KR20220144504A - Electronic device and method for audio output - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic device and method for audio output are disclosed. According to various embodiments, the electronic device comprises: a wireless communication module and at least one processor functionally connected to the wireless communication module. The at least one processor is configured to transmit audio data to a master earbud device connected to the electronic device through the wireless communication module, detect that audio disconnection occurs in at least one of the master earbud device and a slave earbud device, control at least one of the slave earbud device and an external electronic device so that the slave earbud device is connected to the external electronic device when the audio disconnection is detected, transmit first audio data for the master earbud device to the master earbud device through the wireless communication module, and control the external electronic device through the wireless communication module so that the external electronic device transmits second audio data for the slave earbud device to the slave earbud device. Accordingly, the present invention can supplement the transmission of audio data.

Description

Electronic device for audio output and operating method thereof

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an electronic device for outputting audio and an operating method thereof.

With the development of digital technology, electronic devices are being provided in various forms, such as smart phones, tablet personal computers (PCs), or personal digital assistants (PDAs). For example, an electronic device (eg, a smart phone) includes a function such as a sound reproduction device, an imaging device, or an electronic notebook as well as a communication function, and may implement more various functions through additional installation of applications. The electronic device may be provided with various information in real time by not only executing a loaded application or a stored function, but also accessing a server or other electronic device in a wired or wireless manner. The electronic device can operate by being connected to an external electronic device in a wearable form by using short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth low energy (BLE), or Wi-Fi. The external electronic device may be a wearable device developed in a form that can be worn by a user to improve portability and user accessibility.

The external electronic device may be an ear-wearable device including a pair of earphones (hereinafter, earbuds) that can be respectively worn on both ears of the user. The ear wearable device may provide various functions. For example, the ear wearable device may include a microphone to detect a user's voice, and through this, transmit data on the user's voice to an electronic device (eg, a smartphone). Also, the ear wearable device may output audio data received from an electronic device (eg, a smartphone) through the speaker, including the speaker.

The ear wearable device may include a master earbud device and a slave earbud device that can be respectively connected to an electronic device (eg, a smartphone). Through the connection, the master earbud device among the ear wearable devices may transmit voice data to the electronic device, and the electronic device may transmit audio data (or audio content) to the ear wearable device. The master earbud device and the slave earbud device, which are ear wearable devices, may output audio data (or audio content) received from the electronic device through wireless communication through a speaker.

The ear wearable device including a pair of earbud devices may be, for example, a true wireless stereo (TWS) headset. The earbud devices constituting the TWS headset may be wirelessly connected to each other, and one earbud device among the pair of earbud devices becomes the master earbud device, and the other earbud device is a slave earbud device. can be

Among the ear wearable devices, a master earbud device and a slave earbud device may share one Bluetooth address, and an electronic device (eg, a smartphone) may be connected to the master earbud device. The slave earbud device detects communication between the electronic device and the master earbud device through communication parameters related to the communication link between the electronic device and the master earbud device provided from the master earbud device, and receives audio data sent from the electronic device. It can be obtained (i.e. sniffed).

Various embodiments disclosed herein may provide an electronic device for improving audio reproduction quality through an ear wearable device, and an operating method thereof.

Various embodiments disclosed in this document may supplement the transmission of audio data by using an external electronic device when audio interruption occurs while the ear wearable device is connected to the electronic device and audio data is received.

Various embodiments disclosed in this document may provide an electronic device that transmits audio data to an ear wearable device through an external electronic device when audio interruption is detected during audio reproduction through the ear wearable device, and an operating method thereof.

An electronic device according to an embodiment includes a wireless communication module and at least one processor functionally connected to the wireless communication module, wherein the at least one processor is a master ear connected to the electronic device through the wireless communication module Transmits audio data to a bud device, detects that audio interruption occurs in at least one of the master earbud device and the slave earbud device, and when detecting the audio interruption, the slave earbud device connects to an external electronic device so as to control at least one of the slave earbud device and the external electronic device, and transmit first audio data for the master earbud device to the master earbud device through the wireless communication module, and the external electronic device and control the external electronic device through the wireless communication module to transmit second audio data for the slave earbud device to the slave earbud device.

According to an embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device for audio output includes transmitting audio data to a master earbud device connected to the electronic device, and audio is cut off in at least one of the master earbud device and the slave earbud device detecting the occurrence of the audio interruption, and controlling at least one of the slave earbud device and the external electronic device so that the slave earbud device is connected to an external electronic device when the audio disconnection is detected, and the master ear Controlling the external electronic device so that the external electronic device transmits second audio data for the slave earbud device to the slave earbud device while transmitting the first audio data for the bud device to the master earbud device It can include actions.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an ear wearable device communicating with an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
3 illustrates a master earbud device and a slave earbud device connected to an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining a communication state according to a distance between an ear wearable device and an electronic device in an open field according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a communication state of an ear wearable device according to a holding form of an electronic device, according to an exemplary embodiment.
6 is a diagram for describing an effect of Wi-Fi interference on an ear wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.
7 is a diagram illustrating an operation of changing a connection from an electronic device to a smart watch by an ear wearable device, according to an exemplary embodiment.
8 is a diagram for explaining reception performance of an ear wearable device connected to a smart watch according to an exemplary embodiment.
9 is a view for explaining a connection between a slave earbud device and a smart watch according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
10 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a procedure for changing a connection of a slave earbud device to a smart watch according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
11 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a procedure for disconnecting a connection between a slave earbud device and a smart watch according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
12 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a procedure for changing a connection of a slave earbud device to a smart watch according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
13 is a diagram illustrating a reception buffer of a master earbud device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
14 is a view for explaining synchronization in a master earbud device and a slave earbud device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
15 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for an electronic device to connect a slayer earbud device to an external electronic device, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
16 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which an electronic device determines that audio is cut off in a slayer earbud device, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
17 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which an electronic device restores a connection of a slayer earbud device, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
18 is a diagram illustrating a channel gain in earbud devices according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. And, in describing various embodiments of the present disclosure, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. And the terms described below are terms defined in consideration of functions in various embodiments of the present disclosure, which may vary according to intentions or customs of users and operators. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the content throughout this specification.

It should be noted that the technical terms used in this specification are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit various embodiments of the present disclosure. Alternatively, the technical terms used in this specification should be interpreted in the meaning generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs, unless specifically defined otherwise in this specification, and are overly inclusive. It should not be construed as a human meaning or in an excessively reduced meaning. Alternatively, when the technical terms used in the present specification are incorrect technical terms that do not accurately express the spirit of the present disclosure, they should be understood by being replaced with technical terms that can be correctly understood by those skilled in the art. Alternatively, general terms used in various embodiments of the present disclosure should be interpreted as defined in advance or according to the context, and should not be interpreted in an excessively reduced meaning.

Alternatively, as used herein, the singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as “consisting of” or “comprising” should not be construed as necessarily including all of the various components or operations described in the specification, and some components or operations of which are It should be construed that it may not include, or may further include additional components or operations.

Alternatively, terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. used herein may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

When a component is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but another component may exist in between. On the other hand, when it is said that a certain element is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that no other element is present in the middle.

Hereinafter, various embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are given the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. Alternatively, in describing various embodiments of the present disclosure, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the subject matter of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Alternatively, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the spirit of the present disclosure, and should not be construed as limiting the spirit of the present disclosure by the accompanying drawings. It should be construed that the spirit of the present disclosure extends to all modifications, equivalents and substitutes other than the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, a terminal will be described in various embodiments of the present disclosure, but the terminal includes an electronic device, a mobile station, a mobile equipment (ME), and a user equipment (UE). ), a user terminal (UT), a subscriber station (SS), a wireless device, a handheld device, and an access terminal (AT). Alternatively, in various embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal is, for example, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a wireless modem, a device having a communication function, such as a notebook computer. can be

Alternatively, in describing various embodiments of the present disclosure in detail, reference will be made to Bluetooth wireless communication technology, but the main subject matter of the present disclosure does not significantly depart from the scope of the present disclosure in other communication systems having a similar technical background. It can be applied with some modifications to the scope of the present disclosure, which will be possible at the discretion of a person skilled in the art of the present disclosure.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic device 101 in a network environment 100 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic device 101 in a network environment 100, according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 1 , in a network environment 100 , an electronic device 101 communicates with an electronic device 102 through a first network 198 (eg, a short-range wireless communication network) or a second network 199 . It may communicate with at least one of the electronic device 104 and the server 108 through (eg, a long-distance wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 through the server 108 . According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 includes a processor 120 , a memory 130 , an input module 150 , a sound output module 155 , a display module 160 , an audio module 170 , and a sensor module ( 176), interface 177, connection terminal 178, haptic module 179, camera module 180, power management module 188, battery 189, communication module 190, subscriber identification module 196 , or an antenna module 197 . In some embodiments, at least one of these components (eg, the connection terminal 178 ) may be omitted or one or more other components may be added to the electronic device 101 . In some embodiments, some of these components (eg, sensor module 176 , camera module 180 , or antenna module 197 ) are integrated into one component (eg, display module 160 ). can be

The processor 120, for example, executes software (eg, a program 140) to execute at least one other component (eg, a hardware or software component) of the electronic device 101 connected to the processor 120. It can control and perform various data processing or operations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of data processing or operation, the processor 120 converts commands or data received from other components (eg, the sensor module 176 or the communication module 190 ) to the volatile memory 132 . may be stored in , process commands or data stored in the volatile memory 132 , and store the result data in the non-volatile memory 134 . According to an embodiment, the processor 120 is a main processor 121 (eg, a central processing unit or an application processor) or a secondary processor 123 (eg, a graphic processing unit, a neural network processing unit) a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor). For example, when the electronic device 101 includes the main processor 121 and the sub-processor 123 , the sub-processor 123 uses less power than the main processor 121 or is set to be specialized for a specified function. can The auxiliary processor 123 may be implemented separately from or as a part of the main processor 121 .

The secondary processor 123 may, for example, act on behalf of the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (eg, sleep) state, or when the main processor 121 is active (eg, executing an application). ), together with the main processor 121, at least one of the components of the electronic device 101 (eg, the display module 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) It is possible to control at least some of the related functions or states. According to an embodiment, the coprocessor 123 (eg, an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another functionally related component (eg, the camera module 180 or the communication module 190). have. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (eg, a neural network processing unit) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing an artificial intelligence model. Artificial intelligence models can be created through machine learning. Such learning may be performed, for example, in the electronic device 101 itself on which the artificial intelligence model is performed, or may be performed through a separate server (eg, the server 108). The learning algorithm may include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but in the above example not limited The artificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificial neural network layers. Artificial neural networks include deep neural networks (DNNs), convolutional neural networks (CNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), restricted boltzmann machines (RBMs), deep belief networks (DBNs), bidirectional recurrent deep neural networks (BRDNNs), It may be one of deep Q-networks or a combination of two or more of the above, but is not limited to the above example. The artificial intelligence model may include, in addition to, or alternatively, a software structure in addition to the hardware structure.

The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component (eg, the processor 120 or the sensor module 176 ) of the electronic device 101 . The data may include, for example, input data or output data for software (eg, the program 140 ) and instructions related thereto. The memory 130 may include a volatile memory 132 or a non-volatile memory 134 .

The program 140 may be stored as software in the memory 130 , and may include, for example, an operating system 142 , middleware 144 , or an application 146 .

The input module 150 may receive a command or data to be used by a component (eg, the processor 120 ) of the electronic device 101 from the outside (eg, a user) of the electronic device 101 . The input module 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (eg, a button), or a digital pen (eg, a stylus pen).

The sound output module 155 may output a sound signal to the outside of the electronic device 101 . The sound output module 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver can be used to receive incoming calls. According to one embodiment, the receiver may be implemented separately from or as part of the speaker.

