Acoustic signatures in a playback system
View Patent ↗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.
1. A method, comprising:
a playback controller detecting a playback device based at least in part on an acoustic signature transmitted by the playback device, wherein the acoustic signature comprises identification information; and
in response to detecting the acoustic signature transmitted by the playback device, the playback controller modifying a user interface on the playback controller.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acoustic signature identifies the playback device.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising modifying the user interface on the playback controller to show information about the playback device identified by the acoustic signature.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acoustic signature identifies a zone.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising modifying the user interface on the playback controller to show information about the zone identified by the acoustic signature.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acoustic signature transmitted by the playback device when the playback device is in a standalone configuration is different than the acoustic signature transmitted by the playback device when the playback device is one of a plurality of playback devices in a zone group configuration.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising;
the playback controller detecting multiple acoustic signatures, wherein each acoustic signature comprises identification information; and
in response to detecting the multiple acoustic signatures, the playback controller using a comparison algorithm to select one of the multiple acoustic signatures.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the comparison algorithm uses power detection to select the one acoustic signature.
9. A system, comprising:
a playback device configured to generate a mixed audio signal by mixing an acoustic signature with playback audio and output the mixed audio signal via one or more speakers.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the acoustic signature identifies the playback device.
11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the acoustic signature mixed with the playback audio when the playback device is in a standalone configuration is different than the acoustic signature mixed with the audio signal when the playback device is in a zone group configuration.
12. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:
detecting, by the computing device, an acoustic signature transmitted by a playback device, wherein the acoustic signature comprises identification information; and
in response to detecting the acoustic signature transmitted by the playback device, modifying, by the computing device, a user interface on the computing device.
13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , where the acoustic signature identifies the playback device.
14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the functions further comprise:
modifying the user interface on the computing device to show information about the playback device identified by the acoustic signature.
15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , where the acoustic signature identifies a zone.
16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the functions further comprise:
modifying the user interface on the computing device to show information about the zone identified by the acoustic signature.
17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the acoustic signature transmitted by the playback device when the playback device is in a standalone configuration is different than the acoustic signature transmitted by the playback device when the playback device is one of a plurality of playback devices in a zone group configuration.
18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the functions further comprise:
detecting multiple acoustic signatures, wherein each acoustic signature comprises identification information; and
in response to detecting the multiple acoustic signatures, using a comparison algorithm to select one of the multiple acoustic signatures.
19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the comparison algorithm uses power detection to select the one acoustic signature.
20. The system of claim 9 , wherein the acoustic signature identifies a zone.