IP Library Granted Patent US 12,282,701
Granted Patent B2
US 12,282,701 · App. 17/986,446 · Granted Apr 22, 2025

Wearable electronic device and method for processing audio signal using the same

Inventors: Kyumin Kim (Suwon-si, KR); Hyunil An (Suwon-si, KR); Hyunjin Um (Suwon-si, KR); Hyojin Lee (Suwon-si, KR); Yongjoo Cho (Suwon-si, KR); Injune Choi (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
G06F3/165H04R3/12H04R2420/07
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,282,701
App. No.
17/986,446
Granted
Apr 22, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A wearable electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a processor operatively connected to a wireless communication circuit, a first audio mixer, a second audio mixer, a first audio output interface, a second audio output interface, and a speaker, the processor being configured to detect output of a plurality of audio signals including a first audio signal having a first property, transmit the first audio signal having the first property to the first audio mixer, transmit remaining audio signals to the second audio mixer, transmit the first audio signal to the first audio output interface to output the first audio signal through the speaker, synthesize the remaining audio signals into a second audio signal using the second audio mixer, and transmit the synthesized second audio signal to the second audio output interface to output the second audio signal through the external device.

Claims (72)

1. A wearable electronic device comprising:

a wireless communication circuit;

memory storing one or more computer programs;

a first audio mixer;

a second audio mixer;

a first audio output interface;

a second audio output interface;

a speaker; and

one or more processors operatively connected to the wireless communication circuit, the memory, the first audio mixer, the second audio mixer, the first audio output interface, the second audio output interface, and the speaker,

wherein the one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the wearable electronic device to:

detect, in a state of being connected to an external device through the wireless communication circuit, an output of a plurality of audio signals corresponding to a plurality of applications executed by the wearable electronic device,

identify that the plurality of audio signals includes a first audio signal having a first property and remaining audio signals having a second property,

transmit, to the first audio mixer, the first audio signal having the first property among the plurality of audio signals,

transmit, to the second audio mixer, the remaining audio signals among the plurality of audio signals having the second property,

transmit, to the first audio output interface, the first audio signal to output the first audio signal through the speaker,

synthesize the remaining audio signals into a second audio signal using the second audio mixer, and

transmit, to the second audio output interface, the second audio signal to output the second audio signal through the external device,

wherein the first property comprises information for supporting output of an audio signal through the speaker, and

wherein the second property comprises information for supporting output of an audio signal through the speaker and the external device.

2. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 ,

wherein the one or more processors comprises a first processor and a second processor, and

wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the first processor to control the wearable electronic device to:

transmit, to the first audio mixer, the first audio signal having the first property, and

transmit, to the second audio mixer, the remaining audio signals.

3. The wearable electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the first processor to control the wearable electronic device to:

configure an output path of each audio signal; based on a property about the plurality of audio signals, and

transmit, to the second processor, the configured output path of each audio signal.

4. The wearable electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the second processor to control the wearable electronic device to:

based on the output path of each audio signal received from the first processor, transmit, to the first audio output interface, the first audio signal, and

transmit, to the second audio output interface, the second audio signal synthesized using the second audio mixer.

5. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the wearable electronic device to:

based on detecting that the external device is disconnected, maintain an output path of the first audio signal having the first property, and

change an output path of the remaining audio signals.

6. The wearable electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the wearable electronic device to:

based on detecting that the external device is disconnected, transmit, to the first audio mixer, the second audio signal synthesized using the second audio mixer,

synthesize the first audio signal and the second audio signal into a third audio signal using the first audio mixer, and

transmit, to the first audio output interface, the third audio signal to output the third audio signal through the speaker.

7. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 ,

wherein the first audio signal comprises a sound of a second hand, and

wherein the remaining audio signals comprise at least one of a media sound, a notification sound, or a ringtone sound.

8. An audio signal processing method performed by a wearable electronic device, the method comprising:

in a state of being connected to an external device through a wireless communication circuit, detecting, by the wearable electronic device, an output of a plurality of audio signals corresponding to a plurality of applications executed by the wearable electronic device;

identifying, by the wearable electronic device, that the plurality of audio signals includes a first audio signal having a first property and remaining audio signals having a second property;

transmitting, by the wearable electronic device to a first audio mixer, the first audio signal having the first property among the plurality of audio signals;

transmitting, by the wearable electronic device to a second audio mixer, the remaining audio signals among the plurality of audio signals having the second property;

transmitting, by the wearable electronic device to a first audio output interface, the first audio signal to output the first audio signal through a speaker;

synthesizing, by the wearable electronic device, the remaining audio signals into a second audio signal using the second audio mixer; and

transmitting, by the wearable electronic device to a second audio output interface, the second audio signal to output the second audio signal through the external device,

wherein the first property comprises information for supporting output of an audio signal through the speaker, and

wherein the second property comprises information for supporting output of an audio signal through the speaker and the external device.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

after detecting the output of the plurality of audio signals, configuring, by the wearable electronic device, an output path of each audio signal based on a property about the plurality of audio signals.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

based on the configured output path of each audio signal, transmitting, by the wearable electronic device to the first audio output interface, the first audio signal; and

transmitting, by the wearable electronic device to the second audio output interface, the second audio signal synthesized using the second audio mixer.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

based on detecting that the external device is disconnected, maintaining, by the wearable electronic device, an output path of the first audio signal having the first property; and

changing, by the wearable electronic device, an output path of the remaining audio signals.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the changing of the output path comprises:

based on detecting that the external device is disconnected, transmitting, by the wearable electronic device to the first audio mixer, the second audio signal synthesized using the second audio mixer.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

synthesizing, by the wearable electronic device, the first audio signal and the second audio signal into a third audio signal using the first audio mixer; and

transmitting, by the wearable electronic device to the first audio output interface, the third audio signal to output the third audio signal through the speaker.

14. The method of claim 8 ,

wherein the first audio signal comprises a sound of a second hand, and

wherein the remaining audio signals comprise at least one of a media sound, a notification sound, or a ringtone sound.

15. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 ,

wherein the first audio signal includes a sound of a second hand output by a watch application executed by the one or more processors, and

wherein the remaining audio signals includes at least one of a media sound, a notification sound, or a ringtone sound output by at least one of a media player application executed by the one or more processors or a notification application executed by the one or more processors.

16. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more computer programs further include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the wearable electronic device to:

output audio signals identified as having the second property through the speaker based on the wearable electronic device being disconnected from the external device through the wireless communication circuit; or

output the audio signals identified as having the second property through the external device based on the wearable electronic device being connected to the external device through the wireless communication circuit.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 14, 2022
From: KIM, KYUMIN; AN, HYUNIL; UM, HYUNJIN; LEE, HYOJIN; CHO, YONGJOO; CHOI, INJUNE
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 061761/0319 →
Priority Claims (2)
KR 10-2021-0178932 · Dec 14, 2021 · national
KR 10-2022-0007114 · Jan 18, 2022 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTKR2022017204 · Nov 4, 2022
Related Publication 20230185519A1 · Jun 15, 2023
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Cited By (1)
US 12,574,695