Methods and systems for detecting and processing speech signals

• US 10,249,303 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2017
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Civelli, Jay Pierre, Shemer, Mikhal, Shabestary, Turaj Zakizadeh, Tapuska, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Chawan, Vijay B
• Application Number:
  US15/622,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20170287484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• Field of Search: 704232, 704255, 704270, 704275, 706 20
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/02 Feature extraction for speech recognition; Selection of recognition unit
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/32 Multiple recognisers used in sequence or in parallel; Score combination systems therefor, e.g. voting systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command

Abstract

Provided are methods, systems, and apparatuses for detecting, processing, and responding to audio signals, including speech signals, within a designated area or space. A platform for multiple media devices connected via a network is configured to process speech, such as voice commands, detected at the media devices, and respond to the detected speech by causing the media devices to simultaneously perform one or more requested actions. The platform is capable of scoring the quality of a speech request, handling speech requests from multiple end points of the platform using a centralized processing approach, a de-centralized processing approach, or a combination thereof, and also manipulating partial processing of speech requests from multiple end points into a coherent whole when necessary.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device that (i) is operating in a low power mode, (ii) is configured to exit the low power mode upon determining that a particular hotword has likely been spoken, and (iii) is in proximity of other computing devices that are each also configured to exit the low power mode upon determining that the particular hotword has been spoken, audio data corresponding to a user uttering the particular hotword;

based on an estimated position of the user in relation to the computing device, determining, by the computing device, to remain operating in the low power mode despite determining that the particular hotword has likely been spoken.

2. The computer method of claim 1, comprising:

transmitting, by the computing device, a hotword confidence score to the other computing devices in response to determining the hotword confidence score.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the estimated position of the user in relation to the computing device is based on an angle of the user relative to the computing device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the angle of the user relative to the computing device is determined using a localizer of a beamformer.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computing device being configured to exit the low power mode comprises the computing device being configured to activate a microphone associated with the computing device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, a recorded command from a server in response to transmitting the hotword confidence score to the server.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising:

muting, by the computing device, a loudspeaker associated with the computing device in response to receiving the audio data corresponding to the user uttering the particular hotword.

8. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by a computing device that (i) is operating in a low power mode, (ii) is configured to exit the low power mode upon determining that a particular hotword has likely been spoken, and (iii) is in proximity of other computing devices that are each also configured to exit the low power mode upon determining that the particular hotword has been spoken, audio data corresponding to a user uttering the particular hotword;

based on an estimated position of the user in relation to the computing device, determining, by the computing device, to remain operating in the low power mode despite determining that the particular hotword has likely been spoken.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting, by the computing device, a hotword confidence score to the other computing devices in response to determining the hotword confidence score.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the estimated position of the user in relation to the computing device is based on an angle of the user relative to the computing device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the angle of the user relative to the computing device is determined using a localizer of a beamformer.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the computing device being configured to exit the low power mode comprises the computing device being configured to activate a microphone associated with the computing device.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the computing device, a recorded command from a server in response to transmitting the hotword confidence score to the server.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

muting, by the computing device, a loudspeaker associated with the computing device in response to receiving the audio data corresponding to the user uttering the particular hotword.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by a computing device that (i) is operating in a low power mode, (ii) is configured to exit the low power mode upon determining that a particular hotword has likely been spoken, and (iii) is in proximity of other computing devices that are each also configured to exit the low power mode upon determining that the particular hotword has been spoken, audio data corresponding to a user uttering the particular hotword;

based on an estimated position of the user in relation to the computing device, determining, by the computing device, to remain operating in the low power mode despite determining that the particular hotword has likely been spoken.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations comprise:

transmitting, by the computing device, a hotword confidence score to the other computing devices in response to determining the hotword confidence score.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the estimated position of the user in relation to the computing device is based on an angle of the user relative to the computing device.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the angle of the user relative to the computing device is determined using a localizer of a beamformer.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computing device is configured to exit the low power mode comprises activating a microphone associated with the computing device.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the computing device, a recorded command from a server in response to transmitting the hotword confidence score to the server.