Playback Calibration State Tracking Across Power Cycles

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing media playback systems lack efficient methods to maintain and update the calibration state of playback devices across a networked system, leading to potential audio quality issues when devices are powered off and back on or when their configuration changes.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a calibration state variable that is stored and shared among playback devices and control devices within a media playback system, allowing for the retention of calibrated states during power cycles and triggering calibration procedures for uncalibrated devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If playback devices are powered off and back on or their configuration changes, then the system can adapt to new conditions, but the calibration state is lost leading to audio quality degradation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to configuration changesVSAvoidcalibration state retention

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by storing the calibration state variable in persistent memory before power-off or configuration changes occur. This allows the calibration information to be preserved and reused when the device powers back on, eliminating the need to re-calibrate and maintaining audio quality across system changes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If calibration state is stored locally on each playback device, then calibration information is preserved during power cycles, but system complexity increases due to distributed state management

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecalibration state retentionVSAvoiddistributed state management

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The calibration state management is segmented into two parts: local storage on each playback device for immediate retention, and centralized storage on the control device for system-wide coordination. This segmentation allows each component to handle only its portion of the complexity, with the playback device managing its own calibration state locally while the control device manages the overall system state synchronization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If calibration procedures are triggered for uncalibrated devices, then audio quality is maintained, but system productivity decreases due to additional calibration steps

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaudio quality consistencyVSAvoidsystem setup time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the calibration state variable and automatically triggering calibration procedures only when the variable indicates that calibration is needed. This feedback mechanism prevents unnecessary calibration operations, thereby maintaining audio quality while minimizing system setup time and maximizing productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12212937B2Calibration state variable

Publication Date: 2025.01.28 SONOS INC

AI summary

Example techniques involve a calibration state variable. An example implementation receives, via a network interface, an indication that the first playback device is calibrated. Based on receiving the indication that the first playback device is calibrated, the example implementation updates a calibration state variable to indicate that the first playback device is calibrated, wherein the calibration state variable is stored in the data storage. The example implementation sends, via the network interface, an indication of the updated calibration state variable to a second device.