US 2019/0356977 A1Published application

Enhanced digital headsets

AssigneeGoogle Inc.

InventorsLeng Ooi, Changzhan Gu, Jae-won Hwang

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Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for enhanced digital headsets are disclosed. An enhanced USB-C headset includes a USB-C connector, a cable extending from the USB-C connector, an inline control box coupled to the USB-C connector through the cable, and a first earphone and a second earphone. The cable includes conductors for transmitting DC bus power, power return, and differential digital signals and extends at least one foot in length. The control box includes a single circuit board, with circuitry for managing digital communications, converting audio data, and providing output signals to drive analog speaker elements of the earphones.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A Universal Serial Bus Type C (USB-C) headset comprising:

a USB-C connector to receive direct current (DC) bus power and digital signals over a USB interface;
a cable extending from the USB-C connector, the cable comprising a power conductor for transmitting DC bus power, a ground conductor for power return, and a differential signaling pair of conductors for transmitting digital signals, the cable having a length of one foot or more;
an inline control box coupled to the USB-C connector through the cable, the inline control box comprising a single circuit board having associated circuitry mounted thereon that is powered by the DC bus power received over the USB interface, the cable being configured to space the inline control box apart from the USB-C connector with the length of the cable extending between the USB-C connector and the inline control box, wherein the associated circuitry comprises (i) USB interface circuitry configured to manage digital communication over the USB interface, (ii) decoding circuitry configured to convert digital audio data received over the differential signaling pair of conductors into stereo analog audio signals, and (iii) driver circuitry configured to provide at least two outputs to drive analog speaker elements based on the stereo audio signals;
a first earphone and a second earphone, the earphones each coupled to the inline control box to respectively receive one of the outputs of the driver circuitry;
wherein the control box includes an electromagnetic shielding element, the single circuit board and associated circuitry being housed within the electromagnetic shielding element.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/980,059Filed 15 May 2018
Published: 21 Nov 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H04R 1/1041
Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones: mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements
H04R 1/1016
Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones: earpieces of the intra-aural type
H04R 1/1033
Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones: cables or cables storage, e.g. cable reels
H04R 2420/09
Details of connection covered by H04R, not provided for in its groups: applications of special connectors, e.g. USB, XLR, in loudspeakers,…

Family

US 10,524,039 B2Related patent
US 2019/0356977 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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