Playback Device Calibration Using Moving Microphone Frequency Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media playback systems face challenges in accurately calibrating audio playback devices to account for environmental acoustic characteristics, leading to inconsistent sound quality across different locations within a room or multiple rooms.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a computing device that captures and analyzes calibration sounds played by playback devices, using a combination of noise and swept components to determine the frequency response, and adjusts the audio processing algorithm to achieve a target frequency response, ensuring consistent audio playback across multiple devices and environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional calibration methods are used without environmental acoustic analysis, then the calibration process is simpler and faster, but the audio playback quality becomes inconsistent across different locations and environments
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary acoustic measurements of the environment before final audio calibration. The computing device captures calibration sounds played by the playback device, analyzes the frequency response, and determines environmental acoustic characteristics in advance, allowing the audio processing algorithm to be pre-adjusted for the specific environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from captured calibration sounds to iteratively improve calibration accuracy. The computing device captures the playback device's output, analyzes the frequency response, compares it against target characteristics, and adjusts the audio processing algorithm accordingly, creating a closed-loop calibration process.
2Measurement precision
If calibration sounds are captured at multiple locations throughout the environment, then the frequency response measurement becomes more accurate and representative, but the calibration time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic calibration sounds with known frequency characteristics that are played repeatedly at different locations. By using periodic signals with identifiable patterns, the system can efficiently capture and analyze multiple measurements without requiring excessive time, as the periodic nature allows for rapid identification and processing of each sound instance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system captures calibration sounds at multiple locations (excessive action) to ensure comprehensive environmental characterization, but uses signal processing techniques to efficiently analyze only the essential frequency response data needed for calibration, rather than processing every detail of each capture, thus balancing measurement thoroughness with time efficiency.
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 approach enables precise calibration of playback devices, enhancing sound quality by accounting for environmental acoustic characteristics, resulting in improved audio fidelity and consistency across different playback zones.
Implementation Method 1
capturing, via a microphone of the computing device, one or more calibration sounds played by the playback device
Data Source
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AI summary
An example method, and example devices and computer-readable media related to the example method, are disclosed herein. The method includes, as a computing device is moving within an environment of a playback device, capturing, via a microphone of the computing device, one or more calibration sounds played by the playback device. The method further includes identifying one or more sections of data such that each of the one or more sections of the data correspond to a respective calibration sound of the one or more calibration sounds and using the one or more sections of the data to determine a frequency response of the playback device. The method further includes determining one or more parameters of an audio processing algorithm based on the frequency response of the playback device and a target frequency response, and sending, to the playback device, the one or more parameters.