Wearable interactive audio device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12413880-B2
Application number	US-202318218433-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2023
Priority date	Jun 11, 2018
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

Embodiments are directed to a wearable audio device, such as an earbud. The earbud may be configured to detect input using various sensors and structures. For example, the earbud may be configured to detect gestures, physical manipulations, and so forth performed along or on the earbud. In response to the detected inputs, the earbud may be configured to change various outputs, such as an audio output or a haptic output of the device. The earbud may also include a microphone to register voice commands. In some cases, the microphone may be used to control the earbud using the registered voice command in response to one or more detected gestures or physical manipulations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable audio device comprising:
an enclosure defining an opening, an interior volume, and an exterior surface;
a sealing component coupled to the enclosure and configured to form a sealed passage from the opening to an ear of a user;
a speaker positioned within the interior volume and acoustically coupled to the opening;
a touch sensor configured to detect:
a first gesture input applied to the exterior surface, the first gesture input having a first movement direction along the exterior surface; and
a second gesture input applied to the exterior surface, the second gesture input having a second movement direction along the exterior surface, the second movement direction different from the first movement direction; and

a processing unit positioned within the interior volume and operatively coupled to the touch sensor and the speaker and configured to:
cause the speaker to provide an audio output;
cause the speaker to alter the audio output in response to the first gesture input; and
cause the speaker to alter the audio output in response to the second gesture input.

2. The wearable audio device of claim 1 , wherein:
altering the audio output in response to the first gesture input comprises increasing a volume of the audio output; and
altering the audio output in response to the second gesture input comprises decreasing the volume of the audio output.

3. The wearable audio device of claim 1 , wherein the first movement direction is opposite the second movement direction.

4. The wearable audio device of claim 1 , wherein:
the enclosure comprises:
a body; and
a stem extending from the body and defining at least a portion of the exterior surface;

the speaker is positioned at least partially in the body; and
the touch sensor is configured to detect gesture inputs applied to the stem.

5. The wearable audio device of claim 4 , wherein each of the first gesture input and the second gesture input are applied to the stem.

6. The wearable audio device of claim 1 , wherein:
the wearable audio device further comprises a microphone positioned in the enclosure and configured to detect an audio input; and
the processing unit is further configured to alter the audio output in response to the audio input.

7. The wearable audio device of claim 6 , wherein:
the enclosure comprises:
a body; and
a stem extending from the body; and

the microphone is positioned in the stem.

8. A wearable audio device comprising:
an enclosure defining an exterior surface and a touch-sensitive region along the exterior surface;
a speaker at least partially within the enclosure and configured to produce an audio output;
a compliant member coupled to the enclosure and configured to retain the wearable audio device in a user's ear;
a sensing system configured to detect:
a first gesture input applied within the touch-sensitive region and having a first motion direction; and
a second gesture input applied within the touch-sensitive region and having a second motion direction, different from the first motion direction; and

a processing unit at least partially within the enclosure and configured to alter the audio output based at least in part on detection of at least one of the first gesture input or the second gesture input.

9. The wearable audio device of claim 8 , wherein the enclosure is configured such that the exterior surface is positioned outside of the user's ear when the wearable audio device is being worn.

10. The wearable audio device of claim 8 , wherein the processing unit is configured to:
alter the audio output in a first manner in response to the first gesture input; and
alter the audio output in a second manner, different from the first manner, in response to the second gesture input.

11. The wearable audio device of claim 10 , wherein:
altering the audio output in the first manner comprises increasing a volume; and
altering the audio output in the second manner comprises decreasing the volume.

12. The wearable audio device of claim 8 , wherein:
the compliant member is coupled to a first side of the enclosure; and
the touch-sensitive region is positioned along a second side of the enclosure opposite the first side.

13. The wearable audio device of claim 8 , wherein:
the enclosure comprises:
a body; and
a stem extending from the body; and

the wearable audio device further comprises a microphone positioned in the stem and configured to receive an audio input.

14. The wearable audio device of claim 13 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to alter the audio output in response to the audio input.

15. A wearable device comprising:
an enclosure;
a speaker within the enclosure;
an earpiece portion extending from the enclosure and defining an acoustic passage for audio output from the speaker;
a touch sensing system at least partially within the enclosure and defining a touch sensitive region along an exterior surface of the enclosure, the touch sensing system configured to detect:
a first gesture within the touch sensitive region and having a first direction;
a second gesture within the touch sensitive region and having second direction, different from the first direction; and
a processing unit at least partially within the enclosure and configured to:
alter the audio output in a first manner in response to detecting the first gesture; and
alter the audio output in a second manner, different from the first manner, in response to detecting the second gesture.

16. The wearable device of claim 15 , wherein the touch sensitive region has a first surface texture that is distinct from a second surface texture of a surrounding surface of the enclosure.

17. The wearable device of claim 15 , wherein altering the audio output in the first manner comprises increasing a volume of the audio output, and altering the audio output in the second manner comprises decreasing the volume of the audio output.

18. The wearable device of claim 15 , wherein:
the wearable device further comprises a microphone at least partially within the enclosure and configured to receive an audio input; and
the processing unit is further configured to alter the audio output in response to the audio input.

19. The wearable device of claim 18 , wherein:
the microphone is a first microphone; and
the wearable device further comprises a second microphone at least partially within the enclosure and configured to detect ambient noise.

20. The wearable device of claim 19 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to acoustically cancel the ambient noise from the audio output.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Jackson Benjamin G
• Baugh Brenton A
• Bloom David H
• Roper Gemma A
• Bark Karlin Y
• Hulbert Thomas S

Classifications

• H04R3/007

  Protection circuits for transducers · CPC title

• G06F3/016

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• G06F3/165

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title

• H04R1/1016 Primary

  Earpieces of the intra-aural type · CPC title