Acoustic position measurement

• US 10,034,116 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2017
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Kadri, Romi
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THANG V
• Application Number:
  US15/784,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20180084363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 281 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2203/12 Beamforming aspects for stereophonic sound reproduction with loudspeaker arrays
• 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 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• 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 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• 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 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/13 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in stereophonic sound systems
• 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

Example techniques for acoustic position measurement in an example listening environment are disclosed. An example implementation involves a control device including a first transducer, a playback device including a second transducer, and a network microphone device (NMD) including a microphone array. The NMD determines a first direction of the control device with respect to the NMD based at least in part on a first test sound received at the microphone array from the first transducer and determines a second direction of the playback device with respect to the NMD based at least in part on a second test sound received at the microphone array from the second transducer. The NMD adjusts one or more beamforming parameters of the microphone array thereby causing amplifying sound received at the microphone array from the first direction and attenuating sound received at the microphone array from the second direction.

Claims

1. A media playback system, comprising:

a control device comprising a first transducer;

a playback device comprising a second transducer;

a network microphone device including;

a microphone array;

one or more processors; and

;

tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the network microphone device to perform operations comprising;

determining a first direction of the control device with respect to the network microphone device based at least in part on a first test sound received at the microphone array from the first transducer;

determining a second direction of the playback device with respect to the network microphone device based at least in part on a second test sound received at the microphone array from the second transducer; and

adjusting one or more beamforming parameters of the microphone array, wherein adjusting the one or more beamforming parameters causes the networking microphone device to amplify sound received at the microphone array from the first direction, and further causes the networking microphone device to attenuate sound received at the microphone array from the second direction.

2. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include instructions for performing operations comprising:

receiving a command to configure surround sound processing parameters of the media playback system based at least in part on a position of the control device with respect to the network microphone device; and

in response to the received command, adjusting at least one of a volume parameter and a delay processing parameter of the playback device.

3. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein the playback device is a first playback device, the media playback system further comprising:

a second playback device, wherein the second playback device comprises the networking microphone device, and wherein the instructions further include instructions for performing operations comprising;

receiving a command for the first playback device to form a stereo pair with the second playback device.

4. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein the playback device is positioned in a room, and wherein the instructions further include instructions for performing operations comprising:

receiving a command to initiate a spatial calibration procedure for the media playback system, wherein the spatial calibration procedure comprises;

playing back one or more audio calibration tones via the playback device, and

determining multiple positions of the control device relative to the playback device as the control device is moved through the room.

5. The media playback system of claim 4, wherein the instructions further include instructions for performing operations comprising:

selecting a preferred position from the multiple determined positions of the controller device; and

adjusting at least one of a volume parameter and delay processing parameters of the media playback system based on the selected preferred position.

6. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein the playback device is a first playback device, further comprising:

a second playback device comprising a third transducer, wherein the instructions further include instructions for performing operations comprising;

determining a third direction of the second playback device with respect to the network microphone device based at least in part on a third test sound received at the microphone array from the third transducer, wherein adjusting the one or more beamforming parameters further comprises causing the networking microphone device to attenuate sound received at the microphone array from the third direction.

7. The media playback system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include instructions for performing operations comprising:

determining a first position of the control device with respect to the network microphone device based at least in part on the first test sound; and

determining a second position of the playback device with respect to the network microphone device based at least in part on the second test sound.

8. The media playback system of claim 7, wherein the instructions further include instructions for performing operations comprising:

receiving, from the playback device, a message comprising a timestamp indicating a first time when the first test sound emitted from the control device; and

determining a second time corresponding to an arrival time of the first test sound at the network microphone device, wherein determining the first position further comprises determining a difference between the first and second times.

9. The media playback system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first microphone and a second microphone, wherein the first and second microphones are housed in the network microphone device, and wherein the instructions for determining the first direction of the control device further comprise determining a difference of (i) a first arrival time of the first test sound at the first microphone, and (ii) a second arrival time of the first test sound at the second microphone.

10. The media playback system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first device clock, wherein the network microphone device comprises the first device clock; and

a second device clock, wherein the control device comprises the second device clock, wherein the instructions further include instructions for synchronizing the first and second device clocks.

11. A network microphone device including:

a microphone array;

one or more processors; and

;

tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the network microphone device to perform operations comprising;

determining a first direction of a control device of a media playback system with respect to the network microphone device based at least in part on a first test sound received at the microphone array from the control device;

determining a second direction of a playback device with respect to the network microphone device based at least in part on a second test sound received at the microphone array from the playback device; and

adjusting one or more beamforming parameters of the microphone array, wherein adjusting the one or more beamforming parameters causes the networking microphone device to amplify sound received at the microphone array from the first direction, and further causes the networking microphone device to attenuate sound received at the microphone array from the second direction.

12. The network microphone device of claim 11, wherein the instructions further include instructions for performing operations comprising:

receiving a command to configure surround sound processing parameters of the media playback system based at least in part on a position of the control device with respect to the network microphone device; and

in response to the received command, adjusting at least one of a volume parameter and a delay processing parameter for the playback device.

13. The network microphone device of claim 11, wherein the playback device is positioned in a room, and wherein the instructions further include instructions for performing operations comprising:

receiving a command to initiate a spatial calibration procedure for the media playback system, wherein the spatial calibration procedure comprises;

playing back one or more audio calibration tones via the playback device, and

determining multiple positions of the control device relative to the playback device as the control device is moved through the room.

14. The network microphone device of claim 13, wherein the instructions further include instructions for performing operations comprising:

selecting a preferred position from the multiple determined positions of the controller device; and

adjusting at least one of a volume parameter and delay processing parameters of the media playback system based on the selected preferred position.

15. The network microphone device of claim 11, wherein the instructions further include instructions for performing operations comprising:

determining a first position of the control device with respect to the network microphone device based at least in part on the first test sound; and

determining a second position of the playback device with respect to the network microphone device based at least in part on the second test sound.

16. The network microphone device of claim 11, further comprising:

a first microphone and a second microphone, wherein the instructions for determining the first direction of the control device further comprise determining a difference of (i) a first arrival time of the first test sound at the first microphone, and (ii) a second arrival time of the first test sound at the second microphone.

17. A method of operating a network microphone device having a microphone array, the method comprising:

determining a first direction of a control device of a media playback system with respect to the network microphone device based at least in part on a first test sound received at the microphone array from the control device;

determining a second direction of a playback device with respect to the network microphone device based at least in part on a second test sound received at the microphone array from the playback device; and

adjusting one or more beamforming parameters of the microphone array, wherein adjusting the one or more beamforming parameters causes the networking microphone device to amplify sound received at the microphone array from the first direction, and further causes the networking microphone device to attenuate sound received at the microphone array from the second direction.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a command to configure surround sound processing parameters of the media playback system based at least in part on a position of the control device with respect to the network microphone device; and

in response to the received command, adjusting at least one of a volume parameter and a delay processing parameter for the playback device.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a command to initiate a spatial calibration procedure for the media playback system, wherein the spatial calibration procedure comprises;

playing back one or more audio calibration tones via the playback device, and

determining multiple positions of the control device relative to the playback device as the control device is moved through a room in which the playback device is positioned.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining a first position of the control device with respect to the network microphone device based at least in part on the first test sound; and

determining a second position of the playback device with respect to the network microphone device based at least in part on the second test sound.