Playback device calibration

• US 9,781,532 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2015
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheen, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): CHIN, VIVIAN C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hamid, Ammar
• Application Number:
  US14/678,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20160014536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 381 59, 381122, 381 56, 381 58, 700 94
• 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 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 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

Examples described herein involve calibrating a playback device. An example implementation involves causing a network device to display a guide to calibrate at least one playback device, the guide comprising an indication that the network device is to be moved during a given time. The example implementation also involves detecting, via the network device during the given time, an audio signal played by the at least one playback device. The example implementation further involves causing, via the network device, identification of an audio processing algorithm based on data indicating the detected audio signal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing a network device to display a guide to calibrate at least one playback device, wherein the guide comprises an indication that the network device is to be in motion through a plurality of listening locations in a playback environment during a given time period while the at least one playback device outputs a first audio signal, and wherein the plurality of listening locations includes a first location, a second location, and a third location between the first and second locations;

causing, via the network device, the at least one playback device to output the first audio signal;

detecting, via a microphone of the network device while the network device is moving during the given time period, a second audio signal at the first, second and third locations, wherein the microphone of the network device has a particular microphone acoustic characteristic;

causing, via the network device, identification of an audio processing algorithm based on data indicating the first and second audio signals, and further based on data indicating the particular microphone acoustic characteristic; and

causing audio output of the at least one playback device to be adjusted by the identified audio processing algorithm.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the given time period comprises a predetermined duration of time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein causing the network device to display the guide to calibrate the at least one playback device comprises causing the network device to display an indication of an amount of time remaining in the predetermined duration of time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, via the network device, movement of the network device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

sending, via the network device to one or more of the at least one playback device, a message indicating that the network device is moving.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein causing identification of the audio processing algorithm comprises:

sending, via the network device to a computing device, data indicating the detected second audio signal; and

receiving, via the network device from the computing device, data indicating the identified audio processing algorithm.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one playback device comprises at least two playback devices.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, via the network device to the at least one playback device, data indicating the identified audio processing algorithm.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, via the network device, data indicating the identified audio processing algorithm.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the microphone of the network device is a first microphone, wherein the playback device has a second microphone, and wherein causing the network device to display the guide further comprises providing a graphical interface indicating that the network device is to be positioned within a predetermined physical range of the second microphone.

10. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions executable by a processor to perform functions comprising:

causing a network device to display a guide to calibrate at least one playback device, wherein the guide comprising an indication that the network device is to be in motion through a plurality of listening locations in a playback environment during a given time period while the at least one playback device outputs a first audio signal, and wherein the plurality of listening locations includes a first location, a second location, and a third location between the first and second locations;

causing the at least one playback device to output a first audio signal;

detecting, via a microphone of the network device while the network device is moving during the given time period, a second audio signal at the first, second and third locations, wherein the microphone of the network device has a particular microphone acoustic characteristic;

causing, via the network device, identification of an audio processing algorithm based on data indicating the first and second audio signals, and further based on data indicating the particular microphone acoustic characteristic; and

causing audio output of the at least one playback device to be adjusted by the identified audio processing algorithm.

11. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the given time period comprises a predetermined duration of time.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein causing the network device to display the guide to calibrate the at least one playback device comprises

causing the network device to display an indication of an amount of time remaining in the predetermined duration of time.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, the functions further comprising:

detecting, via the network device, movement of the network device.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, the functions further comprising:

sending, via the network device to one or more of the at least one playback device, a message indicating that the network device is moving.

15. A network device comprising:

a processor; and

memory including instructions stored therein executable by the processor to perform functions comprising;

causing a network device to display a guide to calibrate at least one playback device, wherein the guide comprises an indication that the network device is to be in motion through a plurality of listening locations in a playback environment during a given time period while the at least one playback device outputs a first audio signal, and wherein the plurality of listening locations includes a first location, a second location, and a third location between the first and second locations;

causing the at least one playback device to output a first audio signal;

detecting, via a microphone of the network device while the network device is moving during the given time period, a second audio signal at the first, second and third locations, wherein the microphone of the network device has a particular microphone acoustic characteristic;

causing, via the network device, identification of an audio processing algorithm based on data indicating the first and second audio signals, and further based on data indicating the particular microphone acoustic characteristic; and

causing audio output of the at least one playback device to be adjusted by the identified audio processing algorithm.