Centralized wireless speaker system

• US 9,826,332 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2016
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Milne, James R., Carlsson, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): ISLAM, MOHAMMAD K
• Application Number:
  US15/019,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20170230778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 381 17, 381 23, 381 77, 381 78, 381 80, 381 81, 381300, 455416
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/01 Multi-channel, i.e. more than two input channels, sound reproduction with two speakers wherein the multi-channel information is substantially preserved
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/03 Aspects of down-mixing multi-channel audio to configurations with lower numbers of playback channels, e.g. 7.1 -> 5.1 H04S2400/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 5/00 Pseudo-stereo systems, e.g. in which additional channel signals are derived from monophonic signals by means of phase shifting, time delay or reverberation
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/308 Electronic adaptation dependent on speaker or headphone connection

Abstract

A centralized master device receives audio, down-mixes the audio to stereo if it is not already in stereo, and then up-mixes (renders) the stereo into as many channels as there speakers in the network. The up-mixing can be based on the number and locations of the speakers, which may be determined automatically using a real time location system such as ultra wide band (UWB) location determination techniques. The master device sends each speaker its respective channel.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

at least one computer medium that is not a transitory signal and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor to;

receive input audio from a source of audio;

responsive to the input audio not being stereo, down-mix the input audio to stereo;

responsive to the input audio being stereo, not down-mix the input audio;

receive a number “

N”

representing a number of speakers in a network of speakers;

render the stereo to “

N”

channels;

send each respective of the N channels to a respective Nth speaker in the network of speakers, such that a first speaker receives a first channel, a second speaker receives a second channel, and an Nth speaker receives an Nth channel for play by each speaker of its respective channel;

receive the number “

N”

representing the number of speakers and information representing a respective location of each speaker from a location determination module that automatically determines at least one location of at least one speaker using ultra wide band (UWB) signal transmission.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a consumer electronics (CE) device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a master device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a network server communicating with a consumer electronics (CE) device associated with the network of speakers.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to wirelessly send each respective one of the N channels to a respective Nth speaker in the network of speakers.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to:

receive the number “

N”

representing the number of speakers and information representing a respective location of each speaker from a location determination module that automatically determines at least one location of at least one speaker using real time location system (RTLS).

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to:

receive at least three fixed points in a space associated with the speakers in the network; and

at least in part based on the three fixed points and on UWB signaling in the network of speakers, output at least one speaker location in the space.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to:

receive at least four fixed points in a space associated with the speakers in the network; and

at least in part based on the four fixed points and on UWB signaling in the network of speakers, output at least one speaker location in the space.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the instructions are executable to:

receive at least an expected listening location in the space; and

at least in part based on the expected listening location, up-mix the stereo to render the “

N”

channels.

10. A method comprising:

automatically determining, based at least in part on wireless signaling, respective physical locations in at least two dimensions of at least some respective speakers in a network of speakers;

automatically determining a number “

N”

of speakers in the network;

based at least in part on the number “

N”

of speakers in the network and the respective locations of the speakers, up-mixing stereo audio into “

N”

channels; and

sending each respective Nth channel to a respective Nth speaker in the network, such that a first speaker receives only a first channel, a second speaker receives only a second channel, and an Nth speaker receives only an Nth channel for play.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising receiving the number “

N”

representing the number of speakers and information representing the respective locations of the speakers from a location determination module that automatically determines at least one location of at least one speaker using ultra wide band (UWB) signal transmission.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising:

receiving at least three fixed points in a space associated with the speakers in the network; and

at least in part based on the three fixed points and on UWB signaling in the network of speakers, outputting at least one speaker location in the space.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising:

receiving at least an expected listening location in the space; and

at least in part based on the expected listening location, up-mixing the stereo to render the “

N”

channels.

14. A system comprising:

N speakers;

at least one master device configured to receive audio and to communicate with the speakers;

the master device configured with instructions executable to;

down-mix input audio to stereo;

up-mix the stereo into “

N”

channels, one for each speaker, wherein “

N”

is an integer not less than three; and

transmit to each speaker its respective channel from among the “

N”

channels.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions are executable to:

receive a number “

N”

representing the number of speakers and information representing a respective location of each speaker from a location determination module that automatically determines at least one location of at least one speaker using ultra wide band (UWB) signal transmission.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the up-mix is based on both the number “

N”

of speakers and the locations of the speakers.

17. A system comprising:

N speakers;

at least one master device configured to receive audio and to communicate with the speakers;

the master device configured with instructions executable to;

down-mix input audio to stereo;

up-mix the stereo into “

N”

channels, one for each speaker, wherein “

N”

is an integer not less than three;

transmit to each speaker its respective channel from among the “

N”

channels;

receive at least three fixed points in a space associated with the speakers in the network; and

at least in part based on the three fixed points and on UWB signaling in the network of speakers, output at least one speaker location in the space.

18. A system comprising:

N speakers;

at least one master device configured to receive audio and to communicate with the speakers;

the master device configured with instructions executable to;

down-mix input audio to stereo;

up-mix the stereo into “

N”

channels, one for each speaker, wherein “

N”

is an integer not less than three;

transmit to each speaker its respective channel from among the “

N”

channels;

receive at least an expected listening location in the space; and

at least in part based on the expected listening location, up-mix the stereo to render the “

N”

channels.

19. A system comprising:

N speakers;

at least one master device configured to receive audio and to communicate with the speakers;

the master device configured with instructions executable to;

down-mix input audio to stereo;

up-mix the stereo into “

N”

channels, one for each speaker, wherein “

N”

is an integer not less than three;

transmit to each speaker its respective channel from among the “

N”

channels, wherein the master device is configured to wirelessly send each respective one of the N channels to a respective Nth speaker.