Embodiments of the invention relate to systems and methods for audio communications. More particularly, an embodiment of the invention relates to systems and methods that provide audio communications using body-worn, ear-touching, sound-transmitting audio devices, such as headsets, headphones, and earbuds.
Noise outputs from audio devices, such as headsets, can pose a health risk to their users under certain circumstances. The accumulated amount of noise, or dose in terms of an average noise level, and the maximum level of noise to which an individual has been exposed during a day are strictly regulated in many countries. For example, maintaining workplace noise safety standards is a core function for agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States.
Headset users in the workplace typically have jobs that either require they spend a substantial amount of time on the telephone and/or that their hands be free to perform other tasks. Since the headset user's speaker is held in or against the user's ear, the user requires more time to respond to any irritating tones or noises by moving the speaker further away from the ear than one typically does with a regular telephone handset. Accordingly, headset users can be exposed to sounds which may be irritating and even very loud. Such exposure is referred to in the art as “acoustic incidents.”
Noise exposure may be measured by various acoustical quality calculations, such as impulse noise, continuous noise, and an eight-hour time-weighted average (“TWA”) that is also referred to as “daily personal noise exposure.” Impulse noise relates to noise of very short duration. Continuous noise relates to noise that is longer in duration than impact noise, extending longer than 500 milliseconds. Eight-hour TWA relates to the average of all levels of impulse and continuous noise to which a person is exposed during an eight-hour period. The OSHA maximum level for impulse noise is 140 dBSPL measured with a fast peak-hold sound level meter (“dBSPL” stands for sound pressure level, or a magnitude of pressure disturbance in air, measured in decibels, which is a logarithmic scale). The maximum level for continuous noise is 115 dB(A) (read on the slow average “A” scale). OSHA regulations limit an eight-hour TWA to 90 dB(A). Other countries typically maintain different regulations and standards with respect to noise exposure.
Telephones and headsets comprise difficult devices to monitor for excessive noise exposure. Standard noise exposure measurement procedures described in the United States Code of Federal Regulations at 29 CFR 1910.95 and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 1999 are performed for open-field environmental noise that can be measured with a sound level meter. An “open-field” environment is an environment where the sound or noise sources are at a distance from a person's ear. The sound or noise environment can be a single or a combination of many acoustic fields, i.e. free field, partially reflected field, diffuse field and reverberant field. Noise exposure from a headset is different from the “open-field” because the sound is localized at or inside of the user's ear. Accordingly, an acoustic analyst must transfer the measured earphone or headset sound pressure levels to the “open-field” before comparing them to the regulatory TWA noise exposure limits.
Performing acoustical quality calculations for a headset, often done using digital signal processor (DSP), allows the headset to determine the output signal of a transducer accurately. However, certain assumptions are typically made regarding how well or poorly the headset ear interface couples to the ear. This universal noise exposure calculation evaluates daily personal noise exposure compliant with either USA (ANSI S1.25) or International (ISO 1999) measurement standards. The choice depends on the national legislation that applies in the region where a product will be sold, such as 29 CFR 1910.95 for the United States or Directive 2003/10/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
Unified communications represents an important component of productivity in contemporary business culture, and its success from company to company can serve as a bellwether indicator of the company's overall management success. An essential feature behind unified communications is the ability to have a single way for reaching an employee. Thus, in a fully configured unified communications environment, all messages to an employee, regardless of the format of their origin (e.g., e-mail) will reach the employee at the earliest possible moment via another format (e.g., SMS) if necessary. The importance of appropriate audio communications in a unified communications context cannot be understated. Thus, users need the high quality headsets, and a key factor of quality is safety. In addition, some conventional schemes related to safety have a tendency to dampen sound output overtime.
Audio communications represent one of the most important (if not the most important) component of unified communications. As such a critical component in the success of unified communications, headset devices must not only achieve applicable safety standards, they must also do so in a manner that does not degrade the device's performance. As noted above, compliance with certain safety measures has sometimes had the effect of reducing a headset's operating capabilities far more than necessary or warranted.
Thus, a solution to longstanding problems related to safety compliance and the related computation of acoustical quality is called for not only for general audio applications but especially for communications arising in a business context. A simple and robust solution for this problem is in order and highly desired by a sometimes frustrated community of users and business interests. Attempts to solve this longstanding problem in the prior art have tended to be overly simplistic, overly complicated, and/or overly expensive.
