensors may remain active to determine whether the audible device is currently being (or will be) used by the user 102. For example, the air pressure sensor 130 may remain active (e.g., producing air pressure signals), and a processor may continue to monitor the air pressure signal to determine when there are changes detected by the sensor 130.More information about the air pressure sensor 130 is described here.

[0018] The Audible Device 100, unlike conventional audible devices, offers a higher degree of confidence that an audible device is in use because it relies on changes in air pressure relative to the ambient air pressure, rather than on whether a detected distance is below a threshold distance. Therefore, the Audible Device 100 will not activate while it is in the user's pocket 115. Under the ideal gas law, air pressure can be defined as P=ρRT where ρ is the density of air, R is a constant, and T is the temperature. The density of air, ρ, can be defined as ρ=MV where M is the mass of air and V is the volume of air. When the volume of air decreases, the density of the air, and thus the air pressure, increases proportionally. In the case of the user's bag 115, the air pressure signal generated by the air pressure sensor 130 does not represent a (sufficient) change to activate the audible device 100, since the air volume in the bag remains essentially unchanged relative to the surrounding environment. This may be due to the fact that the bag 115 is made of a breathable material (e.g., cotton) that allows air to flow freely. Therefore, the audible device 100 does not activate because the sensor 130 does not detect a change in pressure.

[0019] Stage 110 illustrates the manufacturable device 100 being activated upon detecting a change in air pressure, indicating that the audible device 100 is in a state of use, located within the ear canal 120 of user 102. Specifically, in this stage, user 102 has removed the audible device 100 from pocket 115 and attached the manufacturable device 100 for use (e.g., during a hands-free phone call). In this situation, in contrast to when the audible device 100 is in the user's pocket 115, the audible device detects a change in air pressure. For example, as illustrated in this stage, user 102 places the audible device 100 at the entrance of the ear canal 120. As shown, the tip 125 of the audible device 100 creates a seal that prevents air from escaping.While the tip 125 is at the entrance of the ear canal 120, the canal has an air volume 135 (represented as spaced-apart black dots). When the audible device 100 is positioned on the ear 101, the tip 125 traverses the ear canal 120 until it is fully inserted. At this point, the air volume 140 is less than the air volume 135 when the tip 125 was at the entrance of the ear canal 120 (shown as block dots grouped closer together). With this decrease in air volume, the density of the air has increased because the air in the ear canal 120 is sealed by the tip 125 of the audible device 100, resulting in a change (e.g., an increase) in the air pressure within the ear canal 120.

[0020] To further illustrate this, if one compares the same substance under two different sets of conditions, Boyle's Law states the following as true: P1V1=P2V2

[0021] Thus, the change in air pressure can be defined as P2=P1V1V2

[0022] As the volume of the ear canal 120 decreases, the pressure in the ear canal 120 increases proportionally. This increase in pressure is detected by the air pressure sensor 130, which leads to the activation of the audible device 100.

[0023] From a certain perspective, some conventional hearing aids can detect that the device is in use based on audio occlusion amplification. Specifically, occlusion of the ear canal will lead to an increase or amplification of low-frequency sound pressure within the ear canal. These conventional devices utilize this effect by generating a low-frequency stimulus sound (e.g., a 20 Hz sound) through a loudspeaker in the ear canal, and when a microphone inside the ear canal detects the amplification in the low-frequency sound pressure, it is then determined that the hearing aid is in use. However, these methods rely on the tip of the hearing aid creating a near-perfect seal. If some air is allowed to escape from the ear canal during this test, it can lead to inconclusive results.

[0024] The present disclosure, however, is an improvement on this conventional approach, since the audible device 100 relies on a change in air pressure within the ear canal 120, which occurs even if the tip 125 does not create a near-perfect seal. In one respect, even if air escapes while the audible device 100 is being inserted into the ear canal 120, the air pressure sensor still detects a change in air pressure as it passes through the ear canal 120. Thus, the present disclosure provides greater accuracy and reliability than this approach. Another advantage of the present disclosure over this conventional approach is that there is no need to produce a stimulus sound to determine whether the audible device is currently in use.By eliminating the need to produce a stimulus sound, the present disclosure can perform the same or a similar determination while requiring fewer processing operations, thereby consuming less power.

[0025] In the case of electronic over-ear audio devices, the same principles apply as with in-ear headphones regarding the increase in air pressure when the electronic over-ear audio devices are worn by the user 102. Since, for example, the ear cushions (or headphone pillows) of the electronic over-ear audio devices are positioned over the ears of the user 101, they are compressed towards the user's ear due to tension caused by a headband connecting the (left and right) ear cushions to hold the headphones in place on the user's head. This compression causes a reduction in the volume of air in the inner ear (and ear canal), thereby increasing the pressure within the inner ear, which can be detected by an air pressure sensor located on the inside of the ear cushions (facing the user's ear).The audible over-ear device can then be activated due to the change in air pressure within the inner ear.

[0026] Fig. Figure 2 shows a block diagram of an audible device 200 according to one aspect of the invention. The audible device 200 includes a control unit 205, a motion sensor 210, a proximity sensor 215, an air pressure sensor 220, a microphone 225, a loudspeaker 230, and a network interface 235. In some aspects, each of these elements is integrated into a housing of the audible device 200. In one aspect, the audible device 200 can be the same as the audible device 100 of [reference missing]. Fig. 1, such that at least some of the elements enclosed in the audible device 200 are integrated within the audible device 100. The audible device 200 can be any electronic in-ear, on-ear, or over-ear device capable of emitting one or more audio signals through the loudspeakers 230, detecting sound through the microphone 225, and detecting air pressure using the air pressure sensor 220. From a specific point of view, the audible device 200 can be a wireless device, as previously described. For example, the network interface 235 is configured to establish a wireless communication link (e.g., a pair) with another electronic device to exchange data with the electronic device. For example, the device 200 can be paired with another electronic device by any known wireless protocol, such as a Bluetooth pairing protocol.From one perspective, the network interface is configured to establish a wireless communication link with a wireless access point to exchange data with an electronic server over a wireless network (e.g., the Internet). From another perspective, the audible device 200 can be a wired audio device, so the connection between the loudspeaker 230 and the speaker can be integrated into a housing (e.g., headphones) that is wired to a playback device. From another perspective, the audible device can be a wearable device, such as smart glasses, which incorporate at least one in-ear, on-ear, and over-ear loudspeaker.

