METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING COMMANDS DIRECTED TO A MEDIA CENTER

• US 20140098240A1
• Filed: 10/09/2012
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dimitriadis, Dimitrios, Schroeter, Horst Juergen
• Granted Patent: US 9,678,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method for controlling a steering of a plurality of cameras to identify a plurality of potential sources, identifying the plurality of potential sources according to image data provided by the plurality of cameras, assigning a beam of a plurality of beams of a plurality of microphones to each of the plurality of potential sources, detecting a first command comprising one of a first audible cue based on signals from a portion of the plurality of microphones, a first visual cue based on image data from one of the plurality of cameras, or both for controlling a media center, and configuring the media center according to the first command. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a system comprising a processor, with a plurality image sensors a plurality of potential sources for controlling a media center;

steering, by the system, the plurality of image sensors to identify the plurality of potential sources;

identifying, by the system, the plurality of potential sources according to image data provided by the plurality of image sensors;

steering, by the system, a microphone array according to the image data to detect speech signals generated by the plurality of potential sources;

detecting, by the system, a first command comprising one of a first audible cue based on signals detected by the microphone array, a first visual cue based on images detected by the plurality of image sensors, or both for controlling the media center; and

processing, by the system, the first command to control the media center.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first command is provided by a first potential source of the plurality of potential sources.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising detecting a conflict between the first command provided by the first potential source and a second command provided by a second potential source of the plurality of potential sources, wherein the second command comprises one of a second audible cue based on signals detected by the microphone array, a second visual cue based on images detected by the plurality of image sensors, or both.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising selecting the first command provided by the first potential source for processing based on a conflict resolution strategy.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the conflict resolution strategy comprises assigning a first priority to the first potential source and assigning a second priority to the second potential source, and wherein selecting the first command comprises selecting the first command based on the first priority having a higher priority than the second priority.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein steering the plurality of image sensors comprises electromechanically steering the plurality of image sensors.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein steering the microphone array comprises electromechanically steering the microphone array.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein steering the microphone array comprises steering a plurality of beams of the microphone array according to a beamforming process.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising using the image data provided by the plurality of image sensors to assign a beam of the plurality of beams to each of the plurality of potential sources.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying each of the plurality of potential sources comprises comparing the image data with biometric profiles.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the biometric profiles comprise one of facial data, body contour data, body color data, body surface data, or combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

retrieving a user profile associated with the first potential source; and

configuring the media center according to the user profile.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking movements of the plurality of potential sources according to the image data provided by the plurality of image sensors;

steering the plurality of image sensors according to the movements of the plurality of potential sources; and

steering the microphone array according to the movements of the plurality of potential sources.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning one of an acoustic model, a visual model, or both to each of the plurality of potential sources; and

processing one of audible cues, visual cues, or both generated by the plurality of potential sources according to the acoustic model, the visual model or both assigned to each of the plurality of potential sources.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of potential sources correspond to a plurality of human figures, and wherein the media center comprises one of a set-top box, an audio system, a lighting system, an alarm system, a temperature system, a health monitoring system, or combinations thereof.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

controlling a steering of a plurality of cameras to identify a plurality of potential sources;

identifying the plurality of potential sources according to image data provided by the plurality of cameras;

assigning a beam of a plurality of beams of a plurality of microphones to each of the plurality of potential sources;

detecting a first command comprising one of a first audible cue based on signals from a portion of the plurality of microphones, a first visual cue based on image data from one of the plurality of cameras, or both for controlling a media center; and

controlling the media center according to the first command.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein assigning the beam comprises causing the plurality of microphones to steer the plurality of beams to assign the beam to each of the plurality of potential sources.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:

detecting a conflict between the first command provided by a first potential source of the plurality of potential sources and a second command provided by a second potential source of the plurality of potential sources; and

selecting the first command according to a conflict resolution strategy.

19. A system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, the processor performs operations comprising;

controlling a plurality of microphones to steer a plurality of beams of the plurality of microphones to assign a beam to each of a plurality of potential sources for controlling a media center;

detecting a command comprising one of an audible cue based on signals from a portion of the plurality of microphones, a visual cue based on image data from one of a plurality of image sensors, or both for controlling the media center; and

controlling the media center to execute the command.

20. The system of claim 19, comprising the plurality of image sensors, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:

identifying the plurality of potential sources according to image data provided by the plurality of image sensors; and

exchanging messages with one of the plurality of potential sources that generated the command, wherein the messages comprise one of audible speech, visual messages presented by way of a display device coupled to the processor, or a combination thereof.