Voice Control User Interface with Progressive Command Engagement

• US 20140278443A1
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gunn, Michael E., Kamdar, Pratik M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,304,465 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• 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 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/18 Use of a frame buffer in a display terminal, inclusive of the display panel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/24 the user being prompted to utter a password or a predefined phrase
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/225 Feedback of the input speech
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A method include placing a first processor in a sleep operating mode and running a second processor that is operative to wake the first processor from the sleep operating mode in response to a speech command phrase. The method includes identifying, by the second processor, a speech command phrase segment and performing a control operation in response to detecting the segment in detected speech. The control operation is performed while the first processor is maintained in the sleep operating mode.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

operating a first processor in a sleep mode and operating a second processor that is operative to wake the first processor from the sleep mode in response to a speech command phrase;

identifying, by a speech recognition engine, a speech command phrase segment; and

performing, by the second processor, a control operation in response the segment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing, by the second processor, a control operation in response to the segment, comprises:

performing the control operation without waking the first processor from the sleep mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein performing, by the second processor, a control operation in response to the segment, comprises:

performing the control operation prior to waking the first processor from the sleep mode; and

waking the first processor from the sleep mode.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein performing the control operation without waking the first processor from the sleep mode, comprises:

providing output information in response to the segment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein providing output information in response to the segment, comprises:

updating a portion of display data maintained in a frame buffer, the display data corresponding to a most recently displayed image; and

displaying the updated display data on a display.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

activating at least a portion of the display prior to displaying the updated display data, the activated portion of the display corresponding to a portion of the most recently display image that is updated according to the updated display data.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein displaying the updated display data on a display, comprises:

displaying the updated display data on the display for a predetermined period of time; and

turning the display off after the predetermined period of time has expired.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein providing output information in response to the segment, comprises:

producing an audible response or a mechanical movement as the output information.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a first processor having a sleep operating mode;

a speech recognition engine operative to identify a speech command phrase segment while the first processor is operated in the sleep operating mode;

a control system operatively coupled to the first processor, the control system operative to control equipment in response to the speech command phrase segment, while the first processor operates in the sleep operating mode;

a second processor, operatively coupled to the first processor, the speech recognition engine and to the control system, the second processor operative to wake the first processor from the sleep operating mode in response to a speech command phrase, the second processor further operative to send control command data to the control system in response to the speech command phrase segment.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a basic speech model; and

a segment speech model, the speech recognition engine operative to utilize the segment speech model to identify the speech command phrase segment when the first processor operates in the sleep operating mode.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second processor is further operative to send control command data to the control system, in response to the speech command phrase segment, without waking the first processor from the sleep mode.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the control system is further operative to control the equipment in response to the control command data, while the first processor operates in the sleep operating mode.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the control system is further operative to control the equipment to provide output information in response to the segment.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the output information comprises one of an audible response or a mechanical movement as the output information.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a first processor having a sleep operating mode;

a speech recognition engine operative to identify a speech command phrase segment while the first processor is operated in the sleep operating mode;

display hardware and a display, the display hardware operatively coupled to the first processor and operative to store display data in a frame buffer for a most recently displayed image while the display is turned off;

a second processor, operatively coupled to the first processor, the speech recognition engine and to the display hardware, the second processor operative to wake the first processor from the sleep operating mode in response to a speech command phrase, the second processor further operative to update a portion of the display data in the frame buffer in response to the speech command phrase segment and to turn at least a portion of the display on for a period of time to display the updated portion of the display data, the display being turned off again after expiration of the period of time.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a basic speech model; and

a segment speech model, the speech recognition engine operative to utilize the segment speech model to identify the speech command phrase segment when the first processor operates in the sleep operating mode.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second processor and the display hardware are further operative to activate at least a portion of the display prior to displaying the updated display data, the activated portion of the display corresponding to a portion of the most recently display image that is updated according to the updated display data.