I-United States Patent ne-Trademark Office ishicilele ngoLwesine olwedlule isicelo se-Apple sokubhaliswa kwelungelo lobunikazi "lesipikha sehedfoni esinomsindo nohlelo lwe-hybrid audio" oluzonikeza ama-AirPods esizayo uhlelo lokukhansela umsindo oluthuthukile ayihlukile kakhulu kuma-headphone we-Bose, kepha nge-twist encane engawahlukanisa ngokusobala.
Isiphakamiso esenziwe yi-Apple sincike ekuphathweni nasekukhanselweni komsindo ozungeze idivayisi, kubhekiswa kuwo kugunya lobunikazi njengesango elilalelwayo elizovumela imisindo yendawo ezungezile ukwamukelwa noma ukulahlwa, njengoba kuchaziwe AppleInsider. Ama-headphone wokufaka uphawu ezindlebeni ezijwayelekile, imibhobho yokusetshenziswa kwamandla aphezulu nokucutshungulwa komsindo kwidijithali asetshenziselwa ukunciphisa umsindo ongadingeki ngokwakha umsindo wesibili owenzelwe ngqo ukukhansela owokuqala. Lapho ufuna ukuzwa ukuthi kwenzekani endaweni yakho, dlula kuzinhlelo hlanganisa umsindo wangaphandle othathwe yimakrofoni kwisiginali kusiginali yomsindo. Ukushicilelwa kuveza ukuthi le ndlela inezinkinga zayo, ngoba ukuvalwa komsele wendlebe kuholela ekukhuliseni imisindo ye-echo, njengaleyo yezwi lomsebenzisi noma eminye imisindo efana naleyo edalwe ukuhamba komzimba. Lokhu kwaziwa ngokuthi yimiphumela yokuvaleka noma yokuhlukanisa.
Ukusungulwa kwe-Apple kunga vumela ama-AirPod avaliwe ngokuphelele esizayo ukuthi anciphise umsindo nemisindo engadingeki, kepha ngaphandle komphumela wokuvaleka ochazwe ngenhla. Ukufakwa komkhiqizo okulindile kukhuluma ngokusetshenziswa kwe-valve ye-acoustic noma i-flap, engaqala ukusuka ekuvulekeni kuze kuvalwe futhi okuphambene nalokho, njengoba kudingwa yimoto encane ebhodini ukuvumela ukungena kwemisindo noma cha.
Imiphumela yokuvaleka kungagwenywa kakhulu umoya omncane owenziwe yi-valve (esiqwini selinye lamapayipi, ngokwesibonelo) ngesikhathi sokuxoxa ngocingo. Ngenye indlela, i-valve ingavalwa lapho umsebenzisi elalele umculo, ngaleyo ndlela kuhlukaniswe okuqukethwe komsindo okukhishwa ngamahedfoni ngomsindo okhona ngaphandle.
Kunoma ikuphi, i-valve ebonakalayo isebenza kangcono kunokucubungula umsindo wedijithali njalo. Ukufakwa kwe-valve kungenziwa kube okuzenzakalelayo ngokuhumusha idatha evela kuzinzwa ezihlanganisiwe ze-AirPods. Isibonelo, imakrofoni yezwi nama-accelerometer angathola lapho umsebenzisi ekhuluma kumahedfoni, ngaleyo ndlela kubangele ukuthi i-valve isebenze. Ezinye izinto ezingaqala ukusebenza kwe-valve zizoqala kusuka kusisekelo sezimpawu zomsindo eziqoqwe yidivayisi futhi ezizoqala kusuka endaweni yomsebenzisi.
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, uma izinzwa ezinyakazayo zakhiwe kuma-AirPods thola ukuthi okwenziwayo kungumsebenzi womzimba, Uhlelo luka-Apple belungavula i-valve ukuze umsebenzisi uqaphela kakhulu imisindo yemvelo yabonjengemoto noma enye imoto ukwandisa ukuphepha kwakho.
Ngaphezu komoya ongenawo umoya, i-Apple iphinde ichaze nohlelo lokwengeza umsindo olusebenza ngendlela efanayo kubuchwepheshe obukhona bokukhetha imisindo. Yenziwa isebenze kuphela lapho ivalvu yehedfoni ivuliwe. Ngakho-ke, uhlelo lokukhulisa umsindo izolanda umsindo kumakrofoni yangaphandle, ibizolungisa imvamisa yayo futhi iyilethe iye yanda kumsebenzisi. Inhloso ukukhiqiza kabusha umsindo we-ambient kumsebenzisi njengokungathi abafakanga ama-headphone.
Uhlelo lungahle lilinganise ingcindezi ekhona ngesikhathi sokusuka kwezindiza nokwehla kokwehla, ngu ukulawulwa kwengcindezi emseleni wezindlebe indlebe yomsebenzisi. Ukusungulwa kwe-Apple kwethulwe okokuqala ngoJanuwari 2016, ngenxa yomsebenzi wonjiniyela uScott C. Grinker, umqambi wayo.