Personal Mobile Computing Device Having Antenna Microphone and Speech Detection for Improved Speech Recognition

• US 20060277049A1
• Filed: 07/05/2006
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Huang, Xuedong D.
• Application Number:
  US11/428,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20060277049A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/25 using position of the lips, movement of the lips or face analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

A mobile computing device, adapted to be held in the palm of a user'"'"'s hand, includes an antenna for transmission of information from the mobile computing device. A first microphone, adapted to convert audible speech from the user into speech signals, is positioned at a distal end of the antenna. The antenna is rotatable, while the mobile computing device is held by the user, into a position which directs the first microphone toward the mouth of the user. A speech sensor outputs a sensor signal indicative of whether the user is speaking.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device:

an antenna adapted to be oriented toward the user;

a first microphone positioned on the antenna and adapted to convert audible speech from the user into speech signals; and

a speech sensor outputting a sensor signal, based on a non-audio input generated by speech action of the user, indicative of whether the user is speaking.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the speech sensor senses an image indicative of movement of the user'"'"'s mouth.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the speech sensor is positioned on the antenna.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the speech sensor is positioned on a housing of the mobile computing device.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, and further comprising a speech detector component outputting a speech detection signal indicative of whether the user is speaking based on the sensor signal.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 6, wherein the first microphone is enabled or disabled as a function of the speech detection signal.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 6, and further comprising a speech recognition component coupled to the first microphone and adapted to perform speech recognition algorithms on the speech signals to generate speech recognition data.

11. The mobile computing device of claim 6, wherein the speech detector component outputs the speech detection signal based on a first characteristic of the sensor signal and based on the speech signals from the first microphone.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 1, and further comprising a housing, wherein the antenna is rotatably coupled to a housing, and wherein the first microphone is positioned on a distal end of the antenna.

19. The mobile computing device of claim 18, further comprising a display connected to the housing, and wherein for a particular orientation of the mobile computing device d to achieve a particular viewing angle and separation distance of the display relative to the user, the antenna is rotatable to a position which minimizes a distance between the first microphone and the mouth of the user.

2. (canceled)

9-10. -10. (canceled)

12-17. -17. (canceled)

20-24. -24. (canceled)