Intelligent amplifier activation

• US 10,728,681 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2018
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Reilly, Jonathon, Lang, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Paul, Disler
• Application Number:
  US15/882,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20180206050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 381 77, 381 85, 381 79- 81, 381 84, 381120, 381 59, 381104, 381107
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2405 by varying dielectric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• 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 2420/03 Connection circuits to selectively connect loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• 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 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for intelligently activating an amplifier in a playback device based on proximity detection. The playback device may be in a quasi-idle state when the playback device is not rendering media content. The quasi-idle state of the playback device may involve an amplifier in the playback device being inactive, while some other components or modules of the playback devices remain active. The playback device may include a proximity sensor configured to detect movement relative to the playback device. If movement is detected indicating that a user input to cause the playback device to render media content is anticipated, the amplifier may be pre-emptively activated such that the playback device enters an active state from the quasi-idle state. In some cases, the playback device may send a message to one or more other playback devices to cause the other playback devices to enter an active state.

Claims

1. A first playback device of a media playback system, the first playback device comprising:

an amplifier;

a network interface;

one or more processors; and

a housing carrying the amplifier, network interface, one or more processors, and computer-readable memory having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first playback device to perform operations comprising;

while the amplifier of the first playback device is in an inactive state, detecting, via the network interface, an indication that a mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device;

responsive to detecting the indication that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device and before the amplifier receives an analog signal representing particular audio content, causing the amplifier of the first playback device to enter an active state such that the amplifier is configured to produce amplified audio signals, wherein the particular audio content is stored at a network location remote from the first playback device;

while the amplifier is in the active state, receiving an instruction to cause the first playback device to render the particular audio content; and

responsive to receiving the instruction;

(i) streaming, via the network interface, data representing the particular audio content from the network location remote from the first playback device, (ii) processing the data representing the particular audio content into one or more analog signals representing the particular audio content and (iii) rendering the particular audio content via the amplifier amplifying the one or more analog signals.

2. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein detecting the indication that the mobile device is coming into proximity with the first playback device comprises:

detecting, via the network interface, an increase in wireless signal strength of wireless network communication from the mobile device.

3. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the first playback device is connected to a local area network, and wherein detecting the indication that a mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device comprises:

detecting, via the network interface, that the mobile device has connected to the local area network.

4. The first playback device of claim 3, wherein detecting that the mobile device has connected to the local area network comprises:

monitoring, via the network interface, wireless traffic on the local area network; and

detecting, within the wireless traffic on the local area network, wireless communication with the mobile device.

5. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein detecting the indication that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device comprises detecting that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device within a first range of distances, and wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting, via the network interface, an indication that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device within a second range of distances that are different from the first range of distances; and

responsive to detecting the indication that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device within a second range of distances, pre-caching the audio content in data storage of the first playback device.

6. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is configured to control the media playback system via a controller application, and wherein receiving the instruction to cause the first playback device to render audio content comprises:

receiving, via the network interface from the mobile device, an instruction to play back the audio content.

7. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

while the amplifier of the first playback device is the active state, detecting, via the network interface, an indication that the mobile device has left proximity of the first playback device;

if the first playback device is not playing audio content, responsively, causing the amplifier of the first playback device to enter the inactive state; and

if the first playback device is playing audio content, causing the amplifier of the first playback device to remain in the active state.

8. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the first playback device is configured to play back content in synchrony with a second playback device of the media playback system, and wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to detecting the indication that a mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device, sending, via the network interface, a message that causes an amplifier of a second playback device to enter the active state such that the amplifier of the second playback device is configured to produce amplified audio signals, wherein rendering the audio content via the amplifier comprises causing the second playback device to render the particular audio content in synchrony with the first playback device.

9. The first playback device of claim 8, wherein the media playback system includes a first zone that comprises the first playback device and a second zone that comprises the second playback device, and wherein causing the second playback device to render the particular audio content in synchrony with the first playback device comprises causing a zone group that includes the first zone and the second zone to render the particular audio content in synchrony.

