Calibration of audio playback devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9763018-B1
Application number	US-201615096827-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 12, 2016
Priority date	Apr 12, 2016
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

An audio playback device comprises a microphone, a speaker, and a processor. The processor is arranged to output by the speaker first audio content and receive by the microphone an indication of the first audio content. A first acoustic response of a room in which the audio playback device is located is determined based on the received indication of first audio content. A mapping is applied to the first acoustic response to determine a second acoustic response. The second acoustic response is indicative of an approximated acoustic response of the room at a spatial location different from a spatial location of the microphone. The second audio content output by the speaker is adjusted based on the second response.

First claim

We claim:

1. An audio playback device comprising:
a microphone;
a speaker;
a processor comprising instructions, which when executed, cause the processor to:
output by the speaker first audio content;
receive by the microphone an indication of the first audio content;
determine for a first spatial location of the microphone a first acoustic response of a room in which the audio playback device is located based on the received indication of the first audio content by the microphone;
apply a mapping to the first acoustic response to determine a second acoustic response, wherein the mapping is based on a weighting of respective relationships between each acoustic response of a plurality of third acoustic responses and a corresponding fourth acoustic response, wherein each acoustic response of the plurality of third acoustic responses is determined for a respective second spatial location and each corresponding fourth acoustic response is determined for one or more third spatial locations different from the respective second spatial location; and wherein the second acoustic response is indicative of an approximated acoustic response for one or more fourth spatial locations in the room different from the first spatial location of the microphone;
receive an indication to play back second audio content;
adjust based on the second acoustic response and the indication second audio content; and
output by the speaker the adjusted second audio content.

2. The audio playback device of claim 1 , wherein the mapping comprises respective differences between each acoustic response of the plurality of third acoustic responses and the corresponding fourth acoustic response.

3. The audio playback device of claim 1 , wherein applying the mapping comprises determining respective distances between the first acoustic response and each acoustic response of the plurality of third acoustic responses.

4. The audio playback device of claim 1 , wherein the weighting is based on an acoustic configuration of the audio playback device.

5. The audio playback device of claim 1 , wherein the first audio content and the second audio content are different portions of a same song.

6. A method comprising:
outputting by the speaker first audio content;
receiving by the microphone an indication of the first audio content;
determining for a first spatial location of the microphone a first acoustic response of a room in which the audio playback device is located based on the received indication of the first audio content by the microphone;
applying a mapping to the first acoustic response to determine a second acoustic response, wherein the mapping is based on a weighting of respective relationships between each acoustic response of a plurality of third acoustic responses and a corresponding fourth acoustic response, wherein each acoustic response of the plurality of third acoustic responses is determined for a respective second spatial location and each corresponding fourth acoustic response is determined for one or more third spatial locations different from the respective second spatial location; and wherein the second acoustic response is indicative of an approximated acoustic response for one or more fourth spatial locations in the room different from the first spatial location of the microphone;
receiving an indication to play back second audio content;
adjusting based on the second acoustic response and the indication second audio content; and
outputting by the speaker the adjusted second audio content.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the respective second spatial location is in a given room at a fixed location and the one or more third spatial locations is at a plurality of spatial locations different from the fixed location in the given room.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the mapping is a difference between a given acoustic response of the plurality of third acoustic responses and the corresponding fourth acoustic response.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein applying the mapping comprises determining respective distances between the first acoustic response and each acoustic response of the plurality of third acoustic responses.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the weighting is based on an acoustic configuration of the audio playback device.

11. The method of claim 6 , further comprising storing the first acoustic response on a server in communication with the audio playback device.

12. The method of claim 6 , wherein applying the mapping comprises sending the first acoustic response to a remote server in communication with the audio playback device and receiving the second acoustic response from the remote server.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions for execution by a processor, the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to implement a method comprising:
outputting by the speaker first audio content;
receiving by the microphone an indication of the first audio content;
determining for a first spatial location of the microphone a first acoustic response of a room in which the audio playback device is located based on the received indication of the first audio content by the microphone;
applying a mapping to the first acoustic response to determine a second acoustic response, wherein the mapping is based on a weighting of respective relationships between each acoustic response of a plurality of third acoustic responses and a corresponding fourth acoustic response, wherein each acoustic response of the plurality of third acoustic responses is determined for a respective second spatial location and each corresponding fourth acoustic response is determined for one or more third spatial locations different from the respective second spatial location; and wherein the second acoustic response is indicative of an approximated acoustic response for one or more fourth spatial locations in the room different from the first spatial location of the microphone;
receiving an indication to play back second audio content;
adjusting based on the second acoustic response and the indication second audio content; and
outputting by the speaker the adjusted second audio content.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the respective second spatial location is in a given room at a fixed location and the one or more third spatial locations is at a plurality of spatial locations different from the fixed location in the given room.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the mapping is a difference between a given acoustic response of the plurality of third acoustic responses and the corresponding fourth acoustic response.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein applying the mapping comprises determining respective distances between the first acoustic response and each acoustic response of the plurality of third acoustic responses.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the weighting is based on an acoustic configuration of the audio playback device.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the first audio content and the second audio content are different portions of a same song.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein applying the mapping comprises sending the first acoustic response to a remote server in communication with the audio playback device and receiving the second acoustic response

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Mcpherson Patrick
• Shih Shao-Fu
• Hartung Klaus

Classifications

• H04R29/007 Primary

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

• H04R2227/005

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

• H04S7/301 Primary

  Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone · CPC title