Sonos, Inc.

Klaus Hartung

Timothy W Sheen

Simon Jarvis

Chris Davies

Tim Sheen

Dayn Wilberding

Patrick Kevin McPherson

Shao-Fu Shih

Romi Kadri

Daniele Giacobello

John G Tolomei

Joachim Fainberg

Greg Bright

Matthew Buoni

Nicholas D'Amato

Nick D'Amato

James Nesfield

Dayna Bateman

Seth Kaplan

Gregory Bright

Shao Fu Shih

Patrick Mcpherson

An example video communication device is configured to (i) receive, from a computing platform via a wide area network (WAN), video and audio content corresponding to a video call, (ii) render the video content via at least one graphical display and render the audio content via at least one speaker, (iii) while rendering the video and audio content, determine that a user of the video communication device is located more closely to an audio playback device than to the video communication device, where the audio playback device is connected to the video communication device via a local area network (LAN), and (iv) based on determining that the user is located more closely to the audio playback device than to the video communication device, transmit the received audio content to the audio playback device via the LAN and cause the audio playback device to play back the audio content.

Audio-based and video-based social experiences in a networked media playback system

An audio playback device comprises a microphone, a speaker, and a processor. The processor is arranged to output by the speaker first audio content and receive by the microphone an indication of the first audio content. A first acoustic response of a room in which the audio playback device is located is determined based on the received indication of first audio content. A mapping is applied to the first acoustic response to determine a second acoustic response. The second acoustic response is indicative of an approximated acoustic response of the room at a spatial location different from a spatial location of the microphone. The second audio content output by the speaker is adjusted based on the second response.

Calibration of audio playback devices

An example computing device is configured to perform functions including receiving calibration data corresponding respectively to a plurality of playback devices, where each playback device in the plurality of playback devices is located in a respective playback environment other than a first playback environment. The functions also include receiving playback device characteristic data respectively indicating at least one playback device characteristic for each playback device of the plurality of playback devices. The functions also include, based on at least the calibration data and the playback device characteristic data, determining updated playback device configuration information and transmitting data indicating the updated playback device configuration information to a given playback device located in the first environment.

Updating playback device configuration information based on calibration data

Disclosed herein are example techniques to identify a voice service to process a voice input. An example implementation may involve a network microphone device (NMD) receiving, via a microphone, voice data indicating a voice input. The NMD may identify, from among multiple voice services registered to a media playback system, a voice service to process the voice input and cause, via a network interface, the identified voice service to process the voice input.

Systems and methods of multiple voice services

Systems and methods for media playback via a media playback system include capturing sound data via a network microphone device and identifying a candidate wake word in the sound data. Based on identification of the candidate wake word in the sound data, the system selects a first wake-word engine from a plurality of wake-word engines. Via the first wake-word engine, the system analyzes the sound data to detect a confirmed wake word, and, in response to detecting the confirmed wake word, transmits a voice utterance of the sound data to one or more remote computing devices associated with a voice assistant service.

Systems and methods for selective wake word detection

Example techniques relate to voice interaction in an environment with a media playback system that is playing back audio content. In an example implementation, while playing back first audio in a given environment at a given loudness: a playback device (a) detects that an event is anticipated in the given environment, the event involving playback of second audio and (b) determines a loudness of background noise in the given environment, the background noise comprising ambient noise in the given environment. The playback device ducks the first audio in proportion to a difference between the given loudness of the first audio and the determined loudness of the background noise and plays back the ducked first audio concurrently with the second audio.

Audio playback settings for voice interaction

A computing device may maintain a database of representative spectral characteristics. The computing device may also receive particular spectral data associated with a particular playback environment corresponding to the particular playback device. Based on the particular spectral data, the computing device may identify one of the representative spectral characteristics from the database that substantially matches the particular spectral data, and then identify, in the database, an audio processing algorithm based on a) the identified representative spectral characteristic and b) at least one characteristic of the particular playback device. The computing device may then transmit, to the particular playback device, data indicating the identified audio processing algorithm.

Playback device calibration based on representative spectral characteristics

Systems, methods, and devices with reduced power consumption in network microphone devices. In one embodiment, a network microphone device is configured to perform a method that includes (i) capturing audio content; (ii) using a first algorithm to perform a keyword detection process for determining whether the audio content includes a keyword; (iii) responsive to determining that the audio content includes the keyword, using a second, more computationally intensive algorithm to perform a wake-word detection process for determining whether the audio content includes a wake word; and (iv) responsive to performing the wake-word detection process, (a) causing a voice service corresponding to the wake word to process the audio content if the wake-word detection process confirms that the audio content includes the wake word or (b) ceasing performance of the wake-word detection process if the wake-word detection process disconfirms that the audio content includes the wake word.

Multiple stage network microphone device with reduced power consumption and processing load

Example techniques may involve multiple calibrations for a playback device. In an example implementation, a playback device plays back audio content according to a first calibration via the one or more audio amplifiers. The playback device detects that an arrangement of one or more listeners relative to the first playback device has changed from a first arrangement to a second arrangement. Based on detection that the arrangement of one or more listeners relative to the first playback device has changed from the first arrangement to the second arrangement, the playback device applies a second calibration to playback by the first playback device.

Calibration based on audio content

A first playback device is configured to perform functions comprising: detecting sound, identifying a wake word based on the sound as detected by the first device, receiving an indication that a second playback device has also detected the sound and identified the wake word based on the sound as detected by the second device, after receiving the indication, evaluating which of the first and second devices is to extract sound data representing the sound and thereby determining that the extraction of the sound data is to be performed by the second device over the first device, in response to the determining, foregoing extraction of the sound data, receiving VAS response data that is indicative of a given VAS response corresponding to a given voice input identified in the sound data extracted by the second device, and based on the VAS response data, output the given VAS response.

Networked microphone devices, systems, and methods of localized arbitration

Example techniques may involve calibration with multiple recording devices. An implementation may include a mobile device receiving data indicating that a calibration sequence for multiple playback devices has been initiated in a venue. The mobile device displays a prompt to include the first mobile device in the calibration sequence for the multiple playback devices and a particular selectable control that, when selected, includes the first mobile device in the calibration sequence. During the calibration sequence, the mobile device records calibration audio as played back by the multiple playback devices and transmits data representing the recorded calibration audio to a computing device. The computing device determines a calibration for the multiple playback devices in the venue based on the data representing the calibration audio recorded by the first mobile device and data representing calibration audio recorded by second mobile devices while the multiple playback devices played back the calibration audio.

Calibration using multiple recording devices

Systems and methods for selective wake word detection using neural network models

Examples described herein involve detecting known environmental conditions of using a neural network. An example implementation involves a playback device receiving data indicating a response of a listening environment to audio output of one or more playback devices as captured by a microphone and determining an input vector for a neural network. The playback device provides the determined input vector to the neural network, which includes an output layer comprising neurons that correspond to respective environmental conditions. The playback device detects that the input vector caused one or more neurons of the neural network to fire such that the neural network indicates that one or more particular environmental conditions are present in the listening environment. The playback device adjusts audio output of the one or more playback devices to at least partially offset the one or more particular environmental conditions.

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Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America

Klaus Hartung