Embodiments of the invention provide an audio device configured to engage acoustical quality calculations based on a user wearing state. The audio device comprises a plurality of engagement sensors attached to the audio device. Each engagement sensor is configured to measure a worn state, where each measured worn state indicates whether the audio device touches a portion of the user's body. The engagement sensors are further configured to transmit the worn state to an engagement sensor processing circuit. The engagement sensor processing circuit is configured to receive a plurality of worn states from the plurality of engagement sensors, determine if the user is wearing the audio device based on analysis of the plurality of worn states, and engage acoustical quality calculations for the audio device if the user is determined to be wearing the audio device.
Embodiments of the invention ilk provide a method for initiating acoustical quality calculations in an audio device based on a user wearing state. The method comprises measuring a worn state by each engagement sensor of a plurality of engagement sensors attached to the audio device, wherein the worn state represents the engagement sensor's proximity to the user's body. Each engagement sensor of the plurality of engagement sensors is configured to transmit measurement data to an engagement sensor processing circuit. An engagement sensor processing circuit is configured to determine if the user is wearing the audio device by determining that each engagement sensor of the plurality of engagement sensors reports that the audio device is engaged with the user's body. The engagement sensor processing circuit is configured to engage acoustical quality calculations for the audio device if the engagement sensor processing circuit determines that the audio device is in a worn state.
Embodiments of the invention provide a capability for determining if a user is wearing an audio device appropriately, which may permit more accurate acoustical quality calculations related to device safety and may facilitate better quality sound delivery. For example, embodiments of the invention may facilitate acoustical quality calculations such as the adjustment of sound pressures in the audio device, turning on/off active noise cancellation, turning on/off computation of time weighted average (TWA) of sound data, and/or adjusting frequency of response in situations where a less-than-complete coupling is occurring. Embodiments of the invention relate to body-worn, ear proximity (or ear touching), sound transmitting devices, e.g. earbuds and headphones. Applicable audio devices are not limited to just headphones and earbuds.
Embodiments of the invention may proactively improve the seal between the user's body (e.g., head or ear) and the audio device. If the audio device is not properly worn, embodiments of the invention trigger notification to the user so that the user may perform corrective measures. For headphones, embodiments of the invention work to improve the headphone-to-head seal while for earbuds, embodiments of the invention work to improve the earbud-to-ear seal. Status notification to the user may be visual and/or verbal, according to embodiments of the invention. Similarly, status notifications may be positive or negative (e.g., “device properly worn,” or “device improperly worn,”) according to embodiments of the invention.
Knowledge by the audio device of its appropriate engagement with the user's body provides information that may be used for several purposes, according to embodiments of the invention. If the audio device is properly worn, then associated device equipment (e.g., a digital signal processor) may more accurately perform acoustical quality calculations, such as those associated with various health and safety standards. As discussed below, knowledge of the engagement (or non-engagement) of the audio device with the user's body, according to embodiments of the invention, may enable:
Among other things, embodiments of the invention enable more accurate TWA calculations of acoustic data which in turn enables consistent loudness in the audio device (e.g., the headset). Embodiments of the invention may also reduce the likelihood of a headset becoming unnecessarily quiet due to sound quality being degraded by unexpected leakage. Embodiments of the invention may also further enable improved sound quality tunings that are more consistent than have conventionally been available. Embodiments of the invention enable other acoustical quality calculations, such as more accurate and meaningful tunings and sound pressure analysis of an audio device (e.g., a headset) by the device's digital signal processor (DSP).
Many assumptions have conventionally been made regarding the headset-to-ear coupling, e.g. the level of leakage which has conventionally resulted in sub-optimal device performance. Embodiments of the invention enable the audio device to detect if the device-to-body connection provides a “completely touching” and/or “sealed” interface. If the connection is sealed, then the audio device may begin its acoustical quality calculations, including performing time-weighted averaging (TWA) calculations. If the connection is not appropriately sealed, then various remedial actions may be taken.
In conventional acoustical quality calculations, TWA analysis has been based on data that is less-than-optimal because these equations did not have an adequate mechanism for knowing when the user was actually wearing the headset and/or wearing the headset properly and/or the degree to which the user was wearing the headset properly/improperly. Conventional TWA analysis sometimes resulted in using worst-case calculations that prematurely concluded the user was risking over exposure to sound pressure, which had the effect of gradually lowering certain maximum sound outputs that could be provided to the user. When performed inappropriately, these computations resulted in an audio device whose sound outputs were unnecessarily quiet.
