Audio calibration and adjustment

• US 9,743,212 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2016
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ridihalgh, Robert Lucas, Shaw, Gregory Michael, Williams, Todd Matthew, Randhawa, Tarlochan Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahee, Md S
• Application Number:
  US15/192,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20160309276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: 381 1, 381 57, 381 58, 381 92, 381103, 381104, 370484, 704243, 704260
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/002 Loudspeaker arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/13 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/01 Enhancing the perception of the sound image or of the spatial distribution using head related transfer functions [HRTF's] or equivalents thereof, e.g. interaural time difference [ITD] or interaural level difference [ILD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 5/005 of the pseudo five- or more-channel type, e.g. virtual surround
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

The subject disclosure is directed towards calibrating sound pressure levels of speakers to determine desired attenuation data for use in later playback. A user may be guided to a calibration location to place a microphone, and each speaker is calibrated to output a desired sound pressure level in its current acoustic environment based upon the attenuation data learned during calibration. During playback, the attenuation data is used. Also described is testing the setup of the speakers, and dynamically adjusting the attenuation data in real time based upon tracking the listener'"'"'s current location.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an audio output device that outputs audio signals to a plurality of speakers;

a sound pressure level meter coupled to a microphone, the microphone configured to detect audio from the plurality of speakers, the sound pressure level meter obtaining sound pressure level meter readings from the detected audio; and

a calibration mechanism configured to;

recognize one or more themes in the detected audio from the plurality of speakers,

obtain attenuation settings that are specific to the one or more recognized themes in the detected audio, and

perform at least one calibration operation, based upon the readings, that attenuates the audio signals provided to the plurality of speakers according to the attenuation settings specific to the one or more recognized themes in the detected audio,

wherein calibration settings for the one or more themes correspond to one or more audio modes, the one or more audio modes having varying levels of loudness.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio output device is coupled to or incorporates a position sensor that detects the microphone position, the positioning sensor used by the calibration mechanism to direct a user to position the microphone at each microphone calibration position.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sound pressure level meter is configured for communication with the audio output device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the calibration mechanism is incorporated into a computing device that is decoupled from communication with the audio device during the at least one calibration operation, the computing device obtaining the attenuation settings and providing the attenuation settings to the calibration mechanism for communication with the audio output device.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a test setup mechanism or a test setup mode of the calibration mechanism, the test setup mechanism or test setup mode configured to automatically determine whether the plurality of speakers are properly arranged relative to recorded or streamed audio intended to be output by the plurality of speakers.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the calibration mechanism performs a plurality of calibration operations to obtain one or more sets of attenuation data for the one or more themes.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more themes are specifically selected by a user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the calibration mechanism performs a plurality of calibration operations at different microphone positions to provide a plurality of sets of attenuation data, and wherein the audio output device dynamically determines a modified set of attenuation data based upon mathematically combining at least two of the sets of attenuation data for a current listener position.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio output device comprises a gaming console.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one more themes are recognized, at least in part, from the readings.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more themes are recognized, at least in part, based on preset user theme preferences.

12. A method performed at least in part on at least one processor, comprising:

analyzing streaming video for metadata related to audio associated with the video;

identifying speaker calibration settings from the metadata of the audio associated with the video;

dynamically adjusting speaker output settings based on the identified speaker calibration settings from the metadata of the audio associated with the video;

directing a plurality of speakers to play the audio according to the adjusted speaker output settings; and

monitoring sound pressure levels of the plurality of speakers to determine whether the plurality of speakers are correctly adjusted based on the identified speaker calibration settings;

wherein the speaker calibration settings for one or more themes associated with the audio correspond to one or more audio modes, the one or more audio modes having varying levels of loudness.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the metadata indicates the theme associated with the audio.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the video is streamed through a gaming console.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

monitoring the metadata of the audio as the video streams; and

adjusting a speaker output setting of a speaker based on first metadata of the audio at a first time period; and

readjusting the speaker output setting of the speaker based on second metadata of the audio at a second time period.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

tracking movement of a user within a room of the plurality of speakers through tracking the user'"'"'s position using position data obtained from a position sensor, and dynamically adjusting the speaker output settings for at least one of the plurality of speakers based at least in part on the position data of the user.

17. One or more machine-readable storage devices embodied with executable instructions for calibrating audio output, comprising:

recognizing one or more themes in audio detected from a plurality of speakers,

obtaining attenuation settings that are specific to the recognized one or more themes in the detected audio, and

performing at least one calibration operation, based upon sound pressure level meter readings from the detected audio by a sound pressure level meter, that attenuates audio signals provided to the plurality of speakers according to the attenuation settings specific to the recognized one or more themes in the detected audio,

wherein calibration settings for the one or more themes correspond to one or more audio modes, the one or more audio modes having varying levels of loudness.

18. The one or more machine-readable storage devices of claim 17, the executable instructions further comprising:

automatically determining whether the plurality of speakers are properly arranged relative to recorded or streamed audio intended to be output by the plurality of speakers.

19. The one or more machine-readable storage devices of claim 17, the executable instructions further comprising:

performing a plurality of calibration operations to obtain one or more sets of attenuation data for the one or more themes.

20. The one or more machine-readable storage devices of claim 17, the executable instructions further comprising:

wherein the one or more themes are recognized, at least in part, from the readings.