The display module 160 may visually provide information to the outside (eg, a user) of the electronic device 101 . The display module 160 may include, for example, a control circuit for controlling a display, a hologram device, or a projector and a corresponding device. According to an embodiment, the display module 160 may include a touch sensor configured to sense a touch or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of a force generated by the touch.

The audio module 170 may convert a sound into an electric signal or, conversely, convert an electric signal into a sound. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 acquires a sound through the input module 150 or an external electronic device (eg, a sound output module 155 ) directly or wirelessly connected to the electronic device 101 . The electronic device 102) (eg, a speaker or headphones) may output a sound.

The sensor module 176 detects an operating state (eg, power or temperature) of the electronic device 101 or an external environmental state (eg, a user state), and generates an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the sensed state. can do. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biometric sensor, It may include a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols that may be used by the electronic device 101 to directly or wirelessly connect with an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 102 ). According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

The connection terminal 178 may include a connector through which the electronic device 101 can be physically connected to an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 102 ). According to an embodiment, the connection terminal 178 may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (eg, a headphone connector).

The haptic module 179 may convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (eg, vibration or movement) or an electrical stimulus that the user can perceive through tactile or kinesthetic sense. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

The camera module 180 may capture still images and moving images. According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 188 may manage power supplied to the electronic device 101 . According to an embodiment, the power management module 188 may be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 189 may supply power to at least one component of the electronic device 101 . According to one embodiment, battery 189 may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary cell, a rechargeable secondary cell, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 190 is a direct (eg, wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108). It can support establishment and communication performance through the established communication channel. The communication module 190 may include one or more communication processors that operate independently of the processor 120 (eg, an application processor) and support direct (eg, wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module 190 is a wireless communication module 192 (eg, a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (eg, : It may include a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). A corresponding communication module among these communication modules is a first network 198 (eg, a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (WiFi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network 199 (eg, legacy It may communicate with the external electronic device 104 through a cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (eg, a telecommunication network such as a LAN or a WAN). These various types of communication modules may be integrated into one component (eg, a single chip) or may be implemented as a plurality of components (eg, multiple chips) separate from each other. The wireless communication module 192 uses subscriber information (eg, International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module 196 within a communication network such as the first network 198 or the second network 199 . The electronic device 101 may be identified or authenticated.

The wireless communication module 192 may support a 5G network after a 4G network and a next-generation communication technology, for example, a new radio access technology (NR). NR access technology includes high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband)), minimization of terminal power and access to multiple terminals (mMTC (massive machine type communications)), or high reliability and low latency (URLLC (ultra-reliable and low-latency) -latency communications)). The wireless communication module 192 may support a high frequency band (eg, mmWave band) to achieve a high data rate, for example. The wireless communication module 192 uses various techniques for securing performance in a high-frequency band, for example, beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), all-dimensional multiplexing. It may support technologies such as full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), an array antenna, analog beam-forming, or a large scale antenna. The wireless communication module 192 may support various requirements defined in the electronic device 101 , an external electronic device (eg, the electronic device 104 ), or a network system (eg, the second network 199 ). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 192 may include a peak data rate (eg, 20 Gbps or more) for realizing eMBB, loss coverage (eg, 164 dB or less) for realizing mMTC, or U-plane latency for realizing URLLC ( Example: Downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) each 0.5 ms or less, or round trip 1 ms or less) can be supported.

The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to the outside (eg, an external electronic device). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include an antenna including a conductor formed on a substrate (eg, a PCB) or a radiator formed of a conductive pattern. According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas (eg, an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network such as the first network 198 or the second network 199 is connected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module 190 . can be selected. A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module 190 and an external electronic device through the selected at least one antenna. According to some embodiments, other components (eg, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other than the radiator may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module 197 .

According to various embodiments, the antenna module 197 may form a mmWave antenna module. According to one embodiment, the mmWave antenna module comprises a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on or adjacent to a first side (eg, underside) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a designated high frequency band (eg, mmWave band); and a plurality of antennas (eg, an array antenna) disposed on or adjacent to a second side (eg, top or side) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving signals of the designated high frequency band. can do.

At least some of the components are connected to each other through a communication method between peripheral devices (eg, a bus, general purpose input and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)) and a signal ( e.g. commands or data) can be exchanged with each other.

According to an embodiment, the command or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 104 through the server 108 connected to the second network 199 . Each of the external electronic devices 102 or 104 may be the same as or different from the electronic device 101 . According to an embodiment, all or part of the operations performed by the electronic device 101 may be executed by one or more external electronic devices 102 , 104 , or 108 . For example, when the electronic device 101 needs to perform a function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or other device, the electronic device 101 may perform the function or service itself instead of executing the function or service itself. Alternatively or additionally, one or more external electronic devices may be requested to perform at least a part of the function or the service. One or more external electronic devices that have received the request may execute at least a part of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and transmit a result of the execution to the electronic device 101 . The electronic device 101 may process the result as it is or additionally and provide it as at least a part of a response to the request. For this purpose, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used. The electronic device 101 may provide an ultra-low latency service using, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In another embodiment, the external electronic device 104 may include an Internet of things (IoT) device. The server 108 may be an intelligent server using machine learning and/or neural networks. According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 104 or the server 108 may be included in the second network 199 . The electronic device 101 may be applied to an intelligent service (eg, smart home, smart city, smart car, or health care) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

The electronic device according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may have various types of devices. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (eg, a smart phone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a home appliance device. Electronic devices according to embodiments of the present document are not limited to the aforementioned devices.

The various embodiments of this document and terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but it should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutions of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, like reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of the noun corresponding to the item may include one or more of the item, unless the relevant context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B or C", "at least one of A, B and C", and "A , B, or C," each of which may include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding one of the phrases, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first", "second", or "first" or "second" may simply be used to distinguish an element from other elements in question, and may refer elements to other aspects (e.g., importance or order) is not limited. It is said that one (eg, first) component is “coupled” or “connected” to another (eg, second) component, with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicatively”. When referenced, it means that one component can be connected to the other component directly (eg by wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.

The term “module” used in various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and is interchangeable with terms such as, for example, logic, logic block, component, or circuit. can be used as A module may be an integrally formed part or a minimum unit or a part of the part that performs one or more functions. For example, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments of the present document include one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (eg, internal memory 136 or external memory 138) readable by a machine (eg, electronic device 101). may be implemented as software (eg, the program 140) including For example, the processor (eg, the processor 120 ) of the device (eg, the electronic device 101 ) may call at least one of the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This makes it possible for the device to be operated to perform at least one function according to the called at least one command. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The device-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (eg, electromagnetic wave), and this term is used in cases where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and It does not distinguish between temporary storage cases.

Methods according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be included and provided in a computer program product. Computer program products may be traded between sellers and buyers as commodities. The computer program product is distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (eg compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or via an application store (eg Play Store ^TM ) or on two user devices ( It can be distributed (eg downloaded or uploaded) directly, online between smartphones (eg: smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily created in a machine-readable storage medium such as a memory of a server of a manufacturer, a server of an application store, or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (eg, a module or a program) of the above-described components may include a singular or a plurality of entities, and some of the plurality of entities may be separately disposed in other components. have. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations among the above-described corresponding components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (eg, a module or a program) may be integrated into one component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each component of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. . According to various embodiments, operations performed by a module, program, or other component are executed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations are executed in a different order, or omitted. , or one or more other operations may be added.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an ear wearable device 200 communicating with the electronic device 101 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

According to various embodiments, the ear wearable device 200 may include a master earbud device 201 and a slave earbud device 202 . The master earbud device 201 may include the same or similar components to at least one of components (eg, modules) of the electronic device 101 illustrated in FIG. 1 . According to various embodiments, the master earbud device 201 may be the external electronic device 102 of FIG. 1 or the external electronic device 104 of FIG. 1 . The master earbud device 201 includes an antenna module 211 (eg, the antenna module 197 of FIG. 1 ), a communication module 210 (eg, the communication module 190 of FIG. 1 ), an input module 220 ( Example: input module 150 of FIG. 1 ), sensor module 230 (eg sensor module 176 of FIG. 1 ), audio processing module 240 (eg audio module 170 of FIG. 1 ), memory 250 (eg, memory 130 of FIG. 1 ), power management module 260 (eg, power management module 188 of FIG. 1 ), battery 270 (eg, battery 189 of FIG. 1 ). , an interface 280 (eg, the interface 177 of FIG. 1 ), and a processor 290 (eg, the processor 120 of FIG. 1 ).

According to various embodiments, the communication module 210 is a wireless communication module (eg, a cellular communication module, a wireless fidelity (WiFi) communication module, a Bluetooth communication module, a near field communication (NFC) communication module, or a GNSS ( It may include at least one of a global navigation satellite system (global navigation satellite system) communication module) or a wired communication module (eg, a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). According to various embodiments, Bluetooth communication may include Bluetooth legacy (or classic) communication or BLE (bluetooth low energy) communication. A corresponding communication module among these communication modules is the electronic device 101 ( For example, a smartphone), a first external electronic device 204 (for example, a charging device), a second external electronic device 203 (for example a smart watch), or a third external electronic device 202 (for example) For example, it can communicate directly or indirectly with at least one of the slave earbud devices. The slave earbud device 202 is configured as a pair of the master earbud device 201 and the ear wearable device 200 . The communication module 210 may include one or more communication processors that operate independently of the processor 290 and support direct (eg, wired) communication or wireless communication.

According to various embodiments, the antenna module 211 may transmit a signal or power to or receive from another electronic device (eg, the electronic device 101 or 204 or the slave earbud device 202). have. According to an embodiment, the antenna module 211 may include at least one antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (eg, a printed circuit board (PCB)) or a part of an inner housing. have. According to an embodiment, the antenna module 211 may include a plurality of antennas. According to an embodiment, suitable for a communication method used in a communication network such as a first network (eg, the first network 198 of FIG. 1 ) or a second network (eg, the second network 199 of FIG. 2 ) At least one antenna may be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module 210 . A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module 210 and another electronic device through the selected at least one antenna. According to some embodiments, other components (eg, RFIC) other than the radiator may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module 211 .

According to various embodiments, the antenna module 211 may use a magnetic field to wirelessly receive power from another electronic device (eg, the electronic device 101 or 204 or the slave earbud device 202 ). may include at least one of a coil capable of being induced, a resonator in which a resonance phenomenon is generated by a magnetic field having a specific resonant frequency, or a plurality of patch antennas for receiving electromagnetic waves.

According to various embodiments, the input module 220 may be configured to generate various input signals that may be used for operation of the master earbud device 201 . The input module 220 may include a touch pad, a touch panel, or a button. The touch pad may recognize a touch input using, for example, at least one of a capacitive type, a pressure sensitive type, an infrared type, and an ultrasonic type. If a capacitive touch pad is provided, physical contact or proximity recognition may be possible. The touch pad may further include a tactile layer. A touch pad including a tactile layer may provide a tactile response to a user. The button may include, for example, a physical button or an optical key.

