System and Method for Automatic Selection of Audio Configuration Settings

• US 20120106747A1
• Filed: 07/20/2010
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Crockett, Brett G., Seefeldt, Alan J., Chang, Matthew S., Ahmad, Mohammad N., Jackson, Bruce R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,084,070 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/021 Aspects relating to docking-station type assemblies to obtain an acoustical effect, e.g. the type of connection to external loudspeakers or housings, frequency improvement
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/07 Synergistic effects of band splitting and sub-band processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone

Abstract

In one embodiment the present invention includes a circuit for automatically adjusting an output of an audio device. The circuit includes a memory circuit, a detector circuit, a control circuit, and an output circuit. The memory circuit stores configuration information. The detector circuit detects environment information related to an environment in which the apparatus is present. The control circuit selects selected configuration information from the memory circuit according to the environment information detected by the detector circuit. The output circuit receives an input audio signal and the selected configuration information, modifies the input audio signal according to the selected configuration information, and generates an output audio signal corresponding to the input audio signal as modified according to the selected configuration information.

Claims

1. An apparatus including a circuit for automatically adjusting an output of an audio device, the circuit comprising:

a memory circuit that is configured to store configuration information;

a detector circuit that is configured to detect environment information related to an environment in which the apparatus is present;

a control circuit that is configured to select selected configuration information from the memory circuit according to the environment information detected by the detector circuit; and

an output circuit that is configured to receive an input audio signal and the selected configuration information, that is configured to modify the input audio signal according to the selected configuration information, and is configured to generate an output audio signal corresponding to the input audio signal as modified according to the selected configuration information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes a first set of configuration information corresponding to a first environment and a second set of configuration information corresponding to a second environment.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes a first set of configuration information corresponding to a wall mounting of the apparatus, and a second set of configuration information corresponding to a stand mounting of the apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes one of frequency response information, signal level information, and volume information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes one of balance information and surround sound information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one of a television, a sound bar, and a docking station.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector circuit selectively detects a closed circuit corresponding to a stand mounting environment and an open circuit corresponding to a wall mounting environment.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector circuit is coupled to one of a mechanical switch, an electrical switch, and an electromechanical switch.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector circuit is coupled to one of a velocity sensor and an accelerometer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector circuit is coupled to a microphone.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector circuit is coupled to a global positioning system device.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuit selects a first set of configuration information when the detector circuit detects first environment information related to a first environment, and selects a second set of configuration information when the detector circuit detects second environment information related to a second environment.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to program the output circuit with the selected configuration information.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output circuit is configured to modify the input audio signal in a first way when the detector circuit detects first environment information related to a first environment, and is configured to modify the input audio signal in a second way when the detector circuit detects second environment information related to a second environment.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector circuit detects an attribute of the environment as the environment information, and wherein the control circuit selects the selected configuration information based indirectly on the environment.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration information corresponds to a plurality of simulated environments.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration information corresponds to a plurality of simulated environments, and wherein the environment information corresponds to one of the plurality of simulated environments.

18. A system for automatically adjusting an audio output, comprising:

a device that generates the audio output;

a memory circuit that is configured to store configuration information;

a detector circuit that is configured to detect environment information related to an environment in which the device is present;

a control circuit that is configured to select selected configuration information from the memory circuit according to the environment information detected by the detector circuit; and

an output circuit that is configured to receive an input audio signal from the device and the selected configuration information, that is configured to modify the input audio signal according to the selected configuration information, and is configured to generate an output audio signal corresponding to the input audio signal as modified according to the selected configuration information, wherein the device outputs the output audio signal as the audio output.

19. A method of automatically adjusting an output of an audio device, comprising:

storing configuration information;

detecting environment information related to an environment in which the audio device is present;

selecting selected configuration information of the configuration information according to the environment information having been detected;

receiving an input audio signal;

modifying the input audio signal according to the selected configuration information; and

generating an output audio signal corresponding to the input audio signal as modified according to the selected configuration information.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

simulating a plurality of environments;

measuring a plurality of attributes of the plurality of environments; and

generating the configuration information according to the plurality of attributes.