Soundbar Automatic Surround Pairing and Calibration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing surround sound systems require manual pairing and calibration of surround speakers, which can be inconvenient and prone to errors, especially when users need to correct speaker assignments and calibrate latencies and frequency responses, leading to potential sound reversal and suboptimal listening experiences.

Innovation Solution

A soundbar with built-in left and right microphones that automatically determines the relative positions of surround speakers, calculates filter compensating coefficients, and merges them into the surround channels to correct assignments and calibrate latencies and magnitudes, allowing for one-click automatic surround pairing and calibration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If manual pairing and calibration of surround speakers is performed, then speaker assignment correction and latency calibration can be achieved, but user convenience deteriorates and operation complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespeaker position detection accuracyVSAvoiduser operation convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses built-in microphones in the soundbar to automatically detect the relative positions of surround speakers and perform calibration without requiring external microphones or manual user intervention. The soundbar self-services by using its own resources (built-in microphones) to complete the pairing and calibration process automatically.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual mechanical operations (physically moving microphones, manual speaker assignment) with acoustic field-based automatic detection using built-in microphones and signal processing algorithms to determine speaker positions and perform calibration automatically.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Measurement precision

If external microphone is used for calibration, then acoustic measurement can be performed, but device complexity increases and automatic speaker assignment correction cannot be achieved

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveacoustic calibration accuracyVSAvoidsystem configuration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The built-in microphones in the soundbar serve multiple functions: they are used for both automatic detection of surround speaker positions and for acoustic calibration measurement, eliminating the need for separate external microphones and reducing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges the functions of position detection and acoustic calibration into a single integrated process using the built-in microphones, combining what were previously separate operations (manual positioning + external mic measurement) into one automatic unified process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Device complexity

If surround speakers are paired wirelessly, then wiring complexity is reduced, but automatic pairing process cannot be achieved requiring manual intervention

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewiring complexityVSAvoidpairing operation simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses feedback from the built-in microphones to detect acoustic signals from surround speakers, automatically determining their relative positions and establishing correct speaker assignments without requiring manual user configuration or testing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The soundbar performs preliminary automatic detection of speaker positions using built-in microphones before the user needs to use the system, pre-establishing correct speaker assignments and calibration settings so that no manual pairing or configuration is needed during setup.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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

The solution enables precise and automatic correction of surround speaker positions and latency calibration, ensuring accurate sound alignment and immersive listening experiences without manual intervention, improving sound quality and user convenience.

Implementation Method 1

the left and right built-in microphones are integrated in the soundbar, fixed on both left and right sides near a center speaker

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSound wave propagation: Sound

Data Source

PatentUS11800310B2Soundbar and method for automatic surround pairing and calibration

Publication Date: 2023.10.24 HARMAN INT IND INC

AI summary

The disclosure relates to a soundbar and a method for automatic surround pairing and calibration of a surround sound system. The soundbar includes two built-in microphones on the left and right respectively, which can be used for determining relative positions of left and right surround speakers. When the relative positions of the left and right speakers are not correct, configurations of left and right surround channels can be automatically swapped with each other without manually swapping physical positions of the surround speakers by a user. In addition, latencies including a latency of each channel of a main system may also be calibrated, and magnitude compensation may be achieved by calculating a filter compensation coefficient of each line and merging it into an original filter. The automatic surround pairing and calibration of the surround sound system may be one-click completed automatically by the user by pressing a start button.