A hermetically sealed interface ideally provides the best predictive sound pressure calculations. However, due to variations in ear shapes, sizes, elasticity, don/doff location, and wearing state variations, there are often significant variations in leakage amounts and therefore the sound pressure subjected to the ear. A “sealed” interface allows the ear to experience the highest sound pressures—loudest when completely sealed. Usually there is some leakage caused by gaps in the headset ear cushion or the ear tip not entirely touching the ear.
Acoustical quality calculations related to sound pressure are conventionally performed assuming a worst-case condition in terms of highest sound pressures subjected to the user, which are achieved through best-case sealing, which in turn implies that there are no gaps around the ear interface. Following this conservative approach, the conventional headset's analysis of receiver signal and best-fit ear coupling may assume higher sound pressure levels than the user is really experiencing. Since TWA analysis is used to force the headset volumes down before the user becomes over-exposed to long durations of high sound pressures, a headset can become too quiet for the user even though the user has not been exposed to sound pressures that warrant reduction.
Accordingly, embodiments of the invention involve monitoring touch points about the perimeter where the audio device engages the body to determine whether the audio device has been adequately sealed to the body. A variety of engagement sensors may be employed, according to embodiments of the invention. For example, capacitive sensing techniques may be employed to determine if and/or when the audio device has successfully formed an appropriate closure with the ear. Capacitance touch sensing comprises a technical implementation that involves monitoring many different “touch points” to determine if and/or when the audio device (e.g., ear cushion or ear tip) is appropriately engaged with the user's ear (e.g., a complete circumference around the user's ear), according to an embodiment of the invention. In addition, this seal status determination information can enable headset designs otherwise unable to offer TWA.
The ear piece 103 shown in
The engagement sensors 105-109 may be dispersed about the ear piece 103 to provide complete coverage around the earpiece 103 as it engages with the user's head 120, according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in
Knowledge by the headphone system 100 of the engagement of the earpiece 103 to the user's head 120 provides status information to the headphone system 100 that may be used for several purposes, including acoustical quality calculations, according to embodiments of the invention. Knowledge of the engagement (or non-engagement) of the earpiece 103 to the user's head 120 allows the headset system 100 to turn on/off TWA, thus enabling the possibility of improved sound quality being delivered to the user by the headphone 125. Knowledge of the engagement (or non-engagement) of the earpiece 103 to the user's head 120 allows the headphone system 100 to provide an appropriate status indication to the user (e.g., the status indication 800 shown in
Audio devices, such as the headphone 125, are conventionally designed to lessen the occurrence of adverse acoustic experiences, such as acoustic shock. Acoustic shock comprises the symptoms a person may experience after hearing an unexpected, loud noise from a sound-producing device, such as the headphone 125. The typical headset user experiences discomfort and pain when exposed to acoustic shock. On occasion, acoustic shock may require medical treatment. As discussed in
The ear piece 103 includes a controlled leakage port 111, according to an embodiment of the invention. The presence of the leakage port 111 may further reduce the impact of acoustic shock by reducing the maximum potential for sound pressures within the earpiece 103. A leakage port is conventionally employed in headphone design as a means for intentionally permitting some leakage, usually via a tuned port (e.g., the leakage port 111), so that ear-to-device interface variations cause fewer impacts on overall headphone system 100 performance. The controlled leakage port 111 is designed to keep the earpiece 103 from sealing completely to the user's head 120. Enabling a predetermined amount of leakage conventionally provides an overall enhancement to headphone 125 sound quality.
The engagement sensors 105-109 may be formed in part of an electrically conductive material such as a capacitive sensor, according to an embodiment of the invention. The electrically conductive element of a capacitive engagement sensor may either contact the user's head 120 or be sufficiently close to the user's ear 101 to permit detection of capacitance in embodiments of the invention that employ capacitance sensing. A capacitive engagement sensor may comprise an electrode while the user's head and/or ear may be considered the opposing plate of a capacitor with the capacitance Ce. A touch sensing system is electrically connected to the electrode, and the touch sensing system determines whether the electrode is touching or in close proximity to the user's head and/or ear based on the capacitance Ce when the electrode is touching or close to the head/ear and when the electrode is not. When the electrode is touching or in close proximity to the skin of the user's head/ear, an increase in relative capacitance may be detected.
