Automatic Microphone Switching for Wireless Earbuds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless earbuds can only support one bud as the active microphone during a phone call, limiting the ability to seamlessly share the microphone between users for a '3-way' call without manual user intervention.
Innovation Solution
An audio playback system that automatically switches the active microphone between two or more devices, such as earbuds, by detecting speech endpoints and user input to determine which device needs the microphone, allowing seamless sharing without user input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual specification of active microphone is implemented, then user can control which bud captures audio, but user experience deteriorates when the specified bud is not being worn or is in the case
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines which earbud should be the active microphone based on wear detection sensors and speech detection algorithms, eliminating the need for manual user specification. The earbuds self-manage the microphone assignment based on their actual usage state.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors wear status through sensors and speech activity through microphones, using this feedback to dynamically adjust which earbud serves as the active microphone. This ensures the active microphone is always on the worn earbud that is actually being used.
2Loss of energy
If only one earbud serves as active microphone, then bandwidth consumption is reduced, but the ability to seamlessly share microphone between users for 3-way calls is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches the active microphone role between earbuds based on real-time detection of speech endpoints and wear status. This allows seamless transition of microphone capability to the appropriate earbud without maintaining continuous active microphone capability on both devices.
Solution Approach 2:
Both earbuds are capable of serving as the active microphone, but only one is active at a time. The system provides universal microphone functionality across both devices while maintaining efficient single-microphone operation through intelligent role assignment.
3Ease of operation
If manual switching mode is used, then user has control over microphone selection, but time is lost when user needs to figure out which bud should be active
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of wear status and speech activity continuously in the background, so when switching is needed, the decision is already made or can be made immediately based on pre-collected data about which earbud is being worn and is actively speaking.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically determines and switches the active microphone without requiring user intervention or decision-making time. The earbuds themselves manage the switching based on their detected state.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides an audio playback system adapted to automatically switch an active microphone back and forth between two or more devices. For example, where the system is a pair of earbuds, where each earbud is worn by a separate user, the system may switch the active microphone to the device worn by the user that is speaking at a given time. While that device holds the active microphone, the other device may wait until a particular event that frees up the microphone, such as if the user wearing the device with the active microphone stops talking. According to some examples, a notification may be provided through one or more of the devices in the system to let the user know, for example, that he does not have the active microphone, that the active microphone is free, that the active microphone has been switched, etc.