Visual indication of an operational state

• US 10,586,555 B1
• Filed: 08/24/2017
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Blanksteen, Scott, Hart, Gregory M., Rogers, III, Charles S., Langhammer, Heinz-Dominik, Webber, Ronald Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Serrou, Abdelali
• Application Number:
  US15/685,398
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/80 using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 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 21/10 Transforming into visible information
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

Architectures and techniques to visually indicate an operational state of an electronic device. In some instances, the electronic device comprises a voice-controlled device configured to interact with a user through voice input and visual output. The voice-controlled device may be positioned in a home environment, such as on a table in a room of the environment. The user may interact with the voice-controlled device through speech and the voice-controlled device may perform operations requested by the speech. As the voice-controlled device enters different operational states while interacting with the user, one or more lights of the voice-controlled device may be illuminated to indicate the different operational states.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one microphone;

a plurality of lights;

one or more processors; and

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

receiving speech input via the at least one microphone;

determining, based on the speech input, an operation to be performed, the operation being one of a plurality of operations performed by the apparatus;

illuminating one or more of the plurality of lights in a first pattern indicative of the operation,

wherein the first pattern is one of a plurality of patterns, and

wherein the first pattern provides a visual indication of the operation;

determining an error state associated with the apparatus; and

illuminating one or more of the plurality of lights in a second pattern indicative of the error state in response to determining the error state associated with the apparatus;

wherein the first pattern comprises illuminating at least a light of the plurality of lights and the second pattern comprises illuminating at least the light of the plurality of lights.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first pattern comprises less than all of the plurality of lights along a perimeter of a top portion of a housing of the apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when further executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform further acts comprising:

determining an amplitude of the speech input; and

altering an intensity of one or more of the plurality of lights in the first pattern based at least in part on the amplitude of the speech input.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when further executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform further acts comprising:

determining a direction of a source of the speech input relative to the apparatus; and

illuminating one or more lights of the plurality of lights that are in the direction of the source of the speech input.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein illuminating the one or more lights of the plurality of lights that are in the direction of the source of the speech input comprises altering an intensity of the one or more lights based at least in part on changes in an amplitude of the speech input.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein performing the operation comprises accessing, via a network, at least one or more remote computing devices.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a microphone;

a plurality of lights;

one or more processors; and

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

receiving an audio signal from the microphone;

determining a speech input from the audio signal, wherein the speech input corresponds to an operation to be performed by the apparatus;

illuminating at least one of the plurality of lights in a first pattern indicative of the operation,

wherein the operation is one of a plurality of operations the apparatus is capable of performing,

wherein the first pattern is one of a plurality of patterns, and

wherein the first pattern provides a visual indication of the operation;

determining a state associated with updating software of the apparatus; and

illuminating one or more of the plurality of lights in a second pattern indicative of the state in response to determining the state associated with the apparatus.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of lights comprises at least one of discrete segments of a single integrated light or multiple discrete lights, and wherein a first one of the plurality of lights is adjacent to a second one of the plurality of lights.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of lights are arranged in a circle or ellipse near a top portion of the apparatus.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the audio signal represents the speech input, the speech input being associated with awaking the apparatus from an inactive state.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the audio signal includes a request to perform the operation associated with the apparatus.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of operations comprises at least one of the apparatus:

powering on,

powering off,

preparing to perform speech recognition on the audio signal,

tracking a source of sound associated with the audio signal,

performing speech recognition on the audio signal,

identifying an error due to an inability of the apparatus to identify another speech input in the audio signal,

adjusting volume of the apparatus,

determining or authenticating an identity of a user,

transferring data to or from the apparatus,

identifying an error on the apparatus or another apparatus associated with the apparatus,

running an application, or

turning off the microphone of the apparatus.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first pattern comprises illuminating at least a light of the plurality of lights and the second pattern comprises illuminating at least the light of the plurality of lights.

14. A method implemented at least in part by an electronic device that includes a microphone and one or more lights, the method comprising:

receiving an audio signal from the microphone;

determining a speech input from the audio signal, the speech input comprising a request;

causing at least one of the one or more lights to illuminate in a first pattern indicative of an operation to be performed by the electronic device,

wherein the first pattern is one of a plurality of patterns,

wherein the operation is one of a plurality of operations the electronic device is capable of performing,

wherein the first pattern provides a visual indication of the operation, and

wherein the operation is based at least in part on the request,

determining a state associated with at least one of an error associated with the electronic device or updating software of the electronic device; and

illuminating one or more of the one or more lights in a second pattern indicative of the state in response to determining the state associated with the electronic device;

wherein the first pattern comprises illuminating at least a light of the one or more lights and the second pattern comprises illuminating at least the light of the one or more lights.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the request is a first request, the operation is a first operation, and wherein:

the first operation includes the electronic device waiting to receive a further audio signal comprising a second request to perform a second operation by the electronic device, the method further comprising;

illuminating at least one of the one or more lights to indicate the second operation.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the operation is a first operation, the speech input is a first speech input, and wherein:

a second operation of the plurality of operations comprises the electronic device being unable to determine a second speech input from the audio signal, the method further comprising;

causing the at least one of the one or more lights to illuminate in a third pattern of the plurality of patterns indicating that the electronic device is unable to determine the second speech input.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the operation of the plurality of operations comprises the electronic device determining an identity of a user, the method further comprising;

illuminating one or more lights in a predetermined color that is associated with the user.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the operation is associated with an application configured for use with the electronic device, wherein the application is one of a plurality of applications configured for use with the electronic device, and wherein the first pattern is based at least in part on the application.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving an indication of a physical input associated with the electronic device, wherein the operation is based at least in part on the indication of the physical input.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the first pattern comprises less than all of the one or more lights along a perimeter of a top portion of a housing of the electronic device.