Coordinator device for paired or consolidated players

• US 9,288,596 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Gossain, Hrishikesh, Lang, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): ELBIN, JESSE A
• Application Number:
  US14/042,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20150092947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 709/224, 709230-234, 710/20, 710/29, 710 52- 61, 710/38, 455/3.06, 455/421, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/9, 455/10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0001 Systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality, e.g. power backoff adaptive data allocation for multicarrier modulation H04L5/0044; controlling transmission power for radio systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• 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 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• 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 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/007 for public address systems public address systems per se H04R27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality

Abstract

Embodiments described herein involve selecting a coordinator device for multichannel playback by a bonded zone. The bonded zone may be configured such that playback devices in the bonded zone may each be configured to render different components, such as a right channel component or a left channel component of media content being rendered in synchrony by the bonded zone. Selecting the coordinator device for the bonded zone may involve analyzing a wireless interface performance metric of a first playback device in the bonded zone, receiving a wireless interface performance metric of a second playback device in the bonded zone, comparing the wireless interface performance metrics of the two playback devices, selecting one of the two playback devices as the coordinator device, and causing the selected playback device to become the coordinator, or “primary” player of the bonded zone.

Claims

1. A first playback device comprising:

one or more processors; and

tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions encoded therein, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first playback device to perform a method comprising;

comparing a wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device to a wireless interface performance metric of a second playback device, wherein the first playback device is a part of a zone group of playback devices comprising at least the first playback device and the second playback device, and wherein the zone group of playback devices is configured to render audio content from an audio source in synchrony;

based on the comparison of the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device and the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device, configuring the first playback device to (a) receive the audio content from the audio source, and (b) forward at least a portion of the received audio content to the second playback device during rendering of the audio content by the zone group of playback devices;

after forwarding the at least the portion of the received audio content to the second playback device, determining that the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device is higher than the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device; and

based on the determination that the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device is higher than the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device, configuring the first playback device to stop forwarding the at least the portion of the received audio content to the second playback device during rendering of the audio content by the zone group of playback devices.

2. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the audio source comprises a group coordinator device configured to provide audio content and audio content playback timing information to one or more playback devices in the zone group of playback devices.

3. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the audio source comprises a computing system configured to provide audio content to one or more playback devices in the zone group of playback devices via a network.

4. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

configuring the first playback device to stop receiving the audio content from the audio source.

5. The first playback device of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

configuring the first playback device to receive at least a portion of the audio content from the second playback device.

6. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

configuring the first playback device and the second playback device to receive at least a portion of the audio content from the audio source.

7. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the audio content from the audio source comprises at least a right channel audio component and a left channel audio component, and wherein the at least the portion of the received audio content comprises one of the right channel audio component and the left channel audio component.

8. The first playback device of claim 1,

wherein comparing the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device comprises determining a root path cost indicating a number of devices in an ad-hoc network between the first playback device and the audio source.

9. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

prior to comparing a wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device to the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device, determining that the first playback device was added to the zone group of playback devices; and

determining that the first playback device is configurable to (a) receive the audio content from the audio source, and (b) forward at least a portion of the received audio content to the second playback device during rendering of the audio content by the zone group of playback devices.

10. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

analyzing the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device.

11. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

prior to comparing a wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device to the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device, determining that analyses of one or more wireless interface performance metrics associated with each of the one or more playback devices in the zone group of playback devices are to be performed.

12. The first playback device of claim 11, wherein determining that analyses of one or more wireless interface performance metrics associated with each of the one or more playback devices in the zone group of playback devices are to be performed comprises one or more of the following:

(a) determining that a new device has been added to the zone group of playback devices;

(b) determining that a network topology of the zone group of playback devices has changed;

(c) determining that a time duration between automatic analyses of the one or more wireless interface performance metrics associated with the one or more respective playback devices in the zone group of playback devices has lapsed;

(d) determining that one of the one or more wireless interface performance metrics associated with the one or more respective playback devices in the zone group of playback devices has changed; and

(e) receiving user-input indicating that the analyses of one or more wireless interface performance metrics associated with one or more respective playback device parameters associated with the one or more devices in the zone group of playback devices are to be performed.