[0027] The control unit 205 can be a specialized processor such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a general-purpose microprocessor, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal control unit, or a set of logic hardware structures (e.g., filters, arithmetic logic units, and dedicated state machines). The control unit 205 is configured to determine whether the audible device 200 is currently being used by a user (e.g., if the audible device 200 is an in-ear device, the audible device 200 is inserted inside the user's ear, as shown in [reference]). Fig. 1), and if so, to manage processing operations (e.g., network and audio processing operations) that are performed as a result of the audible device 200 currently being used by a user. The control unit is also configured to disable the audible device 200 by limiting the number of computational operations performed by the audible device 200 while it is not in use (e.g., while it is in the user's pocket 115, as shown in Fig. 1 shown).

[0028] In one respect, the control unit 205 is configured to put the audible device 200 into a power-saving mode to conserve battery power. More specifically, many operations performed by the audible device 200 while worn by the user require power from a battery (not shown) integrated into the audible device 200.

[0029] Such operations are unnecessary while the audible device 200 is not being worn or used by the user. For example, while the audible device is in the user's pocket, there is no need to establish a wireless communication link with another device to exchange data. As a result, while in power-saving mode, the control unit 205 can keep elements of the audible device, such as the network interface 235, offline to conserve battery power. To exit this mode, thereby activating the audible device 200, the control unit 205 can determine with a high degree of confidence that the audible device 200 is being (or is intended to be) used by the user.Otherwise, as previously described in conventional approaches, the audible device 200 could be inadvertently activated at times when the user is not wearing it, resulting in a loss of battery power. More details on how the control unit 205 reliably exits power-saving mode will be described later.

[0030] The motion sensor 210 is configured to detect movement of the audible device 200 and produce motion data indicating such movement. The motion sensor 210 can be any sensor capable of detecting motion and / or vibration, such as an accelerometer and a gyroscope. The motion data can indicate movement of the audible device 200 as a change in the speed at which the audible device 200 is currently moving. Such movement can occur in response to the user removing the audible device 200 from a pocket 115 and beginning to move the audible device 200 toward the user's ear 101, as shown in Fig. 1 shown.

[0031] The proximity sensor 215 is configured to detect the presence of a nearby object located outside the audible device 200 and to produce a proximity sensor signal indicating the distance between the object and the audible device 200. The proximity sensor 215 can be an optical proximity sensor comprising a light emitter that emits a specific wavelength of light (e.g., infrared light). The emitted light strikes the nearby object, and any reflected light returning to the proximity sensor 215 is detected by a light sensor (e.g., a photodiode) within the proximity sensor 215, generating an electronic signal based on the returning light. The proximity signal indicates the distance based on the travel time between the light emitted by the light emitter and the returning light.From a specific perspective, the proximity sensor can produce a proximity signal that indicates the distance based on the intensity of the returning (or detected) light. Specifically, the returning light will have a higher intensity when reflected from nearby objects, while light returning from objects farther away will have a lower intensity. From a specific perspective, the proximity sensor 215 can be any type of proximity sensor 215 capable of detecting the presence of a nearby object and its distance from the audible device 200, such as an inductive, capacitive, optical, or optical proximity sensor.In some embodiments, the audible device 200 may include two or more proximity sensors, each capable of detecting a distance between an external nearby object and the audible device 200 in similar or different ways as previously described.

[0032] The control unit 205 is further configured to perform proximity detection algorithms to determine whether the distance between the audible device 200 and a nearby (external) object detected by the proximity sensor 215 is less than a threshold distance. The threshold distance can represent the distance the audible device 200 is from the user's head when worn on the body. From one perspective, this threshold distance is predefined (e.g., previously determined in a controlled environment). From another perspective, the distance can be learned by the control unit 205 as the audible device 200 is worn by the user over time, for example, using a machine learning algorithm. The threshold distance can be a small distance, e.g., one inch, three-quarters of an inch, one and a half inches, one-quarter of an inch, etc., since, when worn on the body, the audible device 200 will be close to the user's head, as in stage 110 of . Fig. 1 shown. As in Fig. As described in section 6, this distance can be small in order to try to limit the number of false positives.

[0033] Unlike conventional audible devices, which may use proximity to a nearby device as a determining factor in whether or not to activate the audible device, the distance determined by the control unit 205 can be a first step in confirming that the user is inserting (or placing) the audible device 200 in (or on) the user's ear. As a secondary confirmation, the barometric pressure sensor 220 can be used to provide a higher degree of confidence that the user is wearing the audible device 200. More information about the barometric pressure sensor 220, which is used as a secondary confirmation, is described herein.

[0034] The air pressure sensor 220 is used to detect (e.g., changes in) the air pressure near the audible device 200. In particular, the air pressure sensor 220 produces an air pressure signal that includes air pressure data representing the air pressure inside (or around) the user's ear. For example, in the case of an in-ear audible device, the air pressure sensor 220 can detect changes within the user's ear canal, as shown in Fig. 1 described. According to some views, the air pressure sensor 220 detects the air pressure inside the user's ear and produces the air pressure signal in response to the audible device 200 being inserted into (or placed on) the user's ear. As another example, in the case of on-ear (or over-ear) audible devices, the air pressure sensor 220 can detect changes in the inner ear and ear canal as a whole. From a particular viewpoint, the air pressure sensor 220 can be positioned close to (e.g., near or next to) a speaker 230 of the audible device 200, since the speaker 230 of the audible device 200 is located very close to the user's ear. In this case, the air pressure signal indicates the air pressure near the speaker 230 of the audible device 200.From some perspectives, the air pressure sensor 220 can be positioned close to the speaker 230, since the speaker 230 is either located in the ear (in the case of an earphone) or directed towards the ear (in the case of on / above the earphone). From a specific perspective, the air pressure sensor 220 is the same as the air pressure sensor 130. Fig. 1. The air pressure sensor 220 sends the air pressure signal to the control unit 205 for processing.

[0035] The control unit 205 is further configured to acquire (receive) the air pressure signal from the air pressure sensor 220 and to process the acquired air pressure signal to detect changes within the air pressure signal that represent changes in air pressure. From a specific perspective, the changes within the air pressure signal are used to determine that the audible device 200 is being used by the user. For example, the control unit 205 is configured to determine whether the change in air pressure is above a threshold value. If so, it is determined that the audible device 200 is currently in use. From a specific perspective, the threshold value can be configured to lie within a range that is a certain threshold above the ambient air pressure outside the audible device 200.Thus, from a specific perspective, the threshold is configured to be between 0.1% and 10% above the ambient air pressure, which can be detected using another air pressure sensor (e.g., a reference air pressure sensor) that measures the air pressure outside the device 200. For example, the reference air pressure sensor can measure the air pressure outside the user's ear. From a specific perspective, the ambient air pressure can be retrieved via network interface 235 from another device capable of measuring air pressure.

