Audio output balancing

• US 9,363,601 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2015
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Ramos, Aurelio Rafael, Sheen, Timothy W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edun, Muhammad N
• Application Number:
  US14/937,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20160066094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 210 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 11/008 of digital or coded signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/001 Digital control of analog signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/20 Automatic control H03G3/005 takes precedence; combined with volume compression or expansion H03G7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 11/00 Transducers of moving-armature or moving-core type acoustic diaphragm of magnetisable material directly coacting with electromagnet H04R13/00
• 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 2430/03 Synergistic effects of band splitting and sub-band processing
• 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 3/04 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 3/14 Cross-over networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/03 Aspects of down-mixing multi-channel audio to configurations with lower numbers of playback channels, e.g. 7.1 -> 5.1 H04S2400/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/307 Frequency adjustment, e.g. tone control H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

An example implementation involves a first playback device receiving audio content to be played by the first playback device and a second playback device. The first playback device may be configured to play respective portions of the audio that are respectively below and above a first crossover frequency. The playback device determines a first limiting result that represents playback of the second portion of the audio content by applying, to the second portion of the audio content, a pre-determined volume-limiting function that is associated with the second playback device, where the first limiting result indicates frequencies at which a playback volume of the second playback device is limited. The playback device determines a second crossover frequency based on the indicated frequencies at which the playback volume of the second playback device is limited and plays a third portion of the audio content that is below the second crossover frequency.

Claims

1. A first playback device comprising:

one or more processors; and

tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions encoded therein, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first playback device to perform a method comprising;

receiving audio content to be played by the first playback device and a second playback device, wherein the first playback device is configured to play a first portion of the audio content that has a frequency range below a first crossover frequency and the second playback device is configured to play a second portion of the audio content that has a frequency range above the first crossover frequency;

determining a first limiting result that represents playback of the second portion of the audio content by applying, to the second portion of the audio content, a pre-determined volume-limiting function that is associated with the second playback device, wherein the first limiting result indicates frequencies at which a playback volume of the second playback device is limited;

determining a second crossover frequency based on the indicated frequencies at which the playback volume of the second playback device is limited; and

playing a third portion of the audio content that is below the second crossover frequency.

2. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the second playback device is a mid-high frequency range playback device.

3. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the second crossover frequency is higher than the first crossover frequency.

4. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the first crossover frequency is approximately 80 Hz, and the second crossover frequency is approximately 150 Hz.

5. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the third portion of the audio content comprises the first portion of the audio content.

6. The first playback device of claim 1, the method further comprising:

causing the second playback device to play a fourth portion of the audio content that has a frequency range above the second crossover frequency.

7. The first playback device of claim 1, the method further comprising:

facilitating synchronous playback of the audio content by the first playback device and the second playback device.

8. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the second playback device is configured to facilitate synchronous playback of the audio content by the first playback device and the second playback device.

9. The first playback device of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, from the second playback device, the audio content.

10. The first playback device of claim 1, the method further comprising:

sending, to the second playback device, the audio content.

11. The first playback device of claim 1, the method further comprising:

before determining the first limiting result, receiving the pre-determined volume-limiting function associated with the second playback device.

12. The first playback device of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined volume-limiting function is a first pre-determined volume-limiting function, and the method further comprising:

determining a second limiting result that represents playback of the first portion of the audio content by applying to the first portion of the audio content, a second pre-determined volume-limiting function that is associated with the first playback device, wherein the second limiting result indicates frequencies at which a playback volume of the first playback device is limited,

wherein determining a second crossover frequency based on the indicated frequencies at which the playback volume of the second playback device is limited comprises determining the second crossover frequency based on (a) the indicated frequencies at which the playback volume of the second playback device is limited, and (b) the indicated frequencies at which the playback volume of the first playback device is limited.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface of a first playback device, audio content to be played by the first playback device and a second playback device, wherein the first playback device is configured to play a first portion of the audio content that has a frequency range below a first crossover frequency and the second playback device is configured to play a second portion of the audio content that has a frequency range above the first crossover frequency;

determining, by the first playback device, a first limiting result that represents playback of the second portion of the audio content by applying, to the second portion of the audio content, a pre-determined volume-limiting function that is associated with the second playback device, wherein the first limiting result indicates frequencies at which a playback volume of the second playback device is limited;

determining, by the first playback device, a second crossover frequency based on the indicated frequencies at which the playback volume of the second playback device is limited; and

playing by the first playback device, a third portion of the audio content that is below the second crossover frequency.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second playback device is a mid-high frequency range playback device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the second crossover frequency is higher than the first crossover frequency.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a first playback device to perform functions comprising:

receiving audio content to be played by the first playback device and a second playback device, wherein the first playback device is configured to play a first portion of the audio content that has a frequency range below a first crossover frequency and the second playback device is configured to play a second portion of the audio content that has a frequency range above the first crossover frequency;

determining a first limiting result that represents playback of the second portion of the audio content by applying, to the second portion of the audio content, a pre-determined volume-limiting function that is associated with the second playback device, wherein the first limiting result indicates frequencies at which a playback volume of the second playback device is limited;

determining a second crossover frequency based on the indicated frequencies at which the playback volume of the second playback device is limited; and

playing a third portion of the audio content that is below the second crossover frequency.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the third portion of the audio content comprises the first portion of the audio content.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the functions further comprise:

facilitating synchronous playback of the audio content by the first playback device and the second playback device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the second playback device is configured to facilitate synchronous playback of the audio content by the first playback device and the second playback device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the pre-determined volume-limiting function is a first pre-determined volume-limiting function, and wherein the functions further comprise:

determining a second limiting result that represents playback of the first portion of the audio content by applying to the first portion of the audio content, a second pre-determined volume-limiting function that is associated with the first playback device, wherein the second limiting result indicates frequencies at which a playback volume of the first playback device is limited,

wherein determining a second crossover frequency based on the indicated frequencies at which the playback volume of the second playback device is limited comprises determining the second crossover frequency based on (a) the indicated frequencies at which the playback volume of the second playback device is limited, and (b) the indicated frequencies at which the playback volume of the first playback device is limited.