Voice-controlled light switches

• US 10,251,244 B1
• Filed: 11/20/2017
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Banta, William Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kaiser, Syed M
• Application Number:
  US15/818,524
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 381324, 381375, 381355, 315297
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/00 Speech recognition G10L17/00 takes precedence
• 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 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/021 Transducers or their casings adapted for mounting in or to a wall or ceiling
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/12 by detecting audible sound
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission

Abstract

This disclosure describes, in part, voice-controlled light switches that act as voice-controlled endpoints at which users may provide voice commands. These light switches may physically couple to a power source, as well as to one or more appliances. The light switches may include physical switches to selectively provide power to the appliances, either in a binary fashion (on or off) or along of spectrum of positions. In either instance, the appliances coupled to the light switches may include lights, electrical outlets, home appliances (e.g., dishwashers, washing machines, etc.), factory machinery, or any other device that receives electrical power.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a housing configured to attach to a portion of a building that includes a power source;

circuitry coupled to the housing and configured to couple the apparatus to the power source of the building and to a power load;

a switch configured to move from at least a first position, in which the power source is coupled to the power load, to a second position, in which the power source is decoupled from the power load;

one or more microphones;

a network interface;

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

analyzing a first portion of an audio signal to identify a predefined utterance, the audio signal based at least in part on sound captured by the one or more microphones; and

sending a second portion of the audio signal to a remote computing device using the network interface.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the one or more microphones comprise a first microphone configured to generate a first audio signal and a second microphone configured to generate a second audio signal;

the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media store further computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts that further comprise performing beamforming on the first audio signal and the second audio signal to generate one or more processed audio signals; and

the analyzing comprises analyzing the one or more processed audio signals to identify the predefined utterance.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a faceplate, and wherein the one or more microphones include a first microphone disposed on the faceplate and a second microphone disposed on the faceplate.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a faceplate, and wherein the one or more microphones include a first microphone disposed on the faceplate and a second microphone disposed on the switch.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the second portion of the audio represents a voice command to turn on the power load, and the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media store further computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts further comprising:

receiving, from the remote computing device, an instruction to turn on the power load; and

coupling the power source to the power load to turn on the power load.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the second portion of the audio represents a voice command to turn off the power load, and the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media store further computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts further comprising:

receiving, from the remote computing device, an instruction to turn off the power load; and

decoupling the power source from the power load to turn off the power load.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a button that is selectable to cause the one or more microphones to capture the sound from which the audio signal is generated.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the sending the second portion of the audio signal to the remote computing device comprises sending the second portion of the audio signal to a remote computing device using the network interface at least partly in response to identifying the predefined utterance.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a housing configured to attach to a portion of a building that includes a power source;

circuitry configured to couple the apparatus to the power source of the building and to a power load;

a switch configured to move from at least a first position, in which the power source is coupled to the power load, to a second position, in which the power source is decoupled from the power load;

a faceplate;

a first microphone disposed on at least one of the switch or the faceplate and configured to generate a first audio signal; and

a second microphone disposed on at least one of the switch or the faceplate and configured to generate a second audio signal,

wherein the apparatus is configured to at least one of provide power or cease providing power from the power source to the power load in response to receiving a voice command represented in at least one of the first audio signal or the second audio signal.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform an act comprising performing beamforming on the first audio signal and the second audio signal to generate one or more processed audio signals.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

a network interface;

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

analyzing a first portion of at least one of the first audio signal, the second audio signal, or a processed audio signal to identify a predefined utterance, the processed audio signal based at least in part on at least one of the first audio signal or the second audio signal; and

sending a second portion of at least one of the first audio signal, the second audio signal or the processed audio signal to a remote computing device using the network interface.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

a network interface;

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving, from a remote computing device and via the network interface, an instruction to turn off the power load based at least in part on a voice command received at the apparatus; and

decoupling the power source from the power load to turn off the power load.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

a network interface;

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving, from a remote computing device and via the network interface, an instruction to turn on the power load based at least in part on a voice command received at the apparatus; and

coupling the power source to the power load to turn on the power load.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a housing configured to attach to a portion of a building that includes a power source;

circuitry configured to couple the apparatus to the power source of the building and to a power load;

a switch configured to move from at least a first position, in which the power source is coupled to the power load, to a second position, in which the power source is decoupled from the power load; and

one or more microphones configured to generate one or more audio signals, the apparatus being configured to at least one of provide power or cease providing power from the power source to the power load in response to receiving a voice command represented in one or more audio signals generated by the one or more microphones.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the one or more microphones comprise a first microphone configured to generate a first audio signal and a second microphone configured to generate a second audio signal, and further comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform an act comprising performing beamforming on the first audio signal and the second audio signal to generate one or more processed audio signals.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

a network interface;

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

analyzing a first portion of at least one of the one or more audio signal to identify a predefined utterance; and

sending a second portion of at least one of the one or more audio signals to a remote computing device using the network interface.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

a network interface;

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving, from a remote computing device and via the network interface, an instruction to turn off the power load based at least in part on a voice command received at the apparatus; and

decoupling the power source from the power load to turn off the power load.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

a network interface;

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving, from a remote computing device and via the network interface, an instruction to turn on the power load based at least in part on a voice command received at the apparatus; and

coupling the power source to the power load to turn on the power load.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, further comprising a faceplate, and wherein the one or more microphones comprise:

a first microphone disposed on the faceplate configured to generate a first audio signal; and

a second microphone disposed on the faceplate configured to generate a second audio signal.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, further comprising a faceplate, and wherein the one or more microphones comprise:

a first microphone disposed on the switch configured to generate a first audio signal; and

a second microphone disposed on the faceplate configured to generate a second audio signal.