Calibration of audio playback devices

• US 10,299,054 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2018
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: McPherson, Patrick, Shih, Shao-Fu, Hartung, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N.
• Application Number:
  US16/056,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20190037328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 287 Days
• Field of Search: 381 56, 381 58, 381 59
• 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 29/007 for public address systems public address systems per se H04R27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone

Abstract

An audio playback device comprises a microphone, a speaker, and a processor. The processor is arranged to output by the speaker first audio content and receive by the microphone an indication of the first audio content. A first acoustic response of a room in which the audio playback device is located is determined based on the received indication of first audio content. A mapping is applied to the first acoustic response to determine a second acoustic response. The second acoustic response is indicative of an approximated acoustic response of the room at a spatial location different from a spatial location of the microphone. The second audio content output by the speaker is adjusted based on the second response.

Claims

1. An audio playback device comprising:

a microphone;

a speaker;

a processor;

data storage storing (i) a state variable representing a current configuration of the audio playback device and (ii) instructions that when executed by the processor cause the audio playback device to perform functions comprising;

outputting, via the speaker, first audio content;

receiving, via the microphone, data representing one or more reflections of the first audio content in a given environment, wherein the audio playback device is located within the given environment at a first spatial location, and wherein the microphone is on or proximate to the audio playback device;

determining a first acoustic response comprising a microphone response representing an acoustic response of the given environment as measured at the first spatial location within the given environment;

based on the first acoustic response and the state variable representing the current configuration of the audio playback device, determining a mapping from the first acoustic response to a corresponding second acoustic response comprising a mapped room response, wherein the second acoustic response approximates an acoustic response of the given environment as measured at a second spatial location, wherein the mapped room response comprises a particular historical room response from a set of historical room responses, and wherein the particular historical room response corresponds to the current configuration of the audio playback device; and

adjusting output of the speaker based on the second acoustic response.

2. The audio playback device of claim 1, wherein the set of historical room responses is a subset of a global set of historical room responses, and wherein each historical room response in the subset of the global set of historical room responses corresponds to the current configuration of the audio playback device.

3. The audio playback device of claim 1, wherein the state variable comprises an orientation state variable indicating a current orientation of the audio playback device, the current orientation of the audio playback device comprising one of (a) a vertical orientation or (b) a horizontal orientation, and wherein the set of historical room responses represent respective room responses produced by one or more additional playback devices in the same orientation as the current orientation of the audio playback device.

4. The audio playback device of claim 3, wherein the audio playback device comprises a sensor configured to detect the current orientation of the audio playback device, and wherein the orientation state variable is updated based on data from the sensor representing the current orientation of the audio playback device.

5. The audio playback device of claim 1, wherein the state variable comprises an positioning state variable indicating a current positioning of the audio playback device, the current positioning of the audio playback device comprising one of multiple pre-set positions, the multiple pre-set positions comprising (a) a shelf, (b) a floor, and (c) a cabinet, and wherein the set of historical room responses represent respective room responses produced by one or more additional playback devices in the same positioning as the current positioning of the audio playback device.

6. The audio playback device of claim 5, wherein the functions further comprising:

receiving, via a network interface from a mobile device, data representing the current positioning of the audio playback device, wherein the current positioning is set via input on a control application on the mobile device.

7. The audio playback device of claim 1, wherein the state variable comprises an synchrony state variable indicating a current synchrony group configuration of the audio playback device, the current synchrony group configuration comprising one of (a) a stereo pair or (b) a surround sound configuration, and wherein the set of historical room responses represent respective room responses produced by one or more additional playback devices in the same synchrony group configuration as the current synchrony group configuration of the audio playback device.

8. The audio playback device of claim 1, wherein determining the mapping from the first acoustic response to the corresponding second acoustic response comprises determining respective distances between the first acoustic response and the set of historical room responses.

