Room-corrected voice detection

• US 9,772,817 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2016
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Jarvis, Simon, Kadri, Romi, Chen, Yean-Nian Willy
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-See
• Application Number:
  US15/098,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20170242655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 381 92, 381 56- 59, 381314, 381300, 381303, 381 61, 381 77, 381 96, 348 1401- 1409, 700 94
• 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: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/14 using statistical models, e.g. Hidden Markov Models [HMMs] G10L15/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/02 Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation reducing echo effects in line transmission systems H04B3/20; echo suppression in hands-free telephones H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• 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 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• 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: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 : Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A playback device may have a network interface configured to communicate with a network microphone device over a communication network. A processor of the playback device may comprise instructions, which when executed, cause the processor to obtain acoustics of an environment in which the playback device is located; identify a network microphone device; and send the acoustics to the network microphone device to cause the network microphone device to apply the acoustics to voice input received by the network microphone device.

Claims

1. A playback device comprising:

a network interface;

a processor; and

tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the playback device to perform functions comprising;

obtaining acoustics of an environment in which the playback device is located, wherein obtaining the acoustics of the environment comprises emitting a calibration tone;

receiving via the network interface, data indicating a network microphone device to be bonded with the playback device; and

based on receiving the data indicating the network microphone device, sending via the network interface, the acoustics to the network microphone device to cause the network microphone device to apply the acoustics to audio data detected by the network microphone device, while the network microphone is bonded with the playback device.

2. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

sending audio content to the network microphone device to cause the network microphone device to apply the audio content to the detected audio data.

3. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the data indicating the network microphone device indicates that the network microphone device is a network microphone that is closest to the playback device.

4. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the data indicating the network microphone device indicates that the network microphone is in a same zone as the playback device.

5. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving an indication of direction of the detected audio data from the network microphone device; and

adjusting directionality of audio content played by the playback device based on the direction.

6. The playback device of claim 1, wherein sending via the network interface, the acoustics to the network microphone device to cause the network microphone device to apply the acoustics to audio data detected by the network microphone device comprises causing the network microphone device to apply a filter to the audio data detected by the network microphone device, wherein the filter is based on the acoustics of the environment.

7. The playback device of claim 1, wherein obtaining the acoustics of the environment further comprises:

receiving from a network computing device, data indicating the acoustics of the environment, wherein the network computing device is different than the network microphone device to be bonded with the playback device.

8. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a playback device, acoustics of an environment in which the playback device is located, wherein obtaining the acoustics of the environment comprises emitting, by the playback device, a calibration tone;

receiving, by the playback device, data indicating a network microphone device to be bonded with the playback device; and

based on receiving the data indicating the network microphone device, sending, by the playback device, the acoustics to the network microphone device to cause the network microphone device to apply the acoustics to audio data detected by the network microphone device, while the network microphone is bonded with the playback device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending audio content to the network microphone device to cause the network microphone device to apply the audio content to the detected audio data.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the data indicating the network microphone device indicates that the network microphone device is a network microphone that is closest to the playback device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the data indicating the network microphone device indicates that the network microphone is in a same zone as the playback device.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving an indication of direction of the detected audio data from the network microphone device; and

adjusting directionality of audio content played by the playback device based on the direction.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein sending via the network interface, the acoustics to the network microphone device to cause the network microphone device to apply the acoustics to audio data detected by the network microphone device comprises causing the network microphone device to apply a filter to the audio data detected by the network microphone device, wherein the filter is based on the acoustics of the environment.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein obtaining, by the playback device, the acoustics of the environment further comprises:

receiving by the playback device from a network computing device, data indicating the acoustics of the environment, wherein the network computing device is different than the network microphone device to be bonded with the playback device.

15. A tangible non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by a processor of a playback device, cause the playback device to perform functions comprising:

obtaining acoustics of an environment in which the playback device is located, wherein obtaining the acoustics of the environment comprises emitting a calibration tone;

receiving data indicating a network microphone device to be bonded with the playback device; and

based on receiving the data indicating the network microphone device, sending the acoustics to the network microphone device to cause the network microphone device to apply the acoustics to audio data detected by the network microphone device, while the network microphone is bonded with the playback device.

16. The tangible non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

sending audio content to the network microphone device to cause the network microphone device to apply the audio content to the detected audio data.

17. The tangible non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the data indicating the network microphone device indicates that the network microphone device is a network microphone that is closest to the playback device.

18. The tangible non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the data indicating the network microphone device indicates that the network microphone is in a same zone as the playback device.

19. The tangible non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein sending via the network interface, the acoustics to the network microphone device to cause the network microphone device to apply the acoustics to audio data detected by the network microphone device comprises causing the network microphone device to apply a filter to the audio data detected by the network microphone device, wherein the filter is based on the acoustics of the environment.

20. The tangible non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein obtaining the acoustics of the environment further comprises:

receiving from a network computing device, data indicating the acoustics of the environment, wherein the network computing device is different than the network microphone device to be bonded with the playback device.