The touch sensing system can be located in an apparatus such as a printed circuit board (PCB), according to an embodiment of the invention, and there is parasitic capacitance between the electrode and the PCB ground plane which may be illustrated as Cp. The capacitance between the user's ear and the electrode is indicated as Ce, and Cu indicates the capacitance between the PCB ground plane and the user. Assuming that Cp is negligible or calibrated for, the total capacitance seen by the touch sensing system is the series capacitance of the electrode to the ear, Ce, and the head to the system, Cu. The capacitive connection of the user to the system ground Cu is often a factor of 10 or more than the capacitance of the ear to the electrode Ce, so that the Ce dominates, according to an embodiment of the invention.
Use of capacitive touch sensing systems is further discussed in the commonly assigned and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/501,961 entitled “Speaker Capacitive Sensor” (Attorney Docket No.: 01-7563), which was filed on Jul. 13, 2009 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/060,031 entitled “User Authentication System and Method” (Attorney Docket No.: 01-7437), which was filed on Mar. 31, 2008, and both of which are hereby incorporated into this disclosure in its entirety by reference.
The system 200 shown in
Knowledge by the headphone system 200 of the engagement of earpiece 203 to the user's head provides information to the headphone system 200 that may be used for several purposes including acoustical quality calculations, according to embodiments of the invention. Knowledge of the engagement (or non-engagement) of the earpiece 203 to the user's head allows the headphone system 200 to turn on/off TWA, thus enabling the possibility of improved sound quality being delivered to the user. Knowledge of the engagement (or non-engagement) of the earpiece 203 to the user's head allows the headphone system 200 to provide an appropriate status indication to the user, according to various embodiments of the invention. Knowledge of the engagement (or non-engagement) of the earpiece 203 with the user's head enables the headphone system 200 to turn on/off active noise cancellation, according to embodiments of the invention. Knowledge of the engagement (or non-engagement) of the ear piece 203 with the user's head allows the headphone system 200 to adjust sound pressures in the earpiece 203 commensurate with the level of engagement between the ear piece 203 and the user's head, according to embodiments of the invention. Similarly, knowledge of the engagement (or non-engagement) of the ear piece 203 with the user's head allows the headphone system 200 to adjust frequency response in the ear piece 203 commensurate with the level of engagement between the ear piece 203 and the user's head, according to an embodiment of the invention.
The earbud system 300 also comprises a body 302, a microphone 304, and an earpiece 301, according to an embodiment of the invention. The earpiece 301 may, for example, be composed of a soft flexible material such as rubber to conform to the user's ear when the earbud system 300 is donned by the user. These components of the earbud system 300 may be of a conventional design and need not be discussed in detail as they are known to an ordinary artisan.
Ear sizes vary among people, including characteristics such as concha size and outer ear size. Accordingly, conventional earbuds may include interchangeable tips of various sizes in order to allow users to select a tip that provides an optimal auditory experience and comfort. Some conventional ear bud systems provide users with as many as three geometries of ear engagement tips with each ear bud unit in order for users to select a tip that achieves a good seal. Many users unfortunately do not take the time to find the proper ear bud geometry for the ear engagement piece, and their user experience is often less positive than it could be. Embodiments of the earbud system 300 may also be used with interchangeable tips of various sizes. In such an embodiment, the engagement sensors 305-309 would be deployed around the ear bud tip.
The earbud system 300 shown in
The earbud system 300 may alternatively include a dial (not shown) whose actuation by the user engages the actuator 315 and causes the ring 313 to inflate or deflate, depending, for example, on which direction the user turns the dial. Alternatively, the earbud system 300 may operate in an automatic manner by, among other approaches, periodically sampling engagement sensors 305-309 to determine if they report a good seal with the user's concha 320, as shown in
The more accurate sound pressures enabled by the arrangement shown in
The earbud system 300 also includes a leakage port 311. The leakage port 311 serves a similar function to the leakage port 111 shown in
Knowledge by the earbud system 300 of the engagement of the ear bud 301 to the user's concha 320 provides information to the earbud system 300 that may be used for several purposes, such as acoustical quality calculations, according to embodiments of the invention. Knowledge of the engagement (or non-engagement) of the ear bud 301 to the user's concha 320 allows the earbud system 300 to turn on/off TWA, thus enabling the possibility of improved sound quality being delivered to the user. Knowledge of the engagement (or non-engagement) of the ear bud 301 to the user's concha 320 allows the earbud system 300 to provide an appropriate status indication to the user, according to various embodiments of the invention. Knowledge of the engagement (or non-engagement) of the ear bud 301 with the user's concha 320 enables the earbud system 300 to turn on/off active noise cancellation, according to embodiments of the invention. Knowledge of the engagement (or non-engagement) of the ear bud 301 with the user's concha 320 enables the ear bud system 300 to adjust sound pressures in the ear bud 301 commensurate with the level of engagement between the ear bud 301 and the user's concha 320, according to embodiments of the invention. Similarly, knowledge of the engagement (or non-engagement) of the ear bud 301 with the user's concha 320 allows the earbud system 300 to adjust frequency response in the ear bud 301 commensurate with the level of engagement between the ear bud 301 and the user's concha 320 (e.g., the application of an appropriate frequency shaping algorithm), according to an embodiment of the invention.
