Speaker calibration user interface

• US 9,690,539 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2015
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheen, Timothy, Wilberding, Dayn
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLDER, REGINA NEAL
• Application Number:
  US14/826,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20160011850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/007 Electronic adaptation of audio signals to reverberation of the listening space for PA
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone

Abstract

An example implementation may involve a control device displaying a prompt to initiate a calibration sequence that involves calibration of a playback device for a given environment in which the playback device is located. The example implementation may also involve the control device displaying (i) a prompt to prepare a playback device for calibration within a given environment, (ii) a prompt to prepare the given environment for calibration of the playback device, and/or (iii) a prompt to prepare the control device for calibration of the playback device. The example implementation may also involve a control device displaying a selectable control, that, when selected, initiates calibration of the playback device. The example implementation may further involve a control device initiating calibration of the playback device.

Claims

1. Tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having stored therein instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a control device to perform operations comprising:

causing a graphical display to display a prompt to initiate a calibration sequence that involves calibration of a playback device for a given environment in which the playback device is located;

causing the graphical display to display a sequence of one or more prompts to prepare the playback device for calibration within the given environment;

causing the graphical display to display a sequence of one or more prompts to prepare the given environment for calibration of the playback device; and

upon detecting selection of a selectable control, initiating calibration of the playback device, wherein initiating calibration of the playback device comprises;

causing the graphical display to display a plurality of concentric ellipsoids that alternate between circular and contorted ellipsoid shapes to indicate that the playback device is being calibrated; and

causing the graphical display to display one or more concentric ellipsoids that are in a circular shape to indicate that the playback device has been calibrated.

2. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein causing the graphical display to display the prompt to initiate the calibration sequence of the playback device for the given environment in which the playback device is located comprises:

causing the graphical display to display one or more graphical elements indicating that the calibration sequence calibrates the playback device for a particular position within the given environment in which the playback device has been placed.

3. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein causing the graphical display to display the prompt to initiate calibration of the playback device for the given environment in which the playback device is located comprises:

causing the graphical display to display a selectable control that, when selected, displays one or more graphical elements indicating that the calibration sequence calibrates the playback device for a particular position within the given environment that the playback device has been placed.

4. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein causing the graphical display to display the sequence of one or more prompts to prepare the playback device for calibration within the given environment comprises causing the graphical display to display a prompt to position the playback device at a position within the given environment at which the playback device will be operated.

5. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein causing the graphical display to display the sequence of one or more prompts to prepare the given environment for calibration of the playback device comprises:

causing the graphical display to display, on a control interface, an indication that the control device is determining whether ambient noise within the given environment is less than a calibration threshold; and

causing the graphical display to display a number of concentric circles, wherein the number of displayed concentric circles is proportional to a sound pressure level within the given environment.

6. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the sound pressure level within the given environment is below a threshold level for calibration; and

causing the graphical display to display an indication that sound pressure level within the given environment is within an acceptable range for calibration.

7. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying a video that depicts at least a portion of the calibration sequence;

determining that at least a threshold portion of the video has been played; and

based on determining that the threshold portion of the video has been played, displaying a selectable control that, when selected, causes the graphical display to display a prompt to initiate calibration, wherein the prompt includes the selectable control that, when selected, initiates calibration of the playback device.

8. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

causing the graphical display to display a prompt to play back a video that depicts at least a portion of the calibration sequence;

determining whether the video has been previously played back by the control device during a previous iteration of the calibration sequence;

when the video has not been previously played back by the control device during a previous iteration of the calibration sequence, causing the graphical display to display a prompt to initiate calibration after a threshold portion of the video has been played back, wherein the prompt includes the selectable control that, when selected, initiates calibration of the playback device; and

when the video has been previously played back by the control device during a previous iteration of the calibration sequence, causing the graphical display to display the prompt to initiate calibration before the threshold portion of the video has been played back.

9. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein initiating calibration of the playback device further comprises:

sending an instruction that causes the playback device to emit a periodic calibration sound for a pre-determined calibration interval; and

while the playback device is emitting the periodic calibration sound, causing the graphical display to display a progress bar that indicates a duration of time remaining in the pre-determined calibration interval, wherein at least a portion of the progress bar pulses in synchrony with periods of the periodic calibration sound.

10. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein causing the graphical display to display the progress bar that indicates the duration of time remaining in the pre-determined calibration interval comprises causing the graphical display to display a circular progress bar that pulses in synchrony with periods of the periodic calibration sound by displaying a circular graphical element that expands in radius from the circular progress bar during periods of the periodic calibration sound.

11. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein causing the graphical display to display the progress bar that indicates the duration of time remaining in the calibration interval comprises causing the graphical display to display a progress bar that includes a progress indicator that pulses in synchrony with periods of the periodic calibration sound and indicates the duration of time remaining in the pre-determined calibration interval.

12. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein initiating calibration of the playback device comprises:

sending an instruction that causes the playback device to emit a periodic calibration sound for a pre-determined calibration interval; and

while the control device listens for the periodic calibration sound, causing the graphical display to display an indication that the control device is listening for the presence of the periodic calibration sound within the given environment.

13. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting at least a portion of a calibration sound emitted by the playback device; and

while the control device analyzes the detected calibration sound, causing the graphical display to display the plurality of concentric ellipsoids that alternate between circular and contorted ellipsoid shapes.

14. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a calibration profile that offsets acoustic characteristics of the given environment to calibrate the playback device to a calibration equalization.

15. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the determined calibration profile adjusts an equalization of the playback device by more than a threshold level; and

based on determining that the determined calibration profile adjusts the equalization of the playback device by more than the threshold level, displaying one or more graphical elements indicating that the calibration of the playback device significantly adjusted equalization of the playback device.

16. The tangible, computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the determined calibration profile adjusts an equalization of the playback device by less than a threshold level; and

based on determining that the determined calibration profile adjusts the equalization of the playback device by more than the threshold level, causing the graphical display to display one or more graphical elements indicating that the calibration of the playback device subtlety adjusted equalization of the playback device.

17. Tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media having stored therein instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a control device to perform operations comprising:

sending an instruction that initiates a calibration sequence in which a playback device is calibrated for a given environment in which the playback device is located, wherein initiating the calibration sequence comprises sending an instruction that causes a playback device to emit a periodic calibration sound for a pre-determined calibration interval;

while the playback device is emitting the periodic calibration sound, (i) detecting, via a microphone, the emitted calibration sound and (ii) causing a graphical display to display a progress bar that indicates a duration of time remaining in the pre-determined calibration interval, wherein at least a portion of the progress bar pulses in synchrony with periods of the periodic calibration sound;

while determining a calibration profile for the playback device that offsets acoustics of the given environment based on the detected calibration sound, causing the graphical display to display an indication that the playback device is being calibrated for its particular position within the given environment, wherein causing the graphical display to display the indication that the playback device is being calibrated for the particular position within the given environment comprises causing the graphical display to display a plurality of concentric ellipsoids that alternate between circular and contorted ellipsoid shapes to indicate that the playback device is being calibrated; and

sending an instruction that causes the playback device to play media as adjusted by the determined calibration profile.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein causing the graphical display to display the indication that the playback device is being calibrated comprises:

upon the control device determining the calibration profile, causing the graphical display to display the plurality of concentric ellipsoids in a circular shape.

20. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein displaying the indication that the playback device is being calibrated comprises:

upon the control device determining the calibration profile, causing the graphical display to display the plurality of concentric ellipsoids in a circular shape.

19. A method comprising:

sending, by a control device, an instruction that causes a playback device to emit a periodic calibration sound for a pre-determined calibration interval;

while the playback device is emitting the periodic calibration sound, detecting, via a microphone, the emitted calibration sound and causing a graphical display to display a progress bar that indicates a duration of time remaining in the pre-determined calibration interval, wherein at least a portion of the progress bar pulses in synchrony with periods of the periodic calibration sound; and

while determining a calibration profile for the playback device that offsets acoustics of a given environment in which the playback device is located, causing the graphical display to display an indication that the playback device is being calibrated for a particular position within the given environment, wherein causing the graphical display to display the indication that the playback device is being calibrated for the particular position within the given environment comprises causing the graphical display to display a plurality concentric ellipsoids that alternate between circular and contorted ellipsoid shapes to indicate that the playback device is being calibrated; and

sending an instruction that causes the playback device to play back media as adjusted by the determined calibration profile.