[0036] To detect changes in the air pressure signal, the control unit 205 determines, from a specific perspective, whether the air pressure signal includes at least one pulse where a section of the signal exhibits one or more rapidly occurring pulses when graphically represented with respect to time. For example, as shown in Fig. Figure 4 shows an air pressure signal pulse 402 of the air pressure signal 401, a quiet (or stationary) section 421 for a first period, a pulse region 422 with a series (e.g., one or more) of pulses for a second period, and another quiet (or stationary) section 423 for a third period. From one perspective, the pulse 402 can be characterized as the signal that rises to a first amplitude, and then, after the second period, the signal decreases to a second amplitude, which may or may not be the same as the first amplitude. From one perspective, the second period (or pulse region width) of the series of pulses can represent the time the user needs to insert the audible device 200 into the user's ear and / or the time the user needs to place the audible device 200 on the user's ear.More information about how the control unit 205 processes the obtained air pressure signal to recognize that the audible device is in a state of use is provided in . Fig. 3-6 described.

[0037] While the audible device 200 is being used by the user, the control unit 205, as mentioned earlier, performs many additional operations. For example, the control unit 205 is configured to interact with the network interface 235. The control unit 205 can establish a wireless communication link (e.g., a pair) with another electronic device to exchange data over a wireless computer network (e.g., Bluetooth or a wireless local area network). While paired with the other electronic device, such as a media playback device, the electronic device can transmit audio content to be output by the speaker 230 of the audible device 200. In this case, the control unit 205 will receive an audio signal from a segment of audio program content via the network interface 235.The audio signal can be a single input audio channel. Alternatively, there can be more than one input audio channel, such as a dual-channel input, namely the left and right channels of a stereo recording or a binaural recording of a piece of music. Alternatively, there can be more than two input audio channels. In this case, the channels can be downmixed at one point to create a single downmixed audio signal, since there is a speaker 230 when there are multiple input audio channels.

[0038] In one respect, the control unit 205 is configured to process (or adapt) the output signal obtained from the network interface 235 (or from local memory), such as to perform spectral shaping or dynamic range control on at least some of the audio signals to create a downmix of several channels in the audio signal, to perform beam shaping processing to produce loudspeaker drive signals for a loudspeaker-receiver arrangement (e.g. in the audible device), to produce beam shaping processing to produce at least one directional beam pattern from two or more microphone signals produced by a microphone arrangement (e.g. in the audible device), or to perform other digital processing to produce loudspeaker drive signals that better "fit" the acoustic environment of the audible device 200 or the loudspeaker capabilities.From a specific perspective, the control unit 205 can process the audio signal according to user preferences (e.g., a specific spectral shape of the audio signals or a specific volume of the audio signals). Once the audio signal has been processed by the control unit 205, the control unit 205 produces a driver signal. The loudspeaker 230 serves to receive the driver signal from the control unit 205 and to use the driver signal to produce sound. The loudspeaker 230 can be an electrodynamic driver, which may be specifically designed for sound output at specific frequency bands, such as a subwoofer, a tweeter, or a midrange driver. From a specific perspective, the reproduction of an audio signal refers to the conversion of the resulting digital loudspeaker drive signals into sound by the loudspeaker 230, which may be integrated within the audible device 200.

[0039] From a specific perspective, the audible device 200 can include two or more loudspeakers, such as when the audible device is a headphone with at least one left loudspeaker and at least one right loudspeaker. In this case, the control unit 205 can receive one or more input audio signals and process the signals to produce stereoscopic and / or binaural audio signals for output through the left and right loudspeakers. From a specific perspective, the control unit 205 can perform spatial audio processing by applying spatial transfer functions (e.g., head-related transfer functions (HRTFs)) to the input audio signals to produce spatial audio signals through the loudspeakers of the audible device.From one perspective, HRTFs can be predefined, whereas from another perspective they can be generated specifically for the user's anthropometric data using any method.

[0040] The control unit 205 is further configured to process a microphone signal from the microphone 225. The microphone 225 can be any type of microphone (e.g., a microphone with a micro-electro-mechanical differential pressure gradient system (MEMS)), which is used to convert acoustic energy caused by sound waves propagating in an acoustic space into an electrical microphone signal. Upon receiving the electrical microphone signal, the control unit 205 can perform audio processing operations. For example, the control unit can apply filters (e.g., high-pass filters) to remove low-frequency noise.From one perspective, the control unit 205 can perform active noise cancellation (ANC) functions to produce an anti-noise signal which, when used to drive the loudspeaker 230, suppresses sound entering the user's ear canal. To perform ANC functions, the audible device 200 can include at least one reference microphone (e.g., for detecting ambient sound outside the audible device 200) and one error microphone (e.g., for detecting sound inside the user's ear). From another perspective, the microphone 225 can be used instead of the air pressure sensor 220 to detect changes in air pressure.From a certain point of view, the control unit 205 is configured to transmit the microphone signal via the network interface 235 to another electronic device, such as in a hands-free telephone call.

[0041] From one perspective, the user can use two independent hearing devices simultaneously: one for the left ear and one for the right ear. From another perspective, both hearing devices can pair separately with an electronic device, such as a media player. Alternatively, instead of each hearing device pairing separately, one can act as a bridge for the other. For example, a left hearing device can be paired with the media player, while the right hearing device is paired with the left hearing device. This topology can conserve battery power in the right hearing device, as it doesn't need to generate a strong wireless signal to connect to the media player.From a certain point of view, the topology between the audible devices can change.

[0042] The audible device 200 can determine, based on sensor data provided by at least one of the previously described sensors, that it is in a state of use within a reasonable level of confidence. Although sensor data provided by a single sensor provides a certain level of confidence (e.g., as with the proximity sensor), a higher level of confidence can be achieved based on sensor data from multiple sensors. As a result, aspects of the present invention utilize multiple sensors instead of relying on a single sensor, such as the proximity sensor, which can produce false positives, as previously described. Fig. As described in section 1, sensor data from at least one air pressure sensor, a proximity sensor, and a motion sensor, to name a few, are used. However, from a certain perspective, instead of using the proximity sensor 215 and the motion sensor 210, the audible device 200 can determine whether it is in a state of use solely based on the air pressure signal generated by the air pressure sensor 220.

[0043] Fig. Figure 3 is a flowchart of a specific aspect of a process 300 for activating an audible device after determining that the audible device is in a state of use according to changes in air pressure. In a specific aspect, the process 300 is carried out by one of the manufacturable devices 100, 200, as shown in Fig. 1 to 2 described. Process 300 is described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 described. Fig. 3. Process 300 begins by receiving an air pressure signal from the air pressure sensor 220, indicating the air pressure near the audible device 200, without the audible device 200 emitting (or reproducing) any sound (at block 305). From one perspective, if the audible device 200 is an earphone, the air pressure sensor 220 produces the air pressure signal in response to the earphone being inserted into a user's ear. From another perspective, the air pressure sensor 220 can be activated to detect the air pressure, while the audible device 200 does not cause the speaker 230 to emit sound. From another perspective, the audible device 200 deactivates the speaker 230 while the air pressure sensor 220 is activated.

