Wireless Peripheral Inter-Frame Space Audio Streaming
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
True wireless earbuds face challenges in maintaining robust Bluetooth audio streaming due to the need to hide the secondary device from the source, leading to inefficiencies and potential interruptions in audio playback, as existing solutions like repeating, forwarding, and sniffing strain the buffers and bandwidth.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of inter-frame space communications (IFSC) between the first and second peripheral devices, allowing them to communicate using concatenated handshake and data packets within the inter-frame space without interfering with the master device, enabling seamless role switching based on signal strength and using different radio-frequency channels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If repeating solutions are used where the primary sink transmits received packets to the secondary sink, then the secondary sink can receive audio data, but the primary sink has less time to listen to the source and buffer levels are not maintained sufficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio data transmission by having the source device transmit separate mono audio data streams directly to both the primary and secondary sink devices. This eliminates the need for the primary sink to repeat data to the secondary sink, as each device receives its own dedicated data stream from the source.
Solution Approach 2:
The source device acts as an intermediary that directly provides audio data to both sink devices independently. This removes the primary sink from the data transmission path between the source and secondary sink, eliminating the bottleneck and allowing the primary sink to maintain proper buffer levels while still enabling true wireless operation.
2Reliability
If forwarding solutions are used where the primary sink processes and optimizes packets before transmitting to the secondary sink, then data optimization is achieved, but the source is not guaranteed to have the attention of the primary sink which strains buffers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio stream into separate mono channels and transmits them directly from the source to each sink device. This eliminates the need for the primary sink to process, buffer, and forward data to the secondary sink, thereby reducing buffer strain while maintaining streaming robustness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the data transmission function from the primary sink and relocates it to the source device. The source device now directly provides audio data to both sink devices, removing the burden of data processing and forwarding from the primary sink and eliminating buffer strain.
3Adaptability or versatility
If sniffing solutions are used where the secondary sink listens and captures packets between source and primary sink, then the secondary sink can receive data, but packet loss and retransmission requests increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio data into separate mono streams and transmits them directly from the source to each sink device on dedicated radio-frequency channels. This eliminates the need for the secondary sink to sniff or capture packets from the primary link, providing reliable direct delivery while maintaining true wireless operation.
4Reliability
If the primary sink repeats all received data to the secondary sink, then the secondary sink receives complete audio data, but bandwidth efficiency is reduced as the secondary sink only requires a single channel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the stereo audio stream into separate mono channels at the source device, transmitting one mono stream directly to the primary sink and another mono stream directly to the secondary sink. This eliminates the inefficiency of repeating full stereo data to the secondary sink, which only needs a single channel, thereby improving bandwidth efficiency while ensuring each sink receives complete audio data for its channel.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a wireless peripheral for wireless communication with a master device. Example embodiments disclosed include a wireless peripheral (500) for wireless communication with a master device (100) and comprising a first peripheral device (500a) and a second peripheral device (500b), wherein: at least one of the first peripheral device (500a) and the second peripheral device (500b) is arranged to communicate with the master device (100) by transmitting and receiving first wireless signals (104) conveying first packets (304, 304a, 304b, 304c, 304d) occupying transmit and receive time slots (300, 302) comprising inter-frame space (306); and the first peripheral device (500a) and the second peripheral device (500b) are arranged to communicate with each other by transmitting and receiving second wireless signals (502) conveying second packets (606, 608, 610) within said inter-frame space (306).