13. A system comprising:

a first playback device; and

a second playback device, wherein the first playback device and the second playback device are devices in a zone group of playback devices, wherein playback devices in the zone group of playback devices are configured to render audio content from an audio source in synchrony; and

wherein a device in communication with the system is configured to;

analyze a wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device;

receive a wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device;

based on a comparison between the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device and the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device, (a) receive the audio content from the audio source, and (b) forward at least a portion of the received audio content to the second playback device during rendering of the audio content by the zone group of playback devices;

after forwarding the at least the portion of the received audio content to the second playback device, determine that the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device is higher than the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device; and

based on the determination that the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device is higher than the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device, configure the first playback device to stop forwarding at least a portion of the received audio content to the second playback device during rendering of the audio content by the zone group of playback devices.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the audio source comprises a group coordinator device configured to provide audio content and audio content playback timing information to one or more playback devices in the zone group of playback devices.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the audio source comprises a computing system configured to provide audio content to one or more playback devices in the zone group of playback devices via a network.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the device is further configured to:

configure the first playback device to receive at least a portion of the audio content from the second playback device.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the device is further configured to:

configure the first playback device and the second playback device to receive at least a portion of the audio content from the audio source.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein comparing the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device to the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device comprises determining a root path cost indicating a number of devices in an ad-hoc network between the first playback device and the audio source.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the device and the first playback device are the same device.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

comparing a wireless interface performance metric of a first playback device to a wireless interface performance metric of a second playback device, wherein the first playback device is a part of a zone group comprising at least the first playback device and the second playback device, and wherein the zone group is configured to render audio content from an audio source in synchrony;

based on the comparison between the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device and the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device, configuring the first playback device to (a) receive the audio content from the audio source, and (b) forward at least a portion of the received audio content to the second playback device during rendering of the audio content by the zone group;

after forwarding the at least the portion of the received audio content to the second playback device, determining that the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device is higher than the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device; and

based on the determination that the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device is higher than the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device, configuring the first playback device to stop forwarding at least a portion of the received audio content to the second playback device during rendering of the audio content by the zone group of playback devices.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the audio content from the audio source comprises at least a right channel audio component and a left channel audio component, and wherein the at least the portion of the received audio content comprises one of the right channel audio component and the left channel audio component.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20,

wherein the audio source comprises a group coordinator device configured to provide audio content and audio content playback timing information to one or more playback devices in the zone group.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20,

wherein the audio source comprises a computing system configured to provide audio content to one or more playback devices in the zone group of playback devices via a network.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the functions further comprise configuring the first playback device to receive at least a portion of the audio content from the second playback device.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the functions further comprise configuring the first playback device and the second playback device to receive at least a portion of the audio content from the audio source.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein comparing the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device to the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device comprises determining a root path cost indicating a number of devices in an ad-hoc network between the first playback device and the audio source.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the computing device and the first playback device are the same device.

28. A method comprising:

comparing, via a computing device, a wireless interface performance metric of a first playback device to a wireless interface performance metric of a second playback device, wherein the first playback device and the second playback device are joined into a zone group of playback devices comprising at least the first playback device and the second playback device, and wherein the zone group of playback devices is configured to render audio content from an audio source in synchrony;

based on a comparison between the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device and the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device, configuring the first playback device to (a) receive the audio content from the audio source, and (b) forward at least a portion of the received audio content to the second playback device during rendering of the audio content by the zone group of playback devices;

after forwarding the at least the portion of the received audio content to the second playback device, determining that the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device is higher than the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device; and

based on the determination that the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device is higher than the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device, configuring the first playback device to stop forwarding at least a portion of the received audio content to the second playback device during rendering of the audio content by the zone group of playback devices.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the audio source comprises a group coordinator device configured to provide audio content and audio content playback timing information to one or more playback devices in the zone group.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the audio source comprises a computing system configured to provide audio content to one or more playback devices in the zone group of playback devices via a network.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising configuring the first playback device to receive at least a portion of the audio content from the second playback device.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising configuring the first playback device and the second playback device to receive at least a portion of the audio content from the audio source.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein comparing the wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device to the wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device comprises determining a root path cost indicating a number of devices in an ad-hoc network between the first playback device and the audio source.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the computing device and the first playback device are the same device.