Adaptive resonance-controlled audio systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12501217-B2
Application number	US-202318136860-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2023
Priority date	May 20, 2022
Publication date	Dec 16, 2025
Grant date	Dec 16, 2025

Abstract

Aspects of the subject technology relate to electronic devices having speakers. An electronic device may operate the speaker at or near one or more resonance frequencies of the speaker and/or the electronic device. This can allow the electronic device to efficiently eject an occlusion when the speaker is occluded by a fluid or other debris. For example, the electronic device may determine a resonance frequency by obtaining one or more electrical characteristics of an electronic component while the speaker is occluded, determine the resonance frequency based on the obtained electrical characteristic(s), and operate the speaker at a frequency that is based on the resonance frequency to eject the occlusion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising: determining, while a speaker is occluded by an occlusion, a resonant frequency of the speaker;
obtaining resonance-based audio content for ejecting the occlusion based on the resonant frequency; and operating the speaker to output the resonance-based audio content.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the resonant frequency is a first resonant frequency, wherein operating the speaker based on the resonant frequency ejects a first portion of the occlusion, and wherein the method further comprises:
determining, after the ejection of the first portion of the occlusion and while the speaker is occluded with a remaining second portion of the occlusion, a second resonant frequency of the speaker, the second resonant frequency different from the first resonant frequency; and operating the speaker based on the second resonant frequency to eject the remaining second portion of the occlusion.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to the determining and while the speaker is occluded by the occlusion, obtaining a value of an electrical characteristic of an electronic component of an electronic device comprising the speaker,
wherein determining the resonant frequency of the speaker comprises determining the resonant frequency of the speaker based on the value of the electrical characteristic.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the electrical characteristic comprises at least one of a voltage, a current, or an impedance.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein obtaining the value of the electrical characteristic comprises:
providing a fixed current through a voice coil of the speaker; obtaining a voltage across the voice coil of the speaker while providing the fixed current; and determining the resonant frequency of the speaker based on the voltage.

6 . The method of claim 3 , wherein determining the resonant frequency based on the value of the electrical characteristic comprises:
operating the speaker at a plurality of frequencies while the speaker is occluded by the occlusion; obtaining a plurality of respective values of the electrical characteristic while operating the speaker at the plurality of frequencies; identifying a peak value of the plurality of respective values of the electrical characteristic; and determining the resonant frequency based on the peak value of the plurality of respective values.

7 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising, prior to determining the resonant frequency, detecting the occlusion by:
comparing the value of the electrical characteristic to an expected value of the electrical characteristic; and detecting the occlusion based on the comparing.

8 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising, prior to determining the resonant frequency, detecting the occlusion based on a change in the value of the electrical characteristic.

9 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising, prior to determining the resonant frequency, detecting the occlusion based on a failure of a model of the electrical characteristic to fit the value of the electrical characteristic.

10 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the electronic component comprises a component of the speaker.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the component of the speaker comprises a voice coil of the speaker.

12 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising iteratively performing the determining and the operating until the value of the electrical characteristic reaches an ejection termination threshold.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the resonance-based audio content for ejecting the occlusion comprises at least a tone at the resonant frequency.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the resonance-based audio content for ejecting the occlusion based on the resonant frequency comprises:
determining an output frequency that is different from the resonant frequency, using the resonant frequency and a previous output frequency; and obtaining audio content including at least one tone at the output frequency.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein determining the output frequency that is different from the resonant frequency, using the resonant frequency and the previous output frequency, comprises determining an output frequency that is in a major or minor scale with the previous output frequency.

16 . An electronic device, comprising:
an electronic component; a speaker; and one or more processors configured to: obtain a value of an electrical characteristic of the electronic component; detect an occlusion of the speaker based on the value of the electrical characteristic; determine, while the speaker is occluded by the occlusion, a resonant frequency of the speaker; and operate the speaker based on the resonant frequency to eject the occlusion.

17 . The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the resonant frequency of the speaker based on the value of the electrical characteristic.

18 . The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the electronic component comprises a voice coil of the speaker, and wherein the electrical characteristic comprises a voltage across the voice coil.

19 . The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
after the operation of the speaker based on the resonant frequency, determine that the occlusion has been ejected based on an updated value of the electrical characteristic.

20 . A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
determine, while a speaker is occluded by an occlusion, a current resonant frequency of the speaker, wherein the current resonant frequency is based at least in part on: the occlusion, and heating of the speaker during operation; determine, while the speaker is occluded by the occlusion, a frequency for ejecting the occlusion based on the current resonant frequency; obtain resonance-based audio content based on the frequency for ejecting the occlusion; and operate the speaker to output the resonance-based audio content.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Liu Yang
• Amirthalingam Ashwat Kandasamy
• Ilkorur Onur I
• Jensen Thomas M
• Leonhardt Oliver
• Robison David W
• Sipila Teemu P

Classifications

• H04R29/003

  of the moving-coil type · CPC title

• H04R9/06

  Loudspeakers · CPC title

• H04R3/007

  Protection circuits for transducers · CPC title

• H04R2499/11

  Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's · CPC title

• H04R29/001

  for loudspeakers (H04R29/007 takes precedence) · CPC title