Coordination of acoustic sources based on location

• US 10,552,115 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2017
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: B & W Group Ltd (Masimo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: EVA Automation, Inc.
• Inventors: Yu, Gaylord, Stupp, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Thomas H
• Application Number:
  US15/790,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20180167759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 835 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/12 Synchronisation of different clock signals provided by a plurality of clock generators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/02 Speed or phase control by the received code signals, the signals containing no special synchronisation information H04L7/0075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4305 Synchronising client clock from received content stream, e.g. locking decoder clock with encoder clock, extraction of the PCR packets arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter by comparing receiver clock with transmitter clock H04L7/0012; arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter wherein the receiver takes measures against momentary loss of synchronisation H04L7/0083
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• 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 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/307 Frequency adjustment, e.g. tone control H04S7/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/005 compensating for timing error by adjustment in the receiver

Abstract

An audio/video (A/V) hub that calculates an estimated location is described. In particular, the A/V hub may calculate an estimated location of a listener relative to electronic devices (such as electronic devices that include speakers) in an environment that includes the A/V hub and the electronic devices based on: communication with another electronic device; sound measurements in the environment; and/or time-of-flight measurements. Then, the A/V hub may transmit, to the electronic devices, one or more frames that include audio content and playback timing information, which may specify playback times when the electronic devices are to playback the audio content based on the estimated location. Moreover, the playback times of the electronic devices may have a temporal relationship so that the playback of the audio content by the electronic devices is coordinated.

Claims

1. A coordination device, comprising:

one or more nodes configured to communicatively couple to one or more antennas;

an interface circuit communicatively coupled to the one or more nodes, wherein the coordination device is configured to;

receive an instruction provided by a listener to play audio content;

calculate an estimated location of the listener relative to electronic devices in an environment, wherein the estimated location is based at least in part on measurements performed in the environment and information that specifies historical locations of the listener in the environment at different times of day, and wherein the estimated location dynamically tracks the location of the listener; and

transmit, to the one or more nodes, one or more frames that include the audio content and playback timing information for the electronic devices, wherein the playback timing information specifies playback times when the electronic devices are to playback the audio content intended for the listener based on the estimated location,

wherein the playback times of the electronic devices have a temporal relationship so that the playback of the audio content by the electronic devices is coordinated,

wherein the playback times are determined using current time offsets between clocks in the electronic devices and a clock in the coordination device,

wherein the current time offsets are calculated based on receive times at the coordination device and based on the clock in the coordination device and transmit times at the electronic devices and based on the clocks in the electronic devices of frames or packets that are wirelessly communicated between the electronic devices and the coordination device, and

wherein the calculation of a given current time offset is based at least in part on a given difference between a given transmit time and a given receive time for a given frame or packet.

2. The coordination device of claim 1, wherein the estimated location of the listener is calculated based on the communication with another electronic device.

3. The coordination device of claim 1, wherein the coordination device further comprises an acoustic transducer configured to perform sound measurements in the environment;

and

wherein the estimated location of the listener is calculated based on the sound measurements.

4. The coordination device of claim 1, wherein the interface circuit is further configured to receive, from the one or more nodes, additional sound measurements of the environment associated with other electronic devices;

and

wherein the estimated location of the listener is calculated based on the additional sound measurements.

5. The coordination device of claim 1, wherein the interface circuit is configured to:

perform time-of-flight measurements; and

wherein the estimated location of the listener is calculated based on the time-of-flight measurements.

6. The coordination device of claim 1, wherein the playback times are based on current time offsets between clocks in the electronic devices and a clock in the coordination device.

7. The coordination device of claim 1, wherein the coordination device is configured to calculate additional estimated locations of additional listeners relative to the electronic devices in the environment;

and

wherein the playback times are based on the estimated location and the additional estimated locations.

8. The coordination device of claim 7, wherein the playback times are based on an average of the estimated location and the additional estimated locations.

