Audio settings of multiple speakers in a playback device

• US 10,129,675 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2018
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Bush, William H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bernardi, Brenda C
• Application Number:
  US15/872,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20180146313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 301 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/32 the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 5/165 Equalizers; Volume or gain control in limited frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/002 Loudspeaker arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/305 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic audio signals to reverberation of the listening space H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

Techniques described herein may involve dynamically adjusting the equalization of multiple speakers in a playback device. An example implementation involves a playback device emitting, via a first speaker, a first audio signal and emitting, via a second speaker, a second audio signal. The playback device may detect, via a microphone, an audio signal representing (i) at least a portion of the first audio signal and (ii) at least a portion of the second audio signal. The implementation may further involve the playback device determining one or more reflection characteristics based on the detected audio signal. The example implementation may also involve identifying a first audio setting and a second audio setting based on one or more reflection characteristics and applying (i) the first audio setting to playback of media content via the first speaker and (ii) the second audio setting to playback of media content via the second speaker.

Claims

1. A playback device comprising:

a housing;

a transducer in the housing;

a microphone in the housing;

a processor; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the playback device to perform functions for dynamically adjusting audio played back via the playback device in an operating environment, the functions comprising;

recording, via the microphone, audio data, wherein the recording the audio data comprises recording (i) data indicative of sound emitted via the transducer and (ii) data indicative of a reflection of the emitted sound;

determining, in the recorded audio data, a feature of the operating environment based on the recorded audio data;

identifying a first audio setting corresponding to the determined feature of the operating environment; and

applying the first audio setting to playback of media content via the transducer.

2. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the transducer is a first transducer, the playback device further comprising:

a second transducer in the housing, wherein the functions further comprise;

emitting, via the first transducer, a first audio signal;

emitting, via the second transducer, a second audio signal, wherein recording the audio data further comprises detecting an audio signal representing at least a portion of the first audio signal and at least a portion of the second audio signal;

identifying a second audio setting corresponding to the determined feature of the operating environment; and

applying the second audio setting to the playback of the media content via the second transducer.

3. The playback device of claim 2, wherein determining a feature of the operating environment based on the recorded audio data comprises determining a first reflection characteristic based on a first portion of the detected audio signal representing the portion of the first audio signal, and further comprises determining a second reflection characteristic based on a second portion of the detected audio signal representing the portion of the second audio signal, and wherein identifying the first audio setting and the second audio setting corresponding to the determined feature of the operating environment comprises identifying the first audio setting based on the first reflection characteristic and the second audio setting based on the second reflection characteristic.

4. The playback device of claim 2, wherein determining the feature of the operating environment based on the recorded audio data further comprises:

determining (i) time-of-flight for the first audio signal to reflect back to the microphone and (ii) time-of-flight for the second audio signal to reflect back to the microphone.

5. The playback device of claim 2, wherein determining the feature of the operating environment based on the recorded audio data further comprises:

determining (i) a response of the operating environment to the first audio signal and (ii) a response of the operating environment to the second audio signal.

6. The playback device of claim 5, wherein identifying the first audio setting and the second audio setting based on the feature of the operating environment comprises:

determining (i) a first difference between the determined response of the operating environment to the first audio signal and a desired response of the first transducer and (ii) determining a second difference between the determined response of the operating environment to the second audio signal and a desired response of the second transducer;

determining, as the first audio setting, a first equalization configured to offset at least a portion of the first difference; and

determining, as the second audio setting, a second equalization configured to offset at least a portion of the second difference.

7. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the transducer is a first transducer, and wherein the media content comprises stereo media content, the playback device further comprising:

a second transducer in the housing,

wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for playing back a left channel of the stereo media content via the first transducer, and playing back a right channel of the stereo media content via the second transducer.

8. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the transducer is a first transducer, and wherein the media content comprises surround media content, the playback device further comprising:

a second transducer in the housing,

wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for playing back first and second channels of the surround sound media content via the first transducer and the second transducer, respectively.