[0044] Method 300 processes the acquired air pressure signal to detect changes in air pressure indicating that the user is inserting the audible device 200 into the user's ear or placing the audible device on (or over) the user's ear (at block 310). From a specific perspective, the control unit 205 can process the air pressure signal in at least one of several methods. For example, the control unit 205 can process the acquired air pressure signal to determine whether the air pressure inside the user's ear is above a threshold value. As another example, the control unit 205 can process the acquired air pressure signal to determine whether there is at least one pulse within the air pressure signal. As yet another example, the control unit 205 can calculate a sound pressure level (SPL) signal from the air pressure signal to determine whether there is an SPL pulse.As yet another example, the control unit 205 can consider the spectral content of the air pressure signal (and / or the SPL signal) to determine which frequency bins have the most energy with respect to other frequency bins.

[0045] Fig. Figure 4 shows various graphical representations of an air pressure signal produced by an air pressure sensor 220 of an audible device 200. Specifically, each of the graphs represents different aspects of the air pressure signal response when the audible device 200 is worn on the user's body, e.g., inserted into and / or placed on the user's ear.

[0046] The control unit 205 processes the air pressure signal by examining its different representations to identify (or extract from) specific characteristics within each representation that indicate the user is currently using the audible device. For example, the control unit 205 can examine the raw air pressure signal, or rather the raw electrical signal, produced by the air pressure sensor 220 to determine (or detect) whether the raw electrical signal contains at least one pulse exceeding a voltage threshold within a given time period.

[0047] Graph 400 shows the raw air pressure signal 401 produced by the air pressure sensor 220 over time. Graph 400 contains two pulses: a first pulse 402, which represents a threshold voltage V. thwithin (or over) a time period t1 to t2, and a second impulse 403, which V th within (or over) a further time period t3 to t4. As previously described, the pulse 402 can include a pulse region 422 that lies between two steady (or continuous) sections 421, 423 of the signal 401. Steady means that the signal does not fluctuate above (or below) a threshold value (which is defined by V). th(can distinguish). From one perspective, the threshold can be a predefined value with respect to signal 401 (e.g., a voltage above and / or below signal 401). From another perspective, the threshold of the quiet section 421 can be a percentage (e.g., 10%) of the voltage of signal 401. Since the raw electrical signal produced by the air pressure sensor 220 can vary in a positive and negative direction, the pulse region 422 of pulse 402 can be defined as a section of the signal that V th (or -V th ) crosses at a certain time (e.g. t1) in a certain direction and then V th (or -V th) crosses again at another time (e.g., t2) in an opposite direction, the interval between the two crossings lying within a time range. From a certain perspective, the pulse region 422 can occupy a segment of the time duration (t1 to t2), where the last time at which the air pressure signal V th (or -V th ) crosses, before the end of the time period, t2. From another perspective, momentum can also be defined by a number of impulses that V th (or -V th ) cross within the time period.

[0048] The impulses can be generated by the air pressure sensor 220 in response to the audible device 200 being inserted into the user's ear or placed on or over the user's ear. For example, with reference to Fig. 1. The first pulse 402 may be the result of the audible device traversing the ear canal 120, since, as it traverses the ear canal 120, the air pushes against the air pressure sensor 220 in the opposite direction from which the audible device 200 is moving. From a certain point of view, the time interval t1 to t2 does not directly correspond to the amount of time the audible device takes to traverse the ear canal 120, but may instead be a predefined amount of time in which the control unit 205 determines whether the signal includes a pulse (or pulse region). The signal 401 may stabilize between the time interval t2 and t3 when the user has stopped pushing the audible device 200 within the ear canal. The second pulse 403 may represent a rebound when the user's hand releases the audible device 200.According to some views, pulses 402 and 403 within the air pressure signal may be present in response to user settings on the audible device 200, which is already in use. Specifically, the air pressure sensor 220 may detect a change in air pressure when the user touches the audible device 200 while inserting and putting it on, or adjusts its position. According to one view, each pulse may occur within a time period ranging from 50 milliseconds to 500 milliseconds. In some views, the width of each pulse (e.g., t1 to t2 and / or t3 to t4) may range from 50 milliseconds to 500 milliseconds. The total duration of the detected pulses, t1 to t4, may range from 50 milliseconds to two seconds. From one perspective, each pulse 402 and 403 can lie within 50 milliseconds to 500 milliseconds.For example, the quiet section 421, the pulse width 422, and the quiet section 423 of pulse 402 can lie within this time period. From one perspective, the quiet sections 421 and 423 of pulse 402 can have the same or different widths. From another perspective, the signal can contain a single pulse instead of two (or more) pulses. From another perspective, the pulse region can contain two pulses. Thus, the control unit 205 can determine that the audible device 200 is in a state of use when at least one pulse is detected within the raw air pressure signal.

[0049] As mentioned previously, the air pressure sensor 220 can be a pressure transducer that measures changes in air pressure based on the movement of a diaphragm. Since the movement of a diaphragm can be used to measure air pressure, a microphone, such as a gradient air pressure microphone, can be used instead of a specialized air pressure sensor. Thus, from one perspective, the raw air pressure signal 401 can be a microphone raw signal. From another perspective, the pressure transducer and the microphone can provide a similar air pressure signal.

[0050] From some perspectives, in addition to (or instead of) determining whether there is a change in air pressure by detecting changes in the raw electrical signal of the air pressure sensor 220, the control unit 205 can process the air pressure signal to consider the SPL of the air pressure sensor 220. The SPL is a pressure derivative of ambient atmospheric pressure caused by a sound wave. The SPL indicates the intensity of the sound at the air pressure sensor (or microphone). Specifically, the SPL is the ratio of the sound pressure caused by a sound wave to an ambient sound pressure (e.g., a known hearing threshold), measured on a logarithmic scale (e.g., dB). In the present case, however, when the air pressure is detected, the change in air pressure is not caused by a sound wave generated by a loudspeaker (e.g., 230).Instead, a calculated SPL of the raw signal represents the intensity of a pressure wave caused by vibrations in the air when the user puts on or applies the audible device, or when the user touches the audible device while it is in / on the user's ear.

