Signal limit based on measured radiator excursion

• US 10,327,061 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2018
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Doy, Tony
• Primary Examiner(s): Etesam, Amir H
• Application Number:
  US15/972,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20180324521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/2834 for loudspeaker transducers
• 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 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/007 Protection circuits for transducers

Abstract

Example techniques may involve controlling a passive radiator. An implementation may include a device playing back an input signal representing audio content via one or more active speakers. The device measures excursion of the passive radiator when the input signal is played back via the one or more active speakers. The device limits excursion of the passive radiator to less than an excursion limit when certain input causes the passive radiator to move beyond the excursion limit.

Claims

1. A playback device comprising:

a network interface;

an audio stage comprising one or more amplifiers;

a speaker driver;

one or more processors; and

a housing, the housing carrying at least the network interface, the audio stage, the speaker driver, the one or more processors and data storage having stored therein instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the playback device to perform operations comprising;

receiving, via the network interface, audio content;

generating an audio signal representing the audio content, wherein generating the audio signal comprises modifying portions of the audio content to limit excursion of the speaker driver to less than an excursion limit when a forward prediction model indicates that the portions of the audio content are predicted to cause the speaker driver to move beyond the excursion limit;

while playing back the generated audio signal via the audio stage, measuring excursion of the speaker driver;

generating a feedback signal based on the measured excursion; and

adjusting the forward prediction model based on the generated feedback signal.

2. The playback device of claim 1, wherein generating the feedback signal based on the measured excursion comprises generating a particular feedback signal representing differences between the measured excursion and excursion predicted by the forward prediction model.

3. The playback device of claim 2, wherein adjusting the forward prediction model comprises offsetting differences between the measured excursion and excursion predicted by the forward prediction model.

4. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the speaker driver is driven by the one or more amplifiers during playback.

5. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the speaker driver is a woofer configured to reproduce a bass frequency range of the audio content, and wherein the playback device further comprises one or more additional active speakers configured to reproduce a full-range of the audio content.

6. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the speaker driver is a passive radiator, and wherein the playback device further comprises one or more active speakers that are driven by the one or more amplifiers during playback.

7. The playback device of claim 6, wherein the housing is a sealed enclosure, and wherein the one or more active speakers and the passive radiator are mounted in the sealed enclosure.

8. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a playback device to perform a method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface, audio content, wherein the network interface is carried in a housing of the playback device;

generating an audio signal representing the audio content, wherein generating the audio signal comprises modifying portions of the audio content to limit excursion of a speaker driver to less than an excursion limit when a forward prediction model indicates that the portions of the audio content are predicted to cause the speaker driver to move beyond the excursion limit, wherein the speaker driver is carried by the housing;

while playing back the generated audio signal via an audio stage comprising one or more amplifiers, measuring excursion of the speaker driver, wherein the audio stage is carried by the housing;

generating a feedback signal based on the measured excursion; and

adjusting the forward prediction model based on the generated feedback signal.

9. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein generating the feedback signal based on the measured excursion comprises generating a particular feedback signal representing differences between the measured excursion and excursion predicted by the forward prediction model.

10. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein adjusting the forward prediction model comprises offsetting differences between the measured excursion and excursion predicted by the forward prediction model.

11. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the speaker driver is driven by the one or more amplifiers during playback.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the speaker driver is a woofer configured to reproduce a bass frequency range of the audio content, and wherein the playback device further comprises one or more additional active speakers configured to reproduce a full-range of the audio content.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the speaker driver is a passive radiator, and wherein the playback device further comprises one or more active speakers that are driven by the one or more amplifiers during playback.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the housing is a sealed enclosure, and wherein the one or more active speakers and the passive radiator are mounted in the sealed enclosure.

15. A method to be performed by a playback device comprising a housing carrying at least a network interface, an audio stage comprising one or more amplifiers, and a speaker driver, the method comprising:

receiving, via the network interface, audio content;

generating an audio signal representing the audio content, wherein generating the audio signal comprises modifying portions of the audio content to limit excursion of the speaker driver to less than an excursion limit when a forward prediction model indicates that the portions of the audio content are predicted to cause the speaker driver to move beyond the excursion limit;

while playing back the generated audio signal via the audio stage, measuring excursion of the speaker driver;

generating a feedback signal based on the measured excursion; and

adjusting the forward prediction model based on the generated feedback signal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein generating the feedback signal based on the measured excursion comprises generating a particular feedback signal representing differences between the measured excursion and excursion predicted by the forward prediction model.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein adjusting the forward prediction model comprises offsetting differences between the measured excursion and excursion predicted by the forward prediction model.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the speaker driver is driven by the one or more amplifiers during playback.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the speaker driver is a woofer configured to reproduce a bass frequency range of the audio content, and wherein the playback device further comprises one or more additional active speakers configured to reproduce a full-range of the audio content.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the speaker driver is a passive radiator, and wherein the playback device further comprises one or more active speakers that are driven by the one or more amplifiers during playback.