True wireless solution for BT stereo audio playback

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11071150-B2
Application number	US-201916400701-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2019
Priority date	May 2, 2018
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

The technology relates to establishing wireless communication links, or connections, between a first audio accessory device, a second audio accessory device, and a client computing device. After receiving signals from the client computing device to initiate audio output, the first audio accessory device and the second audio accessory device may both perform a series of steps in parallel to establish connections with the client computing device and with each other. The series of steps may include relaying one or more acknowledgement (ACK) signals between the audio accessory devices in order to confirm proper receipt of the signals from the client computing device at both audio accessory devices. Alternatively, the series of steps may include transmitting a jamming signal from one of the audio accessory devices in order to prevent an ACK signal from the other audio accessory device from reaching the client computing device and initiating audio output.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
establishing, by one or more processors at a first audio accessory device, a first wireless connection with a second audio accessory device and a second wireless connection with a client computing device;
receiving, by the one or more processors, a first signal from the client computing device at a first point in time via the second wireless connection;
determining, by the one or more processors, whether the first signal is acceptable;
when the first signal is acceptable, transmitting, by the one or more processors, a first acknowledgement (ACK) signal to the second audio accessory device via the first wireless connection;
determining, by the one or more processors, whether a second ACK signal from the second audio accessory device is received by the one or more processors within an amount of time;
when the second ACK signal is received within the amount of time, determining, by the one or more processors, a status identification for the first audio accessory device, wherein the status identification identifies the first audio accessory device as a primary device or secondary device; and
operating, by the one or more processors, the first audio accessory device based on the determined status identification.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, by the one or more processors, whether the first signal satisfies an error-detecting code, wherein the first signal is acceptable when it satisfies the error-detecting code.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising performing, by the one or more processors, error correction of the first signal, wherein determining whether the first signal satisfies the error-detecting code is performed before the error correction of the first signal.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising performing, by the one or more processors, error correction of the first signal, wherein determining whether the first signal satisfies the error-detecting code is performed after the error correction of the first signal.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second ACK signal includes a timestamp for a second point in time when a second signal from the client computing device is received at the second audio accessory device.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, when status identification identifies the first audio accessory device as the secondary device, transmitting, by the one or more processors, a jamming signal configured to prevent the client computing device from receiving an acknowledgement (ACK) signal from the second audio accessory device.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, when the first signal is not acceptable, determining, by the one or more processors, whether the first audio accessory device is a secondary device in relation to the second audio accessory device.

8. A first audio accessory device, comprising:
a memory;
one or more processors in communication with the memory, the one or more processors configured to:
establish a first wireless connection with a second audio accessory device;
establish a second wireless connection with a client computing device;
receive a first signal from the client computing device at a first point in time via the second wireless connection;
determine whether the first signal is acceptable;
when the first signal is acceptable, transmit a first acknowledgement (ACK) signal to the second audio accessory device via the first wireless connection;
determine whether a second ACK signal from the second audio accessory device is received by the one or more processors within an amount of time;
when the second ACK signal is received within the amount of time, determine a status identification for the first audio accessory device, wherein the status identification identifies the first audio accessory device as a primary device or secondary device; and
operate the first audio accessory device based on the determined status identification.

9. The first audio accessory device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether the first signal satisfies an error-detecting code, wherein the first signal is acceptable when it satisfies the error-detecting code.

10. The first audio accessory device of claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform error correction of the first signal, wherein determining whether the first signal satisfies the error-detecting code is performed after the error correction of the first signal.

11. The first audio accessory device of claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform error correction of the first signal, wherein determining whether the first signal satisfies the error-detecting code is performed before the error correction of the first signal.

12. The first audio accessory device of claim 8 , wherein the second ACK signal includes a timestamp for a second point in time when a second signal from the client computing device is received at the second audio accessory device.

13. The first audio accessory device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to transmit, when status identification identifies the first audio accessory device as the secondary device, a jamming signal configured to prevent the client computing device from receiving an acknowledgement (ACK) signal from the second audio accessory device.

14. The first audio accessory device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine, when the first signal is not acceptable, whether the first audio accessory device is a secondary device in relation to the second audio accessory device.

15. A system, comprising:
a first audio accessory device;
a second audio accessory device;
wherein the first audio accessory device is configured to:
establish a first wireless connection with the second audio accessory device;
establish a second wireless connection with a client computing device;
receive a first signal from the client computing device at a first point in time via the second wireless connection;
determine whether the first signal is acceptable;
when the first signal is acceptable, transmit a first acknowledgement (ACK) signal to the second audio accessory device via the first wireless connection;
determine whether a second ACK signal from the second audio accessory device is received by the one or more processors within an amount of time;
when the second ACK signal is received within the amount of time, determine a status identification for the first audio accessory device, wherein the status identification identifies the first audio accessory device as a primary device or secondary device; and
operate the first audio accessory device based on the determined status identification.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the first audio accessory device is further configured to transmit, when status identification identifies the first audio accessory device as the secondary device, a jamming signal configured to prevent the client computing device from receiving an acknowledgement (ACK) signal from the second audio accessory device.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the first audio accessory device is further configured to determine, when the first signal is not acceptable, whether the first audio accessory device is a secondary device in relation to the second audio accessory device.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Deng Hongyang
• Xian Shijing
• Xie Guang
• Leung Chi Kin Benjamin

Classifications

• H04W84/20

  Leader-follower arrangements · CPC title

• H04W84/18

  Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks · CPC title

• H04W76/14

  Direct-mode setup · CPC title

• H04W76/10 Primary

  Connection setup · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title