Techniques for acoustic management of entertainment devices and systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9781484-B2
Application number	US-201113819306-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2011
Priority date	Aug 27, 2010
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

Techniques for acoustic management of entertainment devices and systems are described. Various embodiments may include techniques for acoustically determining a location of a remote control or other entertainment device. Some embodiments may include techniques for controlling one or more entertainment components using voice commands or other acoustic information. Other embodiments may include techniques for establishing a voice connection using a remote control device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
providing, from an entertainment system, one or more acoustic signals to two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices;
receiving acoustic relay information from a remote control device operative to receive one or more acoustic sound waves produced from the one or more acoustic signals by the two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices;
determining a distance between the remote control device and each of the two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices based on the acoustic relay information;
determining a location of the remote control relative to a display of the entertainment system based on the determined distances and the acoustic relay information; and
providing a control directive to the display operative to adjust one or more entertainment parameters of a graphical user interface (GUI) element to be presented on the display based on the determined location, the one or more entertainment parameters comprising size or orientation of the GUI element;
the method further comprising:
correlating the one or more acoustic signals, the one or more acoustic sound waves and the acoustic relay information;
determining a transmission time for the one or more acoustic sound waves from each of the two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices to the remote control device;
determining the distance between the remote control device and each of the two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices based on the determined transmission time; and
triangulating a location of the remote control device based on the determined distances to determine the location of the remote control relative to the display;
the method further comprising:
calculating a first delay associated with the one or more acoustic signals or the one or more acoustic sound waves;
calculating a second delay associated with the acoustic relay information; and
accounting for the delays when correlating the one or more acoustic signals and the acoustic relay information, wherein accounting for the delays includes adjusting the determined transmission time or the determined distance between the remote control device and each of the two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
receiving location information for the two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
determining a location of the two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices based on a known location of the remote control device.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
adjusting a volume for the entertainment system based on the determined location.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
generating a graphical user interface (GUI) view having a GUI element representing the determined location for the remote control device on one or more digital displays.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
generating a graphical user interface (GUI) view having a GUI element representing the remote control device in an augmented reality room representing a physical room containing the remote control device.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
sending a reveal request to the remote control device, wherein the reveal request is a control directive to instruct the remote control device to generate a visual, audio or tactile notification.

8. The method of claim 1 , the acoustic reproduction devices comprising stereo speakers.

9. The method of claim 1 , the one or more acoustic signals comprising acoustic entertainment signals or acoustic calibration signals.

10. An apparatus, comprising:
a media management module operative to send a control directive to an entertainment system operative to provide one or more acoustic signals to two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices; and
a transceiver operative to receive acoustic relay information from a remote control device operative to receive one or more acoustic sound waves produced from the one or more acoustic signals by the two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices;
the media management module operative to:
determine a distance between the remote control device and each of the two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices based on the acoustic relay information;
determine a location of the remote control relative to a display of the entertainment system based on the determined distances and the acoustic relay information; and
send a control directive to the display operative to adjust one or more entertainment parameters of a graphical user interface (GUI) element to be presented on the display based on the determined location, the one or more entertainment parameters comprising size or orientation of the GUI element;

the media management module further operative to:
correlate the one or more acoustic signals, the one or more acoustic sound waves and the acoustic relay information to determine a transmission time for the one or more acoustic sound waves from each of the two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices to the remote control device, determine the distance between the remote control device and each of the two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices based on the determined transmission time, and triangulate a location of the remote control device based on the determined distances to determine the location of the remote control relative to the display;

the media management module further operative to:
calculate a first delay associated with the one or more acoustic signals or one or more acoustic sound waves and a second delay associated with the acoustic relay information and to account for the delays when correlating the one or more acoustic signals and the acoustic relay information, wherein accounting for the delays includes adjusting the transmission time or the determined distance between the remote control device and each of the two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , the media management module operative to send a control directive to adjust a volume of the entertainment system based on the determined distances.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , the one or more acoustic signals comprising acoustic entertainment signals or acoustic calibration signals.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , the acoustic calibration signals comprising one or more impulses, chirps or swoops comprising inaudible ultrasonic frequencies.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , the media management module operative to receive location information for the two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 , the media management module operative to determine a location for the two or more spatially distinct acoustic reproduction devices based on a known location of the remote control device.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 , the media management module operative to display a graphical user interface (GUI) element representing the determined location of the remote control device in a GUI view on one or more digital displays.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , the media management module operative to display a graphical user interface (GUI) element representing the remote control device in an GUI view of an augmented reality room representing a physical room containing the apparatus and the remote control device on one or more digital displays.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 , the media manag

Assignees

• Ferren Bran
• Booth Cory J
• Andersen David B
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Ferren Bran
• Booth Cory J
• Andersen David B

Classifications

• G06F2203/04804

  Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows · CPC title

• H04N21/4312

  involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations · CPC title

• H04N21/4147

  PVR [Personal Video Recorder] (H04N5/76 takes precedence {; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40}) · CPC title

• G08C17/02

  using a radio link · CPC title

• H04L65/403

  Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15) · CPC title