Acoustic Signature Playback Control for Fast Multiroom Zone Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio playback systems face challenges in quickly selecting and playing music across multiple zones in a home environment without requiring users to navigate complex menus or manually configure zone settings, leading to increased time-to-music and potential audio synchronization issues.
Innovation Solution
The use of an acoustic signature emitted by playback devices, detectable by a controller's microphone, allows for automatic recognition and modification of the user interface, enabling seamless zone identification and synchronization of audio playback across multiple zones, reducing time-to-music and enhancing the user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If users manually navigate menus and configure zone settings to select music playback, then playback control precision is improved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects the user's location through acoustic signature recognition and autonomously configures playback settings without requiring manual menu navigation. The controller independently identifies the zone and initiates music playback based on detected acoustic characteristics, eliminating the time-consuming manual configuration process while maintaining accurate playback control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-configures playback settings for each zone by storing acoustic signatures and associated playback parameters in advance. When a user enters a zone, the system rapidly retrieves pre-stored configuration data matching the detected acoustic signature, enabling immediate playback without real-time manual setup, thus reducing time-to-music while preserving playback precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system provides detailed zone configuration options, then user control capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces acoustic signatures as an intermediary that automatically links physical zones to their configuration settings. Instead of requiring users to navigate complex menu structures to match zones with settings, the acoustic signature acts as a unique identifier that the system uses to automatically retrieve and apply the correct configuration, thereby maintaining user control capability while reducing perceived system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical navigation through menu interfaces with automated acoustic field-based recognition. The microphone detects acoustic signatures in the environment, and the system automatically processes this information to configure playback settings, substituting the mechanical interaction of menu navigation with an automated sensing and recognition process that reduces complexity while preserving control versatility.
3Ease of operation
If the system automatically detects zones using acoustic signatures, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates acoustic copies or signatures of each zone's acoustic characteristics and stores them for comparison. Instead of requiring real-time precise measurement of complex acoustic environments, the system captures representative acoustic signatures during setup and uses pattern matching to identify zones, thereby easing operation while managing measurement precision requirements through template-based recognition rather than real-time precise measurement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution streamlines the music selection process by automatically recognizing playback devices and zones, reducing user interaction time and ensuring synchronized audio playback across multiple zones, thus enhancing the overall audio experience.
Implementation Method 1
an acoustic signature emitted from a playback device... detectable by a controller's microphone
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments described herein provide for acoustic signatures in a playback system. According to an embodiment, a playback device transmits an acoustic signature. According to another embodiment, the user interface on a controller is responsively modified based on an acoustic signature that was detected from a playback device. According to some embodiments, an acoustic signature can be transmitted simultaneously with audio by a playback device.