Wireless earphone for use in bluetooth piconets
An audio device includes a Bluetooth receiver, a Bluetooth transmitter, a speaker and a housing. The Bluetooth receiver is capable of wirelessly receiving signals in at least two audio channels. The Bluetooth transmitter is capable of wirelessly retransmitting at least a first one of the two audio channels. The speaker plays the second one of the two audio channels. The housing contains the Bluetooth receiver, the Bluetooth transmitter, and the ear phone. The housing is shaped to fit in or on an ear of a user.
1. An audio device, comprising:
a first Bluetooth physical interface configured to operate as a Bluetooth receiver capable of wirelessly receiving signals in at least two audio channels in a first Bluetooth piconet;
a second Bluetooth physical interface configured to operate as a Bluetooth transmitter capable of wirelessly retransmitting at least a first one of the two audio channels in a second Bluetooth piconet;
a speaker configured to play at least a second one of the two audio channels; and
a housing that contains the Bluetooth receiver, the Bluetooth transmitter, and the speaker, the housing shaped to fit in or on an ear of a user,
wherein the audio device is configured to operate with two separate Bluetooth addresses simultaneously, a first Bluetooth address for the first Bluetooth physical interface, and a second address for the second Bluetooth physical interface, and is capable of communicating with the at least two audio channels in the two separate Bluetooth piconets simultaneously using a respectively different Bluetooth address in each of the piconets, wherein the audio device is configured to operate as a master in the first Bluetooth piconet, while simultaneously operating as a master in the second Bluetooth piconet.
2. The audio device of claim 1 , wherein the Bluetooth transmitter is capable of transmitting both of the two audio channels to a recipient device.
3. The audio device of claim 1 , wherein: the audio device is capable of operating as a master in the first one of the Bluetooth piconets, while simultaneously operating as a slave in the second one of the Bluetooth piconets.
4. The audio device of claim 1 , wherein: the audio device is capable of operating as a slave in the first one of the Bluetooth piconets, while simultaneously operating as a slave in the second one of the Bluetooth piconets.
5. The audio device of claim 1 , wherein the audio device has a mechanism for delaying the playing of the second one of the two audio channels by a delay period.
6. The audio device of claim 5 , wherein the delay period is a propagation time for the retransmitted signals from the audio device in the at least two audio channels to propagate from the Bluetooth transmitter of the audio device to a recipient of the retransmitted channel.
7. The audio device of claim 5 , wherein the delay period is a propagation time for the retransmitted signals from the audio device in the at least one audio channel to propagate from the Bluetooth transmitter of the audio device to a recipient of the retransmitted channel.
8. An audio system, comprising:
first and second audio devices, the second audio device being mechanically unconnected to and positionable independently from the first audio device;
the first audio device having a first Bluetooth physical interface configured to operate as a Bluetooth receiver capable of receiving signals in at least two audio channels, the second audio device having a Bluetooth receiver capable of receiving signals in at least a first one of the two audio channels;
the first audio device having a second Bluetooth physical interface configured to operate as a Bluetooth transmitter capable of retransmitting at least the first one of the two audio channels to the second audio device, each audio device having a speaker, the speaker of the first audio device capable of playing the second one of the two audio channels, the speaker of the second audio device capable of playing the first one of the two audio channels,
wherein the first audio device is capable of operating with two separate Bluetooth addresses simultaneously, and is capable of communicating with the at least two audio channels in two separate Bluetooth piconets simultaneously using a respectively different Bluetooth address in each piconet, wherein the first audio device is configured to operate simultaneously as a master in the two separate Bluetooth piconets.
9. The audio system of claim 8 , wherein:
the Bluetooth transmitter of the first audio device is capable of transmitting both of the two audio channels to the Bluetooth receiver of the second audio device; and
the Bluetooth receiver of the second audio device is capable of receiving both of the two audio channels from the Bluetooth transmitter of the first audio device.
10. The audio system of claim 9 , wherein:
the second audio device has a Bluetooth transmitter capable of transmitting both of the two audio channels; and
the system further comprising a third audio device mechanically unconnected to and positionable independently from the first and second audio devices, the third audio device comprising:
a Bluetooth receiver capable of receiving signals in the two audio channels from the second audio device;
a Bluetooth transmitter capable of retransmitting at least the first two audio channels; and
a speaker for playing the second audio channel.
11. The audio system of claim 8 , wherein the first audio device includes two Bluetooth physical interfaces with respectively different Bluetooth addresses.
12. The audio system of claim 8 , wherein the first audio device has a mechanism for delaying the playing of the second one of the two audio channels by a delay period corresponding to a propagation time for signals of the first audio channel from the Bluetooth transmitter of the first audio device to the Bluetooth receiver of the second audio device.
13. A method of operating audio equipment, comprising:
receiving signals representing two audio channels wirelessly with a first Bluetooth audio device;
playing a first one of the two audio channels with the first Bluetooth audio device;
transmitting signals representing the second one of the two audio channels wirelessly to a second Bluetooth device, the second Bluetooth device mechanically unconnected to the first Bluetooth device;
playing the second audio channel with the second Bluetooth device simultaneously while playing the first audio channel with the first Bluetooth device;
transmitting signals representing the two audio channels wirelessly to the second Bluetooth device;
transmitting signals representing the two audio channels wirelessly from the second Bluetooth device to a third Bluetooth device coupled to an ear of a second user, the third Bluetooth device being mechanically unconnected to the first and second Bluetooth devices;
playing the first audio channel with the third Bluetooth device
operating the first Bluetooth device in a first Bluetooth piconet;
operating the third Bluetooth device in a second Bluetooth piconet; and
simultaneously operating the second Bluetooth device and communicating with the two audio channels in both (i) the first Bluetooth piconet using a first address and a first Bluetooth physical interface and (ii) the second Bluetooth piconet using a second address and a second Bluetooth physical interface, wherein the second Bluetooth device is configured to operate as a master in the first Bluetooth piconet, while simultaneously operating as a master in the second Bluetooth piconet.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising positioning the first Bluetooth audio device in, on or proximate to a first ear of a first user; and positioning the second Bluetooth device in, on or proximate to a second ear of the first user.
15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising: transmitting signals representing the second one of the two audio channels wirelessly from the third Bluetooth device to a fourth Bluetooth device coupled to a second ear of the second user, the fourth Bluetooth device mechanically unconnected to the first, second and third Bluetooth devices; and playing the second audio channel with the fourth Bluetooth device.
16. The method of claim 13 , wherein: the second Bluetooth device operates as a slave in the first Bluetooth piconet; and the second Bluetooth device operates as a master in the second Bluetooth piconet.
17. The method of claim 13 , wherein: the second Bluetooth device operates as a master in the first Bluetooth piconet; and the second Bluetooth device operates as a master in the second Bluetooth piconet.
18. The method of claim 13 , wherein: the second Bluetooth device operates as a slave in the first Bluetooth piconet; and the second Bluetooth device operates as a slave in the second Bluetooth piconet.