Wireless radio switching

• US 9,706,319 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2015
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Peters, Jeffrey M., Fox, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): ODUNUKWE, UBACHUKWU A
• Application Number:
  US14/691,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20160309269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 381 81, 381 58, 381 59, 381123, 381 14, 381 61, 381 85
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/20 for coupling gramophone pick-up, recorder output, or microphone to receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• 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: H04N 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• 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: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for wireless radio switching in a playback device. An example playback device includes an audio interface to communicate audio information. The example playback device also includes a radio manager to determine, while the playback device is in a bonded zone, that the playback device is not playing audio based on the audio information. The radio manager to also disable communicating via a wireless radio of the playback device when the playback device is not playing audio.

Claims

1. A playback device comprising:

a first wireless radio; and

a radio manager to;

determine, while the playback device is in a bonded zone with at least one other playback device, that the playback device has not received control information that indicates that the playback device is to play audio;

in response to the determination (i) disable communicating via the first wireless radio; and

(ii) send a message to the at least one other playback device in the bonded zone to disable communicating via the first wireless radio;

enable the first wireless radio in response to control information, obtained via a second wireless radio, indicating that a second playback device included in the bonded zone is bridging traffic, wherein the traffic comprises audio data; and

transfer the bridging traffic to the first wireless radio.

2. A playback device as defined in claim 1, wherein audio information includes audio content, the radio manager to determine that the playback device has not received control information that indicates that the playback device is to play audio when the playback device is not playing the audio associated with the audio content.

3. A playback device as defined in claim 1, wherein the radio manager is to determine that the playback device has not received control information that indicates that the playback device is to play audio when the playback device does not receive a play command.

4. A playback device as defined in claim 3, wherein the play command is received at the second playback device included in the bonded zone to cause the playback device to play audio.

5. A playback device as defined in claim 3, wherein the play command is received at a third playback device not included in the bonded zone to cause the playback device to play audio.

6. A playback device as defined in claim 1, wherein the radio manager is to further determine whether a network device stops receiving audio information from a network router to forward to the playback device when disabling communicating via the first wireless radio.

7. A playback device as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a control interface to communicate the control information via the second wireless radio, the second wireless radio to operate via a wireless spectrum different than the first wireless radio, and the radio manager to determine that the playback device is in a bonded zone based on the control information.

16. A playback device as defined in claim 1, wherein the radio manager is to further determine that an end of a playback queue of the playback device is reached before disabling communication via the first wireless radio.

17. A playback device as defined in claim 1, wherein the radio manager is to further determine that a signal is received via a control interface to stop playing audio before disabling communication via the first wireless radio.

18. A playback device as defined in claim 1, wherein the playback device and the at least one other playback device are arranged to play back audio in synchrony in the bonded zone.

19. A playback device as defined in claim 1, wherein determining, while the playback device is in a bonded zone with at least one other playback device, that the playback device has not received control information that indicates that the playback device is to play audio comprises determining that the bonded zone is not playing audio.

20. A playback device as defined in claim 1, wherein sending the message to the at least one other playback device in the bonded zone to disable communicating via the first wireless radio comprises causing the at least one other playback device to disable a respective radio on the at least one other playback device which communicates with the first wireless radio.

8. A method of managing a first wireless radio of a playback device comprising

identifying, while the playback device is in a bonded zone with at least one other playback device, that the playback device has not received control information that indicates that the playback device is to play audio;

in response to the identification (i) disabling communicating via the first wireless radio; and

(ii) sending a message to the at least one other playback device in the bonded zone to disable communicating via the first wireless radio;

enable the first wireless radio in response to control information, obtained via a second wireless radio, indicating that a second playback device included in the bonded zone is bridging traffic, wherein the traffic comprises audio data; and

transfer the bridging traffic to the first wireless radio.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the identifying that the playback device has not received control information that indicates that the playback device is to play audio includes determining that the playback device is not playing the audio.

10. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the identifying that the playback device has not received control information that indicates that the playback device is to play audio includes determining that the playback device has not received a play command.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, wherein the play command is communicated with a controller or the play command is communicated with the second playback device.

12. A method as defined in claim 8, further identifying that the playback device does not obtain a signal via a line-out connection when disabling communicating via the first wireless radio.

13. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the bonded zone includes the playback device and the second playback device, the method further including disabling the first wireless radio when the second playback device is offline.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the bonded zone includes a third playback device, the method further including disabling the first wireless radio when the second playback device and the third playback device are offline.

15. A method as defined in claim 8 further comprising:

disabling the first wireless radio when the playback device is not in a bonded zone;

initiating a timer;

enabling the first wireless radio;

updating a list of wireless channels accessed via the first wireless radio; and

disabling the first wireless radio when (1) the playback device did not receive the control information to add the playback device to the bonded zone via the second wireless radio and (2) the timer expires.