Wireless Earphones With Seamless Ad Hoc Network Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wireless headphones are either cumbersome with cords or large and not in-ear type, lacking seamless transition between ad hoc and infrastructure wireless networks for continuous audio streaming.
Innovation Solution
A wireless earphone with a transceiver circuit that automatically transitions between ad hoc and infrastructure wireless networks, allowing seamless audio streaming by connecting to a host server if the direct network is unavailable, and featuring adjustable earbud designs for comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wireless headphones use a docking port for direct connection, then wireless audio streaming is enabled, but the headphones become large and not in-ear type
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the docking port component from the headphone design, extracting the wireless connectivity function to a separate external device. This allows the headphones to maintain a compact in-ear form factor while still enabling wireless audio streaming through the external wireless device that provides the docking interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a hierarchical nesting structure where compact in-ear headphones are nested within a larger wireless audio system. The headphones contain only the essential audio transduction components, while the wireless communication and docking functions are nested within an external device that the user carries separately.
2Volume of moving object
If cordless headphones are designed without docking ports, then headphone size is reduced to in-ear type, but seamless network transition capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an external wireless device as an intermediary between the headphones and the audio source. This intermediary device handles the complex network transition logic between ad hoc and infrastructure wireless networks, allowing the headphones themselves to remain simple and compact while gaining access to advanced connectivity features through the mediating device.
3Device complexity
If headphones connect via ad hoc wireless network directly to data source, then connection is direct and simple, but connection is lost when devices are out of range
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic connectivity where the external wireless device can switch between different network modes (ad hoc and infrastructure) based on device proximity and network availability. When devices are close together, the system dynamically uses direct ad hoc connection for simplicity; when devices move apart, it dynamically transitions to infrastructure network connection for reliability, maintaining continuous audio streaming throughout.
Data Source
AI summary
A system comprising a wireless network adapter and a pair of earphone. The wireless network adapter is external to a digital audio player and configured to connect to the digital audio player via an audio jack of the digital audio player. The wireless network adapter is for encoding analog audio received from the digital audio player into digital format and wirelessly transmitting the digitally-formatted audio. The pair of earphones is in direct wireless communication with the wireless network adapter and are configured to be worn simultaneously by a user. Each earphone in the pair of earphones comprises: (i) a transceiver that is for receiving the digitally-formatted audio from the wireless network adapter via the wireless network, and converting the digitally-formatted audio received via the wireless network to analog audio signals; and (ii) at least one acoustic transducer connected to the transceiver, wherein the at least one acoustic transducer is for outputting the analog audio signals.