Audio output using multiple speakers
View Patent ↗An electronic device comprises an earpiece speaker, a loudspeaker, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a wireless telephony audio signal, to separate the audio signal into a first portion and a second portion, the first portion having higher frequency components than the second portion, wherein the processing circuit is configured to provide the first portion of the audio signal to the earpiece speaker and the second portion of the audio signal to the loudspeaker.
1. An electronic device, comprising:
an earpiece speaker;
a user input device;
a loudspeaker; and
a processing circuit configured to receive an audio signal having a range of frequency components, to provide at least a higher frequency portion of the audio signal to the earpiece speaker at a first range of volumes suitable for earpiece use and to simultaneously provide a lower frequency portion of the audio signal having frequency components lower than the higher frequency portion to the loudspeaker,
wherein the processing circuit is configured to switch from providing the audio signal to the earpiece speaker only to providing the higher frequency portion of the audio signal to the earpiece speaker and simultaneously providing the lower frequency portion of the audio signal to the loudspeaker based on a signal from the user input device indicative of a desire to increase a volume of the audio signal playing in the earpiece speaker above a maximum volume associated with the earpiece speaker.
2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to provide the higher frequency portion to the earpiece speaker at a first range of volumes suitable for earpiece use and to provide the lower frequency portion at a second range of volumes suitable for speakerphone use to the loudspeaker.
3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to provide the higher frequency portion by providing frequencies above a threshold and to provide the lower frequency portion by providing frequencies below the threshold.
4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to apply a first equalizer process to the first portion of the signal and a second equalizer process to the second portion of the signal.
5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to increase the volume of the audio signal provided to the earpiece speaker in at least three steps based on the signal from the user input device.
6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to receive an audio signal from a wireless telephony signal.
7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is a handheld device.
8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the electronic device comprises a plurality of personal information management applications and the processing circuit is configured to synchronize personal information from the applications with another computer.
9. The electronic device of claim 7 , further comprising a housing having a front side comprising a display screen and a back side, wherein the earpiece speaker is disposed on the front side and the loudspeaker is disposed on the back side.
10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit comprises a crossover configured to split the audio signal into the lower frequency portion and the higher frequency portion.
11. A mobile computing device, comprising:
a first speaker;
a user input device;
a second speaker; and
a processing circuit configured to receive a wireless telephony audio signal, to separate the audio signal into a first portion and a second portion, the first portion having higher frequency components than the second portion, wherein the processing circuit is configured to provide the first portion of the audio signal to the first speaker at a first range of volumes suitable for earpiece use and to simultaneously provide the second portion of the audio signal to the second speaker;
wherein in a first mode the audio signal is provided to the first speaker only and in a second mode the first portion is provided to the first speaker and the second portion is provided to the second speaker, wherein the processing circuit enters the second mode based on a signal from the user input device indicative of a desire to increase a volume of the audio signal playing in the first speaker in the first mode to a level above a maximum volume associated with the first mode.
12. The mobile computing device of claim 11 , wherein the first speaker is an earpiece speaker and the second speaker is a loudspeaker.
13. The mobile computing device of claim 11 , wherein the electronic device comprises a plurality of personal information management applications and the processing circuit is configured to synchronize personal information from the applications with a computer.
14. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the processing circuit is configured to increase the volume of the second portion of the audio signal provided to the second speaker based on a signal from the input device indicative of a desire for a further increase in volume while in the second mode.
15. An electronic device, comprising:
a first speaker;
a second speaker;
a user input device; and
a processing circuit configured to provide an audio signal to the first speaker, to increase the volume over a plurality of steps in response to inputs from the user input device, and, in response to a further input from the user input device indicating a request to increase the volume above a maximum volume associated with the first speaker, to provide at least portions of the audio signal to the first and second speakers simultaneously.
16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the portion of the audio signal provided over the second speaker is a lower frequency portion having a range of frequency components lower than a range of frequency components of the audio signal.
17. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the second speaker is a loudspeaker.
18. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the electronic device is a handheld device.
19. The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the electronic device comprises a plurality of personal information management applications and the processing circuit is configured to synchronize personal information from the applications with another computer.
20. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the first speaker is an earpiece speaker on a first side of a mobile computing device and the second speaker is a loudspeaker on a second side of the mobile computing device.
21. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the further input is received after the volume of the first speaker is set at the maximum volume.
22. The electronic device of claim 21 , wherein additional further inputs from the user result in further increases in the volume of the audio signal provided to the second speaker.