[0051] Graph 405 shows an SPL signal 406, which is calculated from the raw atmospheric pressure signal with respect to time. In this graph 405, the SPL signal 406 includes two pulses, a first pulse 407, which represents an SPL th within (or over) the time period t1 to t2 exceeds, and a second pulse 408, the SPL th within (or over) the time interval t3 to t4. As shown, both pulses 407 and 408 correspond to pulses 402 and 403 respectively, in graph 400, and times t1 to t4 of graph 405 correspond to times t1 to t4 of graph 400. From a certain point of view, the SPL tha logarithmic value within a range between 20 dB and 50 dB. Similar to the analysis of the raw signal 401, the control unit 205 can determine that the audible device 200 is in a state of use if there is at least one SPL pulse that exceeds SPL th within the time span t1 to t4. From a certain perspective, similar to the impulses of graph 400, each impulse 407 and 408 can include a quiet period between an impulse region.

[0052] From a specific perspective, the SPL signal 406 can be filtered using a linear or nonlinear filter. Specifically, the SPL signal 406 can be passed through a low-pass filter to filter out the sound content above a frequency threshold that can be between 1 Hz and 100 Hz. From a specific perspective, the SPL signal 406 has been filtered with a low-pass filter. Low-pass filtering of the SPL signal can provide a higher level of confidence that the audible device will be inserted and / or placed in the user's ear compared to an unfiltered SPL signal. This is because the unfiltered SPL signal may include impulses that are a result of a wider range of acoustic audio signals (e.g., audio sound with a frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz).Removing spectral content above a low frequency, such as 100 Hz, reduces the likelihood that the pulses are the result of an external audio signal, thereby reducing the number of potential false positives.

[0053] In one respect, the control unit 205 can process the received air pressure signal to detect at least one pulse within it for a certain duration, e.g., one second, five seconds, ten seconds, to determine whether the audible device 200 is in use. In another respect, the control unit 205 will monitor the air pressure signal intermittently. For example, the control unit 205 can process the air pressure signal for a certain duration (e.g., 500 milliseconds), stop processing the air pressure signal for a subsequent duration (e.g., 10 seconds), and then begin processing the air pressure signal for another duration (e.g., 500 milliseconds). In another respect, the control unit 205 can deactivate the air pressure sensor 220 during periods when the air pressure signal is not being processed to conserve battery power.

[0054] Previously, processing the air pressure signal was based on whether the signal included at least one pulse. However, spectral analysis can further help determine whether the audible device 200 is in a user-activated state. Specifically, the control unit 205 serves to transform (or convert) the air pressure signal into the frequency domain, where the air pressure signal is represented by several frequency components (or containers), each defined by an energy level at which that particular frequency component contributes to the air pressure signal. From a specific perspective, the control unit 205 can determine that the audible device 200 is in a user-activated state if a low-frequency container has a higher energy level than at least some of the other frequency containers combined.For example, the control unit 205 can determine an energy level of the frequency content of each of the several frequency components. The control unit 205 determines that the audible device 200 is in a state of use after it detects that a low-frequency component has a higher energy level than the energy levels of the other frequency components. In one viewpoint, the low-frequency reservoir can include a frequency content of the pressure signal up to a frequency threshold between 1 Hz and 100 Hz. In some viewpoints, the low-frequency reservoir can include only a portion of the frequency content between 1 Hz and 100 Hz (e.g., between 1 Hz and 20 Hz). In one viewpoint, the low-frequency reservoir is said to have a higher energy level if it includes at least 51% of the total energy level of all frequency reservoirs contributing to the air pressure signal.From one perspective, this determination can be based on a comparison of one or more frequency containers, rather than combining them all. From another perspective, instead of considering the total energy level of all frequency containers, the low-frequency container may have a higher energy level than any other frequency container.

[0055] Graph 410 is a spectrogram that provides a visual representation of the spectrum of an energy level of the signal at different frequency containers as they vary over time. Graph 410 illustrates the energy between the same time intervals t1 to t2 and t3 to t4 as graphs 400 and 405. At each time interval, it shows that there is a significant amount of spectral energy below a frequency threshold λ. thThis is represented as darker sections of graph 410, compared to the rest of the spectrogram. To determine whether the audible device is in a state of use, the control unit 205 is to determine where the highest energy concentration is in each of the frequency containers. Specifically, the control unit 205 is to detect that a low-frequency container has a higher energy level (or more energy) than the energy levels of the other frequency containers over time. From a certain point of view, the frequency container is below a frequency threshold λ. th, which can be a frequency between 1 Hz and 100 Hz, as previously described.

[0056] From a certain perspective, the control unit 205 can base the determination of whether the audible device 200 is in use on a specific amount of spectral energy detected within a time period, rather than making the determination between the time period t1 and t2, which includes the spectral energy of pulse 402 (and 407). To do this, the control unit 205 can process the obtained air pressure signal for a time period, e.g., one second, five seconds, ten seconds, etc., to determine whether the audible device 200 is in a state of use. From a certain perspective, as will be explained later in Fig. As described in Figure 6, the control unit 205 begins to monitor the spectral content when it is determined that the distance indicated by the proximity signal is less than a threshold distance. Referring to Graph 410, the control unit 205 can begin monitoring the spectral energy at a time before t1 and continue to monitor the spectral energy until it detects a threshold (e.g., λ). th ) consistently exceeds the threshold for one or more smaller time segments (e.g., segments of ten milliseconds). From a specific perspective, the control unit 205 can monitor the energy for the entire duration. From a specific perspective, the determination can be made if the spectral content exceeds the threshold in one or more consecutive segments or one or more intermittent segments (e.g., the 10-millisecond segments are spaced every 100 milliseconds).

[0057] Referring to Fig. 3. Process 300 determines whether there is a detected change in air pressure indicating that the audible device 200 is likely being used by the user, such as in a usage state in the user's ear and / or on (or above) the user's ear (at decision block 315). Specifically, the control unit may base this decision, for example, and as previously described, on whether at least one pulse has been detected in the air pressure signal, whether a large portion of the sound energy within the air pressure signal is below a frequency threshold, and / or whether the air pressure inside the user's ear is above a threshold. From a particular perspective, the decision may be based on at least one of the graphs shown in Fig. 4 are illustrated.

[0058] When it is determined that there is a detected change in the air pressure signal indicating that the audible device 200 is in use, process 300 activates the audible device 200 by performing at least one of: (1) outputting an audio signal through the loudspeaker 230, signifying that the audible device 200 is in use; (2) establishing a wireless connection (e.g., pairing) with another electronic device, such as a media playback device, to exchange data (at block 320). Specifically, in response to the determination that the user is attempting to use the audible device, the control unit takes the audible device out of sleep mode and activates it by managing various processing operations, such as networking and / or audio rendering operations as previously described.In one aspect, to output the audio signal, the control unit 205 will retrieve the audio signal from local memory (e.g., memory within the control unit 205). In other aspects, the control unit 205 will retrieve the audio signal remotely via the network interface 235. However, if the pressure signal does not indicate that the audible device 200 is in use—for example, if there is no impulse, the majority of the sound energy is not below the frequency threshold, and / or the air pressure is not above the threshold—the process 300 terminates.

