Calibration using multiple recording devices

• US 10,405,117 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Hartung, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US16/113,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20180367931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 381 51, 381 58, 381 98
• 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: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone

Abstract

Example techniques may involve calibration with multiple recording devices. An implementation may include detecting, via a microphone, one or more calibration sounds as emitted by one or more playback devices of one or more zones during a calibration sequence. The implementation may further include determining a first response, the first response representing a response of a given environment to the one or more calibration sounds as detected by the first recording device and receiving data indicating a second response, the second response representing a response of the given environment to the one or more calibration sounds as detected by a second recording device. The implementation may also include determining a calibration for the one or more playback devices based on the first response and the second response and sending, to the one or more zones, an instruction that applies the calibration to playback by the one or more playback devices.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a playback device comprising a network interface, one or more speakers, a microphone, one or more processors, and data storage having stored therein instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the playback device to perform functions comprising;

emitting, via the one or more speakers of the playback device, calibration audio during a calibration sequence, wherein the calibration sequence involves the playback device remaining stationary within a given environment while emitting the calibration audio;

detecting, via the microphone of the playback device, at least a portion of the calibration audio as emitted by the playback device during the calibration sequence; and

sending, via the network interface of the playback device, data representing a first response indicating an acoustic response of the given environment to the calibration audio as detected by the microphone of the playback device; and

a mobile device comprising a network interface, a microphone, one or more processors, and data storage having stored therein instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the mobile device to perform functions comprising;

during the calibration sequence, detecting, via the microphone of the mobile device, at least a portion of the calibration audio as emitted by the playback device;

determining a second response, the second response indicating an acoustic response of the given environment to the calibration audio as detected by the microphone of the mobile device;

receiving, via the network interface of the mobile device, data indicating the first response;

determining a calibration for the playback device based on the first response and the second response, wherein determining the calibration for the playback device comprises normalizing the second response relative to the first response; and

sending, via the network interface of the mobile device, an instruction that applies the determined calibration to playback by the playback device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to cause the mobile device to perform functions further comprising:

detecting movement of the mobile device relative to the given environment during the calibration sequence, and wherein normalizing the second response relative to the first response comprises normalizing the second response to the detected movement of the mobile device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein detecting movement of the mobile device relative to the given environment during the calibration sequence comprises determining a signal representing propagation delay between the playback device and the mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the microphone of the playback device is a first type of microphone and the microphone of the mobile device comprises a second type of microphone, and wherein normalizing the second response relative to the first response comprises:

applying a first correction curve to the first response to offset acoustic characteristics of the first type of microphone, and

applying a second correction curve to the second response to offset acoustic characteristics of the second type of microphone.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first response comprises first samples representing the calibration audio as detected by the playback device and the second response comprises second samples representing the calibration audio as detected by the mobile device, and wherein normalizing the second response relative to the first response comprises weighing, as respective portions of the calibration, the first response and the second response according to a ratio between average variance of the first samples and average variance of the second samples.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to cause the mobile device to perform functions further comprising:

receiving (i) data indicating that the playback device detected the one or more calibration sounds for a first duration of time, and (ii) data indicating that the mobile device detected the one or more calibration sounds for a second duration of time, and wherein normalizing the second response relative to the first response comprises weighing, as respective portions of the calibration, the first response and the second response according to a ratio between first duration of time and the second duration of time.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the calibration audio comprises a repeating signal, and wherein determining the calibration comprises averaging frames of the calibration audio representing respective repetitions of the repeating signal.

8. A method to be performed by a mobile device, the method comprising:

during a calibration sequence for a playback device, detecting, via a microphone of the mobile device, at least a portion of calibration audio as emitted by one or more speakers of the playback device;

receiving, via a network interface of the mobile device, data indicating a first response indicating an acoustic response of a given environment to the calibration audio as detected by a microphone of the playback device;

determining a second response, the second response indicating an acoustic response of the given environment to the calibration audio as detected by a microphone of the mobile device;

determining a calibration for the playback device based on the first response and the second response, wherein determining the calibration for the playback device comprises normalizing the second response relative to the first response; and

sending, via the network interface of the mobile device, an instruction that applies the determined calibration to playback by the playback device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting movement of the mobile device relative to the given environment during the calibration sequence, and wherein normalizing the second response relative to the first response comprises normalizing the second response to the detected movement of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting movement of the mobile device relative to the given environment during the calibration sequence comprises determining a signal representing propagation delay between the playback device and the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the microphone of the playback device is a first type of microphone and the microphone of the mobile device comprises a second type of microphone, and wherein normalizing the second response relative to the first response comprises:

applying a first correction curve to the first response to offset acoustic characteristics of the first type of microphone, and

applying a second correction curve to the second response to offset acoustic characteristics of the second type of microphone.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first response comprises first samples representing the calibration audio as detected by the playback device and the second response comprises second samples representing the calibration audio as detected by the mobile device, and wherein normalizing the second response relative to the first response comprises weighing, as respective portions of the calibration, the first response and the second response according to a ratio between average variance of the first samples and average variance of the second samples.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving (i) data indicating that the playback device detected the one or more calibration sounds for a first duration of time, and (ii) data indicating that the mobile device detected the one or more calibration sounds for a second duration of time, and wherein normalizing the second response relative to the first response comprises weighing, as respective portions of the calibration, the first response and the second response according to a ratio between first duration of time and the second duration of time.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the calibration audio comprises a repeating signal, and wherein determining the calibration comprises averaging frames of the calibration audio representing respective repetitions of the repeating signal.

15. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a mobile device to perform a method comprising:

during a calibration sequence for a playback device, detecting, via a microphone of the mobile device, at least a portion of calibration audio as emitted by one or more speakers of the playback device;

receiving, via a network interface of the mobile device, data indicating a first response indicating an acoustic response of a given environment to the calibration audio as detected by a microphone of the playback device;

determining a second response, the second response indicating an acoustic response of the given environment to the calibration audio as detected by a microphone of the mobile device;

determining a calibration for the playback device based on the first response and the second response, wherein determining the calibration for the playback device comprises normalizing the second response relative to the first response; and

sending, via the network interface of the mobile device, an instruction that applies the determined calibration to playback by the playback device.

16. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

detecting movement of the mobile device relative to the given environment during the calibration sequence, and wherein normalizing the second response relative to the first response comprises normalizing the second response to the detected movement of the mobile device.

17. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein detecting movement of the mobile device relative to the given environment during the calibration sequence comprises determining a signal representing propagation delay between the playback device and the mobile device.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the microphone of the playback device is a first type of microphone and the microphone of the mobile device comprises a second type of microphone, and wherein normalizing the second response relative to the first response comprises:

applying a first correction curve to the first response to offset acoustic characteristics of the first type of microphone, and

applying a second correction curve to the second response to offset acoustic characteristics of the second type of microphone.

19. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first response comprises first samples representing the calibration audio as detected by the playback device and the second response comprises second samples representing the calibration audio as detected by the mobile device, and wherein normalizing the second response relative to the first response comprises weighing, as respective portions of the calibration, the first response and the second response according to a ratio between average variance of the first samples and average variance of the second samples.

20. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving (i) data indicating that the playback device detected the one or more calibration sounds for a first duration of time, and (ii) data indicating that the mobile device detected the one or more calibration sounds for a second duration of time, and wherein normalizing the second response relative to the first response comprises weighing, as respective portions of the calibration, the first response and the second response according to a ratio between first duration of time and the second duration of time.