Audio system with configurable zones

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10609484-B2
Application number	US-201715684790-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2017
Priority date	Sep 26, 2014
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

An audio system is described that includes one or more speaker arrays that emit sound corresponding to one or more pieces of sound program content into associated zones within a listening area. Using parameters of the audio system (e.g., locations of the speaker arrays and the audio sources), the zones, the users, the pieces of sound program content, and the listening area, one or more beam pattern attributes may be generated. The beam pattern attributes define a set of beams that are used to generate audio beams for channels of sound program content to be played in each zone. The beam pattern attributes may be updated as changes are detected within the listening environment. By adapting to these changing conditions, the audio system is capable of reproducing sound that accurately represents each piece of sound program content in various zones.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of driving speaker arrays, comprising:
receiving a first sound program content and a second sound program content associated with respective audio sources within an audio system, wherein the first sound program content is designated to be played in a first zone within a listening area and the second program content is designated to be played in a second zone within the listening area;
determining a layout of a first speaker array and a second speaker array, wherein the first speaker array and the second speaker array have respective speaker cabinets and are movable relative to each other within the listening area;
generating one or more sets of audio beam pattern attributes based on the determined layout; and
driving the first speaker array and the second speaker array with the one or more sets of audio beam pattern attributes such that each speaker array directs respective audio beams corresponding to one or more channels of the first sound program content and the second program content to the first zone and the second zone in the listening area.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each set of the audio beam pattern attributes in the one or more sets of audio beam pattern attributes includes one or more of gain values, delay values, beam type pattern values, or beam angle values that are used to generate corresponding audio beams for each channel of the first sound program content and the second sound program content.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising,
determining one or more parameters describing the audio system, wherein the one or more parameters describing the audio system include 1) a location of each of the speaker arrays relative to each zone and 2) a location of each audio source relative to corresponding zones, and wherein the one or more sets of audio beam pattern attributes are based on the one or more parameters describing the audio system.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining parameters for the first sound program content and the second sound program content, wherein the one or more sets of audio beam pattern attributes are generated based on the parameters for the first sound program content and the second sound program content, wherein the parameters for the first sound program content and the second sound program content include one or more of the number of channels in each of the first sound program content add the second sound program content, a frequency range of each of the first sound program content and the second sound program content, or a content type of each of the first sound program content and the second sound program content.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining parameters for the listening area, wherein the one or more sets of audio beam pattern attributes are generated based on the parameters for the listening area, wherein the parameters for the listening area include one or more of 1) a size and a geometry of the listening area; 2) reverberation characteristics of the listening area; or 3) a location of users in the listening area.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:
defining each of the first zone and the second zone in the listening area, wherein the definition of each zone includes one or more of a location of the zone in the listening area, a size of the zone, shape of the zone, or a piece of sound program content from the respective sound program content designated to be played in the respective zone.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein each of the first zone and the second zone is defined based on one or more of 1) a location of one or more of the users in the listening area or 2) a location of one or more of the audio sources in the listening area.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
detecting a change to the zones or the audio system;
determining, in response to detecting the change to the zones or the audio system, parameters describing the zones and the audio system;
generating one or more new sets of audio beam pattern attributes based on the determined parameters for the zones and the audio system; and
driving the first speaker array and the second speaker array with the one or more new sets of audio beam pattern attributes such that each speaker array directs respective audio beams corresponding to one or more channels of the first sound program content and the second program content to the first zone and the second zone in the listening area.

9. A computing device for driving speaker arrays, comprising:
an interface for receiving a first sound program content and a second sound program content associated with respective audio sources within an audio system, wherein the first sound program content is designated to be played by the audio system in a first zone within a listening area and the second program content is designated to be played in a second zone within the listening area;
a hardware processor; and
a memory unit for storing instructions, which when executed by the hardware processor:
determine a layout of a first speaker array and a second speaker array, wherein the first speaker array and the second speaker array have respective speaker cabinets and are moveable relative to each other within the listening area;
generate one or more sets of audio beam pattern attributes based on the determined layout; and
generate one or more drive signals for driving the first speaker array and the second speaker array with the one or more sets of audio beam pattern attributes such that each speaker array directs respective audio beams corresponding to one or more channels of the first sound program content and the second program content to the first zone and the second zone in the listening area.

10. The computing device of claim 9 , wherein each set of the audio beam pattern attributes in the one or more sets of audio beam pattern attributes includes one or more of gain values, delay values, beam type pattern values, or beam angle values that are used to generate corresponding audio beams for each channel of the first sound program content and the second sound program content.

11. The computing device of claim 9 further comprising:
determining one or more parameters describing the audio system, wherein the one or more parameters describing the audio system include 1) a location of each of the speaker arrays relative to each zone and 2) a location of each audio source relative to corresponding zone, and wherein the one or more sets of audio beam pattern attributes are based on the one or more parameters describing the audio system.

12. The computing device of claim 9 , wherein the memory unit includes further instructions which when executed by the hardware processor:
determine parameters for the first sound program content and the second sound program content, wherein the one or more sets of audio beam pattern attributes are generated based on the parameters for the first sound program content and the second sound program content, wherein the parameters for the first sound program content and the second sound program content include one or more of a number of channels in each of the first sound program content and the second sound program content, a frequency range of each of the first sound program content and the second sound program content, or a content type of each of the first sound program content and the second sound program content.

13. The computing device of claim 9 , wherein the memory unit includes further instructions which when executed by the hardware processor:
determine parameters for the listening area, wherein the one or more sets of audio beam pattern attributes are genera

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Family Afrooz
• Bidmead Anthony P
• Wang Erik L
• Geaves Gary P
• Johnson Martin E
• Brown Matthew I
• Howes Michael B
• Choisel Sylvain J
• Holman Tomlinson M

Classifications

• H04R27/00

  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 title

• H04S7/302

  Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation (H04S7/301 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G10L19/008

  Multichannel audio signal coding or decoding using interchannel correlation to reduce redundancy, e.g. joint-stereo, intensity-coding or matrixing · CPC title

• H04R3/12 Primary

  for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers {(specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407)} · CPC title

• H04S7/30

  Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field · CPC title