Coordinator Earbud Audio Sharing via Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Classic Bluetooth protocols limit the ability to broadcast digital audio to multiple devices simultaneously, making it difficult for multiple users to listen to the same audio content on separate wireless headphones when connected to a shared device without disturbing others.
Innovation Solution
A coordinator wireless speaker synchronizes with responder wireless speakers using different communication channels, allowing the coordinator to actively receive audio data from a source device and passively forward it to other speakers, ensuring all connected devices receive the audio data without missing packets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If classic Bluetooth protocol is used for wireless audio streaming, then connection stability is maintained, but the ability to broadcast to multiple devices simultaneously is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coordinator wireless speaker as an intermediary device that receives audio data from the source device and forwards it to multiple responder wireless speakers. This mediator architecture enables one-to-many audio distribution while maintaining stable connections, as the coordinator manages the data distribution to multiple responders without requiring the source device to maintain multiple simultaneous connections.
2Adaptability or versatility
If audio data is forwarded through a coordinator speaker to multiple responders, then multi-device audio sharing is enabled, but risk of packet loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where responder wireless speakers send acknowledgments to the coordinator speaker to confirm successful receipt of audio data packets. The coordinator uses this feedback information to determine which packets were successfully delivered and which need to be retransmitted, thereby maintaining high packet delivery reliability in the multi-device audio sharing scenario.
Solution Approach 2:
The coordinator wireless speaker buffers audio data packets before forwarding them to responder speakers. This preliminary action allows the coordinator to have packets ready for retransmission if acknowledgments indicate packet loss, reducing the impact of potential transmission failures and improving overall reliability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If synchronization mechanisms are implemented across multiple wireless speakers, then audio coherence is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the synchronization function into segments: the coordinator speaker handles timing and coordination logic, while responder speakers focus on receiving and playing audio data. This segmentation of synchronization responsibilities reduces the complexity burden on individual devices while maintaining overall audio coherence across the multi-device system.
Data Source
AI summary
In various examples, audio received from a source device is shared from a first wireless earbud to one or more other wireless earbuds. For example, source-device settings are shared by the first wireless earbud with the one or more other wireless earbuds to facilitate synchronization and passive receipt of data transmitted by the source device. Once the wireless earbuds are synchronized, they may check in with one another in a coordinated manner to share packets that were missed when passively listening to the source device.