Audio communications via a low energy wireless link
Systems, methods, software and apparatus enable low energy communication of audio data between an end user device and an associated intermediate communication device. Audio data is transmitted between the end user source device and associated intermediate communication device by cyclical updating and low energy transmission of data values as audio data packet fragments representing the audio data, which are assembled into audio data packets by the associated intermediate communication device. Packaged audio data is transmitted from one intermediate communication device to another intermediate communication device that is associated with an end user sink device. The end user sink device's associated intermediate communication device unpacks and transmits audio data packet fragments to the end user sink device by cyclical updating of and low energy transmission of data values as audio data packet fragments representing the audio data that are converted into acoustic signals.
1. An computing apparatus comprising:
one or more computer readable storage media;
one or more processors operatively coupled with the one or more computer readable storage media; and
program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media that, when executed by the one or more processors, direct the computing apparatus to:
receive over a low energy wireless communication link a plurality of audio data packet fragments from a communication device, wherein each audio data packet fragment comprises audio data collected from an audio data stream;
generate a plurality of audio data packets by assembling the received plurality of audio data packet fragments, wherein each audio data packet comprises a plurality of audio data packet fragments; and
transmit the plurality of audio data packets via a communication network.
2. The computing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the low energy wireless communication link comprises a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication link.
3. The computing apparatus of claim 2 wherein the plurality of audio data packet fragments received from the second communication device comprises a plurality of BLE characteristics.
4. The computing apparatus of claim 2 wherein the communication device utilizes a push-to-talk audio transmission attribute.
5. The computing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the program instructions further direct the computing apparatus to encrypt the plurality of audio data packets prior to transmission via the communication network.
6. The computing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the audio data packets are Opus audio codec packets and further wherein each Opus audio codec packet includes two or more audio data packet fragments.
7. The computing apparatus of claim 1 wherein to transmit the assembled plurality of audio data packets via the communication network, the program instructions direct the computing apparatus to transmit HTTP chunks comprised of portions of the plurality of audio data packets.
8. A communication system comprising:
a first communication device configured to transmit, over a low energy wireless communication link, a plurality of audio data packet fragments to a second communication device, wherein each audio data packet fragment comprises audio data collected from an audio source;
the second communication device configured to:
receives, over the low energy wireless communication link, the plurality of audio data packet fragments;
generate a plurality of audio data packets by assembling the received plurality of audio data packet fragments, wherein each audio data packet comprises a plurality of audio data packet fragments; and
transmit the plurality of audio data packets via a communication network.
9. The communication system of claim 8 wherein the low energy wireless communication link comprises a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication link.
10. The communication system of claim 9 wherein the plurality of audio data packet fragments received from the second communication device comprises a plurality of BLE characteristics.
11. The communication system of claim 9 wherein the first communication device utilizes a push-to-talk audio transmission attribute.
12. The communication system of claim 11 wherein the first communication device updates a BLE status characteristic prior to transmitting the plurality of audio data packet fragments to the second communication device.
13. The communication system of claim 8 wherein the audio data packets are Opus audio codec packets and further wherein each Opus audio codec packet includes two or more audio data packet fragments.
14. The communication system of claim 13 wherein to transmit the assembled plurality of audio data packets via the communication network comprises the second communication device is configured to generate HTTP chunks comprised of portions of the plurality of audio data packets.
15. The communication system of claim 8 wherein the second communication device is further configured to encrypt the plurality of audio data packets prior to transmission via the communication network.
16. The communication system of claim 8 wherein the first communication device comprises a wearable communication device and wherein the second communication device comprises a smartphone.
17. A communication system comprising:
a means for receiving over a low energy wireless communication link a plurality of audio data packet fragments from a communication device, wherein each audio data packet fragment comprises audio data collected from an audio data source;
a means for generating a plurality of audio data packets by assembling the received plurality of audio data packet fragments, wherein each audio data packet comprises a plurality of audio data packet fragments; and
a means for transmitting the plurality of audio data packets via a communication network.
18. The communication system of claim 17 wherein the low energy wireless communication link comprises a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication link.
19. The communication system of claim 18 wherein the plurality of audio data packet fragments received from the second communication device comprises a plurality of BLE characteristics.
20. The communication system of claim 17 wherein the audio data packets are Opus audio codec packets and further wherein each Opus audio codec packet includes two or more audio data packet fragments.