IP Library Granted Patent US 10,880,671
Granted Patent B2
US 10,880,671 · App. 16/582,942 · Granted Dec 29, 2020

Systems and methods of adjusting bass levels of multi-channel audio signals

Inventors: Hilmar Lehnert (Framingham, MA); Aurelio Ramos (Jamaica Plain, MA); Bob Dizon (Cambridge, MA)
Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
H04S7/307G10L21/0272G10L25/21H04R5/02H04R5/04H04S3/006H04S3/002H04S2400/01H04S2400/07H04S2400/13
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,880,671
App. No.
16/582,942
Granted
Dec 29, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for adjusting bass levels of a multi-channel audio signal include, among other features, (i) receiving the multi-channel signal via a playback device; (ii) separating, from the multi-channel signal, low-frequency signals comprising frequencies less than a threshold frequency; (iii) determining electrical energies of the low-frequency signals; (iv) determining a first energy by summing the electrical energies of the low-frequency signals; (v) consolidating the low-frequency signals into a consolidated low-frequency signal; (vi) determining a second energy by determining an electrical energy of the consolidated low-frequency signal; (vii) generating a gain-adjusted low-frequency signal by adjusting a gain of the consolidated low-frequency signal based on both (a) the first energy and (b) the second energy; (viii) generating a gain-adjusted multi-channel signal by mixing the gain-adjusted low-frequency signal back into the multi-channel signal; and (ix) using the gain-adjusted multi-channel signal to play back gain-adjusted multi-channel audio content via the playback device.

Claims (55)

1. A playback device comprising:

a plurality of audio drivers;

one or more processors;

tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media storing instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the playback device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a multi-channel audio signal representing multi-channel audio content for playback via the plurality of audio drivers, wherein respective channels of the multi-channel audio signal comprise respective low-frequency audio signals below a threshold frequency;

determining a first energy representing a sum of respective electrical energies of the respective low-frequency audio signals;

determining a second energy representing an electrical energy of a sum of the respective low-frequency audio signals; and

generating a gain-adjusted multi-channel audio signal by adjusting a gain of the low-frequency audio signals based on both (i) the first energy and (ii) the second energy.

2. The playback device of claim 1 , wherein determining the first energy comprises:

separating, from the respective channels of the multi-channel audio signal, the respective low-frequency audio signals;

determining the respective electrical energies of the respective low-frequency audio signals; and

summing the respective electrical energies of the respective low-frequency audio signals.

3. The playback device of claim 2 , wherein determining the second energy comprises:

consolidating the respective low-frequency audio signals into a consolidated low-frequency audio signal; and

determining an electrical energy of the consolidated low-frequency audio signal.

4. The playback device of claim 2 , wherein adjusting the gain of the low-frequency audio signals comprises individually adjusting the gain of each of the respective low-frequency audio signals, and wherein generating the gain-adjusted multi-channel audio signal comprises mixing the respective low-frequency audio signals into the respective channels of the multi-channel audio signal after individually adjusting the gain of each of the respective low-frequency audio signals.

5. The playback device of claim 3 , wherein adjusting the gain of the low-frequency audio signals comprises adjusting the gain of the consolidated low-frequency audio signal, and wherein generating the gain-adjusted multi-channel audio signal comprises mixing the consolidated low-frequency audio signal into the respective channels of the multi-channel audio signal after adjusting the gain of the consolidated low-frequency audio signal.

6. The playback device of claim 1 , wherein the multi-channel audio signal comprises a left-channel audio signal, a center-channel audio signal, and a right-channel audio signal, and wherein the respective low-frequency audio signals comprise:

a first low-frequency audio signal from the left-channel audio signal comprising first frequencies less than the threshold frequency;

a second low-frequency audio signal from the center-channel audio signal comprising second frequencies less than the threshold frequency; and

a third low-frequency audio signal from the right-channel audio signal comprising third frequencies less than the threshold frequency.

7. The playback device of claim 1 , wherein the multi-channel audio signal comprises a plurality of frames of audio content, wherein determining the first energy representing the sum of respective electrical energies of the respective low-frequency audio signals comprises determining, for an individual frame of the plurality of frames, the sum of respective electrical energies of the respective low-frequency audio signals, and wherein determining the second energy representing the electrical energy of the sum of the respective low-frequency audio signals comprises determining, for the individual frame of the plurality of frames, the electrical energy of the sum of the respective low-frequency audio signals.

