Calibration of playback device to target curve

• US 10,412,517 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2018
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• 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:
  US16/181,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20190075414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 309 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 speaker, a first audio signal. While emitting the first audio signal, the playback device detects, via a microphone, data representing a second audio signal, the second audio signal comprising one or more reflections of the first audio signal as emitted by the speaker within a surrounding environment. The playback device determines a frequency response curve based on the second audio signal, the frequency response curve representing acoustic characteristics of a system comprising the playback device and the surrounding environment. The playback device determines filter coefficients based on a difference between the determined frequency response curve and a target frequency response curve, and applies the filter coefficients to one or more filters during playback of audio content by the playback device.

Claims

1. A playback device comprising:

one or more speakers;

one or more microphones;

one or more processors; and

a housing carrying the one or more speakers, the one or more microphones, the one or more processors, and data storage having stored thereon instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the playback device to perform a method comprising;

emitting, via the one or more speakers, a first audio signal;

while emitting the first audio signal, detecting, via the one or more microphones, data representing a second audio signal, the second audio signal comprising one or more reflections of the first audio signal as emitted by the one or more speakers within a surrounding environment;

determining a frequency response curve based on the second audio signal, the frequency response curve representing acoustic characteristics of a system comprising the playback device and the surrounding environment;

determining filter coefficients based on a difference between the determined frequency response curve and a target frequency response curve; and

applying the determined filter coefficients to one or more filters during playback of audio content by the playback device, wherein the applied filter coefficients cause the one or more filters to at least partially offset acoustic characteristics of the surrounding environment.

2. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the playback device comprises an audio stage comprising one or more digital signal processors, and wherein applying the filter coefficients to one or more filters during playback of audio content by the playback device comprises:

generating one or more digital filters in the one or more digital signal processors, the one or more digital filters having the determined filter coefficients; and

filtering, via the generated one or more digital filters, one or more audio signals representing the audio content.

3. The playback device of claim 2, wherein filtering, via the generated one or more digital filters, the one or more audio signals representing the audio content comprises boosting one or more first frequencies of the one or more audio signals to offset attenuation of the one or more first frequencies by the surrounding environment.

4. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the target frequency response curve represents a target frequency response that the playback device is configured to produce in an anechoic chamber.

5. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the one or more speakers comprise a first speaker and a second speaker and wherein determining the filter coefficients comprises determining one or more first filter coefficients corresponding to the first speaker and one or more second filter coefficients corresponding to the second speaker.

6. The playback device of claim 1, wherein multiple target frequency response curves correspond to respective room sizes, and wherein the method further comprises:

estimating a room size of the surrounding environment based on the second audio signal; and

selecting the target frequency response curve from among the multiple target frequency response curves based on the estimated room size of the surrounding environment.

7. The playback device of claim 1, wherein determining the filter coefficients comprises determining adjustments to currently configured filter coefficients based on the difference between the determined frequency response curve and a target frequency response curve.

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

emitting, via one or more speakers of the playback device, a first audio signal, wherein a housing of the playback device carries the one or more speakers;

while emitting the first audio signal, detecting, via one or more microphones of the playback device, data representing a second audio signal, the second audio signal comprising one or more reflections of the first audio signal as emitted by the one or more speakers within a surrounding environment, wherein the housing of the playback device carries the one or more microphones;

determining, via one or more processors of the playback device, a frequency response curve based on the second audio signal, the frequency response curve representing acoustic characteristics of a system comprising the playback device and the surrounding environment, wherein the housing of the playback device carries the one or more processors;

determining, via the one or more processors of the playback device, filter coefficients based on a difference between the determined frequency response curve and a target frequency response curve; and

applying, via an audio stage comprising one or more filters, the determined filter coefficients to the one or more filters during playback of audio content by the playback device, wherein the applied filter coefficients cause the one or more filters to at least partially offset acoustic characteristics of the surrounding environment, wherein the housing of the playback device carries the audio stage.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the audio stage comprises one or more digital signal processors, and wherein applying the filter coefficients to one or more filters during playback of audio content by the playback device comprises:

generating one or more digital filters in the one or more digital signal processors, the one or more digital filters having the determined filter coefficients; and

filtering, via the generated one or more digital filters, one or more audio signals representing the audio content.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein filtering, via the generated one or more digital filters, the one or more audio signals representing the audio content comprises boosting one or more first frequencies of the one or more audio signals to offset attenuation of the one or more first frequencies by the surrounding environment.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the target frequency response curve represents a target frequency response that the playback device is configured to produce in an anechoic chamber.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more speakers comprise a first speaker and a second speaker and wherein determining the filter coefficients comprises determining one or more first filter coefficients corresponding to the first speaker and one or more second filter coefficients corresponding to the second speaker.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein multiple target frequency response curves correspond to respective room sizes, and wherein the method further comprises:

estimating a room size of the surrounding environment based on the second audio signal; and

selecting the target frequency response curve from among the multiple target frequency response curves based on the estimated room size of the surrounding environment.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the filter coefficients comprises determining adjustments to currently configured filter coefficients based on the difference between the determined frequency response curve and a target frequency response curve.

15. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a playback device, cause the playback device to perform a method comprising:

emitting, via one or more speakers of the playback device, a first audio signal, wherein a housing of the playback device carries the one or more speakers;

while emitting the first audio signal, detecting, via one or more microphones of the playback device, data representing a second audio signal, the second audio signal comprising one or more reflections of the first audio signal as emitted by the one or more speakers within a surrounding environment, wherein the housing of the playback device carries the one or more microphones;

determining, via one or more processors of the playback device, a frequency response curve based on the second audio signal, the frequency response curve representing acoustic characteristics of a system comprising the playback device and the surrounding environment, wherein the housing of the playback device carries the one or more processors;

determining, via the one or more processors of the playback device, filter coefficients based on a difference between the determined frequency response curve and a target frequency response curve; and

applying, via an audio stage comprising one or more filters, the determined filter coefficients to the one or more filters during playback of audio content by the playback device, wherein the applied filter coefficients cause the one or more filters to at least partially offset acoustic characteristics of the surrounding environment, wherein the housing of the playback device carries the audio stage.

16. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the audio stage comprises one or more digital signal processors, and wherein applying the filter coefficients to one or more filters during playback of audio content by the playback device comprises:

generating one or more digital filters in the one or more digital signal processors, the one or more digital filters having the determined filter coefficients; and

filtering, via the generated one or more digital filters, one or more audio signals representing the audio content.

17. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein filtering, via the generated one or more digital filters, the one or more audio signals representing the audio content comprises boosting one or more first frequencies of the one or more audio signals to offset attenuation of the one or more first frequencies by the surrounding environment.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the target frequency response curve represents a target frequency response that the playback device is configured to produce in an anechoic chamber.

19. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more speakers comprise a first speaker and a second speaker and wherein determining the filter coefficients comprises determining one or more first filter coefficients corresponding to the first speaker and one or more second filter coefficients corresponding to the second speaker.

20. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein multiple target frequency response curves correspond to respective room sizes, and wherein the method further comprises:

estimating a room size of the surrounding environment based on the second audio signal; and

selecting the target frequency response curve from among the multiple target frequency response curves based on the estimated room size of the surrounding environment.