[0059] Some viewpoints perform variations of Process 300. The specific operations of Process 300 need not be performed in the exact order shown and described. The specific operations need not be performed in a continuous series of operations, and different specific operations can be performed in different viewpoints. In one viewpoint, instead of terminating Process 300 when Decision Block 315 determines that no change in air pressure is detected, Process 300 may return to Block 310 to continue processing the obtained air pressure signal. In another viewpoint, the pressure signal is processed until a change is detected, or it may be processed for a specific amount of time (e.g., two seconds).

[0060] Fig. Figure 5 is a flowchart of a particular viewpoint of a process 500 for activating an audible device after a determination that the audible device is in a state of use according to changes in air pressure. In a particular viewpoint, the process 500 is carried out by one of the audible devices 100, 200, as shown in Fig. 1 to 2 described. Process 500 is described with reference to Fig. 2 to 3 described. For example, some operations in process 500, such as blocks 525 to 540, may be the same or similar operations 305 to 320, which each occur in process 300. Fig. 3 are described. Fig. In step 5, process 500 begins by determining whether motion data is being received from the motion sensor 210, and if so, whether it exceeds a threshold level (at decision block 505). Specifically, the motion sensor 210 sends motion data to the control unit 205, which then determines whether the audible device 200 is moving at a speed exceeding a threshold speed.

[0061] From a specific perspective, the control unit 205 can also determine, along with this determination, whether the speed remains above this threshold for a certain duration (e.g., one second, two seconds, etc.). If, in this case, the audible device 200 is moved above the threshold speed for this duration, it can be assumed that the user will pick up the audible device 200 (e.g., from a table) to carry it on their person. If the speed does not remain above the threshold speed for this duration, the process 500 continues to monitor motion data and returns to decision block 505. From a specific perspective, the audible device 200 may be in power-saving mode at this step.In this mode, the control unit 205 can continue to monitor the motion sensor data, while other sensors and / or operations of the audible device 200 are kept offline. This may be due to the fact that the motion sensor 210 consumes less power than the other sensors.

[0062] However, if the control unit 205 determines that the speed is above the threshold speed (and for at least the specified duration), the process 500 proceeds to detect the presence of an external nearby object and produce a proximity signal representing the distance between the external nearby object and the audible device 200 (at block 510). From a certain perspective, the proximity sensor 215 can consume more power than the motion sensor 210. Therefore, to conserve power, the proximity sensor 215 can remain inactive (or switched off) until it is determined that the audible device 200 is in motion, as described in block 505.

[0063] Process 500 determines whether the distance between the audible device 200 and the external nearby object is less than a threshold distance such that the user of the audible device 200 is likely to place the audible device in, on, or over their ear(s) (at decision block 515). Specifically, the proximity sensor 215 monitors the proximity signal from the proximity sensor 215 to detect whether an external nearby object is close to or approaching the audible device 200. As previously described, the threshold distance may be a small distance (e.g., ½ inch) because, during use, the audible device 200 is very close to one side of a user's head. From a specific perspective, the control unit 205 can make this determination based on whether the distance has been within the threshold distance for a period of time (e.g., one second, two seconds, etc.).From a specific perspective, instead of determining whether the distance is within a threshold range, the control unit 205 can determine whether the distance is decreasing below a certain rate. More precisely, if the user attempts to put on the audible device 200, it can be assumed that the user intends to do so in a controlled manner to correctly align the audible device in (or on) the user's ear(s). Thus, if the distance is within the threshold range and / or the distance is changing below a certain rate, it can be assumed that the user is attempting to wear the audible device on their body.

[0064] Returning to process 500, if the distance is not below the threshold distance, process 500 deactivates the proximity sensor 215 and returns to decision block 505 (at block 520). Since the detected object is too far away, it is assumed that the user is not placing the audible device 200 in / on the user's ear(s). From a given perspective, process 500 may wait a certain duration, e.g., five seconds, to give the control unit 205 enough time to determine whether the user is attempting to use the audible device 200 before proceeding to make the decision at decision block 515. Thus, the control unit 205 waits the specified duration and proceeds to process the proximity signal to determine if it is below the threshold. If, from a given perspective, the proximity signal indicates that there is no nearby external object (e.g.,(If an object is too far away for the proximity sensor to determine its distance from the audible device 200), process 500 goes to block 520.

[0065] In response to the distance being less than the threshold distance, process 500 activates the barometric pressure sensor 220 to begin sensing the barometric pressure in order to produce a barometric pressure signal (at block 525). In some views, the barometric pressure sensor 220 is activated so that it senses the barometric pressure inside the user's ear (e.g., inside the ear canal or inside the inner ear) and generates a barometric pressure signal. As previously described, conventional approaches can activate a device as soon as the distance associated with the proximity signal falls below a threshold. However, this approach is prone to false positives. Instead of relying solely on the proximity signal, the barometric pressure signal produced by the barometric pressure sensor 220 serves as a secondary source of confirmation that the audible device 200 is being used.

[0066] Process 500 processes the acquired air pressure signal to detect changes in air pressure indicating that the user is inserting the audible device 200 into the user's ear or placing the audible device on (or above) the user's ear (at block 530). Process 500 determines whether there is a detected change in air pressure indicating that the audible device 200 is likely being used by the user, such as in a usage state in and / or on the user's ear (at decision block 535). If the air pressure signal does not include at least one pulse, the majority of the sound energy is not below the frequency threshold, and / or the air pressure is not above the threshold, Process 500 returns to decision block 515 to determine whether the external nearby object is still within the threshold distance.From a certain perspective, the control unit 205 may deactivate the barometric pressure sensor 220 to conserve power when returning to decision block 515. However, if it is determined that there is a detected change in the barometric pressure signal indicating that the audible device 200 is in use, the process 500 activates the audible device 200 by performing at least one of: (1) emitting an audio signal through the loudspeaker 230, signifying that the audible device 200 is in use; or (2) establishing a wireless connection (e.g., pairing) with another electronic device, such as a media playback device, to exchange data (at block 540).

