Automatic Audio System Equalizing

Abstract

An automated process for equalizing an audio system and an apparatus for implementing the process. An audio system includes a microphone unit, for receiving the sound waves radiated from a plurality of speakers, acoustic measuring circuitry, for calculating frequency response measurements; a memory, for storing characteristic data of the loudspeaker units and further for storing the frequency response measurements; and equalization calculation circuitry, for calculating an equalization pattern responsive to the digital data and responsive to the characteristic data of the plurality of loudspeaker units. Also described is an automated equalizing system including a acoustic measuring circuitry including a microphone for measuring frequency response at a plurality of locations; a memory, for storing the frequency responses at the plurality of locations; and equalization calculation circuitry, for calculating, from the frequency responses, an optimized equalization pattern.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method that uses a portable computer device that is configured to communicate with an audio system, where the audio system is adapted to use one or more loudspeakers to transduce audio signals into sound, the method comprising:
 receiving, by a microphone associated with the portable computer device while the portable computer device is at a first location in a listening space, sound from the audio system when the audio system plays test audio signals;   determining, based on the received sound, a frequency response for the first location; and   transmitting to the audio system, by the portable computer device, information that is based on the frequency response, where the information can be used to achieve a desired frequency response from the audio system loudspeakers.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the portable computer device includes the microphone. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the information that is based on the frequency response comprises an equalization pattern that is appropriate to achieve a desired audio system frequency response. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising instructing a person to move the portable computer device to a plurality of different locations in the listening space and receiving, by the microphone of the portable computer device while at each of the plurality of different locations in the listening space, the sound from the audio system when the audio system plays test audio signals. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising determining, based on the received sound at each of the plurality of different locations, a frequency response for each of the plurality of different locations. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the instructions are radiated as sound waves from a loudspeaker. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising performing a closeness test to determine if different locations are too close together, where the closeness test comprises comparing the determined frequency responses from two different locations. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein an equalization pattern is determined based on the frequency responses for the plurality of different locations. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the equalization pattern is developed from a combination of the frequency responses for the plurality of locations. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the information that is based on the frequency response comprises one or more audio parameters that are appropriate to achieve a desired acoustic profile from the one or more loudspeakers. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more audio parameters comprise data describing digital filters. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the audio parameters are calculated by the portable computer device. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the frequency response is determined by the portable computer device. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising measuring, by the audio system, ambient noise in the listening space; and determining if the ambient noise exceeds a predetermined threshold; and if the ambient noise exceeds a predetermined threshold, generating a message that instructs a user to reduce ambient noise. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein transmitting information to the audio system comprises downloading the information from the portable computer device to the audio system. 
     
     
         16 . A method that uses a portable computer device that is configured to communicate with an audio system, where the audio system is adapted to use one or more loudspeakers to transduce audio signals into sound, the method comprising:
 receiving, by a microphone included with the portable computer device and while the portable computer device is at a first location in a listening space, sound from the audio system when the audio system plays test audio signals;   determining, based on the received sound, a frequency response for the first location;   calculating, by the portable computer device, one or more audio parameters that are based on the frequency response, where the one or more audio parameters are appropriate to achieve a desired acoustic profile from the one or more audio system loudspeakers; and   transmitting to the audio system, by the portable computer device, the calculated audio parameters.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein transmitting the calculated audio parameters to the audio system comprises downloading the calculated audio parameters from the portable computer device to the audio system. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising instructing a person to move the portable computer device to a plurality of different locations in the listening space and receiving, by the microphone of the portable computer device while at each of the plurality of different locations in the listening space, the sound from the audio system when the audio system plays test audio signals. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising determining, based on the received sound at each of the plurality of different locations, a frequency response for each of the plurality of different locations, wherein an equalization pattern is determined from a combination of the frequency responses for the plurality of locations. 
     
     
         20 . A method that uses a portable computer device that is configured to communicate with an audio system, where the audio system is adapted to use one or more loudspeakers to transduce audio signals into sound, the method comprising:
 receiving, by a microphone included with the portable computer device and while the portable computer device is at a first location in a listening space, sound from the audio system when the audio system plays test audio signals;   instructing a person to move the portable computer device to a plurality of different locations in the listening space and receiving, by the microphone of the portable computer device while at each of the plurality of different locations in the listening space, the sound from the audio system when the audio system plays test audio signals;   determining, based on the received sound at each of the plurality of different locations, a frequency response for each of the plurality of locations;   calculating, by the portable computer device, data describing digital filters, where the data describing digital filters are based on a combination of the determined frequency responses for the plurality of locations, and where the data describing digital filters are appropriate to achieve a desired acoustic profile from the one or more audio system loudspeakers; and   downloading to the audio system, from the portable computer device, the calculated data describing digital filters.