US-12621734-B2 - Speaker selection in calling and conferencing

US12621734B2US 12621734 B2US12621734 B2US 12621734B2US-12621734-B2

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for managing audio device handover in a communication system. The decision whether to handover a call from one acoustic assembly to a candidate handover acoustic assembly during the call is based, at least in part, on a determined power ratio associated with the candidate handover acoustic assembly. In this manner, the handover is based on a corresponding likelihood that a user on the call has moved into an acoustic proximity to the candidate handover acoustic assembly rather than simply being based on a physical distance of a user relative to the candidate handover acoustic assembly or signal strength between the user's device and the candidate handover acoustic assembly.

Inventors

Amer Aref Hassan
Philip Ibo Ibrahima Drammeh

Assignees

MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20231205

Claims (20)

1 . A method for managing audio device handover in a communication system, the method comprising: during a call between a remote device and a first acoustic assembly, calculating a power ratio associated with a second acoustic assembly for determining whether to handover the call from the first acoustic assembly to the second acoustic assembly; the power ratio being calculated by (i) identifying a generated current that is generated at the second acoustic assembly by ambient sound modulating an audio transceiver at the second acoustic assembly, and (ii) dividing the generated current by a required current associated with modulating a speaker at the second acoustic assembly to render the call at the second acoustic assembly; comparing the calculated power ratio with a predetermined system threshold; and based on the comparison, deciding whether to handover the audio communication from the first acoustic assembly to the second acoustic assembly.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first acoustic assembly is a first device paired with a mobile phone receiving the call from the remote device and the second acoustic assembly is a second device paired with the mobile phone.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first acoustic assembly is a mobile phone receiving the call from the remote device and the second acoustic assembly is a device paired with the mobile phone.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising prompting a user to select whether to handover the call from the first acoustic assembly to the second acoustic assembly when the power ratio is within a predetermined range between two thresholds.
5 . A method implemented by a computing system managing a handover of a call from a first state in which the call occurs between a remote device and a first device to second state in which the call occurs between the remote device and an acoustic assembly paired with the first device, the method comprising: identifying an available acoustic assembly that is paired with the first device and that is within a proximity threshold to accept a handoff of the call from the first device to render audio output at the available acoustic assembly that is transmitted from the remote device to the first device during the call; prior to handing off the call from the first device to the available acoustic assembly, detecting a power ratio of (i) power associated with ambient noise modulating electric current at the available acoustic assembly and (ii) power associated with current for modulating the acoustic assembly to render audio output corresponding to audio data transmitted from the remote device; refraining from handing off the call from the first device to the available acoustic assembly until it is determined that the power ratio is above a particular handoff threshold; and handing off the call from the first device to the available acoustic assembly in response to determining that the power ratio is above the particular handoff threshold and by at least causing the audio data transmitted to the first device from the remote device to be routed from the first device to the available acoustic assembly.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the method further includes: determining whether the power ratio is above a notification threshold and below the particular handoff threshold; and upon determining the power ratio is above the notification threshold and below the particular handoff threshold, providing a user a query prompt about whether the call should be handed off from the first device to the available acoustic assembly.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the method further includes handing the call off from the first device to the available acoustic assembly in response to receiving a user input responsive to the query prompt.
8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the first device is a mobile phone and the available acoustic assembly is a speaker.
9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the particular handoff threshold is an adjustable threshold.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the method further includes receiving input from the user for adjusting the threshold.
11 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the detecting the power ratio further comprises detecting a change in the power ratio over a predetermined time.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein handing off the call from the first device to the available acoustic assembly only occurs upon determining the change in the power ratio over the predetermined time comprises an increase in the power ratio of at least a predetermined percentage.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined time comprises a period of less than a minute.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the change in the power ratio over the predetermined time comprises an increase in the power ratio of at least 5%.
15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the change in the power ratio over the predetermined time comprises an increase in the power ratio of at least 10%.
16 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the method further includes: determining whether the power ratio has been calculated to be above a first threshold and below the particular handoff threshold for a predetermined duration of time; and upon determining the power ratio has been calculated to be above a first threshold and below the particular handoff threshold for the predetermined duration of time, providing a user a query prompt about whether the call should be handed off from the first device to the available acoustic assembly.
17 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the method further includes refraining from handing off the call from the first device to the available acoustic assembly until it is determined that the power ratio has remained above the particular handoff threshold for a predetermined duration of time.
18 . A system for managing audio device handover in a communication system, the system comprising: one or more processors; and one or more hardware storage devices having stored computer-executable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors for causing the system to perform the following: receive a signal from a first audio device and a second audio device; calculate a power ratio based on the received signals, wherein the power ratio is a current being modulated by audio at the second audio device divided by a current associated with modulating audio at the second audio device; compare the calculated power ratio with a predetermined system threshold; and based on the comparison, determine when to handover the audio communication from the first audio device to the second audio device.
19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the first audio device is a mobile phone and the second audio device is a speaker.
20 . The system of claim 18 , further comprising: prior to handing over the audio communication to the second audio device, prompting the user to confirm that the handover should occur and wherein the system prompts a user to confirm that the handover should occur upon determining that the calculated power ratio is at least as great as the predetermined system threshold.