10. The first playback device of claim 8, wherein the first playback device and the second playback device are configured as a bonded stereo pair to play back respective channels of the particular audio content, and wherein causing the second playback device to render the particular audio content in synchrony with the first playback device comprises causing the bonded stereo pair to render the particular audio content in synchrony.

11. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a first playback device of a media playback system to perform operations comprising:

while an amplifier of the first playback device is in an inactive state, detecting, via a network interface of the first playback device, an indication that a mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device;

responsive to detecting the indication that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device and before the amplifier receives an analog signal representing particular audio content, causing the amplifier of the first playback device to enter an active state such that the amplifier is configured to produce amplified audio signals, wherein the particular audio content is stored at a network location remote from the first playback device;

while the amplifier is in the active state, receiving an instruction to cause the first playback device to render the particular audio content; and

responsive to receiving the instruction;

(i) streaming, via the network interface, data representing the particular audio content from the network location remote from the first playback device, (ii) processing the data representing the particular audio content into one or more analog signals representing the particular audio content and (iii) rendering the particular audio content via the amplifier amplifying the one or more analog signals.

12. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein detecting the indication that the mobile device is coming into proximity with the first playback device comprises:

detecting, via the network interface, an increase in wireless signal strength of wireless network communication from the mobile device.

13. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the first playback device is connected to a local area network, and wherein detecting the indication that a mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device comprises:

detecting, via the network interface, that the mobile device has connected to the local area network.

14. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein detecting the indication that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device comprises detecting that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device within a first range of distances, and wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting, via the network interface, an indication that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device within a second range of distances that are different from the first range of distances; and

responsive to detecting the indication that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device within a second range of distances, pre-caching the audio content in data storage of the first playback device.

15. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the first playback device is configured to play back content in synchrony with a second playback device of the media playback system, and wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to detecting the indication that a mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device, sending, via the network interface, a message that causes an amplifier of a second playback device to enter the active state such that the amplifier of the second playback device is configured to produce amplified audio signals, wherein rendering the audio content via the amplifier comprises causing the second playback device to render the particular audio content in synchrony with the first playback device.

16. A method to be performed by a first playback device of a media playback system, the method comprising:

while an amplifier of the first playback device is in an inactive state, detecting, via a network interface of the first playback device, an indication that a mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device;

responsive to detecting the indication that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device and before the amplifier receives an analog signal representing particular audio content, causing the amplifier of the first playback device to enter an active state such that the amplifier is configured to produce amplified audio signals, wherein the particular audio content is stored at a network location remote from the first playback device;

while the amplifier is in the active state, receiving an instruction to cause the first playback device to render the particular audio content; and

responsive to receiving the instruction;

(i) streaming, via the network interface, data representing the particular audio content from the network location remote from the first playback device, (ii) processing the data representing the particular audio content into one or more analog signals representing the particular audio content and (iii) rendering the particular audio content via the amplifier amplifying the one or more analog signals.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein detecting the indication that the mobile device is coming into proximity with the first playback device comprises:

detecting, via the network interface, an increase in wireless signal strength of wireless network communication from the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first playback device is connected to a local area network, and wherein detecting the indication that a mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device comprises:

detecting, via the network interface, that the mobile device has connected to the local area network.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein detecting the indication that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device comprises detecting that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device within a first range of distances, and wherein the method further comprises:

detecting, via the network interface, an indication that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device within a second range of distances that are different from the first range of distances; and

responsive to detecting the indication that the mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device within a second range of distances, pre-caching the audio content in data storage of the first playback device.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first playback device is configured to play back content in synchrony with a second playback device of the media playback system, and wherein the method further comprises:

responsive to detecting the indication that a mobile device has entered proximity of the first playback device, sending, via the network interface, a message that causes an amplifier of a second playback device to enter the active state such that the amplifier of the second playback device is configured to produce amplified audio signals, wherein rendering the particular audio content via the amplifier comprises causing the second playback device to render the audio content in synchrony with the first playback device.