[0067] If it has now been determined that the user intends to use the audible device, the control unit 205 must monitor sensor data to detect when the user removes the audible device 200. For example, the user may have put on the audible device 200 to make a hands-free phone call. After the phone call, the user can remove the audible device 200 and place it in a pocket, as described in [reference to relevant section]. Fig. Figure 1 shows this. To do this, the control unit 205 must monitor the proximity sensor signal (data) produced by the proximity sensor 215 to detect whether there has been a change in the distance between the external object, which in this case would be the user's head, and the audible device 200. The process 500 determines whether the distance between the external nearby object and the audible device 200 is still within the threshold distance (at decision block 545). For example, as described earlier, the control unit obtains the proximity sensor data output by the proximity sensor 215, which represents a distance between the audible device and an object outside the audible device. If the distance remains below the threshold distance, this means that the audible device 200 is still being used by the user.In this case, process 500 returns to block 540 to keep audible device 200 active.

[0068] However, if it is determined that the distance exceeds the threshold distance, process 500 deactivates the audible device 200 by returning it to power-saving mode (at block 550). Specifically, if the audible device 200 is paired with another device, the control unit 205 terminates the wireless connection with the other device in response to a detection that the audible device is no longer on or in the ear, based on the determination that the distance exceeds the threshold distance. In a specific sense, the audible device can indicate to the other device that it is entering power-saving mode. For example, the control unit 205 can send a message to the other device indicating that it is terminating the communication link and therefore will not exchange any data with the device.From a certain perspective, the control unit 205 can simply terminate the communication link without informing the other device. In this case, the other device can continue transmitting data until a certain period of time, during which no response is received from the audible device 200.

[0069] Some viewpoints perform variations of Process 500. The specific operations of Process 500 may not be performed in the exact sequence shown and described. The specific operations need not be performed in a continuous series, and different specific operations may be performed in different viewpoints. In a particular viewpoint, instead of activating the proximity sensor 215 and / or the barometric pressure sensor 220 in blocks 510 and 525, respectively, the sensors may already be activated and producing sensor data. Thus, in these blocks, Process 500 can receive the signals already produced by these sensors and begin processing them.In some respects, process 500 can rely solely on the air pressure signal produced by the air pressure sensor 220 to determine whether the audible device is in use, as in . Fig. 3 described. From a certain perspective, the air pressure sensor 220 can remain active to continuously produce an air pressure signal, or the air pressure sensor 220 can detect air pressure intermittently (e.g., for 500 milliseconds, every 2 seconds, as described previously). Thus, operations 505 to 520 can be completely omitted from process 500.

[0070] Fig. Figure 6 shows a diagram 600 that illustrates a visual relationship between sensor data and the current state of the audible device 200. This figure illustrates how the barometric pressure sensor 220 provides a higher level of confidence that the audible device 200 is in use by serving as a secondary source of confirmation to that of the proximity sensor 215. The diagram 600 includes four graphs, each with respect to time. The first graph 605 is the active state (e.g., either disabled or enabled) of the audible device 200. The second graph 610 illustrates a command “true state” of the audible device 200.From a certain perspective, the true state is defined as one of two states: 1) "away from the ear," in which the audible device 200 is not worn on the user's body, and 2) "in / on the ear," in which the audible device 200 is inserted into the user's ear and / or on (or over) the user's ear in a state of use. The third graph 615 is of the proximity sensor signal produced by the proximity sensor 215; and the fourth graph 620 is the barometric pressure signal produced by the barometric pressure sensor 220.

[0071] From a certain point of view, the barometric pressure sensor 220 provides secondary confirmation that the audible device is in use by limiting any false positives that might otherwise occur if the audible device 200 relied solely on the proximity sensor 215 for confirmation. The following is a chronological explanation of diagram 600. At T0, the audible device 200 is not being worn by the user and is deactivated (e.g., in a power-saving mode). At this time, the proximity sensor 215 is active and producing a proximity sensor signal. From a certain point of view, T0 can be at block 510 of process 500. Fig. 5. At T1, the proximity sensor signal in graph 615 indicates that the distance between the audible device 200 and a nearby object is below a distance threshold P. thThis indicates that the user is likely putting on the audible device 200. In response, the control unit 205 processes the barometric pressure signal during a time window TW1. From one perspective, this time window can be a predefined duration, e.g., ½ second, ¾ second, one second, two seconds, etc. From another perspective, this time window is learned by a machine learning algorithm based on the amount of time it typically takes to put on the audible device 200. However, during this time window, the control unit 205 does not detect any change in barometric pressure within the barometric pressure signal in graph 620. Furthermore, graph 615 indicates during TW1 that the proximity sensor signal has risen above the distance threshold.The decrease and sudden increase in the proximity sensor signal could result from an object moving past the audible device 200, rather than the user attempting to carry the device 200 on their body. Therefore, if the audible device 200 relied solely on the proximity sensor signal, it could have been activated at time T1, generating a false positive.

[0072] At T2, the proximity sensor signal in graph 615 again falls below the threshold, and in response, the control unit 205 begins monitoring the barometric pressure signal during a second time window, TW2. Unlike the false positive at T1, at this point the user puts on the audible device 200 to use it (e.g., in a hands-free phone call). This can be seen from the fact that graph 615 of the proximity sensor signal slowly decreases to a minimum distance. Simultaneously (or immediately thereafter), the control unit 205 begins processing the barometric pressure signal within TW2. At T3, the user has put on (or is putting on) the audible device 200, and now the true state of the audible device 200 is "in / on the ear," as shown in graph 610.As a result, the control unit 205 detects a pulse 625, which is caused by the pressure difference when the audible device 200 is placed in / on the user's ear. Once the pulse 625 is detected, there is a high degree of confidence that the audible device 200 is in / on the user's ear. Therefore, the active status of the audible device 200 in graph 605 changes from deactivated (or in power-saving mode) to activated at T4.

[0073] Between T3 and T5, the user is in use of the audible device 200. At T5, however, the user has ceased using the audible device 200 and removes it, changing its true state to the "away from ear" state. When the device 200 is removed, the distance indicated by the proximity sensor signal begins to increase, indicating that the distance between the audible device and the user's head is increasing. Once this distance exceeds the threshold distance at T6, it can be assumed that the user is removing the audible device 200. As a result, the audible device deactivates (or returns to power-saving mode).

[0074] As previously explained, one aspect of the invention may be a non-transient, machine-readable medium (such as a microelectronic memory) on which instructions are stored that program one or more data processing components (here generically referred to as a processor) to perform the network operations, signal processing operations, audio signal processing operations, and sound recording operations. In other aspects, some of these operations could be performed by specific hardware components containing hard-wired logic. Alternatively, these operations could be performed by any combination of programmed data processing components and fixed, hard-wired circuit components.