According to various embodiments, the input module 220 may generate a user input regarding on or off of the master earbud device 201 . According to an embodiment, the input module 220 may receive a user input for a communication connection between the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 205 . According to an embodiment, the input module 220 may receive a user input related to audio data (or audio content). For example, the user input may relate to functions of starting playback of audio data, pausing playback, stopping playback, adjusting playback speed, adjusting playback volume, or muting audio data. The operation of the master earbud device 201 may be controlled by various gestures such as tapping the surface on which the touch pad is installed or swiping up and down. According to an embodiment, when a gesture related to a single tap is detected through the input module 220 , the master earbud device 201 (or the processor 290 ) reproduces audio data, or You can pause the playback. According to an embodiment, when a gesture related to two taps is detected through the input module 220 , the master earbud device 201 may switch the playback to the next audio data. When a gesture related to three taps is detected through the input module 220 , the master earbud device 201 may switch the playback to the previous audio data. According to an embodiment, when a gesture of swiping up or down is detected through the input module 220 , the master earbud device 201 may adjust a volume related to the reproduction of audio data. According to an embodiment, when a call is made to the electronic device 101 and a gesture related to two taps is detected through the input module 220 , the master earbud device 201 sends a signal requesting to connect the call. may be transmitted to the electronic device 101 .

According to various embodiments, the sensor module 230 may measure a physical quantity or detect an operating state of the master earbud device 201 . The sensor module 230 may convert measured or sensed information into an electrical signal. The sensor module 230 may include, for example, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, a magnetic sensor, a proximity sensor, a gesture sensor, a grip sensor, or a biometric sensor. In an embodiment, the sensor module 230 may further include an optical sensor. The optical sensor may include a light emitting unit (eg, a light emitting diode (LED)) that outputs light of at least one wavelength band. The optical sensor may include a light receiving unit (eg, a photodiode) that receives light of one or more wavelength bands scattered or reflected from an object and generates an electrical signal.

According to various embodiments, the audio processing module 240 may support an audio data collection function and reproduce the collected audio data. According to an embodiment, the audio processing module 240 may include an audio decoder (not shown) and a D/A converter (not shown). The audio decoder may convert audio data stored in the memory 250 or received from the electronic device 101 through the communication module 210 into a digital audio signal. The D/A converter may convert the digital audio signal converted by the audio decoder into an analog audio signal. According to various embodiments, the audio decoder may convert audio data received from the electronic device 101 through the communication module 210 and stored in the memory 250 into a digital audio signal. The speaker 241 may output the analog audio signal converted by the D/A converter. According to an embodiment, the audio processing module 240 may include an A/D converter (not shown). The A/D converter may convert the analog voice signal transmitted through the microphone 242 into a digital voice signal.

According to various embodiments, the microphone 242 may include at least one air conduction microphone and/or at least one bone conduction microphone for detecting voice. The air conduction microphone may detect a voice transmitted through air (eg, a user's utterance) and output a voice signal corresponding to the sensed voice. The bone conduction microphone may measure the vibration of a user's bone (eg, skull) due to the user's voice utterance, and may output a voice signal corresponding to the measured vibration. The bone conduction microphone may be referred to as a bone conduction sensor or various other names. The voice detected by the air conduction microphone is a voice mixed with external noise while the user's utterance is transmitted through the air, whereas the voice detected by the bone conduction microphone is detected from the vibration of the bone, so the inflow of external noise (eg, the effect of noise) may be small. Accordingly, the bone conduction microphone may output a voice signal corresponding to the user's voice with reduced external noise even in a high-noise environment. According to various embodiments, the voice signal output from the microphone 242 may be transmitted to the processor 290 . According to an embodiment, an acceleration sensor (eg, the sensor module 230 ) may be used to obtain a voice signal corresponding to the user's voice with reduced external noise. For example, the acceleration sensor may measure the vibration of the user's skin due to the user's voice utterance, and output a voice signal corresponding to the measured vibration to the processor 290 . Since the voice (eg, vibration) detected by the acceleration sensor is detected from the vibration of the skin, the inflow of external noise (eg, the influence of noise) may be small. The above-described bone conduction microphone and/or acceleration sensor may be called a voice pickup unit (VPU), and may be called by various other names.

According to various embodiments, the audio processing module 240 may reproduce various audio data set in the operation operation of the master earbud device 201 . For example, the processor 290 detects through the sensor module 230 that the master earbud device 201 is coupled to or detached from the user's ear, and the corresponding effect or guide sound through the audio processing module 240 . It can be designed to reproduce audio data about According to various embodiments, the processor 290 detects that the master earbud device 201 is coupled to or disconnected from the charging device 204 through the power management module 260, coupled to the electronic device 204, or It may be designed to detect separation through the communication module 210 and reproduce audio data related to a corresponding effect or guide sound through the audio processing module 240 . The output of the sound effect or guide sound may be omitted according to a user setting or a designer's intention.

According to various embodiments, the memory 250 may store various data used by at least one component (eg, the processor 290 or the sensor module 230 ) of the master earbud device 201 . . The data may include, for example, input data or output data for software and related instructions, and audio data. The memory 250 may include a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory.

According to an embodiment, the memory 250 may include a non-volatile memory that stores audio data (non-volatile audio data) received from the electronic device 101 . According to various embodiments, the memory 250 may include a volatile memory that stores audio data (eg, volatile audio data) received from the electronic device 101 . In an embodiment, a non-volatile memory or an area in a volatile memory that stores audio data received from the electronic device 101 may be referred to as a receive buffer. In one embodiment, the audio data stored in the reception buffer includes at least audio data (eg, right audio data) to be played back in the master earbud device 201 , and to be played back in the slave earbud device 202 . It may further include audio data (eg, left audio data). In an embodiment, the reception buffer may store retransmission audio data received again by requesting retransmission after failure to be received by the master earbud device 201 or the slave earbud device 202 . In an embodiment, the reception buffer may have a limited buffer size according to a setting of the master earbud device 201 or the electronic device 101, and the amount of data stored in the reception buffer within the limited buffer size is the buffer amount ( Alternatively, it may be referred to as a buffer state or buffer occupancy). In one embodiment, the audio data buffered in the reception buffer is played back in the master earbud device 201 or the slave earbud device 202, and is designated as the master earbud device 201 or the slave earbud device 202. It may be deleted or discarded at the time of retransmission by the number of times, or after a specified time.

According to an embodiment, the memory 250 may store at least one of a local address, a peer address, and an authentication address. According to an embodiment, the local address of the master earbud device 201 may indicate a blue device address (BD_ADDR) of the master earbud device 201 , and the peer address of the master earbud device 201 . may indicate the Bluetooth device address of a peer device (eg, the slave earbud device 202 ) configured as a pair with the master earbud device 201 in the Bluetooth network. The local address and peer address of the master earbud device 201 is a communication connection between the master earbud device 201 and a counterpart device configured as a pair (eg, the slave earbud device 202 ) or communication with the electronic device 101 . It can be used for connection.

According to an embodiment, the local address or peer address may be in the form of a 6-byte Bluetooth device address (eg, BD_ADDR) or a low energy (LE) address generated based on the Bluetooth device address. According to an embodiment, the authentication address of the master earbud device 201 may be the same as the address of the charging device 204 for storing the master earbud device 201, and the communication address of the electronic device 101 ( For example, MAC address or Bluetooth address) or unique identification information such as a serial number set by the manufacturer of the electronic device 101 , may be set in the master earbud device 201 . According to an embodiment, the master earbud device 201 may be in a state in which an authentication address is not initially set.

According to various embodiments, the power management module 260 may manage power supplied to the master earbud device 201 . According to an embodiment, the power management module 260 may be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC). According to an embodiment, the power management module 260 may include a battery charging module. According to an embodiment, another electronic device (eg, the electronic device 101 or the charging device 204 or the slave earbud device 202) is electrically connected to the master earbud device 201 (wireless or wired). In this case, the power management module 260 may receive power from the other electronic device to charge the battery 270 . According to an embodiment, when the power of the master earbud device 201 is introduced into the charging device 204 in an off state, the master earbud device 201 receives power supplied from the charging device 204 . Based on the power of the master earbud device 201 may be turned on (on) or at least a part of the communication module 210 may be turned on.

According to various embodiments, the battery 270 may supply power to at least one component of the master earbud device 201 . According to one embodiment, the battery 270 may include, for example, a rechargeable battery. According to an embodiment, when the master earbud device 201 is inserted into the charging device 204, the master earbud device 201 charges the battery 270 to a predetermined charge level, and then the master earbud device ( The power of the 201 may be turned on or at least a portion of the communication module 210 may be turned on.

According to various embodiments, the interface 280 allows the master earbud device 201 to communicate directly (eg, with the electronic device 101 , the charging device 204 , the slave earbud device 202 ) or another electronic device. It can support one or more specified protocols that can be used to connect to a wired network. According to an embodiment, the interface 280 may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface. According to an embodiment, the interface 280 may include a connection terminal for forming a physical connection with the charging device 204 .

According to various embodiments, the master earbud device 201 may include a display module (eg, the display device 160 of FIG. 1 ). The display module may be configured to provide various screen interfaces required for operation of the master earbud device 201 . The display module may provide a user interface related to the reproduction of audio data. According to various embodiments, the display module may provide a user interface related to a function of receiving audio data from the electronic device 101 or a function of transmitting audio data to the electronic device 101 . According to various embodiments, the display module may provide a user interface for connection with the slave earbud device 202 . According to various embodiments, the display device may include a light emitting means such as a light emitting diode (LED). For example, the light emitting means may be controlled to emit a color corresponding to charging or completion of charging. For example, when the master earbud device 201 is in a communication-connected state with the electronic device 101, the light emitting means may be controlled to emit a specific color. For example, the light emitting means may be controlled to emit a specific color according to the reproduction state of the audio data (eg, during reproduction or while reproduction is paused). For example, according to a user input generated through the input device, the light emitting means may be controlled to emit a specific color.

According to various embodiments, the processor 290 may, for example, execute software to execute at least one other component (eg, a hardware or software component) of the master earbud device 201 coupled to the processor 290 . can be controlled, and various data processing or operations can be performed. According to one embodiment, as at least part of data processing or operation, the processor 290 converts commands or data received from other components (eg, the sensor module 230 or the communication module 210 ) to the volatile memory 250 . It can load into the volatile memory, process commands or data stored in volatile memory, and store the resulting data in non-volatile memory.

According to an embodiment, the processor 290 may determine whether an electrical connection is formed between the master earbud device 201 and the charging device 204 through the sensor module 230 or the interface 280 . According to an embodiment, the processor 290 recognizes a magnet installed in the charging device 204 through a magnetic sensor (eg, a hall sensor) included in the sensor module 230 , and thus the master earbud device 201 ) and the charging device 204 or it can be confirmed that it is disposed in the vicinity of the charging device 204 . According to an embodiment, the processor 290 recognizes that the connection terminal included in the interface 280 is in contact with the connection terminal installed in the mounting portion of the charging device 204, and thus the master earbud device 201 and the charging device ( 204), it can be checked whether an electrical connection is formed between them. According to an embodiment, the processor 290 may check whether the master earbud device 201 is worn on the user's ear through the sensor module 230 .

According to various embodiments, when the master earbud device 201 is communicatively connected with the slave earbud device 202 , the master earbud device 201 is the master device that controls the communication of the slave earbud device 202 . and the slave earbud device 202 may be a slave device. According to an embodiment, the master earbud device 201 may establish a communication connection with the electronic device 101 , and receive data (eg, audio data) from the electronic device 101 through the established communication connection. can do. The master earbud device 201 may transmit voice data (eg, information about a voice signal) to the electronic device 101 through the established communication connection.

