PROVIDING A MULTI-CHANNEL AND A MULTI-ZONE AUDIO ENVIRONMENT

• US 20140093085A1
• Filed: 10/01/2012
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Vega, Luis, Jarvis, Simon, Lehnert, Hilmar, Ramos, Aurelio Rafael
• Granted Patent: US 9,516,440 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/17
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/24 for communication between two or more posts wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/062 Synchronisation of signals having the same nominal but fluctuating bit rates, e.g. using buffers pulse-stuffing H04J3/07; asynchronous-synchronous conversion H04L5/24; speed conversion H04L25/05; speed conversion in computers G06F5/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0638 Clock or time synchronisation among nodes; Internode synchronisation synchronization for ring networks H04L12/422; data switching networks with synchronous transmission H04L12/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0664 unidirectional timestamps
• 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 2420/07 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 29/007 for public address systems public address systems per se H04R27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/008 in which the audio signals are in digital form, i.e. employing more than two discrete digital channels data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02

Abstract

A multi-channel and multi-zone audio environment is provided. Various inventions are disclosed that allow playback devices on one or more networks to provide an effective multi-channel and a multi-zone audio environment using timing information. According to one example, timing information is used to coordinate playback devices connected over a low-latency network to provide audio along with a video display. In another example, timing information is used to coordinate playback devices connected over a mesh network to provide audio in one or more zones or zone groups.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an audio signal at a first device from an audio source;

identifying home theater audio information contained in the audio signal for playback by a plurality of home theater players;

identifying zone group audio information contained in the audio signal for playback by one or more players in a zone group;

assigning one or more timestamps to home theater audio information that indicates a time at which audio is to be played by the plurality of home theater players;

assigning a zone group timestamp to the zone group audio information that indicates a time at which audio is to be played by the one or more players in the zone group; and

sending, from the first device, the home theater audio information with the one or more timestamps to the plurality of home theater players and sending the zone group audio information with the zone group timestamp to the one or more players in the zone group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is a playback device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio source is a video device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first timestamp includes a first delay and the second timestamp includes a second delay.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the first device is coupled to the plurality of home theater players.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the first device is part of the zone group.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising separating the audio information into different audio channels and assigning a timestamp to each different audio channel.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning home theater audio information to high priority queue at the home theater players.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the home theater audio information is sent to the plurality of home theater players using a first wireless channel and the zone group audio information is sent to the one or more players in the zone group over a second wireless channel that is different from the first wireless channel.

10. A tangible machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

receive an audio signal at a first device from an audio source;

identify home theater audio information contained in the audio signal for playback by a plurality of home theater players;

identify zone group audio information contained in the audio signal for playback by one or more players in a zone group;

assign one or more timestamps to home theater audio information that indicates a time at which audio is to be played by the plurality of home theater players;

assign a zone group timestamp to the zone group audio information that indicates a time at which audio is to be played by the one or more players in the zone group; and

send, from the first device, the home theater audio information with the one or more timestamps to the plurality of home theater players and sending the zone group audio information with the zone group timestamp to the one or more players in the zone group.

11. A machine-readable medium as defined in claim 10, wherein the first device is a playback device.

12. A machine-readable medium as defined in claim 10, wherein the audio source is a video device.

13. A machine-readable medium as defined in claim 10, wherein the first timestamp includes a first delay and the second timestamp includes a second delay.

14. A machine-readable medium as defined in claim 10, the instructions to cause the machine to determine whether the first device is coupled to the plurality of home theater players.

15. A machine-readable medium as defined in claim 10, the instructions to cause the machine to determine whether the first device is part of the zone group.

16. A machine-readable medium as defined in claim 10, the instructions to cause the machine to separate the audio information into different audio channels and assigning a timestamp to each different audio channel.

17. A machine-readable medium as defined in claim 10, the instructions to cause the machine to assign home theater audio information to high priority queue at the home theater players.

18. A machine-readable medium as defined in claim 10, wherein the home theater audio information is sent to the plurality of home theater players using a first wireless channel and the zone group audio information is sent to the one or more players in the zone group over a second wireless channel that is different from the first wireless channel.