Embodiments of the invention are applicable to dual headsets as well as single headsets.
The engagement sensors 403-407 on the earpiece 415 operate in a similar manner to the engagement sensors 105-109 shown in
The dual headphone system 400 may use data received from the engagement sensors 403-413 to trigger a variety of acoustical quality calculations, such as those discussed with respect to the headphone system 100 in
The DSP 500 comprises an engagement sensor processing circuit 501 configured to process signals received from the engagement sensors (e.g., the engagement sensors 105-109 shown in
The engagement sensor processing circuit 501 is configured to process signals 509 received from the engagement sensors associated with a headset, according to an embodiment of the invention. For example, the engagement sensor processing circuit 501 could receive signals 509 sent from the engagement sensors shown in the headset systems 100-400 shown in
The engagement sensor processing circuit 501 is configured to receive signals 509 from engagement sensors (e.g., the engagement sensors 105-109 shown in
Knowledge regarding the engagement of the audio device to the user's body provides information that may trigger particular processing steps by the acoustical quality calculator 505, according to embodiments of the invention. Knowledge of the engagement (or degree of non-engagement) of the audio device (e.g., the earpiece 103 shown in
The acoustical quality calculator 505, for example, may begin computing a time-weight-average (TWA) of the audio outputs directed to a headset equipped with the engagement sensors once the engagement sensors begin reporting proximity data. Otherwise, the DSP 500 may conclude that the headset is not properly engaged and may engage various corrective measures.
Many countries' laws require calculation of measures like TWA in order to determine if a headset is working properly and to avoid problems such as acoustic shock, mentioned previously. Different TWA standards exist in various countries, such as Australia, the European Union, and the US. These differing requirements may include different maximum sound pressures for example. These standards may typically be achieved by adjusting the processing of the acoustical quality calculator 505 and do not necessarily require that physical changes be made to the headset itself (e.g., the headset system 100 shown in
The presence of engagement sensors, such as the engagement sensors 105-109 shown in
The DSP 500 may be configured using a variety of computer chips and other processing systems. For example, the Cypress touchsensing chip, the Bluetooth touchsensing chip, and the CSR BlueCore chips may all represent appropriate chips for the DSP 500, according to an embodiment of the invention. Other chips may provide appropriate processing, however, according to various embodiments of the invention.
The engagement sensor processing circuit 501 receives (step 602) input from the headset's engagement sensor(s) that indicates the headset's engagement state from each engagement sensor's point of view (e.g., the engagement sensor 105 shown in
The engagement sensor processing circuit 501 conducts a regular sampling of the headset's worn state to determine whether the engagement sensors' outputs indicate an overall worn (or donned/doffed) state (step 603), according to an embodiment of the invention. For example, if all the engagement sensors report engagement, then the headset may be considered engaged. The worn state may be gauged by determination that the sensors are reporting a capacitance in the range of 40-50 pF. If the headset employs a capacitive sensor as the engagement sensor, and the engagement sensor processing circuit 501 receives from the engagement sensors a capacitance in the range of 30-35 pF, then the engagement sensor processing circuit 501 may possibly check the sensors again, before determining that the user is likely not wearing the headset, according to an embodiment of the invention.
If the engagement sensor processing circuit 501 determines an overall worn state (step 603), then the acoustical quality calculator 505 may begin various acoustical processes related to the headset (step 605). As discussed above, these acoustical processes may include TWA, active noise cancellation, sound pressure adjustments, and/or frequency adjustments, according to various embodiments of the invention. Thus, the overall worn state typically indicates that the headset is worn sufficiently such that acoustical processing can meaningfully be performed, although in some embodiments, this state may imply the application of various corrective measures (such as frequency shaping algorithms) to compensate for some engagement sensors reporting a non-engaged state, according to an embodiment of the invention.