According to an embodiment, the slave earbud device 202 may acquire data (eg, audio data) transmitted by the electronic device 101 without forming a direct communication connection with the electronic device 101 . . For example, the slave earbud device 202 may receive data (eg, an audio signal) received by the master earbud device 201 from the electronic device 101 from the master earbud device 201 or the master earbud device 201 . The communication connection formed between the master earbud device 201 and the electronic device 101 is sensed by using the communication parameters for the communication connection formed between the bud device 201 and the electronic device 101 , and by the electronic device 101 . Data (eg, audio data) transmitted through the communication connection may be acquired (ie, sniffed). According to an embodiment, the slave earbud device 202 may establish a communication connection with the electronic device 101 , and may receive data (eg, audio data) from the electronic device 101 through the established communication connection. may be According to an embodiment, after the master earbud device 201 is communicatively connected with the slave earbud device 202, the master earbud device 201 is switched to a slave device and the slave earbud device 202 is a master device. can be switched

According to various embodiments, the master earbud device 201 may further include various modules according to its provision form. It is impossible to enumerate all of the variations due to the convergence trend of digital devices, but components equivalent to the above-mentioned components may be further included in the master earbud device 201 . Also, of course, in the master earbud device 201 according to an embodiment, certain components may be excluded from the above components or replaced with other components according to the form of provision thereof. This will be easily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.

According to various embodiments, the slave earbud device 202 configured as a pair with the master earbud device 201 may include the same or similar components included in the master earbud device 201, which will be described later. All or part of the operation of the master earbud device 201 described in the drawings may be performed.

The electronic device 101 according to an embodiment includes a wireless communication module 192 and at least one processor 120 functionally connected to the wireless communication module, wherein the at least one processor includes the wireless communication module transmits audio data to the master earbud device 201 connected to the electronic device through is detected, at least one of the slave earbud device and the external electronic device is controlled so that the slave earbud device is connected to the external electronic device 203, and a first for the master earbud device through the wireless communication module. 1 transmits audio data to the master earbud device, and controls the external electronic device through the wireless communication module so that the external electronic device transmits second audio data for the slave earbud device to the slave earbud device can be configured to

In an embodiment, the at least one processor transmits synchronization information for synchronizing the reproduction of the first audio data in the master earbud device and the reproduction of the second audio data in the slave earbud device to the external electronic device. and may be configured to deliver through the device to the slave earbud device.

In an embodiment, the synchronization information may include time information for determining a playback time of the second audio data in the slave earbud device.

In one embodiment, the at least one processor is configured to transmit synchronization information for synchronizing the reproduction of the first audio data in the master earbud device and the reproduction of the second audio data in the slave earbud device to the master earbud device. may be configured for delivery to a bud device.

In an embodiment, the synchronization information may include a delay value indicating a delay between the master earbud device and the slave earbud device.

In an embodiment, the at least one processor may control the master earbud device to reproduce the first audio data with a delay by the delay value in the master earbud device.

In one embodiment, when the at least one processor receives a signal indicating that the amount of the buffer stored in the reception buffer of the master earbud device exceeds a specified threshold value from the master earbud device, it is determined that the audio disconnection occurs can do.

In an embodiment, the at least one processor receives, from the master earbud device, information about at least one of a transmission rate or a received signal strength related to audio data received from the electronic device by the master earbud device, It may be determined whether the audio disconnection occurs based on the received information.

In an embodiment, the at least one processor receives a change request signal indicating that the audio disconnection has occurred from the master earbud device, and the change request signal includes a Bluetooth device address of the slave earbud device, A connection request signal including a Bluetooth device address of the slave earbud device may be transmitted to the external electronic device.

In an embodiment, the at least one processor determines whether the external electronic device is worn on the user's body when detecting the audio interruption, and when the external electronic device is worn on the user's body, the external electronic device The device may transmit a connection request including the Bluetooth device address of the slave earbud device.

3 illustrates a master earbud device 201 and a slave earbud device 202 connected to the electronic device 101 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the electronic device 101 may recognize at least one of the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 using wireless communication (eg, Bluetooth legacy or BLE). In an embodiment, the master earbud device 201 may transmit an advertising signal in a multicast method or a broadcast method so that nearby Bluetooth devices can listen. The advertising signal may carry information related to a connection or account (eg, pairing) with an unspecified nearby electronic device (eg, a Bluetooth device).

In an embodiment, the advertising signal may include identification information (hereinafter, device identification information) of the master earbud device 201 . The master earbud device 201 may generate the advertising signal according to a specified condition. For example, when power is supplied, the master earbud device 201 may output an advertising signal based on at least one of a specified time period and a user input. When receiving the advertising signal, the electronic device 101 may establish a communication link with the master earbud device 201 based on information included in the advertising signal. In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 receives the user's account information (hereinafter, user account information) from the master earbud device 201 through the formed communication link, and information on whether it is currently paired with another device (hereinafter, current pairing information), a list of previously paired devices (hereinafter referred to as the pairing list), information about devices that can be paired at the same time (hereinafter referred to as simultaneous pairing information), information about transmit power, detection area, or remaining battery capacity (hereinafter referred to as battery) state information) may be obtained.

Similarly, in one embodiment, the slave earbud device 202 may transmit the advertising signal in a multicast method or a broadcast method, and the master earbud device 201 receives the advertising signal. and may establish a communication link with the slave earbud device 202 based on the information included in the advertising signal.

The electronic device 101 may transmit the audio data 305a through a communication link formed between the electronic device 101 and the master earbud device 201 . In an embodiment, the audio data 305a includes right (R) audio data that can be played back in the master earbud device 201 and left (L) audio data that can be played back in the slave earbud device 202 . can do. In an embodiment, the slave earbud device 202 is provided with communication parameters related to a communication link between the electronic device 101 and the master earbud device 201 from the master earbud device 201, and receives the communication parameters Audio data 305b generated from the electronic device 101 may be acquired using the . In an embodiment, the audio data 305b may include at least left audio data. In an embodiment, the communication parameters include address information (eg, at least one of a Bluetooth device address or a logical transport (LT) address), clock information (eg, a Bluetooth piconet clock) or a master-specific clock (at least one of master's clock native (CLKN)), channel information (eg used channel map), service discovery protocol (SDP) result information, information on supported features, key information (eg, For example, it may include at least one of a bluetooth link key) and an extended inquiry response (EIR) packet.

In an embodiment, the master earbud device 201 may transmit a response message 310 for notifying that the data packet including audio data has been normally received to the electronic device 101 . In addition, the slave earbud device 202 may transmit a response message 320 for notifying that the data packet containing audio data has been normally received to the master earbud device 201 . The response message 310 or 320 includes a positive acknowledgment (ACK) message indicating that the data packet has been normally received, and a negative acknowledgment (NACK) message indicating that the data packet is not normally received or the received data packet is not normally processed. It may include at least one of the messages. The response message 310 or 320 may include, for example, 1-bit information corresponding to at least one data packet. If a NACK message is received or a response message is not received within a specified time after transmitting the data packet containing the audio data, the electronic device 101 retransmits the retransmission data packet 315 including the same retransmission audio data as in the previous transmission. can do. Similarly, if a NACK message is received after transmitting a data packet containing audio data or a response message is not received within a specified time, the master earbud device 201 transmits a retransmission data packet 325 containing the same audio data as in the previous transmission. can be retransmitted.

In an embodiment, the master earbud device 201 receives an ACK or NACK (hereinafter ACK/NACK) for the audio data 305a (eg, including left audio data and right audio data) received from the electronic device 101 . ) 310 may be transmitted to the electronic device 101 . In an embodiment, the slave earbud device 202 may be configured to transmit the ACK/NACK 320 for the audio data 305b obtained from the electronic device 101 to the master earbud device 201 . Then, the master earbud device 201 may transmit the ACK/NACK 310 including the ACK/NACK 320 from the slave earbud device 202 to the electronic device 101 . In one embodiment, the slave earbud device 202 forms a bidirectional link with the electronic device 101 to directly receive audio data 305b (eg, including at least left audio data), and the received audio data It may be configured to transmit the ACK/NACK 320 for 305b to the electronic device 101 through the bidirectional link. The electronic device 101 responds to the ACK/NACK 310 from the master earbud device 201 or the ACK/NACK 320 from the slave earbud device 202 to a retransmission data packet containing the same audio data ( 315) to the master earbud device 201 . In one embodiment, the slave earbud device 202 receives the retransmission data packet 325 from the master earbud device 201, or a retransmission data packet sent from the electronic device 101 using the communication parameters. (325) can be obtained.

When audio data is not normally received due to the surrounding radio wave situation and communication environment, the master earbud device 201 may transmit a NACK requesting retransmission within a specified buffer size. In an embodiment, the designated buffer size may be determined by an application of the electronic device 101 . Since the electronic device 101 has to transmit even the retransmission data packet to be received by the slave earbud device 202 through sniffing, twice the amount of retransmission occurs and as much audio as the retransmission data must be transmitted within the predetermined buffer size. It may increase the probability of a break. In particular, the probability of audio interruption of the slave earbud device 202 that needs to receive retransmission data through the communication link between the master earbud device 201 and the electronic device 101 may be higher. Also, since the retransmission data of the left audio data required by the slave earbud device 202 occupies the receiving buffer of the master earbud device 201 , audio interruption may occur in the master earbud device 201 as well.

In an embodiment, the distance between the electronic device 101 and the ear wearable device 200 increases or the electronic device 101 and the ear wearable device 200 increase due to a noise signal or an obstacle (eg, a wall, a body) of signal transmission. ) may cause poor communication between them. In this situation, each earbud device 201 or 202 of the ear wearable device 200 may not normally receive audio data, and retransmission requests and retransmissions of audio data occur frequently. Also, this may cause the user to experience audio stuttering.

4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining a communication state according to a distance between the ear wearable device 200 and the electronic device 101 in an open field, according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4A , the electronic device 101 is close to or possessed by the user's body, and the ear wearable device 200 worn by the user can maintain a close distance 405 to the electronic device 101, , and thus can have a good communication state. A relatively small retransmission request may occur in the ear wearable device 200 at a close distance 405 , and the receiving buffer of the ear wearable device 200 may also maintain a buffer amount less than a specified threshold value.

Referring to FIG. 4B , when the user puts his belongings including the electronic device 101 on a bench and performs an activity such as running in an open area such as a park or a sports ground, the ear wearable device 200 worn by the user changes the electronic device 101 ) and the long distance 415 , for example of 100 m or more, the communication connection between the ear wearable device 200 and the electronic device 101 may be cut off. On the other hand, when the ear wearable device 200 is at a moderately long distance 415 from the electronic device 101 in the range of 50 to 100 m, for example, the ear wearable device 200 receives a wireless signal received from the electronic device 101 . The strength is weakened, so that retransmission requests and retransmissions may occur more frequently. Since there are almost no signals reflected back to the ear wearable device 200 in the open field, audio interruption in the ear wearable device 200 may be very serious.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a communication state of the ear wearable device 200 according to a holding form of the electronic device 101 according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the electronic device 101 is put in the back pocket of the user's pants, and the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 may be worn on both ears of the user, respectively. Since the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 obtain little gain due to reflection when the user is located in an open field, the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 are Most audio data may be received through line of sight (LOS) signals 505 and 510 with the electronic device 101 . In one embodiment, the master earbud device 201 may be located at a relatively close distance compared to the electronic device 101 and the slave earbud 202, or may receive the LOS signal 505 of relatively good reception performance. have. In an embodiment, the slave earbud device 202 may be located at a relatively long distance from the electronic device 101 and the master earbud 201, or the slave earbud device 202 receives the reception due to the influence of the human body. Since the reception performance of the LOS signal 510 is relatively poor, audio interruption may occur.

In an embodiment, when audio data that the slave earbud device 202 failed to play normally continues to remain in the reception buffer of the master earbud device 201, the slave earbud device 201 exceeds the reception buffer capacity of the slave earbud device. Not only the bud device 202 but also the master earbud device 201 may not normally receive the desired right audio data, and audio interruption may occur in both the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 . .

