Proximity detection using audio pulse
AssigneeSonos, Inc.
InventorsTetsuro Oishi, William H. Bush
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments described herein involve configuring a playback device based on the detection of a barrier in proximity to the playback device. One embodiment may involve receiving proximity data that includes an indication of a barrier that is proximate to a playback device; detecting that the barrier is within a threshold proximity to a first speaker of the playback device based on the indication of the barrier that is proximate to the playback device; in response to the detecting, setting a playback configuration of the playback device; and causing the playback device to play an audio content according to the playback configuration.
Claims24
A playback device comprising:
- one or more processors;
- one or more speakers;
- one or more microphones;
- and
- tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions encoded therein, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the playback device to perform a method comprising
- outputting, via at least one of the one or more speakers, an audio pulse;
- receiving proximity data that includes an indication of a barrier that is proximate to the playback device, wherein receiving the proximity data comprises:
- receiving data indicative of a reflected audio pulse via at least one of the one or more microphones, and wherein the reflected audio pulse corresponds to the outputted audio pulse;
- detecting that the barrier is within a threshold proximity to a first speaker of the playback device based on the indication of the barrier that is proximate to the playback device;
- based on the detecting, setting a playback configuration of the playback device;
- and
- causing the playback device to play an audio content according to the playback configuration.
A method comprising:
- outputting, via at least one speaker of a playback device, an audio pulse;
- receiving proximity data that includes an indication of a barrier that is proximate to the playback device, wherein receiving the proximity data comprises:
- receiving data indicative of a reflected audio pulse via at least one microphone, and wherein the reflected audio pulse corresponds to the outputted audio pulse;
- detecting that the barrier is within a threshold proximity to a first speaker of the playback device based on the indication of the barrier that is proximate to the playback device, wherein the first speaker is configured to play a component of an audio content;
- and
- based on the detecting, (i) causing the first speaker to be deactivated and (ii) causing a second speaker of the playback device to play the component of the audio content.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a set of instructions for execution by a processor, the set of instructions, when executed, cause a playback device to perform operations comprising:
- outputting, via at least one of speaker, an audio pulse;
- receiving proximity data that includes an indication of a barrier that is proximate to the playback device, wherein receiving the proximity data comprises:
- receiving data indicative of a reflected audio pulse via at least one microphone, and wherein the reflected audio pulse corresponds to the outputted audio pulse;
- detecting that the barrier is within a threshold proximity to a first speaker of the playback device based on the indication of the barrier that is proximate to the playback device;
- based on the detecting, setting a playback configuration of the playback device;
- and
- causing the playback device to play an audio content according to the playback configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.