Validation of audio calibration using multi-dimensional motion check

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12238490-B2
Application number	US-202318351033-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 12, 2023
Priority date	Sep 17, 2015
Publication date	Feb 25, 2025
Grant date	Feb 25, 2025

Abstract

Examples described herein involve validating motion of a microphone during calibration of a playback device. An example implementation involves a mobile device detecting, via one or more microphones, audio signals emitted from one or more playback devices as part of a calibration process. After the one or more playback devices emit the audio signals, the mobile device determines whether the detected audio signals indicate that sufficient horizontal translation of the mobile device occurred during the calibration process. When the detected audio signals indicate that insufficient horizontal translation occurred, the mobile device displays a prompt to move the mobile device more while the one or more playback devices emit one or more additional audio signals as part of the calibration process. When the detected audio signals indicate that sufficient horizontal translation occurred, the mobile device calibrates the one or more playback devices with a calibration based on the detected audio signals.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a playback device comprising an audio transducer;
one or more sensors;
one or more microphones;
a network interface;
at least one processor; and
at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the system is configured to:
while the playback device is in a room, play back an audio signal via the audio transducer;
during playback of the audio signal, capture, via the one or more microphones, microphone data representing playback of the audio signal in the room;
during detection of the audio signal over a time period, capture, via the one or more sensors, sensor data representing motion of the one or more microphones;
determine that the sensor data indicates that movement during the time period has met at least one threshold corresponding to room size of the room; and
when the sensor data indicates that the movement during the time period has met the at least one threshold corresponding to room size, calibrate the playback device to at least partially offset acoustic characteristics of the room that are represented in the captured microphone data.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the system is configured to:
after a first portion of the time period, determine that a first portion of the sensor data indicates that movement during the first portion of the time period is behind pace to meet the at least one threshold corresponding to room size; and
output a prompt to increase movement during a second portion of the time period.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the room is a first room, and wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the system is configured to:
after movement of the playback device to a second room, play back an additional audio signal via the audio transducer;
during playback of the additional audio signal, capture, via the one or more microphones, additional microphone data representing playback of the additional audio signal in the second room;
during detection of the additional audio signal over an additional time period, capture, via the one or more sensors, additional sensor data representing additional motion of the one or more microphones;
determine that the sensor data indicates that movement during the additional time period has not met the at least one threshold corresponding to room size of the second room; and
when the sensor data indicates that the movement during the time period has not met the at least one threshold corresponding to room size, terminate calibration of the playback device in the second room.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the second room is larger than the first room, and wherein the additional time period is longer than the time period.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the system is configured to terminate calibration of the playback device in the second room comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the system is configured to:
forgo calibration of the playback device to at least partially offset acoustic characteristics of the second room that are represented in the captured additional microphone data.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one threshold corresponding to room size of the room comprises a threshold distance, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the system is configured to determine that the sensor data indicates that movement during the time period has met the threshold corresponding to room size of the room comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the system is configured to:
determine that the sensor data indicates that the one or more microphones were moved at least the threshold distance during the time period.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one threshold corresponding to room size of the room comprises a threshold area, and wherein the program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the system is configured to determine that the sensor data indicates that movement during the time period has met the threshold corresponding to room size of the room comprise program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the system is configured to:
determine that the sensor data indicates that the one or more microphones were moved over at least the threshold area during the time period.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein a mobile device comprises the one or more microphones.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein an additional playback device comprises the one or more microphones.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein a wearable playback device comprises the one or more microphones.

11. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that are executable by at least one processor such that a mobile device is configured to:
during playback of an audio signal in a room by a playback device, capture, via one or more microphones, microphone data representing playback of the audio signal in the room;
during detection of the audio signal over a time period, capture, via one or more sensors, sensor data representing motion of the one or more microphones;
determine that the sensor data indicates that movement during the time period has met at least one threshold corresponding to room size of the room; and
when the sensor data indicates that the movement during the time period has met the at least one threshold corresponding to room size, calibrate the playback device to at least partially offset acoustic characteristics of the room that are represented in the captured microphone data.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the mobile device is configured to:
after a first portion of the time period, determine that a first portion of the sensor data indicates that movement during the first portion of the time period is behind pace to meet the at least one threshold corresponding to room size; and
output a prompt to increase movement during a second portion of the time period.

13. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the room is a first room, and wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the mobile device is configured to:
during playback of an additional audio signal in a second room by the playback device, capture, via the one or more microphones, additional microphone data representing playback of the additional audio signal in the second room;
during detection of the additional audio signal over an additional time period, capture, via the one or more sensors, additional sensor data representing additional motion of the one or more microphones;
determine that the additional sensor data indicates that movement during the additional time period has not met the at least one threshold corresponding to room size of the second room; and
when the

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Downing Jonathan
• Sheen Timothy
• Valente Daniel

Classifications

• H04S7/303

  Tracking of listener position or orientation · CPC title

• H03G5/16

  Automatic control · CPC title

• H04R2227/005

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

• H04R29/008

  Visual indication of individual signal levels (visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40) · CPC title

• 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