6 is a diagram for explaining the effect of Wi-Fi interference on the ear wearable device 200 according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6 , a plurality of Wi-Fi access points may exist in an open area or in an indoor and very large open space similar to an open area, such as an airport or a station, and the Wi-Fi APs communicate with each other. The wireless signals 605 that do act as interference on the ear wearable device 200, so that the number of retransmissions frequently occurs in both earbud devices 201 and 202 of the ear wearable device 200, resulting in audio interruption incidence can be very high. In the interference environment as described above, it may be difficult for the ear wearable device 200 to obtain a large gain due to a reflected signal.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an operation in which the ear wearable device 200 changes a connection from the electronic device 101 to the smart watch 203 according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 included in the ear wearable device 200 operate as a pair, and the master earbud device 201 is Audio data (including at least right (R) audio data) 705 may be received. The slave earbud device 202 may receive audio data (including at least left audio data) transmitted from the electronic device 101 through sniffing 710 . In an embodiment, the retransmission data packet 715 for the slave earbud device 202 may be read from the reception buffer of the master earbud device 201 and transmitted to the slave earbud device 202 .

In one embodiment, the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 are connected to the electronic device 101 and operated as a pair with each other, and as shown in operation 700, the smart watch 203 You can change it to connect. After the change in operation 700 , the master earbud device 201 may receive the right (R) audio data and/or the left (L) audio data 720 from the smart watch 203 . The slave earbud device 202 may receive audio data (including at least left audio data) transmitted from the smart watch 203 through sniffing 725 . In an embodiment, the retransmission data packet 730 for the slave earbud device 202 may be read from the reception buffer of the master earbud device 201 and transmitted to the slave earbud device 202 .

In an embodiment, the smart watch 203 may connect a communication link to the electronic device 101 and receive audio data from the electronic device 101 . The smart watch 203 connects a communication link with at least one of the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 , and transmits the audio data received from the electronic device 101 to the master earbud device 201 . and the slave earbud device 202 . Although the electronic device 101 may be physically farther away from the user's body depending on circumstances, the wearable device such as the smart watch 203 is worn on the human body unlike the electronic device 101, and thus is worn on the human body as well. The distance between the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 may be relatively close. Accordingly, the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 may maintain stable connectivity compared to a case in which they are connected to the electronic device 101 .

In an embodiment, when the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 change the connection to the smart watch 203 , the connection between the electronic device 101 and the earbud devices 201 and 202 is It can improve the bad communication condition and the surrounding environment situation.

8 is a view for explaining the reception performance of the ear wearable device 200 connected to the smart watch 203 according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the wireless earbud devices 201 and 202 may be communicatively connected to the smart watch 203 . The master earbud device 201 located at a relatively close distance to the user's right hand wearing the smart watch 203 may receive an audio signal through a relatively good first signal path 810 . On the other hand, the slave earbud device 202 located at a relatively long distance from the user's right hand wearing the smart watch 203 has a second signal path ( 815) may receive an audio signal, which may cause audio interruption in the slave earbud device 202 to occur at a high frequency.

The following <Table 1> shows, as an example, experimental results for possible audio interruption scenarios in open land.

of smart watch
wear direction L R earbud device R L R L open land audio stuttering No problem No problem audio stuttering open land No problem No problem No problem No problem

<표 1>을 참조하면, 운동장이나 넓은 잔디밭과 같은 개활지에서 스마트워치(203)에 이어버드 장치들(201, 202)이 연결된 상태로 이어버드 장치들(201, 202)에서의 오디오 끊김 수준을 확인해보면, 스마트워치(203)와 같은 방향에 착용된 이어버드 장치에서 오디오 끊김의 문제가 상대적으로 적게 발생함을 알 수 있다. 다양한 실시예들에서, 마스터 이어버드 장치(201) 또는 전자 장치(101)는 마스터 이어버드 장치(201) 또는 슬레이브 이어버드 장치(202)에서 오디오 끊김이 발생하는지를 모니터링할 수 있다. 일 실시예에서 마스터 이어버드 장치(201)는 수신 버퍼의 버퍼량을 근거로 오디오 끊김의 발생 여부를 판단할 수 있다. 일 예로 수신 버퍼에 저장된 버퍼량이 지정된 임계값을 초과하는 경우 마스터 이어버드 장치(201)는 오디오 끊김이 발생하였음을 전자 장치(101)에게 통지할 수 있다. 일 실시예로 마스터 이어버드 장치(201)는 전자 장치(101)로부터 수신되는 오디오 데이터에 관련된 전송률(data rate) 또는 수신 신호 세기(received signal strength indicator: RSSI) 중 적어도 하나를 근거로 오디오 끊김이 발생하는지의 여부를 판단할 수 있다. 일 실시예로 마스터 이어버드 장치(201)는 전자 장치(101)로 오디오 데이터의 재전송을 요청하는 빈도 혹은 횟수에 따라 오디오 끊김이 발생하는지의 여부를 판단할 수 있다. 일 예로 연속적으로 재전송을 요청한 횟수, 혹은 지정된 시간 내에서 재전송을 요청한 횟수가 지정된 임계값을 초과하는 경우, 마스터 이어버드 장치(201)는 오디오 끊김이 발생하였음을 전자 장치(101)에게 통지할 수 있다. 일 실시예로 전자 장치(101)는 마스터 이어버드 장치(201)로부터 재전송 요청(예를 들어 NACK를 포함하는 응답 메시지)을 수신하는 빈도 혹은 횟수에 따라 오디오 끊김이 발생하는지의 여부를 판단할 수 있다. 일 예로 연속적으로 재전송 요청을 수신한 횟수, 혹은 지정된 시간 내에서 재전송 요청을 수신한 횟수가 지정된 임계값을 초과하는 경우, 전자 장치(101)는 마스터 이어버드 장치(201) 또는 슬레이브 이어버드 장치(202)에서 오디오 끊김이 발생한 것으로 판단할 수 있다.

Referring to <Table 1>, the level of audio interruption in the earbud devices 201 and 202 in a state in which the earbud devices 201 and 202 are connected to the smart watch 203 in an open field such as a playground or a large lawn is measured. If it is checked, it can be seen that the problem of audio interruption occurs relatively little in the earbud device worn in the same direction as the smart watch 203 . In various embodiments, the master earbud device 201 or the electronic device 101 may monitor whether audio interruption occurs in the master earbud device 201 or the slave earbud device 202 . In an embodiment, the master earbud device 201 may determine whether audio interruption occurs based on the buffer amount of the reception buffer. For example, when the amount of the buffer stored in the reception buffer exceeds a specified threshold value, the master earbud device 201 may notify the electronic device 101 that audio interruption has occurred. In an embodiment, the master earbud device 201 detects audio interruption based on at least one of a data rate related to audio data received from the electronic device 101 and a received signal strength indicator (RSSI). It can be determined whether or not In an embodiment, the master earbud device 201 may determine whether audio interruption occurs according to the frequency or number of requests for retransmission of audio data to the electronic device 101 . For example, when the number of consecutive requests for retransmission or the number of requests for retransmission within a specified time exceeds a specified threshold, the master earbud device 201 may notify the electronic device 101 that audio interruption has occurred. have. In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may determine whether audio interruption occurs according to the frequency or number of times it receives a retransmission request (eg, a response message including a NACK) from the master earbud device 201 . have. As an example, when the number of consecutive retransmission requests or the number of times the retransmission requests are received within a specified time exceeds a specified threshold value, the electronic device 101 is the master earbud device 201 or the slave earbud device ( 202), it may be determined that audio interruption has occurred.

In various embodiments, the electronic device 101 connects either the master earbud device 201 or the slave earbud device 202 (for example, the slave earbud device 202) to an external electronic device (for example, a smart watch). (203)), the slave earbud device 202 and the smart watch 203 can be controlled to connect. When the buffer amount exceeding the threshold occurs in the master earbud device 201, the electronic device ( 101 ) may change the connection of the slave earbud device 202 to the smart watch 203 .

In one embodiment, retransmission due to the slave earbud device 202 can be reduced by disconnecting the slave earbud device 202, which plays a major role in generating audio disconnection, from the connection with the electronic device 101, and through this In the master earbud device 201 connected to the electronic device 101 , a buffer occupancy rate due to retransmission data may be reduced. In one embodiment, through the separation of the slave earbud device 202 , it is possible to improve and compensate for audio interruption in the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 .

9 is a view for explaining the connection between the slave earbud device 202 and the smart watch 203 according to various embodiments.

The master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 included in the ear wearable device 200 are connected to the electronic device 101 , and the master earbud device 201 is directly connected to the electronic device 101 . The audio data (eg, including the right audio data and the left audio data) may be received to reproduce the right audio data, and the slave earbud device 202 may receive audio data (eg, the audio data transmitted from the electronic device 101 ). (including right audio data and left audio data) may be obtained through sniffing, and the left audio data may be reproduced. The master earbud device 201 may include a reception buffer (not shown) for buffering audio data received from the electronic device 101 , and as an example, the buffer size of the reception buffer may be 300 bytes. In an embodiment, the reception buffer may store audio data received from the electronic device 101 and before being played back by the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 . In an embodiment, the reception buffer may further store retransmission audio data retransmitted from the electronic device 101 after failing to be received by the master earbud device 201 . In one embodiment, the receive buffer may further store retransmission audio data for the slave earbud device 202 .

Referring to FIG. 9 , the master earbud device 201 may determine whether the buffer amount of the reception buffer exceeds a specified threshold. As an example, the threshold may be set to 90% or 80% of the buffer size of the reception buffer. When the buffer amount of the receive buffer exceeds the threshold, there is a possibility of audio interruption, so the master earbud device 201 sends a change request including the device information of the slave earbud device 202 to the first communication link 905 . may be used to transmit to the electronic device 101 . In an embodiment, the master earbud device 201 may detect an audio interruption using another metric such as a transmission rate or RSSI, and transmit the change request. In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 includes audio data to be transmitted to the master earbud device 201 when the number and/or frequency of retransmission requests received from the master earbud device 201 exceeds a specified threshold, or When the buffer amount of the transmission buffer (for example, the amount of retransmission data) exceeds the specified threshold, or when the RSSI measured for the master earbud device 201 falls below the specified threshold, the earbud device 200 It can be determined that audio interruption occurs in . When audio interruption in the earbud device 200 is detected, the electronic device 101 may transmit a request for device information of the slave earbud device 202 to the master earbud device 201 . In response to the request, the master earbud device 201 may provide device information of the slave earbud device 202 to the electronic device 101 . In one embodiment, the device information may include the Bluetooth device address of the slave earbud device 202 .

In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 detects that the smart watch 203 paired with the electronic device 101 exists, and uses the second communication link 910 to be a device of the slave earbud device 202 . A connection request including information may be transmitted to the smart watch 203 . The connection request may request the smart watch 203 to perform a communication connection (eg, Bluetooth connection) with the slave earbud device 202 . In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may transmit audio data for playback in the slave earbud device 202 to the smart watch 203 using the second communication link 910 . In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 transmits, to the smart watch 203 , sound source information indicating an audio sound source file being reproduced in the slave earbud device 202 by the electronic device 101 to the second communication link 910 . can be transmitted using . In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may transmit a playback request including audio data of the audio sound source file to the smart watch 203 . In an embodiment, the playback request may include synchronization information for determining a playback time of the audio sound source file being played back in the slave earbud device 202 by the electronic device 101 . In an embodiment, the smart watch 203 may identify the same audio sound source file that is previously stored based on the sound source information. In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may transmit the audio sound source file to the smart watch 203 simultaneously with, before, or after the connection request. In an embodiment, the smart watch 203 has the same user account or group account (eg, a family account) for the music streaming service that the electronic device 101 is using, and in response to the connection request, the music streaming It is possible to access the server of the service and download the same audio sound source file that is being reproduced by the slave earbud device 202 .