[0075] Even though certain aspects have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that such aspects are merely illustrative and not limiting for the broader invention, and that the invention is not limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since a person skilled in the art could conceive of various other modifications. The description should therefore be considered illustrative and not limiting.

[0076] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow data protection regulations and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of any authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

[0077] In some respects, this revelation may include, for example, the language "at least one of [Element A] and [Element B]". This language may refer to one or more of the elements. For example, "at least one of A and B" may refer to "A", "B", or "A and B". Specifically, "at least one of A and B" may refer to "at least one of A and at least one of B" or "at least of either A or B". In some respects, this revelation may include, for example, the language "[Element A], [Element B] and / or [Element C]". This language may refer to one of the elements or any combination thereof. For example, "A, B and / or C" may refer to "A", "B", "C", "A and B", "A" and C, "B and C", or "A, B, and C".

Claims

[1] Method performed by a processor of an earphone for determining a current usage state of the earphone comprising a loudspeaker and an air pressure sensor, wherein the method comprises: Determine, using the proximity sensor, that the distance between the earbud and an object outside the earbud is less than a threshold distance, and In response to the distance being less than the threshold distance, the air pressure sensor is activated to begin sensing the air pressure near the earphone; Obtaining a pressure signal from the air pressure sensor, which indicates air pressure near the earphone, wherein the air pressure sensor produces the pressure signal in response to the earphone being inserted into a user's ear; Processing the obtained pressure signal to determine that the earphone is in a state of use, and in response, performing at least one of (1) outputting an audio signal through the loudspeaker, signifying that the earphone is in use, (2) establishing a wireless connection with a media playback device to exchange data between the earphone and the media playback device, or (3) a combination thereof. [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein the processing of the obtained pressure signal to determine that the earphone is in the state of use comprises detecting that the pressure signal has at least one pulse. [3] Method according to claim 2, wherein at least one pulse within the pressure signal is detected for a duration ranging from 50 milliseconds to 500 milliseconds. [4] Method according to claim 3, wherein the processing of the obtained pressure signal comprises generating a sound pressure level (SPL) signal from the pressure signal and detecting at least one pulse within the SPL signal, wherein the pulse exceeds an SPL threshold value which is between 20 dB and 50 dB. [5] Method according to claim 1, wherein determining that the earphone is in the state of use comprises: Converting the pressure signal into a multitude of frequency components, each containing a frequency component of the pressure signal; Determining an energy level of the frequency content for each of the multitude of frequency components; and Recognizing that one low-frequency component of the multitude of frequency components has a higher energy level than the energy levels of the other components of the multitude of frequency components. [6] Method according to claim 5, wherein the low frequency component has a frequency content of the pressure signal up to a frequency threshold value which is between 1 and 100 Hz. [7] Audible device comprising a proximity sensor; a case; a processor; a loudspeaker; an air pressure sensor, wherein the speaker and the air pressure sensor are integrated into the housing; and Memory containing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the audible device to function: to determine, using the proximity sensor, that the distance between the audible device and an object outside the audible device is less than a threshold distance; In response to the fact that the distance is less than the threshold distance, the air pressure sensor is activated to begin sensing the air pressure near the audible device; to obtain a pressure signal from the air pressure sensor indicating an air pressure near the audible device, wherein the air pressure sensor produces the pressure signal in response to the audible device being inserted into or placed against a user's ear; and to process the obtained pressure signal to determine that the audible device is in a state of use against or within the user's ear, and in response, to perform at least one of (1) emitting an audio signal through the loudspeaker, which means to the user that the earphone is in use, (2) establishing a wireless connection with a media playback device to exchange data between the audible device and the media playback device, or (3) a combination thereof. [8] Audible device according to claim 7, wherein the instructions for processing the obtained pressure signal to determine that the audible device is in a state of use include instructions to detect that the pressure signal has at least one pulse. [9] Audible device according to claim 8, wherein the at least one pulse within the pressure signal is detected over a period of time ranging from 50 milliseconds to 500 milliseconds. [10] Audible device according to claim 9, wherein the instructions for processing the obtained pressure signal include instructions to generate a sound pressure level (SPL) signal from the pressure signal and to detect at least one pulse within the SPL signal, wherein the pulse exceeds an SPL threshold value which is between 20 dB and 50 dB. [11] Audible device according to claim 7, wherein the instructions for determining that the audible device is in a state of use include instructions for Converting the pressure signal into a multitude of frequency components, each containing a frequency component of the pressure signal; Determining an energy level of the frequency content for each of the multitude of frequency components; and Recognizing that one low-frequency component of the multitude of frequency components has a higher energy level than the energy levels of the other components of the multitude of frequency components. [12] Audible device according to claim 11, wherein the low frequency component has a frequency content of the pressure signal up to a frequency threshold value which is between 1 and 100 Hz. [13] Audible device comprising a case; a processor; a loudspeaker; an air pressure sensor; a proximity sensor, wherein the speaker, the air pressure sensor and the proximity sensor are integrated into the housing; and Memory in which instructions are stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the audible device to to obtain a pressure signal produced by the air pressure sensor, indicating an air pressure near the audible device; to recognize, based on the pressure signal, that the audible device is on or in the ear; in response to the detection that the audible device is on or in the ear, establishing a wireless connection with a media playback device to receive an audio signal from the media playback device in order to drive the loudspeaker to produce sound; to obtain a proximity sensor signal from the proximity sensor that represents a distance between the audible device and an object outside the audible device; and to recognize that the audible device is no longer on or in the ear, based on a determination that the distance is greater than a threshold distance, and in response to terminate the wireless connection with the media playback device. [14] Audible device according to claim 13, wherein the memory further stores instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the audible device to determine, using the proximity sensor, that the distance is less than the threshold distance, and in response, to activate the air pressure sensor to produce the pressure signal. [15] Audible device according to claim 13, wherein the air pressure sensor generates the pressure signal, while the loudspeaker is not driven by an audio signal to generate sound. [16] Audible device according to claim 13, wherein the instructions for recognizing that the audible device is based on the pressure signal on or in the ear include instructions to process the pressure signal in order to detect at least one pulse within a time period ranging from 50 milliseconds to 500 milliseconds. [17] Audible device according to claim 13, wherein the instructions for recognizing that the audible device is based on the pressure signal on or in the ear include instructions for Converting the pressure signal into a multitude of frequency components, each containing a frequency component of the pressure signal; Determining an energy level of the frequency content for each of the multitude of frequency components; and Determine that one low-frequency component of the plurality of frequency components has a higher energy level than the energy levels of the other components of the plurality of frequency components. [18] Audible device according to claim 17, wherein the low frequency component has a frequency content of the pressure signal up to a frequency threshold value which is between 1 and 100 Hz.

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