Description

BACKGROUND In modern communication systems, audio devices such as mobile phones, headsets, car audio systems, and desk speakers are often used interchangeably during a single call or audio session. This is facilitated by technologies such as Bluetooth, which allow these devices to be paired and communicate with each other wirelessly. The ability to switch or handover the audio communication from one device to another can provide flexibility and convenience to the user. For instance, a user may start a call on their mobile phone, then switch to a headset for hands-free operation, and later transfer the call to a speaker when they reach their office. This process of transferring audio communication from one device to another is commonly referred to as ‘handover’. The decision to handover the audio communication is typically based on various factors such as the proximity of the devices, the strength of the wireless connection, and user preferences. In many systems, the handover process is automated, with the system managing the call or the user's handheld device deciding when and where to handover based on these factors. One common method for determining when to handover is based on the signal strength or proximity of the devices. For example, when a user's mobile phone comes within range of a paired speaker, the system may automatically handover the audio communication from the phone to the speaker. This is often done without any input from the user, and the handover can occur even if the user is in the middle of a call. Another factor that can influence the handover decision is the audio quality or power ratio of the devices. The power ratio is a measure of the audio power being output by the device (e.g., the speaker) compared to the audio power being input to the device (e.g., the microphone). This ratio can provide an indication of the audio quality and can be used to decide whether to handover the audio communication to a different device. While these methods can provide a degree of automation and convenience, they also have limitations and can sometimes lead to undesirable handovers. For example, a handover may occur unexpectedly during a call, causing a disruption in the audio communication, such as when a user is conducting a call through their car audio system and they approach their house or office. When they get close enough, the call may automatically be handed over to the home/office speaker, effectively cutting the user off from the call while they remain in their car. It may also take several seconds before the user realizes they have been cut from the call. By that time, the flow of the conversation has been broken. Then, the user may need to reconnect to their desired speaker and extend the call to catch up on what was missed. The processes and time required to do this can degrade the user experience and also represent wasted computing resources. In view of at least the foregoing, it should be apparent that there exists an ongoing need and desire for improved systems and methods for facilitating and managing speaker selection during calls and conferencing. SUMMARY The techniques described herein relate to computer-implemented methods and corresponding systems for facilitating and managing speaker selection during calls and conferencing. The disclosed embodiments include systems and methods for managing audio device handover in a communication system during call sessions and conferencing. The decision whether to handover a call from one acoustic assembly to a candidate handover acoustic assembly during the call session/conference is based, at least in part, on a determined power ratio associated with the candidate handover acoustic assembly. In this manner, the handover is based on a corresponding likelihood that a user has moved into an acoustic proximity to the candidate handover acoustic assembly during the call rather than simply being based on a physical distance of a user relative to the candidate handover acoustic assembly or signal strength between the user's device and the candidate handover acoustic assembly. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method for managing audio device handover in a communication system, wherein the method includes: during a call between a remote device and a first acoustic assembly, calculating a power ratio associated with a second acoustic assembly for determining whether to handover the call from the first acoustic assembly to the second acoustic assembly; the power ratio being calculated by (i) identifying a generated current that is generated at the second acoustic assembly by ambient sound modulating an audio transceiver at the second acoustic assembly, and (ii) dividing the generated current by a required current associated with modulating a speaker at the second acoustic assembly to render the call at the second acoustic assembly; comparing the calculated power ratio with a predetermined system threshold; and based on the com