In an embodiment, the smart watch 203 may establish a third communication link 915 with the slave earbud device 202 based on a request from the electronic device 101 . Alternatively, the slave earbud device 202 may be connected to the smart watch 203 based on a request from the electronic device 101 . In one embodiment, a two-way link based on a Bluetooth connection may be established between the smartwatch 203 and the slave earbud device 202. In one embodiment, the smartwatch 203 is configured for playback on the earbud device 202. Available audio data may be received from the electronic device 101 , and at least a portion of the audio data may be transmitted to the slave earbud device 202 using the third communication link 915 . In an embodiment, the smart watch 203 may transmit the audio data of the audio sound source file to the slave earbud device 202 so as to reproduce the audio sound source file from the reproduction time point identified by the synchronization information. After changing the connection from the electronic device 101 to the smart watch 203 , the slave earbud device 202 may reproduce audio data received from the smart watch 203 .

10 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a procedure for changing the connection of the slave earbud device 202 to the smart watch 203 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 10 , in operation 1000 , the electronic device 101 may establish a Bluetooth (BT) connection with the master earbud device 201 . Here, the master earbud device 201 has already established a Bluetooth connection with the slave earbud device 202 or establishes a Bluetooth connection with the slave earbud device 202 in response to the Bluetooth connection with the electronic device 101 . can In operation 1005 , the electronic device 101 may transmit audio data including right audio data and left audio data to the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 . In an embodiment, the slave earbud device 202 is based on the communication parameters related to the communication connection between the electronic device 101 and the master earbud device 201 provided from the master earbud device 201, the electronic device 101 ) can be obtained through sniffing.

In operation 1010 , the master earbud device 201 detects audio interruption in the slave earbud device 202 , and determines to request the electronic device 101 to connect the slave earbud device 202 to another electronic device. can In one embodiment, the master earbud device 201 decides to request the electronic device 101 to connect the slave earbud device 202 to another electronic device according to various schemes (eg, detection of audio interruption). can In an embodiment, the master earbud device 201 may determine that audio interruption has occurred when the buffer amount indicating the amount of data stored in the reception buffer of the master earbud device 201 exceeds a specified threshold value. In an embodiment, the master earbud device 201 may determine that audio interruption occurs when the amount of retransmission data among data stored in the reception buffer of the master earbud device 201 exceeds a specified threshold value. In one embodiment, the master earbud device 201 is configured to provide audio when the amount of retransmission data for the slave earbud device 202 among the amount of data stored in the reception buffer of the master earbud device 201 exceeds a specified threshold. It can be judged that a break has occurred. In an embodiment, the master earbud device 201 may receive information related to audio disconnection from the slave earbud device 202 . In one embodiment, the master earbud device 201 detects that audio interruption occurs based on at least one of the buffer amount of the reception buffer, the transmission rate, the reception signal strength, or the number of retransmission requests, and the slave earbud device 202 ) may be determined to request the electronic device 101 to connect to another electronic device.

In operation 1015 , the master earbud device 201 may transmit a change request for requesting to connect the slave earbud device 202 to another electronic device to the electronic device 101 . The change request is device information of the slave earbud device 202 , and may include a Bluetooth device address (BT_Addr) of the slave earbud device 202 . In an embodiment, the change request may indicate that an excess of the buffer amount has occurred in the master earbud device 201 . The electronic device 101 may recognize that audio interruption has occurred in at least one of the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 based on the change request. Then, in operation 1020 , the electronic device 101 may transmit at least one status check to the smart watch 203 in order to determine whether an external electronic device, for example, the smart watch 203 exists. The at least one status check includes a connection request to the electronic device 101 , a connection status check request to the electronic device 101 , and/or checking whether the smart watch 203 is worn on the user's body can be sent to When the smart watch 203 is worn on the user's body, the smart watch 203 may transmit a status response corresponding to the at least one status check to the electronic device 101 . When the status response is received from the smart watch 203 in operation 1025 , in operation 1030 , the electronic device 101 provides the smart watch 203 with device information (eg, the device information of the slave earbud device 202 obtained in operation 1015 ). Bluetooth device address). The connection request may request the smart watch 203 to connect to the slave earbud device 202 indicated by the Bluetooth device address.

In operation 1035 , the electronic device 101 may transmit a connection request instructing the slave earbud device 202 to connect with the smart watch 203 based on the status response from the smart watch 203 . In an embodiment, the status response may include at least one status response signal, and each status response signal includes a connection response indicating that a connection to the electronic device 101 is possible, and a connection to the electronic device 101 . It may include an acknowledgment indicating that the state is present and/or an acknowledgment indicating that the smartwatch 203 is worn on the user's body. In an embodiment, the connection request may include a Bluetooth device address of the smart watch 203 . In an embodiment, operation 1035 may be omitted, and the slave earbud device 202 may then be connected to the smart watch 203 in response to the connection attempt in operation 1040 . In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may instruct the slave earbud device 202 to stop sniffing, either directly or through the master earbud device 201 . In operation 1040 , the smart watch 203 transmits a connection request to the slave earbud device 202 based on the Bluetooth device address of the slave earbud device 202 , and in operation 1045 , the slave earbud device 202 connects the connection Connection completion in response to the request may be transmitted to the smart watch 203 . Upon completion of the connection, the slave earbud device 202 may be connected (eg, paired) to the smart watch 203 .

In operation 1050 , the electronic device 101 may transmit the first audio data of the audio sound source file to the master earbud device 201 . In response to the reception of the first audio data in operation 1065a, the master earbud device 201 may reproduce the first audio data of the audio sound source file. In an embodiment, the first audio data may be transmitted together with synchronization information for determining a reproduction time of the first audio data among the audio sound source files.

In operation 1055 , the electronic device 101 may transmit second audio data to the smart watch 203 . The second audio data may be the same audio data as the first audio data, or may be audio data of a different channel from the first audio data. Alternatively, the second audio data may be transmitted together with synchronization information for determining a playback time associated with the first audio data. In an embodiment, the synchronization information may include time information for determining a reproduction time of the second audio data among the audio sound source files. The synchronization information may indicate the same playback timing as the playback timing of the first audio data transmitted to the master earbud device 201 . In an embodiment, the second audio data may include first audio data (eg, at least right audio data) of an audio sound source file. In an embodiment, the second audio data may include second audio data (eg, left audio data) corresponding to the first audio data of the audio sound source file. In an embodiment, the second audio data may include information identifying the same audio sound source file stored in the smart watch 203 and the synchronization information. In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may request the smart watch 203 to play audio together with the transmission of the second audio data.

In an embodiment, in response to a request for reproducing the second audio data from the electronic device 101 , in operation 1060 , the smart watch 203 may transmit the third audio data to the slave earbud device 202 . In an embodiment, the third audio data is third audio data (eg, left audio) synchronized with first audio data (eg, right audio data) transmitted to the master earbud device 201 among the audio sound source files. data) may be included. In an embodiment, the third audio data may be transmitted together with synchronization information for determining a playback time of the third audio data among the audio sound source files. The synchronization information may indicate the same playback timing as the playback timing transmitted to the master earbud device 201 . The playback time may be used to accurately synchronize and reproduce right audio data and left audio data of the audio sound source file in the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 . In operation 1065b, the slave earbud device 202 may reproduce the third audio data at the playback time in response to the reception of the third audio data and the synchronization information.

In one embodiment, as in operations 1065a and 1065b, while the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 are playing the first audio data and the third audio data, respectively, the master earbud device 201 A communication link may be established between the and the slave earbud device 202, and the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 mutually check the playback timing of the audio data being actually played in each device. For this purpose, in operation 1065c, respective synchronization information may be exchanged through the communication link. For example, the master earbud device 201 transmits synchronization information for determining a playback time of audio data being actually played in the master earbud device 201 to the slave earbud device 202, and the slave earbud device ( 202) may reproduce the third audio data at a point in time synchronized according to the synchronization information. For example, the slave earbud device 202 transmits synchronization information for determining the playback time of the audio data actually being played in the slave earbud device 202 to the master earbud device 201, and the master earbud device ( 201) may reproduce the first audio data at a point in time synchronized according to the synchronization information. In an embodiment, each of the synchronization information may be transmitted periodically. In an embodiment, each of the synchronization information may be transmitted according to a request of the counterpart device.

In operation 1070 , the smart watch 203 may recognize that wearing by the user is released, and transmit a signal indicating a non-wearing state to the slave earbud device 202 . In operation 1075 , the slave earbud device 202 may release the connection with the smart watch 203 in response to the signal of the non-wear state. In an embodiment, the smart watch 203 may transmit a signal indicating that the connection with the slave earbud device 202 has been released to the electronic device 101 . In an embodiment, after the connection with the smart watch 203 is released, in operation 1080, the slave earbud device 202 sets the master earbud device 201 based on the communication parameters previously provided from the master earbud device 201. ) and the electronic device 101 may perform sniffing, and may receive audio data (eg, including at least left audio data) sent from the electronic device 101 through the sniffing operation. have. In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may transmit audio data for the slave earbud device 202 in response to receiving a signal indicating that the connection with the slave earbud device 202 has been released from the smart watch 203 . . In an embodiment, during the above operations 1010 to 1085, the electronic device 101 may continuously transmit audio data (eg, including right audio data and left audio data) for the master earbud device 201, , the master earbud device 201 may continuously reproduce the audio data (eg, right audio data).

11 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a procedure for disconnecting the connection between the slave earbud device 202 and the smart watch 203 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 11 , descriptions of operations 1050 , 1055 , 1060 , and 1065 may be the same as those described with reference to FIG. 10 . Here, operation 1065 may include at least operations 1065a and 1065b of FIG. 10 , and may further include operation 1065c according to an embodiment.

The master earbud device 201 is playing back the first audio data received from the electronic device 101 , and the slave earbud device 202 is playing the third audio data received from the smart watch 203 . , the slave earbud device 202 may detect that the communication state with the smart watch 203 is not good.

In operation 1105 , the slave earbud device 202 may transmit a communication state diagnosis signal indicating that the communication state with the smart watch 203 is not good to the master earbud device 201 . In operation 1110 , the master earbud device 201 may transmit a connection release request signal for requesting the electronic device 101 to release the connection between the slave earbud device 202 and the smart watch 203 , and accordingly The device 101 may transmit a connection disconnection request signal to the smart watch 203 to request disconnection from the slave earbud device 202 .

In operation 1115 , the smart watch 203 may release the connection with the slave earbud device 202 . In operation 1120 , the electronic device 101 may continuously transmit audio data including the right audio data and the left audio data, and the slave earbud device 202 disconnects from the smart watch 203 , and then the electronic device Audio data (eg, left audio data) transmitted from 101 to the master earbud device 201 may be acquired and reproduced through sniffing.

12 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a procedure for changing the connection of the slave earbud device 202 to the smart watch 203 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 12 , in operation 1200 , the electronic device 101 may establish a Bluetooth (BT) connection with the master earbud device 201 . In operation 1205, the electronic device 101 may transmit audio data including right audio data and left audio data to the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202, and the slave earbud device 202 Through sniffing, audio data transmitted from the electronic device 101 may be obtained.

In operation 1210 , the slave earbud device 202 may detect that an audio disconnection has occurred, and transmit audio disconnection related information indicating that the audio disconnection has occurred to the master earbud device 201 . In operation 1215 , the master earbud device 201 may transmit a retransmission request for requesting retransmission data for the slave earbud device 202 to the electronic device 101 in response to the reception of the audio disconnection related information. In operation 1220 , the electronic device 101 determines whether the amount of data to be retransmitted to the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 exceeds a specified threshold in response to the retransmission request, and performs the retransmission. When the amount of data exceeds the threshold, it may be decided to connect the slave earbud device 202 to the smart watch 203 . According to the determination, in operation 1225 , the electronic device 101 may transmit a change instruction signal instructing to change the connection of the slave earbud device 202 to the master earbud device 201 .