9. The coordination device of claim 7, wherein the playback times are based on a weighted average of the estimated location and the additional estimated locations.

10. The coordination device of claim 1, wherein the temporal relationship has a non-zero value, so that at least some of the electronic devices are instructed to playback the audio content with a phase relative to each other by using different values of the playback times.

11. The coordination device of claim 10, wherein the different playback times are based on acoustic characterization of the environment.

12. The coordination device of claim 10, wherein the different playback times are based on a desired acoustic characteristic in the environment.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use with a coordination device, the computer-readable storage medium storing a program module that, when executed by the coordination device, causes the coordination device to calculate an estimated location by carrying out one or more operations that comprise:

receiving an instruction provided by a listener to play audio content;

calculating the estimated location of the listener relative to electronic devices in an environment, wherein the estimated location is based at least in part on measurements performed in the environment and information that specifies historical locations of the listener in the environment at different times of day, and wherein the estimated location dynamically tracks the location of the listener; and

transmitting, to one or more nodes in the coordination device that are communicatively coupled to one or more antennas, one or more frames that include the audio content and playback timing information for the electronic devices, wherein the playback timing information specifies playback times when the electronic devices are to playback the audio content intended for the listener based on the estimated location,

wherein the playback times of the electronic devices have a temporal relationship so that the playback of the audio content by the electronic devices is coordinated,

wherein the playback times are determined using current time offsets between clocks in the electronic devices and a clock in the coordination device,

wherein the current time offsets are calculated based on receive times at the coordination device and based on the clock in the coordination device and transmit times at the electronic devices and based on the clocks in the electronic devices of frames or packets that are wirelessly communicated between the electronic devices and the coordination device, and

wherein the calculation of a given current time offset is based at least in part on a given difference between a given transmit time and a given receive time for a given frame or packet.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more operations comprise communicating, to or from the one or more nodes, one or more second frames associated with another electronic device;

and

wherein the estimated location of the listener is calculated based on the one or more second frames.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more operations comprise performing sound measurements in the environment using an acoustic transducer;

and

wherein the estimated location of the listener is calculated based on the sound measurements.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more operations comprise communicating, to or from the one or more nodes, second frames that are associated with other electronic devices in the environment and to receive, from the one or more nodes, additional sound measurements of the environment that are associated with the other electronic devices;

and

wherein the estimated location of the listener is calculated based on the additional sound measurements.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more operations comprise performing time-of-flight measurements;

and

wherein the estimated location of the listener is calculated based on the time-of-flight measurements.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the playback times are based on current time offsets between clocks in the electronic devices and a clock in the coordination device.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more operations comprise calculating additional estimated locations of additional listeners relative to the electronic devices in the environment;

and

wherein the playback times are based on the estimated location and the additional estimated locations.

20. A method for calculating an estimated location, wherein the method comprises:

by a coordination device;

receiving an instruction provided by a listener to play audio content;

calculating the estimated location of the listener relative to electronic devices in an environment, wherein the estimated location is based at least in part on measurements performed in the environment and information that specifies historical locations of the listener in the environment at different times of day, and wherein the estimated location dynamically tracks the location of the listener; and

transmitting, using an interface circuit in the coordination device and to one or more nodes in the coordination device that are communicatively coupled to one or more antennas, one or more frames that include the audio content and playback timing information for the electronic devices, wherein the playback timing information specifies playback times when the electronic devices are to playback the audio content intended for the listener based on the estimated location,

wherein the playback times of the electronic devices have a temporal relationship so that the playback of the audio content by the electronic devices is coordinated,

wherein the playback times are determined using current time offsets between clocks in the electronic devices and a clock in the coordination device,

wherein the current time offsets are calculated based on receive times at the coordination device and based on the clock in the coordination device and transmit times at the electronic devices and based on the clocks in the electronic devices of frames or packets that are wirelessly communicated between the electronic devices and the coordination device, and

wherein the calculation of a given current time offset is based at least in part on a given difference between a given transmit time and a given receive time for a given frame or packet.