9. A method to be performed by an audio playback device comprising a microphone, a speaker, and data storage storing a state variable representing a current configuration of the audio playback device, the method comprising

outputting, via the speaker, first audio content;

receiving, via the microphone, data representing one or more reflections of the first audio content in a given environment, wherein the audio playback device is located within the given environment at a first spatial location, and wherein the microphone is on or proximate to the audio playback device;

determining a first acoustic response comprising a microphone response representing an acoustic response of the given environment as measured at the first spatial location within the given environment;

based on the first acoustic response and the state variable representing the current configuration of the audio playback device, determining a mapping from the first acoustic response to a corresponding second acoustic response comprising a mapped room response, wherein the second acoustic response approximates an acoustic response of the given environment as measured at a second spatial location, wherein the mapped room response comprises a particular historical room response from a set of historical room responses, and wherein the particular historical room response corresponds to the current configuration of the audio playback device; and

adjusting output of the speaker based on the second acoustic response.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the set of historical room responses is a subset of a global set of historical room responses, and wherein each historical room response in the subset of the global set of historical room responses corresponds to the current configuration of the audio playback device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the state variable comprises an orientation state variable indicating a current orientation of the audio playback device, the current orientation of the audio playback device comprising one of (a) a vertical orientation or (b) a horizontal orientation, and wherein the set of historical room responses represent respective room responses produced by one or more additional playback devices in the same orientation as the current orientation of the audio playback device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the audio playback device comprises a sensor configured to detect the current orientation of the audio playback device, and wherein the orientation state variable is updated based on data from the sensor representing the current orientation of the audio playback device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the state variable comprises an positioning state variable indicating a current positioning of the audio playback device, the current positioning of the audio playback device comprising one of multiple pre-set positions, the multiple pre-set positions comprising (a) a shelf, (b) a floor, and (c) a cabinet, and wherein the set of historical room responses represent respective room responses produced by one or more additional playback devices in the same positioning as the current positioning of the audio playback device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, via a network interface from a mobile device, data representing the current positioning of the audio playback device, wherein the current positioning is set via input on a control application on the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the state variable comprises an synchrony state variable indicating a current synchrony group configuration of the audio playback device, the current synchrony group configuration comprising one of (a) a stereo pair or (b) a surround sound configuration, and wherein the set of historical room responses represent respective room responses produced by one or more additional playback devices in the same synchrony group configuration as the current synchrony group configuration of the audio playback device.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the mapping from the first acoustic response to the corresponding second acoustic response comprises determining respective distances between the first acoustic response and the set of historical room responses.

17. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by an audio playback device to cause the audio playback device to perform a method comprising:

outputting, via a speaker of the audio playback device, first audio content;

receiving, via a microphone of the audio playback device, data representing one or more reflections of the first audio content in a given environment, wherein the audio playback device is located within the given environment at a first spatial location, and wherein the microphone is on or proximate to the audio playback device;

determining a first acoustic response comprising a microphone response representing an acoustic response of the given environment as measured at the first spatial location within the given environment;

based on the first acoustic response and a state variable representing a current configuration of the audio playback device, determining a mapping from the first acoustic response to a corresponding second acoustic response comprising a mapped room response, wherein the second acoustic response approximates an acoustic response of the given environment as measured at a second spatial location, wherein the mapped room response comprises a particular historical room response from a set of historical room responses, and wherein the particular historical room response corresponds to the current configuration of the audio playback device; and

adjusting output of the speaker based on the second acoustic response.

18. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the state variable comprises an orientation state variable indicating a current orientation of the audio playback device, the current orientation of the audio playback device comprising one of (a) a vertical orientation or (b) a horizontal orientation, and wherein the set of historical room responses represent respective room responses produced by one or more additional playback devices in the same orientation as the current orientation of the audio playback device.

19. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the audio playback device comprises a sensor configured to detect the current orientation of the audio playback device, and wherein the orientation state variable is updated based on data from the sensor representing the current orientation of the audio playback device.

20. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the state variable comprises an positioning state variable indicating a current positioning of the audio playback device, the current positioning of the audio playback device comprising one of multiple pre-set positions, the multiple pre-set positions comprising (a) a shelf, (b) a floor, and (c) a cabinet, and wherein the set of historical room responses represent respective room responses produced by one or more additional playback devices in the same positioning as the current positioning of the audio playback device.