Group coordinator selection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10142688-B2
Application number	US-201514955715-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2015
Priority date	Sep 30, 2013
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments described herein involve selecting a coordinator device for multichannel playback by a first playback device and a second playback device are joined into a zone group of playback devices that are configured to render audio content from an audio source in synchrony. An example implementation may involve determining that a wireless interface performance metric of the first playback device exceeds a wireless interface performance metric of the second playback device. Based on such a determination, the first playback device and the second playback device may be configured as a group coordinator and a group member of the zone group, respectively. The group coordinator (a) receives the audio content from the audio source, and (b) forwards at least a portion of the received audio content to a group member during rendering of the audio content by the zone group of playback devices.

First claim

We claim:

1. A first playback device comprising:
a IEEE 802.11-compatible wireless network interface carried by the first playback device;
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:
determining that a wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the first playback device exceeds a wireless interface performance metric of a IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by a second playback device, wherein the first playback device and the second playback device are joined into a zone group of playback devices that are configured to render audio content from an audio source in synchrony, wherein the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the first playback device and the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the second playback device are independent of respective power sources of the first playback device and the second playback device;
based on determining that the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the first playback device exceeds the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the second playback device, configuring the first playback device as a group coordinator of the zone group, wherein the group coordinator (a) receives the audio content from the audio source, and (b) forwards at least a portion of the received audio content to one or more group members of the zone group during rendering of the audio content by the zone group of playback devices, and wherein the second playback device is a group member of the zone group; and
while rendering the audio content, receiving the audio content from the audio source and forwarding at least the portion of the received audio content to the second playback device.

2. The first playback device of claim 1 , wherein the group coordinator forwards playback timing information to one or more group members to synchronize rendering of the audio content by the group coordinator and the one or more group members, and wherein the method further comprises:
while rendering the audio content, forwarding the playback timing information to the second playback device to synchronize rendering of the audio content by the first playback device and the second playback device.

3. The first playback device of claim 1 , wherein determining that the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the first playback device exceeds the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the second playback device comprises determining a root path cost indicating a number of devices in an ad-hoc network between the first playback device and the audio source.

4. The first playback device of claim 1 , wherein the audio source comprises a streaming media service, and wherein receiving the audio content from the audio source comprises receiving the audio content from one or more computing systems of the streaming media service.

5. The first playback device of claim 1 , wherein the audio source comprises a mobile device connected to the first playback device via a local area network, and wherein receiving the audio content from the audio source comprises receiving the audio content from the mobile device.

6. The first playback device of claim 1 , wherein the audio source comprises a third playback device, and wherein receiving the audio content from the audio source comprises receiving the audio content from the third playback device.

7. The first playback device of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises
after forwarding at least the portion of the received audio content to the second playback device, determining that the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the second playback device exceeds the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the first playback device; and
based on the determination that the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the second playback device exceeds the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the first playback device, (i) configuring the second playback device as the group coordinator of the zone group, and (ii) configuring the first playback device as the group member of the zone group.

8. The first playback device of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
based on determining that the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the first playback device exceeds the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the second playback device, configuring the second playback device as the group member of the zone group.

9. A first playback device comprising:
a IEEE 802.11-compatible wireless network interface carried by the first playback device;
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:
determining that a wireless interface performance metric of a IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by a second playback device exceeds a wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the first playback device, wherein the first playback device and the second playback device are joined into a zone group of playback devices that are configured to render audio content from an audio source in synchrony, wherein the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the first playback device and the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the second playback device are independent of respective power sources of the first playback device and the second playback device;
based on determining that the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the second playback device exceeds the wireless interface performance metric of the IEEE 802.11-compatible network interface carried by the first playback device, configuring the first playback device as a group member of the zone group, wherein the group member receives at least a portion of the audio content from a group coordinator during rendering of the audio content by the zone group of playback devices, and wherein the second playback device is the group coordinator; and
while rendering the audio content, receiving at least the portion of the received audio content from the second playback device.

10. The first playback device of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises configuring the second playback device as the group coordinator of the zone group, wherein the group coordinator (a) receives the audio content from the audio source, and (b) forwards at least the portion of the received audio content to one or more group members during rendering of the audio content by the zone group of playback devices.

11. The first playback device of claim 10 , wherein configuring the second playback d

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Gossain Hrishikesh
• Lang Jonathan

Classifications

• H04R29/007

  for public address systems (public address systems per se H04R27/00) · CPC title

• H04R2227/005

  Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use · CPC title

• G11B27/002

  Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; (transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22) · CPC title

• H04N21/44227 Primary

  Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network (configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811) · CPC title

• H04B17/318

  Received signal strength · CPC title