Playback calibration

• US 9,820,045 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2015
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Jasty, Ananth, Ramos, Aurelio, Sheen, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Paul, Disler
• Application Number:
  US14/678,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20150212789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 381 91- 92, 381103, 381109, 381 58- 59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/20 Automatic control H03G3/005 takes precedence; combined with volume compression or expansion H03G7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 5/005 of digital signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 5/16 Automatic control
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 5/165 Equalizers; Volume or gain control in limited frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/22 for obtaining desired frequency characteristic only circuit for combining transducers having different responses H04R3/00; for hearing aids H04R25/407
• 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 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• 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 1/007 in which the audio signals are in digital form data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for device playback calibration. An example implementation involves a network device displaying a guide to calibrate at least one playback device. The example implementation also involves detecting, at a first time, a first audio content rendered by the at least one playback device and detecting, at a second time, a second audio content rendered by the at least one playback device. The example implementation further involves causing determination of an equalization adjustment based on an analysis of the first audio content and the second audio content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining that at least one playback device in a media playback system has relocated;

based on the determination, causing a graphical display of a network device to display a guide to calibrate the at least one playback device, wherein causing the graphical display to display the guide to calibrate the at least one playback device comprises causing the graphical display to display a first prompt to move the network device to a first location within a playback environment of the at least one playback device, wherein the graphical display is mounted in a housing of the network device;

after causing the graphical display to display the first prompt to move the network device to the first location within the playback environment of the at least one playback device, detecting, via a microphone of the network device at a first time, a first audio content rendered by the at least one playback device, wherein the microphone is mounted in the housing of the network device;

after detecting the first audio content rendered by the at least one playback device, causing the graphical display to display a second prompt to move the network device to a second location within the playback environment of the at least one playback device;

after causing the graphical display of the network device to display the second prompt to move the network device to the second location within the playback environment of the least one playback device, detecting, via the microphone of the network device at a second time, a second audio content rendered by the at least one playback device; and

causing, via the network device, determination of an equalization adjustment based on an analysis of the first audio content and the second audio content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first audio content and the second audio content are the same audio content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first audio content and the second audio content each correspond to a given track.

4. The method of claim 3, the method further comprising:

sending, via the network device, an indication of the given track to the at least one playback device.

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

6. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

sending, via the network device to the at least one playback device, an indication of the determined equalization adjustment.

7. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

storing, via the network device, an indication of the determined equalization adjustment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein causing determination of the equalization adjustment based on the analysis of the first audio content and the second audio content comprises causing the network device to determine the equalization adjustment based on the analysis of the first audio content and the second audio content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the graphical display to display the first prompt to move the network device to the first location within the playback environment of the at least one playback device comprises causing the graphical display to display an indication to move the network device to a particular location within the playback environment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the graphical display to display the first prompt to move the network device to the first location within the playback environment of the at least one playback device comprises causing the graphical display to display an indication to sit at the position of the first location within the playback environment.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the graphical display to display the second prompt to move the network device to the second location within the playback environment of the at least one playback device comprises displaying an indication to move the network device to a particular location within the playback environment.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the graphical display to display the second prompt to move the network device to the second location within the playback environment of the at least one playback device comprises causing the graphical display to display an indication to sit at the position of the second location within the playback environment.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing, via a network interface of the network device, the at least one playback device to play back a particular audio content according to the determined equalization adjustment.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that at least one playback device in a media playback system has relocated comprises:

determining that the at least one playback device has been disconnected.

15. Tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having stored thereon program instructions executable by one or more processors to perform functions comprising:

determining that at least one playback device in a media playback system has relocated;

based on the determination, causing a graphical display of a network device to display a guide to calibrate the at least one playback device, wherein causing the graphical display to display the guide to calibrate the at least one playback device comprises causing the graphical display to display a first prompt to move the network device to a first location within a playback environment of the at least one playback device, wherein the graphical display is mounted in a housing of the network device;

after causing the graphical display to display the first prompt to move the network device to the first location within the playback environment of the at least one playback device, detecting, via a microphone of the network device at a first time, a first audio content rendered by the at least one playback device, wherein the microphone is mounted in the housing of the network device;

after detecting the first audio content rendered by the at least one playback device, causing the graphical display of the network device to display a second prompt to move the network device to a second location within the playback environment of the at least one playback device;

after causing the graphical display to display the second prompt to move the network device to the second location within the playback environment of the least one playback device, detecting, via the microphone of the network device at a second time, a second audio content rendered by the at least one playback device; and

causing, via the network device, determination of an equalization adjustment based on an analysis of the first audio content and the second audio content.

16. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the first audio content and the second audio content are the same audio content.

17. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the first audio content and the second audio content each correspond to a given track.

18. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 17, the functions further comprising:

sending, via the network device, an indication of the given track to the at least one playback device.

19. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the at least one playback device comprises at least two playback devices.

20. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein causing the graphical display to display the first prompt to move the network device to the first location within the playback environment of the at least one playback device comprises causing the graphical display to display a first indication to move the network device to a first particular location within the playback environment, and wherein displaying the second prompt to move the network device to the second location within the playback environment of the at least one playback device comprises causing the graphical display to display a second indication to move the network device to a second particular location within the playback environment, the second particular location being distinct from the first particular location.

21. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein causing the graphical display to display the first prompt to move the network device to the first location within the playback environment of the at least one playback device comprises displaying an indication to sit at the position of the first location within the playback environment, and wherein causing the graphical display to display the second prompt to move the network device to the second location within the playback environment of the at least one playback device comprises displaying an indication to sit at the position of the second location within the playback environment.

22. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the functions further comprise:

causing, via a network interface of the network device, the at least one playback device to play back a particular audio content according to the determined equalization adjustment.

23. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein determining that at least one playback device in a media playback system has relocated comprises:

determining that the at least one playback device has been disconnected.

24. A network device comprising:

a housing;

a graphical display mounted in the housing;

a microphone mounted in the housing;

a processor; and

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

determining that at least one playback device in a media playback system has relocated;

based on the determination, causing the graphical display to display a guide to calibrate the at least one playback device, wherein causing the graphical display to display the guide to calibrate the at least one playback device comprises displaying a first prompt to move the network device to a first location within a playback environment of the at least one playback device;

after causing the graphical display to display the first prompt to move the network device to the first location within the playback environment of the at least one playback device, detecting, via the microphone at a first time, a first audio content rendered by the at least one playback device;

after detecting the first audio content rendered by the at least one playback device, causing the graphical display to display a second prompt to move the network device to a second location within the playback environment of the at least one playback device;

after causing the graphical display to display the second prompt to move the network device to the second location within the playback environment of the least one playback device, detecting, via the microphone at a second time, a second audio content rendered by the at least one playback device; and

causing determination of an equalization adjustment based on an analysis of the first audio content and the second audio content.

25. The network device of claim 24, wherein determining that at least one playback device in a media playback system has relocated comprises:

determining that the at least one playback device has been disconnected.