Method for Performing Voice Control Operation on Terminal and Apparatus

• US 20150170672A1
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Liu, Yuanyuan
• Application Number:
  US14/567,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20150170672A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules

Abstract

A method for performing a voice control operation on a terminal and an apparatus that relate to the field of audio technologies are provided. The method includes starting an application on the terminal and activating a microphone on the terminal; monitoring a signal status of the activated microphone; and outputting, when the signal status of the microphone transits, a control instruction to change a current operation status of the application. In the present invention, a change of environmental noise picked up by the microphone is used to perform an operation on the terminal application, thereby avoiding interference of the environmental noise in acquiring an audio signal, reducing a key pressing operation of a user, and enhancing user experience.

Claims

1. A method for performing a voice control operation on a terminal, comprising:

starting an application on the terminal;

activating a microphone on the terminal;

monitoring a signal status of the activated microphone; and

outputting a control instruction to change a current operation status of the application when the signal status of the microphone transits.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring the signal status of the activated microphone comprises:

collecting an audio signal by using the activated microphone;

calculating a sketch value of the audio signal; and

determining whether the sketch value of the audio signal is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, wherein the signal status of the microphone is a first state when the sketch value of the audio signal is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, and wherein the signal status of the microphone is a second state when the sketch value of the audio signal is not greater than or equal to the preset threshold, and

wherein outputting the control instruction to change the current operation status of the application when the signal status of the microphone transits comprises outputting the control instruction to change the current operation status of the application when the signal status of the microphone transits from the first state to the second state or when the signal status of the microphone transits from the second state to the first state.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein calculating the sketch value of the audio signal comprises calculating a signal energy value of the audio signal, a signal amplitude value, a fluctuation value of signal energy, or a fluctuation value of signal amplitude.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the terminal comprises multiple microphones, and wherein starting the application on the terminal and activating the microphone on the terminal comprises starting the application on the terminal and activating at least two microphones of the multiple microphones on the terminal.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein monitoring the signal status of the activated microphone comprises monitoring microphone signal statuses of the at least two activated microphones, and wherein outputting the control instruction to change the current operation status of the application when the signal status of the microphone transits comprises outputting the control instruction to change the current operation status of the application when at least two signal statuses in the microphone signal statuses of the at least two activated microphones transit.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein outputting the control instruction to change the current operation status of the application when at least two signal statuses in the microphone signal statuses of the at least two activated microphones transit comprises outputting the control instruction to change the current operation status of the application when the at least two signal statuses in the microphone signal statuses of the at least two activated microphones transit within a preset time interval.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein outputting the control instruction to change the current operation status of the application when the signal status of the microphone transits comprises:

performing timing when the signal status of the microphone transits; and

outputting the control instruction to change the current operation status of the application when a preset time period t expires.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending prompt information to prompt that the control instruction is to be output after the time period t expires when the signal status of the microphone transits, wherein the prompt information is a voice prompt, a vibration prompt, a text prompt, or a light prompt.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein starting the application on the terminal and activating the microphone on the terminal comprises:

starting the application on the terminal; and

activating the microphone on the terminal after a preset time period.

10. A terminal, comprising:

a microphone;

a starting unit configured to start an application on the terminal and activate the microphone on the terminal;

a monitoring unit configured to monitor a signal status of the activated microphone; and

an operating unit configured to output a control instruction to change a current operation status of the application when the signal status of the microphone transits.

11. The terminal according to claim 10, wherein the monitoring unit comprises:

a collecting subunit configured to collect an audio signal by using the activated microphone;

a calculating subunit configured to calculate a sketch value of the collected audio signal; and

a determining subunit configured to determine whether the sketch value of the audio signal is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, wherein the signal status of the microphone is a first state when the sketch value of the audio signal is greater than or equal to the preset threshold, and wherein the signal status of the microphone is a second state when the sketch value of the audio signal is not greater than or equal to the preset threshold, and

wherein the operating unit is configured to output the control instruction to change the current operation status of the application when the signal status of the microphone transits from the first state to the second state or when the signal status of the microphone transits from the second state to the first state.

12. The terminal according to claim 11, wherein the calculating subunit comprises:

an energy calculating subunit configured to calculate a signal energy value of an audio signal;

or

an amplitude calculating subunit configured to calculate a signal amplitude value of the audio signal;

or

an energy fluctuation calculating subunit configured to calculate a fluctuation value of signal energy of the audio signal;

or

an amplitude fluctuation calculating subunit configured to calculate a fluctuation value of signal amplitude of the audio signal.

13. The terminal according to claim 10, wherein the terminal comprises multiple microphones, and wherein the starting unit comprises an activating subunit configured to activate at least two microphones of the multiple microphones on the terminal.

14. The terminal according to claim 13, wherein the monitoring unit is configured to monitor microphone signal statuses of the at least two activated microphones, and wherein the operating unit is configured to output the control instruction to change the current operation status of the application when at least two signal statuses in the microphone signal statuses of the at least two activated microphones transit.

15. The terminal according to claim 14, wherein the operating unit is further configured to output the control instruction to change the current operation status of the application when the at least two signal statuses in the microphone signal statuses of the at least two activated microphones transit within a preset time interval.

16. The terminal according to claim 10, wherein the operating unit is further configured to:

perform timing when the signal status of the microphone transits; and

output the control instruction to change the current operation status of the application when a preset time period t expires.

17. The terminal according to claim 10, wherein the apparatus further comprises a prompting unit configured to send prompt information to prompt that the control instruction is to be output after the time period t expires when the signal status of the microphone transits, wherein the prompt information is a voice prompt, a vibration prompt, a text prompt, or a light prompt.

18. The terminal according to claim 10, wherein the activating subunit is further configured to activate, after the application on the terminal is started, the microphone on the terminal after a preset time period.