Calibration error conditions

• US 10,129,679 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2017
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Lehnert, Hilmar, Sheen, Timothy, Wilberding, Dayn
• Primary Examiner(s): Paul, Disler
• Application Number:
  US15/718,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20180020307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 381 56- 59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

Examples described herein involve identifying one or more error conditions during calibration of one or more playback devices in a playback environment. A microphone of a network device may detect and sample an audio signal while the one or more playback devices in the playback environment plays a calibration tone. A processor of the network device may then receive, from the microphone, a stream of audio data. The audio data may include an audio signal component and a background noise component. As a subset of the audio data is received, the processor may identify based on at least the subset of audio data, the one or more error conditions. The processor may then cause a graphical display to display a graphical representation associated with the identified error condition.

Claims

1. Tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to perform functions comprising:

causing a graphical display to display one or more prompts to initiate calibration of at least one playback device within a given environment, wherein calibration of the at least one playback device comprises moving the computing device within a listening environment while the least one playback device emits a calibration sound;

after displaying the one or more prompts to initiate calibration of the at least one playback device within the given environment, receiving, via a microphone, audio data comprising an audio signal component emitted by the at least one playback device;

while receiving the audio data, determining, based on at least a subset of the audio data, that an error condition has occurred, wherein determining that the error condition has occurred comprises;

after a first portion of the audio data has been received, determining that a level of the audio signal component has gradually decreased below a minimum threshold for calibrating the at least one playback device; and

based on determining that the level of the audio signal component has gradually decreased below the minimum threshold level for calibrating the at least one playback device, identifying the error condition as a condition corresponding to the distance between the computing device and the at least one playback device exceeding a threshold movement distance; and

in response to determining that the error condition has occurred, causing the graphical display to display a graphical representation that indicates the error condition corresponding to the distance between the computing device and the at least one playback device exceeding a threshold movement distance during calibration of the at least one playback device.

2. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein identifying the error condition as the condition corresponding to the distance between the computing device and the at least one playback device exceeding a threshold movement distance during calibration of the at least one playback device comprises:

identifying, from among a plurality of pre-determined error conditions, that the condition corresponds to the distance between the computing device and the at least one playback device exceeding a threshold movement distance during calibration of the at least one playback device.

3. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

before receiving the audio data, sending to the at least one playback device, one or more instructions that cause the at least one playback device to play a calibration tone, wherein the audio signal component corresponds to the calibration tone.

4. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 3, wherein the functions further comprise:

responsive to determining that the error condition has occurred, sending to the at least one playback device, one or more instructions that cause the at least one playback device to stop playing the calibration tone.

5. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving from a motion sensor, motion data corresponding to movement of the computing device, wherein identifying the error condition comprises identifying, further based on at least the received motion data, the error condition as the condition corresponding to the distance between the computing device and the at least one playback device exceeding a threshold movement distance during calibration of the at least one playback device.

6. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

determining a background noise component of the received audio data, wherein identifying the error condition comprises identifying, further based on at least the background noise component, the error condition as the condition corresponding to the distance between the computing device and the at least one playback device exceeding a threshold movement distance during calibration of the at least one playback device.

7. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

determining that a rate of variation in the level of the audio signal component, wherein identifying the error condition comprises identifying, further based on at least the rate of variation in the level of the audio signal component, the error condition as the condition corresponding to the distance between the computing device and the at least one playback device exceeding a threshold movement distance during calibration of the at least one playback device.

8. Tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to perform functions comprising:

causing a graphical display to display one or more prompts to initiate calibration of at least one playback device within a given environment, wherein calibration of the at least one playback device comprises moving the computing device within a listening environment while the least one playback device emits a calibration sound;

after displaying the one or more prompts to initiate calibration of the at least one playback device within the given environment, receiving, via a microphone, audio data comprising an audio signal component emitted by the at least one playback device;

while receiving the audio data, determining, based on at least a subset of the audio data, that an error condition has occurred, wherein determining that the error condition has occurred comprises;

after a first portion of the audio data has been received, determining that a background noise component of the audio data exceeds a threshold level for calibrating the at least one playback device; and

based on determining that the background noise component of the audio data exceeds the threshold level for calibrating the at least one playback device, identifying the error condition as a condition corresponding to background noise exceeding the threshold level for calibrating the at least one playback device; and

in response to determining that the error condition has occurred, causing the graphical display to display a graphical representation that indicates the error condition corresponding to background noise exceeding the threshold level for calibrating the at least one playback device during calibration of the at least one playback device.

9. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 8, determining that a background noise component of the audio data exceeds a threshold level for calibrating the at least one playback device comprises:

determining that a sound pressure level of the background noise component exceeds a maximum threshold level for calibrating the at least one playback device.

10. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 8, determining that a background noise component of the audio data exceeds a threshold level for calibrating the at least one playback device comprises:

determining that a ratio between the audio signal component and the background noise component is below a minimum threshold for calibrating the at least one playback device.

11. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein identifying the error condition as the condition corresponding to background noise exceeding the threshold level for calibrating the at least one playback device during calibration of the at least one playback device comprises:

identifying, from among a plurality of pre-determined error conditions, the condition corresponding to background noise exceeding the threshold level for calibrating the at least one playback device during calibration of the at least one playback device.

12. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the functions further comprise:

before receiving the audio data, sending to the at least one playback device, one or more instructions that cause the at least one playback device to play a calibration tone, wherein the audio signal component corresponds to the calibration tone.

13. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the functions further comprise:

responsive to determining that the error condition has occurred, sending to the at least one playback device, one or more instructions that cause the at least one playback device to stop playing the calibration tone.

14. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the functions further comprise:

determining that a rate of variation in the level of the audio signal component, wherein identifying the error condition comprises identifying, further based on at least the rate of variation in the level of the audio signal component, the error condition as the condition corresponding to background noise exceeding the threshold level for calibrating the at least one playback device.

15. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving from a motion sensor, motion data corresponding to movement of the computing device, wherein identifying the error condition comprises identifying, further based on at least the received motion data, the error condition as the condition corresponding to background noise exceeding the threshold level for calibrating the at least one playback device.

16. Tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to perform functions comprising:

causing a graphical display to display one or more prompts to initiate calibration of at least one playback device within a given environment;

after displaying the one or more prompts to initiate calibration of the at least one playback device within the given environment, receiving, via a microphone, audio data comprising an audio signal component emitted by the at least one playback device;

while receiving the audio data, determining, based on at least a subset of the audio data, that an error condition has occurred, wherein determining that the error condition has occurred comprises;

determining that a difference between the audio signal component and a reference signal exceeds a threshold; and

based on determining that the difference between the audio signal component and the reference signal exceeds a threshold, identifying the error condition as a condition corresponding to an obstructed microphone during calibration of the at least one playback device; and

in response to determining that the error condition has occurred, causing the graphical display to display a graphical representation that indicates the error condition as the condition corresponding to an obstructed microphone during calibration of the at least one playback device.

17. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein identifying the error condition as the condition corresponding to an obstructed microphone during calibration of the at least one playback device comprises:

identifying, from among a plurality of pre-determined error conditions, the condition corresponding to an obstructed microphone during calibration of the at least one playback device.

18. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the functions further comprise:

before receiving the audio data, sending to the at least one playback device, one or more instructions that cause the at least one playback device to play a calibration tone, wherein the audio signal component corresponds to the calibration tone.

19. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the functions further comprise:

convolving the calibration tone with an acoustic characteristic of the microphone to generate the reference signal.

20. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the functions further comprise:

responsive to determining that the error condition has occurred, sending to the at least one playback device, one or more instructions that cause the at least one playback device to stop playing the calibration tone.