Playback device calibration based on representative spectral characteristics

• US 10,402,154 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Hartung, Klaus, Jarvis, Simon, Sheen, Tim, Davies, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant S
• Application Number:
  US15/865,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20180136901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 700 94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/007 Electronic adaptation of audio signals to reverberation of the listening space for PA
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/007 for public address systems public address systems per se H04R27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/305 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic audio signals to reverberation of the listening space H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

A computing device may maintain a database of representative spectral characteristics. The computing device may also receive particular spectral data associated with a particular playback environment corresponding to the particular playback device. Based on the particular spectral data, the computing device may identify one of the representative spectral characteristics from the database that substantially matches the particular spectral data, and then identify, in the database, an audio processing algorithm based on a) the identified representative spectral characteristic and b) at least one characteristic of the particular playback device. The computing device may then transmit, to the particular playback device, data indicating the identified audio processing algorithm.

Claims

1. Tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause a computing device to perform functions comprising:

maintaining a database of representative spectral characteristics;

receiving particular spectral data associated with a particular playback environment corresponding to a particular playback device;

based on the particular spectral data, identifying one of the representative spectral characteristics from the database that substantially matches the particular spectral data;

identifying, in the database, an audio processing algorithm based on a) the identified representative spectral characteristic and b) at least one characteristic of the particular playback device; and

transmitting, to the particular playback device, data indicating the identified audio processing algorithm.

2. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein maintaining the database of representative spectral characteristics comprises:

receiving a plurality of spectral data corresponding to a respective plurality of playback environments; and

determining, based on the plurality of received spectral data, the representative spectral characteristics.

3. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein each recorded audio playback data in the plurality of spectral data comprises a first duration, and wherein the recorded audio playback data from the particular playback device comprises a second duration that is less than the first duration.

4. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the particular spectral data comprises recorded audio playback of media content.

5. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the particular playback device is a first particular playback device, and wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

storing an indication of the identified audio processing algorithm; and

transmitting, to a second particular playback device corresponding to the particular playback environment, data indicating the identified audio processing algorithm.

6. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

causing an indication of the identified audio processing algorithm to be stored at the particular playback device.

7. Tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon

program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a playback device to perform functions comprising:

playing back first audio content in a playback environment;

recording, via a microphone of the playback device, at least a portion of the played back first audio content;

while recording the played back first audio content, transmitting the recorded first audio content to a computing device;

receiving, from the computing device, an indication that no further recorded audio content is required;

based on the indication that no further recorded audio content is required, discontinuing recording the played back first audio content;

receiving, from the computing device, data indicating an audio processing algorithm corresponding to the playback environment; and

applying the audio processing algorithm while playing back second audio content in the playback environment.

8. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein playing back the first audio content comprises playing back a pre-determined calibration tone.

9. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein playing back the first audio content comprises playing back media content.

10. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein transmitting the recorded audio content to the computing device further comprises transmitting, to the computing device, playback device characteristic information corresponding to the playback device.

11. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the playback device to perform functions comprising:

storing an indication of the audio processing algorithm corresponding to the playback environment in memory.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the first audio content and the second audio content are different portions of the same media content.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the audio processing algorithm is a first audio processing algorithm, and wherein the functions further comprise:

at a predetermined duration of time after applying the first audio processing algorithm, playing back third audio content in the playback environment;

recording, via the microphone of the playback device, at least a portion of the played back third audio content;

while recording the played back third audio content, transmitting the recorded third audio content to a computing device;

receiving, from the computing device, an indication that no further recorded audio content is required;

based on the indication that no further recorded audio content is required, discontinuing recording the played back third audio content;

receiving, from the computing device, data indicating a second audio processing algorithm corresponding to the playback environment; and

applying the second audio processing algorithm while playing back fourth audio content in the playback environment.

14. A method comprising:

playing back, by a playback device, first audio content in a playback environment;

recording, via a microphone of the playback device, at least a portion of the played back first audio content;

while recording the played back first audio content, transmitting by the playback device to a computing device, the recorded first audio content;

receiving, by the playback device from the computing device, an indication that no further recorded audio content is required;

based on the indication that no further recorded audio content is required, discontinuing recording the played back first audio content;

receiving, by the playback device from the computing device, data indicating an audio processing algorithm corresponding to the playback environment; and

applying by the playback device, the audio processing algorithm while playing back second audio content in the playback environment.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein playing back by the playback device, the first audio content comprises playing back by the playback device, a pre-determined calibration tone.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein playing back by the playback device, the first audio content comprises playing back by the playback device, media content.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein transmitting by the playback device to the computing device, the recorded audio content, further comprises transmitting, by the playback device to the computing device, playback device characteristic information corresponding to the playback device.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

storing by the playback device, an indication of the audio processing algorithm corresponding to the playback environment in memory.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the first audio content and the second audio content are different portions of the same media content.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the audio processing algorithm is a first audio processing algorithm, further comprising:

at a predetermined duration of time after applying by the playback device, the first audio processing algorithm, playing back by the playback device, third audio content in the playback environment;

recording, via the microphone of the playback device, at least a portion of the played back third audio content;

while recording the played back third audio content, transmitting by the playback device to the computing device, the recorded third audio content;

receiving, by the playback device from the computing device, an indication that no further recorded audio content is required;

based on the indication that no further recorded audio content is required, discontinuing recording the played back third audio content;

receiving, by the playback device from the computing device, data indicating a second audio processing algorithm corresponding to the playback environment; and

applying by the playback device, the second audio processing algorithm while playing back fourth audio content in the playback environment.