Multiple protocol support in distributed device systems

• US 9,526,115 B1
• Filed: 04/18/2014
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zakaria, Omar FawazHashim, Haskin, Menashe
• Primary Examiner(s): Bilodeau, David
• Application Number:
  US14/256,850
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/28 Constructional details of speech recognition systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A base device may work in conjunction one or more peripheral devices to capture audio from different locations within a room. The peripheral devices may include a companion device and an accessory device, either or both of which may be present in a given situation or deployment. The base device is configured to communicate with the companion device using a first wireless communications protocol and with the accessory device using a second wireless communications protocol. When both of the companion and accessory devices are present, however, the companion and accessory devices communicate with each other using the second wireless communications protocol and the companion device relays communications between the base device and the accessory device. This avoids the need for the base device to use the second wireless communications protocol and reduces contention for shared resources by the base device.

Claims

1. A base device comprising:

a first wireless interface configured to communicate with a companion device according to a first protocol;

a second wireless interface configured to communicate with an accessory device according to a second protocol, wherein the second protocol is different than the first protocol;

operating logic configured to perform actions comprising;

determining that the companion device is present within an environment shared by the base device;

communicating, based at least in part on determining that the companion device is present, with the companion device using the first wireless interface to receive a companion audio signal produced by the companion device;

determining that the companion device is not present within the environment and that the accessory device is present within the environment;

communicating, based at least in part on determining that the companion is not present and the accessory device is present, with the accessory device using the second wireless interface to receive an accessory audio signal produced by the accessory device;

determining that the companion device and the accessory device are present within the environment; and

communicating, based at least in part on determining that the companion device and the accessory device are present, with the companion device to receive the accessory audio signal and the companion audio signal using the first wireless interface.

2. The base device of claim 1, the actions further comprising ceasing to use the second wireless interface based at least in part on determining that the companion device is present.

3. The base device of claim 1, the actions further comprising configuring the companion device to:

receive the accessory audio signal from the accessory device; and

relay the accessory audio signal to the base device.

4. The base device of claim 1, wherein the first wireless interface comprises a Wi-Fi interface and the second wireless interface comprises a Bluetooth interface.

5. The base device of claim 1, wherein the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface share a frequency band.

6. The base device of claim 1, further comprising a microphone, the actions further comprising receiving a base device audio signal from the microphone.

7. The base device of claim 1, the actions further comprising causing speech recognition to be performed on at least one of the companion audio signal or the accessory audio signal.

20. The base device of claim 1, wherein the accessory audio signal corresponds to first audio detected from the environment by the accessory device and the companion audio signal corresponds to second, different audio detected from the environment by the companion device, wherein the accessory audio is different than the companion audio.

8. A method, comprising:

communicating with a first device using a first wireless communications protocol to receive a first audio signal produced from first audio detected by the first device in a first environment;

detecting a second device that is configured to communicate with the first device using the first wireless communications protocol; and

in response to detecting the second device, (a) communicating with the second device using a second wireless communications protocol to receive a second audio signal produced from second audio detected by the second device from a second, different environment and to receive a third audio signal produced from third audio detected by the first device in the first environment and (b) ceasing the communicating with the first device using the first wireless communications protocol.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second device is configured to relay the third audio signal from the first device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first communications protocol comprises a personal-area-networking protocol and the second communications protocol comprises a local-area networking protocol.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first communications protocol comprises Bluetooth and the second communications protocol comprises Wi-Fi.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the first wireless communications protocol uses a first frequency band;

the second wireless communications protocol uses a second frequency band; and

the first and second frequency bands at least partially overlap.

13. A method comprising:

determining that a companion device is present within an environment;

communicating with the companion device to receive first audio data produced by the companion device based at least in part on determining that the companion device is present within the environment;

determining that the companion device is not present and an accessory device is present within the environment;

directly communicating with the accessory device to receive second audio data produced by the accessory device based at least in part on determining that the companion device is not present and the accessory device is present within the environment, the second audio data different from the first audio data;

determining that the companion device and the accessory device are present within the environment; and

communicating with the companion device to receive third audio data produced by the accessory device and fourth audio data produced by the companion device based at least in part on determining that the companion device and the accessory device are present, wherein the companion device is configured to relay the third audio data produced by the accessory device.

14. The method of claim 13, ceasing to communicate directly with the accessory device based at least in part on determining the companion device is present within the environment.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein:

communicating with the companion device uses a first wireless communications protocol; and

directly communicating with the accessory device uses a second wireless communications protocol.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second wireless communications protocols use overlapping frequency bands.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein:

communicating with the companion device uses Wi-Fi; and

directly communicating with the accessory device uses Bluetooth.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein:

communicating with the companion device uses Wi-Fi; and

the companion device is configured to communicate with the accessory device using Bluetooth.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein:

communicating with the companion device comprises receiving first audio generated by the companion device and second audio generated by the accessory device.