Abstract:
Electronic hardware, software, wired and/or wireless network communications, Bluetooth systems, RF systems, self-powered wireless devices, signal processing, audio transducers, accelerometers, and consumer electronic (CE) devices for a wireless portable headset and a portable wireless speaker phone that the wireless portable headset docks with and communicates with are disclosed. The headset and speaker phone may wirelessly communicate with each other (e.g., Bluetooth radios or other) when docked, un-docked, or both. When docked, an internal rechargeable power source in the speaker phone may recharge another internal rechargeable power source in the headset (e.g., rechargeable Lithium-Ion type batteries). A USB connector or the like may be used to electrically communicate power between the internal rechargeable power sources and may communicate other signals, such as signals from one or more microphones to form a microphone array (e.g., when docked). Magnet(s) may be used to facilitate/retain docking of the headset with the speaker phone.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application Claims Benefit of Priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application serial number 61/801,548, filed on Mar. 15, 2013, having attorney docket number ALI-134P, and titled “Non-Contact VAD with an Accelerometer, Algorithmically Grouped Microphone Arrays, and Multi-use BT Hands-Free Visor and Headset”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    Embodiments of the present application relate generally to electrical and electronic hardware, computer software, wired and wireless network communications, Bluetooth systems, RF systems, self-powered wireless devices, portable wireless devices, signal processing, audio transducers, accelerometers, and consumer electronic (CE) devices. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]      FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary block diagram of a wireless portable headset; 
           [0004]      FIG. 2  depicts examples of a wireless portable headset; 
           [0005]      FIG. 3  depicts examples for an exemplary display positioned on an exemplary portable wireless speaker phone; 
           [0006]      FIG. 4  depicts an example of USB connectors used for a first exemplary and a second exemplary charging structure; 
           [0007]      FIG. 5  depicts example use scenarios for an exemplary wireless portable headset and an exemplary portable wireless speaker phone; 
           [0008]      FIG. 6  depicts an exemplary block diagram for an exemplary speaker phone; 
           [0009]      FIG. 7  depicts an example of non-contact voice activity detection; and 
           [0010]      FIG. 8  depicts an exemplary block diagram where a microphone array including at least two spaced apart microphones generates signals based on speech and environmental sounds that are electrically coupled with a signal processor included in an exemplary headset. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    Various embodiments or examples may be implemented in numerous ways, including as a system, a process, a method, an apparatus, a user interface, or a series of executable program instructions included on a non-transitory computer readable medium. Such as a non-transitory computer readable medium or a computer network where the program instructions are sent over optical, electronic, or wireless communication links and stored or otherwise fixed in a non-transitory computer readable medium. In general, operations of disclosed processes may be performed in an arbitrary order, unless otherwise provided in the claims. 
         [0012]    A detailed description of one or more examples is provided below along with accompanying figures. The detailed description is provided in connection with such examples, but is not limited to any particular example. The scope is limited only by the claims and numerous alternatives, modifications, and equivalents are encompassed. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding. These details are provided for the purpose of example and the described techniques may be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these specific details. For clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the examples has not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description. 
         [0013]    Hands-Free Wireless Speaker Phone with Dock for a Wireless Headset 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  depicts a block diagram  100  of a wireless portable headset  110  and a portable wireless speaker phone  150 . Wireless portable headset  110  includes a first microphone  112 , a first speaker  113 , a first internal rechargeable power source  114 , a first charging structure  115  electrically coupled  116  with the first internal rechargeable power source  114 , and a first radio (e.g., RF) transceiver  118 . Optionally, wireless portable headset  110  may include additional microphones such as third microphone  120  or an array of microphones. Wireless portable headset  110  may be worn on an ear of a user (see  FIG. 7 ). 
         [0015]    Portable wireless speaker phone  150  includes a second internal rechargeable power source  152 , a second speaker  153 , a second microphone  154 , a second radio (e.g., RF) transceiver  156 , an integrated structure  155  for receiving the wireless portable headset  110 , and a second charging structure  157  electrically coupled  158  with the second internal rechargeable power source  152 . Optionally, portable wireless speaker phone  150  may include additional microphones such as a fourth microphone  159  or an array of microphones. Optionally, portable wireless speaker phone  150  may include a photovoltaic device  160  (e.g., a solar cell) electrically coupled  161  with the second internal rechargeable power source  152  and operative to charge the second internal rechargeable power source  152  from incident light radiation (not shown). 
