AUDIO REPRODUCTION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20170295445A1
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Published: 10/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: CHRISTOPH, Markus, ALUMKAL, Sunish George J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,805,754 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/306 For headphones

Abstract

The system and method includes positioning a mobile device with a built-in loudspeaker at a first location in a listening environment and at least one microphone at at least one second location in the listening environment; emitting test audio content from the loudspeaker of the mobile device at the first position in the listening environment; receiving the test audio content emitted by the loudspeaker using the at least one microphone at the at least one second location in the listening environment; and, based at least in part on the received test audio content, determining one or more adjustments to be applied to desired audio content before playback by at least one earphone; wherein the first location and the second location are distant from each other so that the at least one microphone is within the near-field of the loudspeaker.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

positioning a mobile device with a built-in loudspeaker at a first location in a listening environment and at least one microphone at at least one second location in the listening environment;

emitting test audio content from the loudspeaker of the mobile device at the first location in the listening environment;

receiving the test audio content emitted by the loudspeaker using the at least one microphone at the at least one second location in the listening environment; and

based at least in part on the received test audio content, determining one or more adjustments to be applied to a desired audio content before playback by at least one earphone;

wherein

the first location and the second location are distant from each other so that the at least one microphone is within a near-field of the loudspeaker.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more adjustments to be applied to the desired audio content comprises performing spectral analysis on a received playback of the test audio content to provide a frequency response of the received playback of the test audio content.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

comparing the frequency response of the received playback of the test audio content to a target frequency response; and

based at least in part on a comparison of the frequency response of the received playback of the test audio content with the target frequency response, determining the one or more adjustments to be applied to the desired audio content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one microphone is disposed in or on the at least one earphone or is provided by at least one in-ear earphone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one earphone is an in-ear earphone that is plugged into a listener'"'"'s ear.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one earphone has receiver frequency characteristics when the at least one earphone is used as a microphone; and

the frequency characteristics of the at least one earphone are equalized based on a target receiver frequency characteristic when receiving the test audio content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one earphone has emitter frequency characteristics when the at least one earphone is used as speaker; and

the emitter frequency characteristics of the at least one earphone are equalized based on a target emitter frequency characteristic when playing the desired audio content.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising a first microphone and a second microphone, the first microphone being positioned at a first location proximate to one ear of a listener within the listening environment and a second microphone being positioned at a first location proximate to the other ear of the listener within the listening environment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the loudspeaker of the mobile device has a frequency characteristic that is equalized based on a loudspeaker target function.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a frequency characteristic of the at least one microphone is measured by using or mimicking pressure chamber effect.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying the one or more adjustments to the desired audio content before is the desired audio content is played by the at least one earphone.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one earphone has receiver frequency characteristics when the at least one earphone is used as a microphone; and

the frequency characteristics of the at least one earphone are equalized based on a target receiver frequency characteristic when receiving the test audio content.

12. A system comprising:

a mobile device with a built-in loudspeaker disposed at a first location in a listening environment; and

at least one microphone disposed at at least one second location in the listening environment, wherein the mobile device is configured to

emit test audio content via the loudspeaker at the first location in the listening environment;

receive from earphones, the test audio content emitted by the loudspeaker at the at least one second location in the listening environment; and

based at least in part on the received audio content, determine one or more adjustments to be applied to desired audio content by the mobile device before playback by the earphones;

wherein;

the first location and the second location are distant from each other so that the at least one microphone is within a near-field of the loudspeaker.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the mobile device comprises a mobile phone, smartphone, phablet or tablet.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising an audio recorder connected between the at least one microphone and the mobile device, the audio recorder being controlled by the mobile device and being configured to record the test audio content received by the microphones and to transmit the recorded test audio content to the mobile device upon request.

15. A method comprising:

positioning a mobile device with a loudspeaker at a first location in a listening environment and at least one microphone at at least one second location in the listening environment;

transmitting test audio content from the loudspeaker of the mobile device at the first location in the listening environment;

receiving, via the at least one microphone, the test audio content transmitted by the loudspeaker at the at least one second location in the listening environment;

based at least in part on the received test audio content, determining one or more adjustments to be applied to a desired audio content before playback by at least one earphone; and

positioning the at least one microphone within a near-field of the loudspeaker when the first location and the second location are distant from one another.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the one or more adjustments to be applied to the desired audio content comprises performing spectral analysis on a received playback of the test audio content to provide a frequency response of the received playback of the test audio content.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

comparing the frequency response of the received playback of the test audio content to a target frequency response; and

based at least in part on a comparison of the frequency response of the received playback of the test audio content with the target frequency response, determining the one or more adjustments to be applied to the desired audio content.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one microphone is disposed in or on the at least one earphone or is provided by at least one in-ear earphone.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one earphone is an in-ear earphone that is plugged into a listener'"'"'s ear.