Voice control of a media playback system

• US 10,499,146 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2017
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Lang, Jonathan P., Plagge, Mark, Jarvis, Simon, Kadri, Romi, Chen, Yean-Nian Willy, Bates, Paul Andrew, Vega-Zayas, Luis, Butts, Christopher, Millington, Nicholas A. J., Corbin, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Siegel, David
• Application Number:
  US15/438,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20170242653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/14 using statistical models, e.g. Hidden Markov Models [HMMs] G10L15/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/02 Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation reducing echo effects in line transmission systems H04B3/20; echo suppression in hands-free telephones H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/007 for public address systems public address systems per se H04R27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 : Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Multiple aspects of systems and methods for voice control and related features and functionality for various embodiments of media playback devices, networked microphone devices, microphone-equipped media playback devices, and speaker-equipped networked microphone devices are disclosed and described herein, including but not limited to designating and managing default networked devices, audio response playback, room-corrected voice detection, content mixing, music service selection, metadata exchange between networked playback systems and networked microphone systems, handling loss of pairing between networked devices, actions based on user identification, and other voice control of networked devices.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, via a networked microphone device associated with a media playback system, a voice command, wherein the media playback system comprises one or more zones;

determining, via the networked microphone device, an audio response zone based on a direction of the voice command respective to the media playback system, wherein the determined audio response zone comprises one or more playback devices;

selecting, via the networked microphone device, the determined audio response zone to play an audio response;

determining, via the networked microphone device, a directionality of audio output of the one or more playback devices based on the direction of the voice command respective to the media playback system; and

causing, via the networked microphone device, at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices of the selected audio response zone to play the audio response according to the determined directionality of audio output.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

determining, via the networked microphone device, the audio response zone comprises causing, via the networked microphone device, a computing device to determine the audio response zone, and wherein selecting, via the networked microphone device, the determined audio response zone comprises causing, via the networked microphone device, the computing device to select the determined audio response zone, and wherein causing, via the networked microphone device, at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices of the selected audio response zone to play the audio response comprises causing, via the networked microphone device and the computing device, the at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices of the selected audio response zone to play the audio response.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the networked microphone device from a controller device, an indication of a particular zone to which the networked microphone device is assigned.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, via the networked microphone device to a computing device, an indication of a particular zone to which the networked microphone device is assigned.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying, via the networked microphone device, acoustics of an environment in which the networked microphone device is placed to the received voice command.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing, via the networked microphone device, the at least one playback device to adjust a volume of audio content to a volume level that is below a volume level of the audio response.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the networked microphone device, an indication of audio content;

determining, via the networked microphone device, at least one music service from a plurality of music services that supports the audio content; and

causing, via the networked microphone device, the at least one music service to transmit the audio content to the at least one playback device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing, via the networked microphone device, a metadata exchange channel between the media playback system and the networked microphone device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one playback device comprises a fallback device, the method further comprising:

before causing the at least one playback device to play the audio response, determining, via the networked microphone device, that another playback device is not available to play the audio response.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, via the networked microphone device, that the received voice command was received from a registered user of the media playback system; and

in response to determining that the received voice command was received from the registered user of the media playback system, configuring, via the networked microphone device, an instruction for the media playback system based on content from the voice command and information in a user profile for the registered user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the received voice command comprises:

a command word, one or more media variable instances, and one or more zone variable instances.

12. A networked microphone device comprising:

one or more processors; and

tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions encoded therein, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the networked microphone device to perform a method comprising;

receiving a voice command, wherein the networked microphone device is associated with a media playback system, and wherein the media playback system comprises one or more zones;

determining an audio response zone based on a direction of the voice command respective to the media playback system, wherein the determined audio response zone comprises one or more playback devices;

selecting the determined audio response zone to play an audio response;

determining a directionality of audio output of the one or more playback devices based on the direction of the voice command respective to the media playback system; and

causing at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices of the selected audio response zone to play the audio response according to the determined directionality of audio output.

13. The networked microphone device of claim 12, wherein

determining, via the networked microphone device, the audio response zone comprises causing, via the networked microphone device, a computing device to determine the audio response zone, and wherein selecting, via the networked microphone device, the determined audio response zone comprises causing, via the networked microphone device, the computing device to select the determined audio response zone, and wherein causing, via the networked microphone device, at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices of the selected audio response zone to play the audio response comprises causing, via the networked microphone device and the computing device, the at least one playback device of the one or more playback devices of the selected audio response zone to play the audio response.

14. The networked microphone device of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, via the networked microphone device from a controller device, an indication of a particular zone to which the networked microphone device is assigned.

15. The networked microphone device of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

sending, via the networked microphone device to a computing device, an indication of a particular zone to which the networked microphone device is assigned.

16. The networked microphone device of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

applying acoustics of an environment in which the networked microphone device is placed to the received voice command.

17. The networked microphone device of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

causing the at least one playback device to adjust a volume of audio content to a volume level that is below a volume level of the audio response.

18. The networked microphone device of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an indication of audio content;

determining at least one music service from a plurality of music services that supports the audio content; and

causing the at least one music service to transmit the audio content to the at least one playback device.

19. The networked microphone device of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

establishing a metadata exchange channel between the media playback system and the networked microphone device.

20. The networked microphone device of claim 12, wherein the at least one playback device comprises a fallback device, and wherein the method further comprises:

before causing the at least one playback device to play the audio response, determining, via the networked microphone device, that another playback device is not available to play the audio response.