         [0016]    A shape of the wireless portable headset  110  and the integrated structure  155  may be configured for secure but easy insertion and removal of the wireless portable headset  110  from the portable wireless speaker phone  150 . Integrated structure  155  may be a slot, channel, cut-out, groove, hole, portal, dock, or the like configured to receive the wireless portable headset  110  (e.g., to serve as a dock for the headset  110 ). 
         [0017]    Headset and Speaker Phone Docked 
         [0018]      FIG. 2  depicts examples  200  of the wireless portable headset  110  positioned (e.g., docked) in the integrated structure  155  of the portable wireless speaker phone  150 . In the docked position, the first and second charging structures  115  and  157  (e.g., female and male USB connecters) are mated (e.g., connected with each other) to each other such that an electrical connection is made between the first and second internal rechargeable power source  114  and  152  (e.g., via  116  and  158 ). When first integrated structure is mated with second integrated structure  157 , electrical connections  116  and  158  are electrically coupled with each other and second internal rechargeable power source  152  may charge first internal rechargeable power source  114 . Optionally, one or both of the wireless portable headset  110  and/or the portable wireless speaker phone  150  may include a magnetic structure m 1  and m 2  (e.g., magnets) operative to securely hold and position the wireless portable headset  110  in the integrated structure  155 , while allowing for easy removal of the wireless portable headset  110  from the integrated structure  155 . Optional magnetic structures m 1  and m 2  may hold the wireless portable headset  110  in integrated structure  155  when docked and electrical connections  116  and  158  electrically couple with each other when the wireless portable headset  110  is docked in the portable wireless speaker phone  150  via the integrated structure  155 . 
         [0019]      FIG. 3  depicts examples  300  for a display  325  positioned on the portable wireless speaker phone  150 . Display  325  may display a variety of different types of information such as caller ID, images (e.g., of a caller), charge state of one or both power sources ( 114  and/or  152 ), Bluetooth (BT) pairing status or other BT information, for example. BT pairing status may be between the headset  110  and speaker phone  150  or between speaker phone  150  and some other BT device, such as a smartphone or cell phone, for example. Display  325  may display various types of information via light emitting diode (LED) display or other type of display. 
         [0020]      FIG. 4  depicts an example  400  of USB connectors used for the first and second charging structures  115  and  157 , where one of those structures is male (e.g.,  157 ) and the other is female (e.g.,  114 ), or vice-versa. Docking of  110  in  155  is operative to make an electrical connection ( 116 ,  158 ) between power sources  114  and  152 . Other signals, such as those from any of the microphones may be electrically communicated between the systems of  110  and  150 , for example, to form a microphone array from any combination of  112 ,  120 ,  154 , and  159 . USB connectors such as micro USB or mini USB may be used for  115  and  157 , for example. As one example, other signals, such as from first microphone  112 , third microphone  120 , second microphone  154 , and fourth microphone  159  may be electrically coupled through first and second charging structures  115  and  157 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 5  depicts example use scenarios  500  for  110  and  150 , such as when  110  is docked in  150 . Speaker phone  150  may be configured for mounting in a vehicle, such as an automobile (e.g., on a visor  505 ) or positioned on a surface  525  such as a table, counter, or the like. Speaker phone  150  may be used as a mobile speaker phone and/or a conference phone. One or more of the microphones in  110  and/or  150  may be used for conference call, speaker phone calls, or mobile calls. 
         [0022]      FIG. 6  depicts one example  600  of a block diagram for speaker phone  150 , but some of the same blocks may be present in headset  110  as well.  FIG. 6  includes for example: one or more processors  610 , such as one or more CPU&#39;s, DSP&#39;s, μP or μC; a RF transceiver  605 , such as a BT radio, and associated antenna(s)  606 ; an audio system  615  electrically coupled with one or more speakers  640  and one or more microphones  630  denoted as M 1 , M 2  - . . . Mn; executable code  620  in a non-transitory computer readable medium (e.g., for signal processing algorithms, boot code, operating system, etc.); circuitry  645  for processing signals; and a power system  670  electrically coupled with a rechargeable power source  675  and a charging port  671  (e.g., for  115 ,  157 ) for supplying electrical power for the system and/or charging  675  (e.g.,  114 ,  152 ). 
         [0023]    Audio system  615  may be electrically coupled with and may form a microphone array from microphones in  110 ,  150 , or both via the RF transceiver  605  or through a hard wired connection via the charging structures  115  and  157 . 
         [0024]    Processor  610 , circuitry  645 , and executable code  620  may be used in any combination to processes signals from any of the microphones to form microphone arrays, virtual microphones, dual omni-directional microphone arrays (DOMA), voice activity detection (VDA), noise suppression, noise cancellation, or other signal processing algorithms as required. 
