REMOTE CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING POWER

• US 20140195235A1
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: CHA, Tae-hwan, KIM, Jae-cheol, PARK, Tae-je, LEE, Cheon-seong
• Granted Patent: US 10,261,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3259 Power saving in cursor control device, e.g. mouse, joystick, trackball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/00 Speech recognition G10L17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A remote controller and a power control method are disclosed. The remote controller includes a voice recognizer a voice recognizer configured to recognize a voice utterance, a user interface configured to receive a user command; and a controller configured to, when a user command is input through the user interface to enter a voice recognition mode, convert a stand-by mode into an active mode, and convert the active mode into the stand-by mode depending on whether the utterance is recognized within a preset critical time. Accordingly, the remote controller, enabling an operation mode of a voice recognition module which recognizes a user voice utterance to be maintained as an active mode, can reduce power unnecessarily consumed.

Claims

1. A remote controller, comprising:

a voice recognizer configured to recognize a voice utterance;

a user interface configured to receive a user command; and

a controller configured to, when a user command is input through the user interface to enter a voice recognition mode, convert a stand-by mode into an active mode, and convert the active mode into the stand-by mode depending on whether the utterance is recognized within a preset time.

2. The remote controller of claim 1 further comprising:

a communication unit configured to transmit voice information on the recognized utterance by communicating with a display apparatus,

wherein the controller, when the user command is input, converts an operation mode of the voice recognizer and the communication unit from the stand-by mode into the active mode.

3. The remote controller of claim 2, wherein the controller, after the utterance is recognized while the stand-by mode is converted into the active mode, when an additional utterance is not recognized through the voice recognizer within the preset time, converts the active mode into the stand-by mode.

4. The remote controller of claim 3, wherein the controller, after the active mode is converted into the stand-by mode, when response information related to the utterance is received from the display apparatus through the communication unit, converts the stand-by mode into the active mode.

5. The remote controller of claim 2, wherein the controller, when an additional utterance is not recognized through the voice recognizer within the preset time from the time when response information related to the voice is received from the display apparatus through the communication unit, converts the active mode into the stand-by mode.

6. The remote controller of claim 4, wherein the response information is information which notifies that a function is performed by the display apparatus based on control information corresponding to the utterance or a response message is output based on response information received from a dialogue server.

7. The remote controller of claim 6 further comprising:

an output unit,

wherein the controller, when the stand-by mode is converted into the active mode, outputs an alarm message notifying that the stand-by mode is converted into the active mode through at least one of an audio and a video.

8. A power control method in a remote controller capable of voice recognition, the method comprising:

receiving a user command to enter a voice recognition mode;

converting a stand-by mode into an active mode according to the user command; and

converting the active mode into the stand-by mode depending on whether a utterance is recognized within a preset time.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

when the utterance is recognized, transmitting voice information on the recognized utterance to a display apparatus,

wherein the converting the stand-by mode into the active mode, according to the user command, comprises converting an operation mode of a voice recognition module that recognizes the voice utterance and a communication module that transmits the voice information from the stand-by mode into the active mode.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the converting to the stand-by mode, after the utterance is recognized while the operation mode is converted into the active mode, when an additional utterance is not recognized within the preset time, comprises converting the active mode into the stand-by mode.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the converting the stand-by mode into the active mode, after the operation mode is converted into the stand-by mode, when response information related to the utterance is received from the display apparatus, comprises converting the stand-by mode into the active mode.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the converting the operation mode into the stand-by mode, after voice information on the utterance is transmitted to the display apparatus, when response information related to the voice is received from the display apparatus, and when an additional utterance is not recognized within the preset time from the time when the response information related to the voice is received, comprises converting the active mode into the stand-by mode.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the response information is information which notifies that a function is performed by the display apparatus based on control information corresponding to the utterance voice or a response message is output based on response information received from a dialogue server.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the converting the stand-by mode into the active mode comprises, when the stand-by mode is converted into the active mode, outputting an alarm message notifying that the stand-by mode is converted into the active mode through at least one of an audio and a video.

15. A non transitory computer readable medium storing a power control method in a remote controller capable of voice recognition, the method comprising:

receiving a user command to enter a voice recognition mode;

converting a stand-by mode into an active mode according to the user command; and

converting the active mode into the stand-by mode depending on whether a voice utterance is recognized within a preset time.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving a voice utterance; and

converting a voice recognition remote controller from an active mode to a standby mode when the utterance is not recognized.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the converting occurs when the utterance is not recognized within a preset time period comprising one of sufficient time for recognition operations of the utterance and sufficient time for display operations associated with the utterance.

18. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the voice utterance is received after a voice recognition mode is initiated by a user command and the controller is converted to the active mode from the standby mode.