Thereafter, operations 1015 to 1065 may be performed. Descriptions of operations 1015 to 1065 may be the same as those described with reference to FIG. 10 . Here, operation 1065 includes operations 1065a and 1065b of FIG. 10 , and may further include operation 1065c according to an embodiment.

13 is a view for explaining a receiving buffer of the master earbud device 201 according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 13 , the reception buffer 1300 of the master earbud device 201 may store audio data 1305 received from the electronic device 101 , and the audio data 1305 is stored in the master earbud device ( 201) and second audio data (eg, left audio data) for the slave earbud device 202 (eg, right audio data). The reception buffer 1300 may further manage a buffer area for the retransmission audio data 1310 . In an embodiment, the retransmission audio data 1310 is transmitted from the electronic device 101 in response to a retransmission request (eg, a response message including a NACK) transmitted from the master earbud device 201 to the electronic device 101 . It may be retransmitted, and may include first retransmitted audio data for the master earbud device 201 and second retransmitted audio data for the slave earbud device 202 . According to an embodiment, the retransmission audio data 1310 may refer to at least some audio data indicated as requiring retransmission among the original audio data 1305 .

In one embodiment, the reception buffer 1300 of the master earbud device 201 may be commonly used by the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 . The master earbud device 201 may further manage a buffer area for the second retransmission audio data 1315 for the slave earbud device 202 among the retransmission audio data 1310 . Retransmission audio data 1310 , which may include second retransmission audio data 1315 for slave earbud device 202 , is received before being played on master earbud device 201 and slave earbud device 202 . The buffer 1300 may be occupied, and thus the buffer amount of the reception buffer 1300 may be increased.

Retransmission audio data for the slave earbud device 202 in the reception buffer 1300 of the master earbud device 201 as the slave earbud device 202 is connected to the smart watch 203 according to various embodiments The buffer amount occupied by 1315 can be eliminated.

In one embodiment, the master earbud device 201 compares the buffer amount occupied by the retransmission audio data 1310 among the buffer amounts of the reception buffer 1300 with a specified threshold value, so that the audio in the slave earbud device 202 is It can be determined whether a break occurs. In one embodiment, the master earbud device 201 compares the buffer amount occupied by the retransmission audio data 1315 for the slave earbud device 202 among the buffer amounts of the reception buffer 1300 with a specified threshold value, It may be determined whether audio interruption occurs in the slave earbud device 202 .

14 is a view for explaining synchronization in the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 14 , in operation 1405 , the electronic device 101 may transmit a first audio signal to the master earbud device 201 . The first audio signal, together with the first audio data (eg, at least including the right audio data R), includes time information (eg, (of audio data) playback time, transmission time, or generation time) (t_1) ) may include synchronization information including For example, the synchronization information may be time information for determining a playback time of audio data in the earbuds. In operation 1410 , the electronic device 101 sends a second audio signal including synchronization information indicating the time information (eg, playback time) t_1 to the smart watch 203 connected to the slave earbud device 202 . can transmit In an embodiment, the second audio signal may include second audio data (eg, at least left audio data L) corresponding to the first audio data.

In operation 1415, the smart watch 203 performs time information (eg, the third audio data) of the third audio data together with the third audio data (eg, including at least the left audio data L) obtained from the second audio signal. The third audio signal including synchronization information including the playback time) (t_2) may be transmitted to the slave earbud device 202 . In an embodiment, the time information t_2 may be determined based on the time information t_1. The slave earbud device 202 may reproduce the third audio data from the time information (eg, playback time) t_2 based on the third audio signal.

In an embodiment, the master earbud 201 and/or the slave earbud 202 includes time information (eg, playback time) (t_1) of the first audio data and time information (eg, playback time) of the third audio data. (t_2) can be checked, and audio data of time information (eg, playback time) (t_1) of the first audio data in the master earbud 201 and time information of the third audio data in the slave earbud 202 ( The audio data at the playback time) (t_2) may be output to each speaker within a specified time range. In an embodiment, time information (eg, a playback time) t_1 of the first audio data and time information (eg, a playback time) t_2 of the third audio data may be the same time information.

In an embodiment, the reception of the third audio data for the time information (eg, playback time) (t_2) in the slave earbud device 202 is time information (eg, playback time) (eg, playback time) in the master earbud device 201 ( It may have a delay of t_d compared to the reception of the first audio data for t_1), and synchronization information in the first audio signal transmitted from the electronic device 101 to the master earbud device 201 is the value of the delay t_d. may include In an embodiment, the synchronization information may include the value of the delay t_d instead of information on time information (eg, a reproduction time) (t_1). When the master earbud device 201 starts playing the first audio data received from the electronic device 101 after a delay of the delay t_d, the left audio data reproduced in the slave earbud device 202 is can be synchronized with In an embodiment, the transmission of synchronization information in operations 1410 and 1415 may be omitted.

In one embodiment, after the master earbud device 201 starts playing the first audio data, the time information ( For example, information on the playback time) may be continuously provided to the slave earbud device 202 . In an embodiment, after the slave earbud device 202 starts playing the third audio data, the time information ( For example, information on the playback time) may be continuously provided to the master earbud device 201 .

15 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which the electronic device 101 connects the slayer earbud device 202 to an external electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Here, the external electronic device is a wearable device connected to the electronic device 101 , and may be, for example, a smart watch 203 . At least some of the operations described below may be performed by the processor 120 and the wireless communication module 192 included in the electronic device 101 .

Referring to FIG. 15 , in operation 1500 , the processor 120 may transmit audio data to the paired master earbud device 201 through the wireless communication module 192 . For example, the audio data may include right audio data for the master earbud device 201 and left audio data for the slave earbud device 202 . In an embodiment, the audio data may be transmitted to the slave earbud device 202 paired with the master earbud device 201 by sniffing. The slave earbud device 202 may acquire the audio data (including at least the left audio data) based on the communication parameters provided from the master earbud device 201 .

In operation 1505, the processor 120 may determine whether to connect the slave earbud device 202 to another electronic device. In an embodiment, operation 1505 may include operations 1510 and 1515 .

In operation 1510 , the processor 120 may detect a state related to audio interruption in at least one of the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 . In one embodiment, the processor 120 receives a change request related to the slave earbud device 202 from the master earbud device 201 through the wireless communication module 192, thereby allowing the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbuds. It may be detected that audio interruption has occurred in at least one of the bird devices 202 . In an embodiment, the processor 120 may recognize that the change request indicates that the buffer amount in the reception buffer of the master earbud device 201 exceeds a specified threshold. In one embodiment, the change request may include the device Bluetooth address of the slave earbud device 202 .

In operation 1515 , the processor 120 may determine whether an external electronic device connected to the electronic device 101 , for example, the smart watch 203 is worn on the user's body. In an embodiment, the processor 120 transmits a state confirmation signal for confirming the wearing state to the smart watch 203 through the wireless communication module 192, and indicates that the smart watch 203 is in a state of being worn on the user's body. The indicated status response signal may be received through the wireless communication module 192 . In an embodiment, the processor 120 may transmit at least one status check signal to the smart watch 203 in order to determine whether the smart watch 203 exists. Each of the status check signals is a connection request to the electronic device 101 , a connection status check request to the electronic device 101 , and/or checking whether the smart watch 203 is worn on the user's body It can include requests. The processor 120 determines that the smart watch 203 is connected to the electronic device 101 and/or worn on the user's body by at least one status response signal corresponding to the at least one status check signal. In operation 1520 , the processor 120 maintains the connection between the master earbud device 201 and the electronic device 101 and connects to the slave earbud device 202 externally through the wireless communication module 192 . The electronic device (eg, the smart watch 203 ) may be controlled. In an embodiment, the processor 120 may transmit a connection request signal including the device Bluetooth address of the slave earbud device 203 to an external electronic device (eg, the smart watch 203 ). In an embodiment, the external electronic device (eg, smart watch 203 ) establishes a communication connection (eg, Bluetooth connection) with the slave earbud device 203 based on the device Bluetooth address in response to the connection request signal. can be established When the communication connection between the external electronic device (eg, smart watch 203 ) and the slave earbud device 203 is completed, in response to the connection request signal, the external electronic device (eg, smart watch 203 ) A response signal indicating that the communication connection with the earbud device 203 is completed may be received from the external electronic device (eg, the smart watch 203 ) to the processor 120 .

In operation 1525 , the processor 120 may control the slave earbud device 202 through the wireless communication module 192 to connect with an external electronic device (eg, the smart watch 203 ). In an embodiment, the processor 120 may transmit a connection request signal instructing to connect with an external electronic device (eg, the smart watch 203 ) to the slave earbud device 203 . In an embodiment, the connection request signal may include a Bluetooth device address of an external electronic device (eg, smart watch 203). When the external electronic device (eg, the smart watch 203 ) connects with the slave earbud device 202 in operation 1520 , operation 1525 may be omitted. In an embodiment, the slave earbud device 202 may transmit a response signal indicating that the communication connection (eg, Bluetooth connection) with the external electronic device (eg, the smart watch 203) is completed to the electronic device 101. In addition, the processor 120 may recognize that the communication connection with the external electronic device (eg, the smart watch 203 ) has been completed based on the response signal.

In operation 1530, the processor 120 transmits the first audio data (eg, including right audio data, or including left and right audio data) related to the audio sound source file to the master earbud device 201 to the wireless communication module. While transmitting through 192 , a playback request related to the same audio sound source file that is being transmitted to the master earbud device 201 is transmitted through the wireless communication module 192 to an external electronic device (eg, smart watch 203 ) can be sent to In an embodiment, at least one of the first audio data and the playback request may include synchronization information related to a playback time when playback is started in the slave earbud device 202 . In an embodiment, the playback request may include second audio data (eg, including at least left audio data) corresponding to the first audio data among the audio sound source files. In an embodiment, the external electronic device (eg, the smart watch 203 ) already stores the audio sound source file, and the reproduction request may include information identifying the audio sound source file. In an embodiment, the synchronization information included in the playback request may include time information related to a playback time when playback is started in the slave earbud device 202 . In an embodiment, the synchronization information included in the playback request may indicate a delay value related to a playback delay between the master earbud device 201 and the slave earbud device 202 . In an embodiment, the transmission of audio data (eg, including right audio data and left audio data) from the electronic device 101 to the master earbud device 201 during operations 1510 to 1530 may be continuously maintained. .

16 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which the electronic device 101 determines that audio is cut off in the slayer earbud device 202, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. According to an embodiment, the processor 120 included in the electronic device 101 may perform the operations of FIG. 16 in place of operation 1505 of FIG. 15 .

Referring to FIG. 16 , in operation 1605 , the processor 120 may determine whether the amount of retransmission data stored in the master earbud device 201 exceeds a specified threshold. When the amount of retransmission data exceeds the specified threshold, in operation 1610 , the processor 120 may determine whether retransmission data for the slave earbud device 202 exists among the retransmission data. When there is retransmission data for the slave earbud device 202, in operation 1615, the processor 120 determines that an external electronic device, for example, the smart watch 203 exists, and the smart watch 203 is placed on the user's body. It can be determined whether it is in a worn state. In an embodiment, the processor 120 may further determine whether the smart watch 203 is connected to the electronic device 101 .

