Multi-stage body engagement detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023388692-A1
Application number	US-202318234162-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 15, 2023
Priority date	Mar 31, 2020
Publication date	Nov 30, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

According to an aspect of the disclosure, an audio device is provided comprising a communications interface configured to be communicatively coupled to an audio source, at least one sensor, and a controller configured to control the audio device to be in a low-power mode, receive, from the sensor(s), information indicative of a presence of a user's body, initiate, via the communications interface responsive to receiving the information, a wireless communication pairing process to establish a wireless communication bond with the audio source prior to determining that the audio device is fully engaged with the user's body, determine, subsequent to initiating the wireless communication pairing process and based on information received from the sensor(s), that the audio device is fully engaged with the user's body, and control, responsive to determining that the audio device is fully engaged with the user's body, the audio device to be in an active mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An audio device comprising:
one or more infrared (IR) sensors; and a controller configured to
transition from an active mode to a low-power mode to reduce power consumption and deactivate functionality of the audio device, and
in response to detecting a head or ear of a user using the one or more IR sensors, transition from the low-power mode to the active mode to activate the functionality of the audio device that was previously deactivated.

2 . The audio device of claim 1 , wherein the deactivating of the functionality of the audio device includes de-establishing a wireless connection with an audio source.

3 . The audio device of claim 1 , wherein the deactivating of the functionality of the audio device includes deactivating an instability detection algorithm.

4 . The audio device of claim 1 , wherein the deactivating of the functionality of the audio device includes disabling active noise reduction (ANR).

5 . The audio device of claim 1 , wherein the deactivating of the functionality of the audio device includes disabling a feedforward compressor that is used for active noise reduction (ANR).

6 . The audio device of claim 1 , wherein the deactivating of the functionality of the audio device includes disabling one or more sensors of the audio device.

7 . The audio device of claim 1 , wherein the transition from the active mode to the low-power mode occurs after a threshold amount of time has elapsed since detecting the head or ear of the user using the one or more IR sensors.

8 . The audio device of claim 7 , wherein the user can customize the threshold amount of time.

9 . The audio device of claim 1 , wherein the detecting of the head or ear of the user using the one or more IR sensors includes detecting a concha of the ear of the user.

10 . The audio device of claim 1 , wherein the detecting of the head or ear of the user using the one or more IR sensors includes detecting a tragus of the ear of the user.

11 . A method of operating an audio device, the method comprising:
transitioning from an active mode to a low-power mode to reduce power consumption and deactivate functionality of the audio device; and in response to detecting a head or ear of a user using one or more infrared (IR) sensors of the audio device, transitioning from the low-power mode to the active mode to activate the functionality of the audio device that was previously deactivated.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the deactivating of the functionality of the audio device includes de-establishing a wireless connection with an audio source.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the deactivating of the functionality of the audio device includes deactivating an instability detection algorithm.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the deactivating of the functionality of the audio device includes disabling active noise reduction (ANR).

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the deactivating of the functionality of the audio device includes disabling a feedforward compressor that is used for active noise reduction (ANR).

16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the deactivating of the functionality of the audio device includes disabling one or more sensors of the audio device.

17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the transitioning from the active mode to the low-power mode occurs after a threshold amount of time has elapsed since detecting the head or ear of the user using the one or more IR sensors.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the user can customize the threshold amount of time.

19 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the detecting of the head or ear of the user using the one or more IR sensors includes detecting a concha of the ear of the user.

20 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the detecting of the head or ear of the user using the one or more IR sensors includes detecting a tragus of the ear of the user.

Assignees

• Bose Corp

Inventors

• Minich David
• Malaver Josue
• Israelowitz Miriam
• Delhoume Alexia
• Gelberger Michelle

Classifications

• H04R1/1041 Primary

  Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements (switches in general H01H) · CPC title

• H04W76/14

  Direct-mode setup · CPC title

• H04R2420/07

  Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones · CPC title

• H04R2460/01

  Hearing devices using active noise cancellation · CPC title

• H04W84/18

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