8. The playback device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of audio drivers includes a first audio driver and a second audio driver, and wherein a value of the threshold frequency is based on a distance between the first and second audio drivers.

9. The playback device of claim 8 , wherein the distance between the first and second audio drivers is an odd-integer multiple of a quarter-wavelength of the threshold frequency.

10. The playback device of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the gain of the low-frequency audio signals based on both (i) the first energy and (ii) the second energy comprises adjusting the gain of the low-frequency audio signals according to:

G=E 1 /E 2 ,

wherein G is the gain adjustment of the low-frequency audio signals, E 1 is the first energy, and E 2 is the second energy.

11. Tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media storing instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a playback device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a multi-channel audio signal representing multi-channel audio content for playback via a plurality of audio drivers of the playback device, wherein respective channels of the multi-channel audio signal comprise respective low-frequency audio signals below a threshold frequency;

determining a first energy representing a sum of respective electrical energies of the respective low-frequency audio signals;

determining a second energy representing an electrical energy of a sum of the respective low-frequency audio signals; and

generating a gain-adjusted multi-channel audio signal by adjusting a gain of the low-frequency audio signals based on both (i) the first energy and (ii) the second energy.

12. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein determining the first energy comprises:

separating, from the respective channels of the multi-channel audio signal, the respective low-frequency audio signals;

determining the respective electrical energies of the respective low-frequency audio signals; and

summing the respective electrical energies of the respective low-frequency audio signals.

13. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 12 , wherein determining the second energy comprises:

consolidating the respective low-frequency audio signals into a consolidated low-frequency audio signal; and

determining an electrical energy of the consolidated low-frequency audio signal.

14. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein adjusting the gain of the low-frequency audio signals comprises individually adjusting the gain of each of the respective low-frequency audio signals, and wherein generating the gain-adjusted multi-channel audio signal comprises mixing the respective low-frequency audio signals into the respective channels of the multi-channel audio signal after individually adjusting the gain of each of the respective low-frequency audio signals.

15. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 13 , wherein adjusting the gain of the low-frequency audio signals comprises adjusting the gain of the consolidated low-frequency audio signal, and wherein generating the gain-adjusted multi-channel audio signal comprises mixing the consolidated low-frequency audio signal into the respective channels of the multi-channel audio signal after adjusting the gain of the consolidated low-frequency audio signal.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, by a playback device, a multi-channel audio signal representing multi-channel audio content for playback via a plurality of audio drivers of the playback device, wherein respective channels of the multi-channel audio signal comprise respective low-frequency audio signals below a threshold frequency;

determining, by the playback device, a first energy representing a sum of respective electrical energies of the respective low-frequency audio signals;

determining, by the playback device, a second energy representing an electrical energy of a sum of the respective low-frequency audio signals; and

generating, by the playback device, a gain-adjusted multi-channel audio signal by adjusting a gain of the low-frequency audio signals based on both (i) the first energy and (ii) the second energy.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein determining the first energy comprises:

separating, from the respective channels of the multi-channel audio signal, the respective low-frequency audio signals;

determining the respective electrical energies of the respective low-frequency audio signals; and

summing the respective electrical energies of the respective low-frequency audio signals.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein determining the second energy comprises:

consolidating the respective low-frequency audio signals into a consolidated low-frequency audio signal; and

determining an electrical energy of the consolidated low-frequency audio signal.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein adjusting the gain of the low-frequency audio signals comprises individually adjusting the gain of each of the respective low-frequency audio signals, and wherein generating the gain-adjusted multi-channel audio signal comprises mixing the respective low-frequency audio signals into the respective channels of the multi-channel audio signal after individually adjusting the gain of each of the respective low-frequency audio signals.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein adjusting the gain of the low-frequency audio signals comprises adjusting the gain of the consolidated low-frequency audio signal, and wherein generating the gain-adjusted multi-channel audio signal comprises mixing the consolidated low-frequency audio signal into the respective channels of the multi-channel audio signal after adjusting the gain of the consolidated low-frequency audio signal.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 22, 2023
From: LEHNERT, HILMAR; RAMOS, AURELIO; DIZON, BOB
To: SONOS, INC.
Reel/Frame 063713/0179 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 15, 2021
From: SONOS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 058123/0206 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 15927981 · Mar 21, 2018
Related Publication 20200084567A1 · Mar 12, 2020