EMBEDDED SYSTEM FOR CONSTRUCTION OF SMALL FOOTPRINT SPEECH RECOGNITION WITH USER-DEFINABLE CONSTRAINTS

• US 20130289994A1
• Filed: 04/26/2012
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Roth, Robert, Newman, Michael Jack, Alexander, William D., Mulbregt, Paul van
• Granted Patent: US 9,117,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/254
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• 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 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Techniques disclosed herein include systems and methods that enable a voice trigger that wakes-up an electronic device or causes the device to make additional voice commands active, without manual initiation of voice command functionality. In addition, such a voice trigger is dynamically programmable or customizable. A speaker can program or designate a particular phrase as the voice trigger. In general, techniques herein execute a voice-activated wake-up system that operates on a digital signal processor (DSP) or other low-power, secondary processing unit of an electronic device instead of running on a central processing unit (CPU). A speech recognition manager runs two speech recognition systems on an electronic device. The CPU dynamically creates a compact speech system for the DSP. Such a compact system can be continuously run during a standby mode, without quickly exhausting a battery supply.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing speech recognition, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving configuration input at a voice-activated wake-up function of an electronic device, the configuration input including a trigger phrase, the configuration input being received at a first processor of the electronic device, the electronic device having a second processor in addition to the first processor;

creating a network of speech recognition states corresponding to the trigger phrase, the network of speech recognition states being created at the first processor using a first speech recognition engine that the first processor executes;

transferring the network of speech recognition states from the first processor to the second processor; and

executing a second speech recognition engine on the second processor using the network of speech recognition states corresponding to the trigger phrase, the second processor executing the second speech recognition engine while the first speech recognition engine of the first processor is in an inactive state.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein executing the second speech recognition engine includes:

continuously analyzing spoken utterances using the second processor while the first speech recognition engine is in an inactive state; and

in response to identifying that a particular spoken utterance includes the trigger phrase, signaling the first processor to return the first speech recognition engine to an active state.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein returning the first speech recognition engine to an active state includes the first processor responding to subsequent voice commands.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein executing the second speech recognition engine while the first speech recognition engine of the first processor is in an inactive state includes the first processor being in an inactive voice command mode;

and

in response to identifying that a particular spoken utterance includes the trigger phrase, causing the electronic device to switch from an inactive voice command mode to an active voice command mode.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second processor executes the second speech recognition engine providing the voice-activated wake-up function while the electronic device is in a standby mode.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transferring the speech recognition states to the second processor includes transferring the speech recognition states to a digital signal processor (DSP).

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the configuration input includes receiving the trigger phrase as text input via a user interface of the electronic device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein receiving the configuration input includes receiving a spoken utterance that confirms the text input.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first processor is a central processing unit, and wherein the second processor is a digital signal processor.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the second processor uses less power compared to the first processor when the first processor is in an active state.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the first processor and the second processor are co-located within a mobile telephone.

12. A system for managing speech recognition, the system comprising:

a first processor;

a second processor; and

a memory coupled to the processors, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processors, cause the system to perform the operations of;

receiving configuration input at a voice-activated wake-up function of an electronic device, the configuration input including a trigger phrase, the configuration input being received at a first processor of the electronic device, the electronic device having a second processor in addition to the first processor;

creating a network of speech recognition states corresponding to the trigger phrase, the network of speech recognition states being created at the first processor using a first speech recognition engine that the first processor executes;

transferring the network of speech recognition states from the first processor to the second processor; and

executing a second speech recognition engine on the second processor using the network of speech recognition states corresponding to the trigger phrase, the second processor executing the second speech recognition engine while the first speech recognition engine of the first processor is in an inactive state.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein executing the second speech recognition engine includes:

continuously analyzing spoken utterances using the second processor while the first speech recognition engine is in an inactive state; and

in response to identifying that a particular spoken utterance includes the trigger phrase, signaling the first processor to return the first speech recognition engine to an active state.

14. The system claim 13, wherein returning the first speech recognition engine to an active state includes the first processor responding to subsequent voice commands.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein executing the second speech recognition engine while the first speech recognition engine of the first processor is in an inactive state includes the first processor being in an inactive voice command mode;

and

in response to identifying that a particular spoken utterance includes the trigger phrase, causing the electronic device to switch from an inactive voice command mode to an active voice command mode.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the second processor executes the second speech recognition engine providing the voice-activated wake-up function while the electronic device is in a standby mode.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein transferring the speech recognition states to the second processor includes transferring the speech recognition states to a digital signal processor (DSP).

18. The system of claim 12, wherein receiving the configuration input includes receiving the trigger phrase as text input via a user interface of the electronic device.

19. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer-storage medium having instructions stored thereon for processing data information, such that the instructions, when carried out by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform the operations of:

;

receiving configuration input at a voice-activated wake-up function of an electronic device, the configuration input including a trigger phrase, the configuration input being received at a first processor of the electronic device, the electronic device having a second processor in addition to the first processor;

creating a network of speech recognition states corresponding to the trigger phrase, the network of speech recognition states being created at the first processor using a first speech recognition engine that the first processor executes;

transferring the network of speech recognition states from the first processor to the second processor; and

executing a second speech recognition engine on the second processor using the network of speech recognition states corresponding to the trigger phrase, the second processor executing the second speech recognition engine while the first speech recognition engine of the first processor is in an inactive state.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein executing the second speech recognition engine includes:

continuously analyzing spoken utterances using the second processor while the first speech recognition engine is in an inactive state; and

in response to identifying that a particular spoken utterance includes the trigger phrase, signaling the first processor to return the first speech recognition engine to an active state.

21. A computer-implemented method for managing speech recognition, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving configuration input at a voice-activated wake-up function of an electronic device, the configuration input including a trigger phrase, the electronic device having a first processor that executes a first speech recognition engine, the electronic device having a second processor in addition to the first processor;

transmitting the configuration input to a remote server computer;

creating a network of speech recognition states corresponding to the trigger phrase, the network of speech recognition states being created at the remote server computer;

receiving the network of speech recognition states corresponding to the trigger phrase at the electronic device;

transferring the network of speech recognition states to the second processor; and

executing a second speech recognition engine on the second processor using the network of speech recognition states corresponding to the trigger phrase, the second processor executing the second speech recognition engine while the first speech recognition engine of the first processor is in an inactive state.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein executing the second speech recognition engine includes:

continuously analyzing spoken utterances using the second processor while the first speech recognition engine is in an inactive state; and

in response to identifying that a particular spoken utterance includes the trigger phrase, signaling the first processor to return the first speech recognition engine to an active state.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein returning the first speech recognition engine to an active state includes the first processor responding to subsequent voice commands.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein executing the second speech recognition engine while the first speech recognition engine of the first processor is in an inactive state includes the first processor being in an inactive voice command mode;

and

in response to identifying that a particular spoken utterance includes the trigger phrase, causing the electronic device to switch from an inactive voice command mode to an active voice command mode.