Audio processing algorithms

• US 9,715,367 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2015
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheen, Timothy W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIEGEL, DAVID F
• Application Number:
  US14/940,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20160070530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• 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: H04S 7/307 Frequency adjustment, e.g. tone control H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

An example implementation involves a computing device transmitting, via a local area network, a command that instructs a playback device to play a particular audio signal. The example implementation also involves the computing device receiving data indicating a detected audio signal corresponding to playback of the particular audio signal by the playback device, where the detected audio signal includes a portion of the particular audio signal. The implementation further involves the computing device obtaining data indicating a predetermined audio characteristic and determining an audio processing algorithm based on the detected audio signal and the predetermined audio characteristic. The example implementation involves causing the playback device to apply the determined audio processing algorithm when playing audio via at least one speaker.

Claims

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

transmitting, via a local area network, a command that instructs a group of two or more playback devices to play a particular audio signal in a playback environment, wherein the group of two or more playback devices excludes the computing device;

receiving data representing an audio signal detected via one or more microphones, wherein the detected audio signal comprises a portion of the particular audio signal played via the group of two or more playback devices;

determining an acoustic characteristic of the playback environment based on the detected audio signal and respective acoustic characteristics of the two or more playback devices;

determining an audio processing algorithm based on the determined acoustic characteristic of the playback environment and a predetermined audio characteristic; and

causing at least one playback device of the group of two or more playback devices to apply the determined audio processing algorithm when playing audio as part of the group of two or more playback devices.

2. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein causing the at least one playback device of the group of two or more playback devices to apply the determined audio processing algorithm comprises transmitting, to the at least one playback device, data indicating one or more audio processing algorithm parameters associated with the determined audio processing algorithm.

3. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

causing data indicating the determined audio processing algorithm to be stored in data storage.

4. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving, via a network, data indicating the predetermined audio characteristic from a device in communication with the computing device.

5. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the functions further comprise:

prior to receiving the data indicating the predetermined audio characteristic, transmitting, via the network to the device in communication with the computing device, a message indicating a configuration of the two or more playback devices,

wherein the predetermined audio characteristic corresponds to the configuration of the two or more playback devices.

6. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

obtaining data indicating the predetermined audio characteristic from a local memory storage of the computing device.

7. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein applying the determined audio processing algorithm by the two or more playback devices when playing audio produces an audio signal having a particular audio characteristic that is substantially the same as the predetermined audio characteristic.

8. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the predetermined audio characteristic comprises one or more audio signal parameters for a predetermined audio signal having the predetermined audio characteristic.

18. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the playback environment comprises (i) a first zone corresponding to a first playback device of the group of two or more playback devices and (ii) a second zone corresponding to a second playback device of the group of two or more playback devices.

9. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

memory having stored thereon instructions executable by the processor to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

transmitting, via a local area network, a command that instructs a group of two or more playback devices to play a particular audio signal in a playback environment, wherein the group of two or more playback devices excludes the computing device;

receiving data representing an audio signal detected via one or more microphones, wherein the detected audio signal comprises a portion of the particular audio signal played via the group of two or more playback devices;

determining an acoustic characteristic of the playback environment based on the detected audio signal and respective acoustic characteristics of the two or more playback devices;

determining an audio processing algorithm based on the determined acoustic characteristic of the playback environment and a predetermined audio characteristic; and

causing at least one playback device of the group of two or more playback devices to apply the determined audio processing algorithm when playing audio as part of the group of two or more playback devices.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein causing the at least one playback device of the group of two or more playback devices to apply the determined audio processing algorithm comprises transmitting, to the at least one playback device, data indicating one or more audio processing algorithm parameters associated with the determined audio processing algorithm.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the functions further comprise:

causing data indicating the determined audio processing algorithm to be stored in data storage.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving, via a network, data indicating the predetermined audio characteristic from a device in communication with the computing device.

19. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the playback environment comprises (i) a first zone corresponding to a first playback device of the group of two or more playback devices and (ii) a second zone corresponding to a second playback device of the group of two or more playback devices.

13. A method comprising:

transmitting, via a computing device over a local area network, a command that instructs a group of two or more playback devices to play a particular audio signal in a playback environment, wherein the group of two or more playback devices excludes the computing device;

receiving, via the computing device, data representing an audio signal detected via one or more microphones, wherein the detected audio signal comprises a portion of the particular audio signal played via the group of two or more playback devices;

determining an acoustic characteristic of the playback environment based on the detected audio signal and respective acoustic characteristics of the two or more playback devices;

determining, by the computing device, an audio processing algorithm based on the determined acoustic characteristic of the playback environment and a predetermined audio characteristic; and

causing, via the computing device, at least one playback device of the group of two or more playback devices to apply the determined audio processing algorithm when playing audio as part of the group of two or more playback devices.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

transmitting, via the computing device over a network to a device in communication with the computing device, a message indicating a configuration of the two or more playback devices; and

receiving, via the computing device over the network from the device in communication with the computing device, the predetermined audio characteristic, wherein the predetermined audio characteristic corresponds to the configuration of the one or more playback devices.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

obtaining data indicating the predetermined audio characteristic from a local memory storage of the computing device.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein applying the determined audio processing algorithm by the two or more playback devices when playing audio produces an audio signal having a particular audio characteristic that is substantially the same as the predetermined audio characteristic.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the predetermined audio characteristic comprises one or more audio signal parameters for a predetermined audio signal having the predetermined audio characteristic.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the playback environment comprises (i) a first zone corresponding to a first playback device of the group of two or more playback devices and (ii) a second zone corresponding to a second playback device of the group of two or more playback devices.