9. A method of adjusting audio played back via a playback device in an operating environment, the method comprising:

recording, via a microphone in a housing of the playback device, audio data, wherein recording the audio data comprises (i) recording data indicative of sound emitted via a transducer in the housing and (ii) data indicative of a reflection of the emitted sound;

determining a feature of the operating environment based on the recorded audio data;

identifying a first audio setting corresponding to the determined feature of the operating environment; and

applying the first audio setting to playback of media content via the transducer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the transducer is a first transducer, the method further comprising:

emitting, via the first transducer, a first audio signal;

emitting, via a second transducer in the housing, a second audio signal, wherein recording the audio data further comprises detecting an audio signal representing at least a portion of the first audio signal and at least a portion of the second audio signal;

identifying a second audio setting corresponding to the determined feature of the operating environment; and

applying the second audio setting to the playback of the media content via the second transducer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining a feature of the operating environment based on the recorded audio data comprises determining a first reflection characteristic based on a first portion of the detected audio signal representing the portion of the first audio signal, and further comprises determining a second reflection characteristic based on a second portion of the detected audio signal representing the portion of the second audio signal, and wherein identifying the first audio setting and the second audio setting corresponding to the determined feature of the operating environment comprises identifying the first audio setting based on the first reflection characteristic and the second audio setting based on the second reflection characteristic.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the feature of the operating environment based on the recorded audio data further comprises:

determining (i) time-of-flight for the first audio signal to reflect back to the microphone and (ii) time-of-flight for the second audio signal to reflect back to the microphone.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the feature of the operating environment based on the recorded audio data further comprises:

determining (i) a response of the operating environment to the first audio signal and (ii) a response of the operating environment to the second audio signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the first audio setting and the second audio setting based on the feature of the operating environment comprises:

determining (i) a first difference between the determined response of the operating environment to the first audio signal and a desired response of the first transducer and (ii) determining a second difference between the determined response of the operating environment to the second audio signal and a desired response of the second transducer;

determining, as the first audio setting, a first equalization configured to offset at least a portion of the first difference; and

determining, as the second audio setting, a second equalization configured to offset at least a portion of the second difference.

15. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by a processor to cause a playback device to perform operations for dynamically adjusting audio played back via the playback device in an operating environment, the operations comprising:

recording, via a microphone of the playback device, audio data, wherein recording the audio data comprises (i) recording data indicative of sound emitted via a transducer in a housing of the playback device and (ii) data indicative of a reflection of the emitted sound;

determining a feature of the operating environment based on the recorded audio data;

identifying a first audio setting corresponding to the determined feature of the operating environment; and

applying the first audio setting to playback of media content via the transducer.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the transducer is a first transducer of the playback device, the instructions further including instructions for:

emitting, via the first transducer, a first audio signal;

emitting, via a second transducer of the playback device, a second audio signal, wherein recording the audio data further comprises detecting an audio signal representing at least a portion of the first audio signal and at least a portion of the second audio signal;

identifying a second audio setting corresponding to the determined feature of the operating environment; and

applying the second audio setting to the playback of the media content via the second transducer.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein determining a feature of the operating environment based on the recorded audio data comprises determining a first reflection characteristic based on a first portion of the detected audio signal representing the portion of the first audio signal, and further comprises determining a second reflection characteristic based on a second portion of the detected audio signal representing the portion of the second audio signal, and wherein identifying the first audio setting and the second audio setting corresponding to the determined feature of the operating environment comprises identifying the first audio setting based on the first reflection characteristic and the second audio setting based on the second reflection characteristic.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein determining the feature of the operating environment based on the recorded audio data further comprises:

determining (i) time-of-flight for the first audio signal to reflect back to the microphone and (ii) time-of-flight for the second audio signal to reflect back to the microphone.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein determining the feature of the operating environment based on the recorded audio data further comprises:

determining (i) a response of the operating environment to the first audio signal and (ii) a response of the operating environment to the second audio signal.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein identifying the first audio setting and the second audio setting based on the feature of the operating environment comprises:

determining (i) a first difference between the determined response of the operating environment to the first audio signal and a desired response of the first transducer and (ii) determining a second difference between the determined response of the operating environment to the second audio signal and a desired response of the second transducer;

determining, as the first audio setting, a first equalization configured to offset at least a portion of the first difference; and

determining, as the second audio setting, a second equalization configured to offset at least a portion of the second difference.