When the smart watch 203 is worn on the user's body, in operation 1620 , the processor 120 may determine whether the communication state between the smart watch 203 and the slave earbud device 202 is good. In one embodiment, the processor 120 determines the communication state between the smart watch 203 and the slave earbud device 202 (eg, the strength of the received signal in the slave earbud device 202) between the electronic device 101 and the master. If it is greater than the communication state between the earbud devices 201 (eg, the strength of the received signal from the master earbud device 201), it is determined that the communication state between the smart watch 203 and the slave earbud device 202 is good. can do. In one embodiment, the processor 120 obtains information about the received signal strength from the slave earbud device 202 from the smart watch 203 or the master earbud device 201, and from the master earbud device 201 Information on the received signal strength of the can be obtained from the master earbud device (201).

When the communication state between the smart watch 203 and the slave earbud device 202 is good, the processor 120 may proceed to operation 1520 . On the other hand, when it is determined as 'No' in any one of operations 1605, 1610, 1615, and 1620, the processor 120 may return to operation 1505.

17 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which the electronic device 101 restores the connection of the slayer earbud device 202, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 17 , in operation 1705 , the processor 120 may transmit first audio data (eg, including right and left audio data) to the master earbud device 201 . In operation 1710 , the processor 120 determines that the slayer earbud device 202 is connected to an external electronic device, for example, the smart watch 203 , and receives the third audio data received from the smart watch 203 as the first audio It is determined that the data is being played in synchronization with the data, and in operation 1715 , it may be determined whether the communication state between the smart watch 203 and the slayer earbud device 202 is good. In one embodiment, the processor 120 determines the communication state between the smart watch 203 and the slave earbud device 202 (eg, the strength of the received signal in the slave earbud device 202) between the electronic device 101 and the master. If it is greater than the communication state between the earbud devices 201 (eg, the strength of the received signal from the master earbud device 201), it is determined that the communication state between the smart watch 203 and the slave earbud device 202 is good. can do. In operation 1710, if the slave earbud device 202 is not playing the third audio data through the smart watch 203 or the communication state between the smart watch 203 and the slave earbud device 202 is good, the processor ( 120) may return to operation 1705.

If it is determined in operation 1715 that the communication state between the smart watch 203 and the slayer earbud device 202 is not good, in operation 1720 the processor 120 connects the slayer earbud device 202 and the smart watch 203 It is possible to control the smart watch 203 and/or the slayer earbud device 202 through the wireless communication module 192 to release it. In one embodiment, the processor 120 may transmit a signal instructing the smart watch 203 to disconnect from the slayer earbud device 202 , and the slayer earbud device 202 may communicate with the smart watch 203 . It can detect the disconnection and start sniffing to the master earbud device 201 . After controlling the smart watch 203 through the wireless communication module 192 to release the connection between the slayer earbud device 202 and the smart watch 203 , in operation 1725 , the processor 120 controls the master earbud device 201 ) to continuously transmit the first audio data.

18 is a view for explaining a channel gain in the earbud devices 201 and 202 according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 18 , the ear wearable device 200 may include a master earbud device 201 and a slave earbud device 202 . Here, the master earbud device 201 may be a right earbud or a left earbud, and the slave earbud device 202 may be a left earbud or a right earbud. The master earbud device 201 is connected to the electronic device 101 and receives audio data (eg, including right audio data and left audio data) from the electronic device 101 to reproduce right audio data. have. In an embodiment, prior to device change, the slave earbud device 202 acquires audio data (including, for example, right audio data and left audio data) transmitted from the electronic device 101 through sniffing and Audio data can be played back. The channel gain for the communication link 1815 between the master earbud device 201 and the electronic device 101 is denoted by H _pr , and in the communication link 1810 between the slave earbud device 202 and the electronic device 101 . The channel gain can be expressed as H _pl .

In one embodiment, after device change, the electronic device 101 sends the device of the slave earbud device 202 to the smart watch 203 via the communication link 1805 between the electronic device 101 and the smart watch 203 . A connection request including a Bluetooth address may be transmitted. Based on the connection request, the smart watch 203 may establish a communication link 1820 with the slave earbud device 202 . The channel gain for the communication link may be expressed as H _wl .

After the slave earbud device 202 changes the connection from the electronic device 101 to the smart watch 203, |H _w l| > |H _pl |, the slave earbud device 202 may obtain an additional channel gain. When the channel capacity is C, C=W log (1+S/N). where W is the bandwidth, S is the signal power, and N is the noise power. If the noise N is constant, since the signal power S is proportional to the signal strength that the slave earbud device 202 receives, the slave earbud device 202 is |H _w l| ² - |H _pl | An additional channel gain corresponding to ² can be obtained.

According to various embodiments, one earbud device 202 of a pair of earbud devices 201 and 202 is separated from the electronic device 101 in a communication environment in which audio interruption occurs, and an external electronic device (for example, a smart By connecting to the watch 203 ), there is an effect of improving and compensating for the audio interruption in the earbud devices 201 and 202 . Also, compared to the case of moving the pair of earbud devices 202 and 202 to an external electronic device (eg, the smart watch 203 ) at the same time, the ear worn on the ear in the opposite direction to the direction in which the smart watch 203 is worn. Audio dropouts that may occur in the bud device (eg, the slave earbud device 202 ) can also be improved and compensated for.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a method of operating the electronic device 101 for audio output includes an operation 1305 of transmitting audio data to a master earbud device 201 connected to the electronic device, and the master earbud device and a slave device. An operation (1310) of detecting that audio interruption occurs in at least one of the earbud devices 202, and the slave earbud device and the external device so that the slave earbud device is connected to an external electronic device when the audio interruption is detected Controlling at least one of the electronic devices (1320, 1325), and transmitting the first audio data for the master earbud device to the master earbud device, while the external electronic device connects with the slave earbud device and controlling the external electronic device to transmit second audio data to the slave earbud device ( 1330 ).

In one embodiment, the method may include synchronization information for synchronizing the reproduction of the first audio data in the master earbud device and the reproduction of the second audio data in the slave earbud device through the external electronic device. The method may further include an operation of transmitting to the slave earbud device.

In an embodiment, the synchronization information may include information for determining a playback time of the second audio data in the slave earbud device.

In one embodiment, the method includes synchronization information for synchronizing the reproduction of the first audio data in the master earbud device and the reproduction of the second audio data in the slave earbud device to the master earbud device. It may further include an operation of transmitting.

In an embodiment, the synchronization information may include a delay value indicating a delay between the master earbud device and the slave earbud device.

In an embodiment, the method may further include controlling the master earbud device to reproduce the first audio data with a delay by the delay value in the master earbud device.

In an embodiment, the detecting includes determining that the audio disconnection occurs when a signal indicating that the amount of the buffer stored in the reception buffer of the master earbud device exceeds a specified threshold value is received from the master earbud device It can include actions.

In an embodiment, the detecting includes: receiving, by the master earbud device, information about at least one of a transmission rate or a received signal strength related to audio data received from the electronic device, from the master earbud device, and It may include an operation of determining whether the audio disconnection occurs based on the information.

In an embodiment, the method includes receiving a change request signal indicating that the audio disconnection has occurred from the master earbud device, the change request signal including a Bluetooth device address of the slave earbud device, the The method may further include transmitting a connection request signal including a Bluetooth device address of the slave earbud device to an external electronic device.

In an embodiment, the method includes determining whether the external electronic device is worn on the user's body based on a signal collected from the external electronic device when the audio interruption is detected; The method may further include transmitting a connection request including a Bluetooth device address of the slave earbud device to the external electronic device when worn on the human body.

Claims (20)

In an electronic device,
a wireless communication module;
At least one processor operatively connected to the wireless communication module, wherein the at least one processor comprises:
Transmitting audio data to the master earbud device connected to the electronic device through the wireless communication module,
detecting that audio interruption occurs in at least one of the master earbud device and the slave earbud device;
when detecting the audio disconnection, controlling at least one of the slave earbud device and the external electronic device so that the slave earbud device is connected to an external electronic device;
transmitting first audio data for the master earbud device to the master earbud device through the wireless communication module;
and the external electronic device is configured to control the external electronic device through the wireless communication module to transmit second audio data for the slave earbud device to the slave earbud device. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor comprises:
to transmit synchronization information for synchronizing the reproduction of the first audio data in the master earbud device and the reproduction of the second audio data in the slave earbud device to the slave earbud device through the external electronic device An electronic device comprising: The method of claim 2, wherein the synchronization information,
and time information for determining a reproduction time point of the second audio data in the slave earbud device. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor comprises:
and transmitting synchronization information for synchronizing the reproduction of the first audio data in the master earbud device and the reproduction of the second audio data in the slave earbud device to the master earbud device. electronic device. The method of claim 4, wherein the synchronization information,
and a delay value indicating a delay between the master earbud device and the slave earbud device. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor comprises:
and controlling the master earbud device to reproduce the first audio data with a delay by the delay value in the master earbud device. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor comprises:
When a signal indicating that the amount of the buffer stored in the reception buffer of the master earbud device exceeds a specified threshold value is received from the master earbud device, it is determined that the audio disconnection occurs. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor comprises:
The master earbud device receives information about at least one of a transmission rate or a received signal strength related to audio data received from the electronic device from the master earbud device, and determines whether the audio disconnection occurs based on the received information An electronic device, characterized in that for determining. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor comprises:
receive a change request signal indicating that the audio disconnection has occurred from the master earbud device, the change request signal includes a Bluetooth device address of the slave earbud device,
and transmitting a connection request signal including a Bluetooth device address of the slave earbud device to the external electronic device. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor comprises:
determining whether the external electronic device is worn on the user's body based on a signal collected from the external electronic device when the audio interruption is detected;
and transmitting a connection request including a Bluetooth device address of the slave earbud device to the external electronic device when the external electronic device is worn on the user's body. A method of operating an electronic device for audio output, the method comprising:
transmitting audio data to the master earbud device connected to the electronic device;
detecting that audio interruption occurs in at least one of the master earbud device and the slave earbud device;
controlling at least one of the slave earbud device and the external electronic device so that the slave earbud device is connected to an external electronic device when the audio disconnection is detected;
transmitting first audio data for the master earbud device to the master earbud device;
and controlling, by the external electronic device, the external electronic device to transmit second audio data for the slave earbud device to the slave earbud device. 12. The method of claim 11,
Transmitting synchronization information for synchronizing the reproduction of the first audio data in the master earbud device and the reproduction of the second audio data in the slave earbud device to the slave earbud device through the external electronic device The method of claim 1, further comprising an action. The method of claim 12, wherein the synchronization information,
and time information for determining a playback time point of the second audio data in the slave earbud device. 12. The method of claim 11,
The method further comprising transmitting synchronization information for synchronizing the reproduction of the first audio data in the master earbud device and the reproduction of the second audio data in the slave earbud device to the master earbud device How to characterize. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the synchronization information,
and a delay value indicating a delay between the master earbud device and the slave earbud device. 16. The method of claim 15,
The method further comprising the operation of controlling the master earbud device to reproduce the first audio data with a delay by the delay value in the master earbud device. The method of claim 11, wherein the detecting comprises:
and determining that the audio disconnection occurs when a signal indicating that the amount of the buffer stored in the reception buffer of the master earbud device exceeds a specified threshold is received from the master earbud device. The method of claim 11, wherein the detecting comprises:
The master earbud device receives information about at least one of a transmission rate or a received signal strength related to audio data received from the electronic device from the master earbud device, and determines whether the audio disconnection occurs based on the received information A method comprising the act of determining. 12. The method of claim 11,
receiving a change request signal indicating that the audio disconnection has occurred from the master earbud device, wherein the change request signal includes a Bluetooth device address of the slave earbud device;
The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a connection request signal including a Bluetooth device address of the slave earbud device to the external electronic device. 12. The method of claim 11,
determining whether the external electronic device is worn on the user's body based on a signal collected from the external electronic device when the audio interruption is detected;
and transmitting a connection request including a Bluetooth device address of the slave earbud device to the external electronic device when the external electronic device is worn on the user's body.

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