Playback device calibration

• US 10,701,501 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2018
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheen, Timothy W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamid, Ammar T
• Application Number:
  US16/213,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20190116439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: 381 56, 381 58, 381 59, 369 2
• 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 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: H04R 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

Examples described herein involve calibrating one or more playback devices. An example implementation involves a mobile device receiving data representing an audio signal recorded via a microphone at multiple locations between a first physical location and a second physical location within a given environment while one or more playback devices played back calibration audio within the given environment. Based on the received data representing the audio signal, the mobile device determines acoustic characteristics of the given environment. Based on the determined acoustic characteristics of the given environment, the mobile device determines one or more audio processing algorithms to adjust audio output of the one or more playback devices in the given environment to have a pre-determined audio characteristic and causes, via a network interface, the one or more playback devices to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content.

Claims

1. A method to be performed by a system, the method comprising:

receiving data representing an audio signal recorded via a microphone of a mobile device at multiple locations between a first physical location and a second physical location within a given environment while one or more playback devices played back calibration audio within the given environment;

based on the received data representing the audio signal, determining acoustic characteristics of the given environment;

based on the determined acoustic characteristics of the given environment, determining one or more audio processing algorithms to adjust audio output of the one or more playback devices in the given environment to have a pre-determined audio characteristic, wherein the pre-determined audio characteristic is representative of particular audio playback qualities; and

causing, via a network interface, the one or more playback devices to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the system comprises one or more servers of a computing system, and wherein receiving the data representing the audio signal comprises the one or more servers receiving, via the network interface from the mobile device, the data representing the audio signal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein causing the one or more playback devices to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content comprises sending, via the network interface to at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices, one or more instructions to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein causing the one or more playback devices to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content comprises sending, via the network interface to the mobile device, data representing the determined one or more audio processing algorithms, wherein the mobile device sends, to at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices, one or more instructions to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the data representing the audio signal comprises:

while the one or more playback devices are playing back the calibration audio, the one or more servers receiving, via the network interface from the mobile device, the data representing the audio signal after the one or more playback devices play back the audio signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the system comprises the mobile device, and wherein receiving the data representing the audio signal comprises:

while the one or more playback devices are playing back the calibration audio, the mobile device receiving, via the microphone, the data representing the audio signal, and wherein causing the one or more playback devices to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content comprises sending, via the network interface to at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices, one or more instructions to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined audio characteristic comprises a pre-determined frequency response that varies according to frequency.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more playback devices comprise multiple playback devices configured into a bonded zone to play respective channels of audio content, and wherein determining the one or more audio processing algorithms to adjust audio output of the one or more playback devices in the given environment to have the pre-determined audio characteristic comprises determining respective audio processing algorithms for the multiple playback devices.

9. A system configured to perform functions, the functions comprising:

receiving data representing an audio signal recorded via a microphone of a mobile device at multiple locations between a first physical location and a second physical location within a given environment while one or more playback devices played back calibration audio within the given environment;

based on the received data representing the audio signal, determining acoustic characteristics of the given environment;

based on the determined acoustic characteristics of the given environment, determining one or more audio processing algorithms to adjust audio output of the one or more playback devices in the given environment to have a pre-determined audio characteristic, wherein the pre-determined audio characteristic is representative of particular audio playback qualities; and

causing, via a network interface, the one or more playback devices to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the system comprises one or more servers of a computing system, and wherein receiving the data representing the audio signal comprises the one or more servers receiving, via the network interface from the mobile device, the data representing the audio signal.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein causing the one or more playback devices to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content comprises sending, via the network interface to at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices, one or more instructions to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein causing the one or more playback devices to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content comprises sending, via the network interface to the mobile device, data representing the determined one or more audio processing algorithms, wherein the mobile device sends, to at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices, one or more instructions to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein receiving the data representing the audio signal comprises:

while the one or more playback devices are playing back the calibration audio, the one or more servers receiving, via the network interface from the mobile device, the data representing the audio signal after the one or more playback devices play back the audio signal.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the system comprises the mobile device, and wherein receiving the data representing the audio signal comprises:

while the one or more playback devices are playing back the calibration audio, the mobile device receiving, via the microphone, the data representing the audio signal, and wherein causing the one or more playback devices to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content comprises sending, via the network interface to at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices, one or more instructions to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the pre-determined audio characteristic comprises a pre-determined frequency response that varies according to frequency.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more playback devices comprise multiple playback devices configured into a bonded zone to play respective channels of audio content, and wherein determining the one or more audio processing algorithms to adjust audio output of the one or more playback devices in the given environment to have the pre-determined audio characteristic comprises determining respective audio processing algorithms for the multiple playback devices.

17. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a system to perform a method comprising:

receiving data representing an audio signal recorded via a microphone of a mobile device at multiple locations between a first physical location and a second physical location within a given environment while one or more playback devices played back calibration audio within the given environment;

based on the received data representing the audio signal, determining acoustic characteristics of the given environment;

based on the determined acoustic characteristics of the given environment, determining one or more audio processing algorithms to adjust audio output of the one or more playback devices in the given environment to have a pre-determined audio characteristic, wherein the pre-determined audio characteristic is representative of particular audio playback qualities; and

causing, via a network interface, the one or more playback devices to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the system comprises one or more servers of a computing system, and wherein receiving the data representing the audio signal comprises the one or more servers receiving, via the network interface from the mobile device, the data representing the audio signal.

19. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein causing the one or more playback devices to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content comprises sending, via the network interface to the mobile device, data representing the determined one or more audio processing algorithms, wherein the mobile device sends, to at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices, one or more instructions to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content.

20. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the system comprises the mobile device, and wherein receiving the data representing the audio signal comprises:

while the one or more playback devices are playing back the calibration audio, the mobile device receiving, via the microphone, the data representing the audio signal, and wherein causing the one or more playback devices to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content comprises sending, via the network interface to at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices, one or more instructions to apply the determined one or more audio processing algorithms to playback of audio content.