         [0025]    Non-Contact Voice Activity Detection 
         [0026]    When a BT headset user is speaking in a noisy environment, it can be difficult to separate their speech from background noise. At least two microphones in a directional array configuration, an accelerometer, and signal processing using hardware (e.g., a DSP) in conjunction with software (e.g., signal processing algorithms) may be used for correlating accelerometer movement (e.g., from a user head) with outputs from the microphone array. The signal processing may be used to separate parts of the outputs from the microphone array that is well correlated with the accelerometer movement with those parts that are not well correlated with the accelerometer movement. The signal processing may be further used to attenuate microphone signals from the array that are well correlated with the accelerometer movement and strengthening (e.g., boosting or amplifying) microphone signals from the array that are not well correlated with the accelerometer movement. 
         [0027]    Assume for purposes of explanation that an accelerometer is mounted to a headset (e.g., a BT headset) worn by a user (e.g., on the users head or ear(s)). Furthermore, assume the user is moving his/her head while speaking. Sound from the user&#39;s mouth will continue to arrive in the same direction relative to microphones that are carried by the headset. However, sound sources in the environment around the user will move relative to the user&#39;s head and therefore relative to the microphones. The accelerometer detects the movement of the user&#39;s head and generates signals indicative of that movement. Therefore, the sound sources in the environment around the user (e.g., noise) will be well correlated with the accelerometer motion, while signals representative of the user&#39;s speech will be poorly correlated with the accelerometer motion. 
         [0028]      FIG. 7  depicts one example  700  of the scenario described above. In  FIG. 7 , a user  750  has a headset  710  (e.g., a BT headset) mounted to one of his/her ears, for example. Headset  710  includes at least two spaced apart microphones ( 706 ,  708 ), at least one accelerometer  715 , and a speaker  725 , and other components not shown, such as signal processing hardware and software, for example. The user  750  is in an environment  770  that includes sounds  731 ,  735 , and  733 , all of which may come from different directions relative to the headset  710 . User  750  is also speaking and generating sound  780  from his/her speech. Motion  720  of a head  701  of user  750  changes a positional relationship between microphones  706  and  708  relative to sounds  731 - 735 , but not to speech  780 , and also causes accelerometer  715  to generate signals indicative of the motion  720 . Furthermore, microphones  706  and  708  also generate signals from the speech  780  and the sounds  731 - 735 . Signal processing hardware, circuitry, and algorithms in headset  710  may be applied as described above to manipulate the signals from microphones  706  and  708  based on their correlation or lack thereof with the signals from the accelerometer  715  to process the speech for making the speech more intelligible and/or driving speaker  725  to make it easier for user  750  the hear a conversation on the headset  710 . A signal processor in headset  710  may receive signals from the accelerometer  715 , a first microphone (e.g., MIC 1   706 ) and a second microphone (e.g., MIC 2   708 ), and process those signals to make speech more intelligible and/or to drive speaker  725  to make it easier for the user  750  to hear conversation, for example. 
         [0029]      FIG. 8  depicts a top level block diagram  800  where a microphone array  850  including at least two spaced apart microphones  706  . . .  708  generates signals  801  based on speech  780  and environmental  770  sounds  890  that are electrically coupled with a signal processor  810  included in headset  710 . Accelerometer  715  generates motion signals  803  that are electrically coupled with the signal processor  810  caused by head motion  720 . 
         [0030]    Signal processor  810  may include one or more CPU&#39;s  820  (e.g., a DSP and/or μP or μC), code  815  may include algorithms fixed in a non-transitory computer readable medium (e.g., Flash memory or other) for processing the signals ( 801 ,  803 ) and circuitry  830  (CKT) which may be used in conjunction with the CPU  820  and code  815  for signal conditioning, amplifying, boosting signals, attenuating signals, and driving  805  speaker  725 , etc. The correlating, attenuating, and strengthening described above may be accomplished using one or more of the blocks in signal processor  810 . Signal processor  810  may be an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), FPGA, gate array, or the like. 
         [0031]    The above described signal processing does not utilize any sensor/signal information from the accelerometer  715  or microphone array  850  due to vibrations from the user&#39;s  750  body, jaw, skin or the like. Therefore, none of the signals  801  and  803  are generated by energy or vibrations caused by contact between the headset  710  and user  750  or any portion of user&#39;s head  701 . 
         [0032]    Although the foregoing examples have been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, the above-described conceptual techniques are not limited to the details provided. There are many alternative ways of implementing the above-described conceptual techniques. The disclosed examples are illustrative and not restrictive.