The DSP 500 may alternatively provide notification to the user that the headset is properly worn and/or the degree to which the headset is worn (step 607), according to an embodiment of the invention. The DSP 500 returns (step 613) to periodic monitoring of engagement sensor signals (step 602), according to an embodiment of the invention. Reporting the degree to which the headset is worn allows the user to make corrections to the headset's wear state even if the headset is already sufficiently worn for acoustic processing to be performed.
If the engagement sensor processing circuit 501 determines that the engagement sensor's output indicates an overall not worn state (step 603), then the acoustical quality calculator 505 may stop calculating various acoustical processes for the headset (step 609) if the acoustical quality calculator 505 was presently collecting such data. As discussed above, these acoustical processes may include TWA, active noise cancellation, sound pressure adjustments, and/or frequency adjustments, according to various embodiments of the invention. The acoustical quality calculator 505 may also delete old acoustical data at this point, according to an embodiment of the invention. The acoustical quality calculator 505 may also make corrections and/or request corrections from the user (step 611), such as the corrections discussed in
After processing received signals from the engagement sensors, the DSP 500 returns (step 613) to a state (step 602) of waiting for further signals from the engagement sensors. The processing provided by the DSP 500 typically continues indefinitely, so long as the headset has an operable power supply and is turned on.
The engagement sensor processing circuit comprises two AND gates 702, 703. The AND gate 703 also includes an inverse element such that outputs from the AND gate 703 will always read oppositely of the output of AND gate 702.
When all signals from the engagement sensors flowing into the AND gate 702 report a positive signal (indicating engagement), then the AND gate 702 will output a positive signal to the acoustical quality calculator 705, according to an embodiment of the invention. This positive signal tells the acoustical quality calculator 705 that the audio device is engaged with the user's body. The acoustical quality calculator 705 may begin performing its acoustical calculations in the conventional manner.
Conversely, output from the AND gate 703 after being inverted will provide a positive signal except when all initial inputs from the engagement sensors are positive (meaning that the sensors have found that the audio device is engaged with the body). A positive signal from the AND gate 703 may engage processing of an adjuster 704 configured to help the user better engage the audio device with the body, according to an embodiment of the invention.
The acoustical quality calculator 705 may comprise a digital signal processor configured to perform the acoustical quality calculations previously discussed. The acoustical quality calculator 705 may comprise components such as a CPU configured to perform the equations related to acoustical quality. The acoustical quality calculator 705 may comprise additional components geared to determine a percentage of overall engagement, e.g., how many engagement sensors report proper engagement with the user's head.
As shown in
The help screen 800 includes a message 801 that informs the user that the headset is not properly adjusted on the user's head, according to an embodiment of the invention. The message 801 further directs the user to two figures, one in profile 803 and one head-on 805, that illustrate proper positioning of the headset, according to an embodiment of the invention. Different figures and optimal positions may be provided to the user than the figures shown on the help screen 800, according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.
A button 808 may be included that provides further headset information for the user, according to an embodiment of the invention. A test button 807 may also be provided so that the user can check to see if the headset is properly positioned after making the recommended adjustments, according to an embodiment of the invention. The test button 807, among other things, does not necessarily need to be provided since the functionality for determining the headset orientation may operate continuously (see, e.g., flowchart 600 shown in
The head-on
An alternative to the approach provided in
The help screen 800 may also comprise additional functionality for turning off the help screen, according to an embodiment of the invention. This additional functionality may prove convenient for those instances where the user is intentionally wearing the audio device in a half-on/half-off manner.
The various mechanisms for determining when a user is wearing a headset device disclosed herein may operate independently of other systems configured to determine when a user is utilizing one or both speakers of a dual headset system. These differing applications may employ some similar components (e.g., the engagement sensors), but the goals of these systems differ significantly. Embodiments of the invention provide enhanced sound quality to users by, among other things, more accurately and precisely calculating the TWA equations.
In alternative embodiments of the invention, the engagement sensors may operate by detecting kinetic energy and/or temperature at the headset system to determine if the headset is in a donned condition or a doffed condition.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the invention is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the claims. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, but should be construed to include all systems and methods that operate under the claims set forth hereinbelow. Thus, it is intended that the invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.