Configuring a sound system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9699586-B2
Application number	US-201214432995-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2012
Priority date	Oct 2, 2012
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A method of configuring an audio system comprising one or more speaker units, comprises: transmitting radio signals from at least a first location indicating a first speaker unit position, and from a second location indicating a second speaker unit position or a user position; receiving the signals at an antenna of the audio system; calculating an angle of arrival of the signals at the antenna; calculating the relative positions of the first and second locations based at least partially on the angle of arrival; and configuring the audio system based on the relative positions of the first and second locations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of configuring an audio system comprising one or more speaker units, comprising:
receiving, at an antenna of the audio system, first radio signals transmitted from at least a first location indicating a first speaker unit position, and receiving, at the antenna, second radio signals transmitted from a second location indicating a second speaker unit position or a user position;
calculating an angle of arrival of each of the first and second radio signals received at the antenna;
calculating relative positions of the first and second locations based at least partially on the calculated angles of arrival; and
configuring the audio system based on the calculated relative positions of the first and second locations.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antenna comprises a plurality of antenna elements, and the first and second radio signals are received at the plurality of antenna elements and are analyzed to determine the angle of arrival of each of the received first and second radio signals.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the audio system comprises a mobile device configured to transmit radio signals indicating the user position.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said antenna is located in at least one speaker unit and/or in a central unit of the audio system connected to the one or more speaker units.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first radio signals from the first location indicating the first speaker unit position are received from a mobile device located temporarily at the first speaker unit position.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically determining parameters for controlling the one or more speaker units based on the calculated relative positions of the first and second locations.

7. An audio system, comprising:
a receiver configured to receive, at an antenna of the audio system, first radio signals transmitted from at least a first location indicating a first speaker unit position, and second radio signals transmitted from a second location indicating a second speaker unit position or a user position;
one or more processors and one or more memories including computer program code, the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the audio system at least to perform:
calculating an angle of arrival of each of the first and second radio signals received at the antenna;
calculating relative positions of the first and second locations based at least partially on the calculated angles of arrival; and
configuring the audio system based on the calculated relative positions of the first and second locations.

8. The audio system of claim 7 , wherein the antenna comprises a plurality of antenna elements, and the first and second radio signals are received at the plurality of antenna elements and are analyzed to determine the angle of arrival of each of the received first and second radio signals.

9. The audio system of claim 7 , further comprising a mobile device configured to transmit signals indicating the user position.

10. The audio system of claim 7 , wherein said antenna is located in at least one speaker unit and/or in a central unit of the audio system connected to the one or more speaker units.

11. The audio system of claim 7 , wherein the first radio signals from the first location indicating the first speaker unit position are received from a mobile device located temporarily at the first speaker unit position.

12. The audio system of claim 7 , wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code are configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the audio system to automatically determine parameters for controlling the one or more speaker units based on the calculated relative positions of the first and second locations.

13. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable program code stored thereon, which when executed by one or more processors, causes an apparatus to perform:
receiving, at an antenna of an audio system, first radio signals transmitted from at least a first location indicating a first speaker unit position, and receiving, at the antenna, second radio signals transmitted from a second location indicating a second speaker unit position or a user position;
calculating an angle of arrival of each of the first and second radio signals received at the antenna;
calculating relative positions of the first and second locations based at least partially on the calculated angles of arrival; and
configuring the audio system based on the calculated relative positions of the first and second locations.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the computer-executable program code, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the apparatus to perform automatically determining parameters for controlling the one or more speaker units based on the calculated relative positions of the first and second locations.

Assignees

• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Balabanis Niko
• Salokannel Juha Johannes

Classifications

• G01S5/02

  using radio waves (using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00) · CPC title

• G01S11/04

  using angle measurements · CPC title

• H04S7/302 Primary

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

• H04R2205/024

  Positioning of loudspeaker enclosures for spatial sound reproduction · CPC title

• H04R5/00

  Stereophonic arrangements (stereophonic pick-ups H04R9/16, H04R11/12, H04R17/08, H04R19/10) · CPC title