Distributed wireless speaker system

• US 9,924,291 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2016
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Milne, James R., Carlsson, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): ISLAM, MOHAMMAD K
• Application Number:
  US15/044,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20170238120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 381 17, 381 23, 381 77, 381 78, 381 80, 381 81, 381300, 455416
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/01 Multi-channel, i.e. more than two input channels, sound reproduction with two speakers wherein the multi-channel information is substantially preserved
• 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 5/00 Pseudo-stereo systems, e.g. in which additional channel signals are derived from monophonic signals by means of phase shifting, time delay or reverberation
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/308 Electronic adaptation dependent on speaker or headphone connection

Abstract

A master device receives audio, down-mixes the audio to stereo if it is not already in stereo, and then up-mixes the stereo into as many channels as there speakers in the network. The up-mixing can be based on the number and locations of the speakers, which may be determined automatically using a real time location system such as ultra wide band (UWB) location determination techniques. The master device sends each speaker the stereo only, with each speaker also up-mixing the stereo into at least its own respective channel and in some cases into all N channels, selecting from the rendered “N” channels that result from the up-mix the channel indicated as being associated with the particular location of the particular speaker.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

at least one computer medium that is not a transitory signal and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor to;

receive input audio;

responsive to identifying that the input audio is not stereo, down-mix the input audio to stereo;

responsive to identifying that the input audio is stereo, not down-mix the input audio;

receive a number “

N”

representing a number of speakers in a network of speakers;

send to each respective speaker the stereo such that each respective N^th speaker can render the stereo into at least an N^th channel, such that a first speaker renders from the stereo at least a first channel for play thereof by the first speaker, a second speaker renders from the stereo at least a second channel for play thereof by the second speaker, and an N^th speaker renders from the stereo at least an N^th channel for play by the N^th speaker.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a consumer electronics (CE) device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a master device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a network server communicating with a consumer electronics (CE) device associated with the network of speakers.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to up-mix the stereo into “

N”

channels for play by the device of one of the “

N”

channels.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to:

receive the number “

N”

representing the number of speakers and information representing a respective location of each speaker from a location determination module that automatically determines at least one location of at least one speaker using ultra wide band (UWB) signal transmission.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein up-mix of the stereo is based on both the number “

N”

of speakers and the locations of the speakers.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the instructions are executable to:

receive at least three fixed points in a space associated with the speakers in the network; and

at least in part based on the three fixed points and on UWB signaling in the network of speakers, output at least one speaker location in the space.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the instructions are executable to:

receive at least four fixed points in a space associated with the speakers in the network; and

at least in part based on the four fixed points and on UWB signaling in the network of speakers, output at least one speaker location in the space.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the instructions are executable to:

receive at least an expected listening location in the space; and

at least in part based on the expected listening location, up-mix the stereo to render the “

N”

channels.

11. A method comprising:

automatically determining, based at least in part on wireless signaling, respective locations of at least some respective speakers in a network of speakers;

automatically determining a number “

N”

of speakers in the network;

sending each speaker in the network audio formatted in stereo; and

based at least in part on the number “

N”

of speakers in the network and the respective locations of the speakers, up-mixing the stereo at each respective N^th speaker into a respective N^th channel, such that a first speaker plays only a first channel selected from the “

N”

channels, a second speaker plays only a second channel selected from the “

N”

channels, and an N^th speaker plays only an N^th channel selected from the “

N”

channels.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising receiving the number “

N”

representing the number of speakers and information representing the respective locations of the speakers from a location determination module that automatically determines at least one location of at least one speaker using ultra wide band (UWB) signal transmission.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising:

receiving at least three fixed points in a space associated with the speakers in the network; and

at least in part based on the three fixed points and on UWB signaling in the network of speakers, outputting at least one speaker location in the space.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising:

receiving at least an expected listening location in the space; and

at least in part based on the expected listening location, up-mixing the stereo to render the “

N”

channels.

15. A system comprising:

N speakers;

at least one master device configured to receive audio and to communicate with the speakers;

the master device configured with instructions executable to;

down-mix input audio to stereo;

transmit to each speaker the stereo;

each speaker being configured with instructions executable to;

up-mix the stereo into “

N”

channels; and

play a respective channel from among the “

N”

channels.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions of each speaker are executable to:

receive a number “

N”

representing the number of speakers and information representing a respective location of each speaker from a location determination module that automatically determines at least one location of at least one speaker using ultra wide band (UWB) signal transmission.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the up-mix is based on both the number “

N”

of speakers and the locations of the speakers.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions of the master device are executable to:

receive at least three fixed points in a space associated with the speakers in the network; and

at least in part based on the three fixed points and on UWB signaling in the network of speakers, output at least one speaker location in the space.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions of the master device are executable to:

receive at least an expected listening location in the space; and

at least in part based on the expected listening location, up-mix the stereo to render the “

N”

channels.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the master device is configured to wirelessly send the stereo to the speakers.