Audio input from user

• US 9,626,150 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2012
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Scheessele, Evan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lowenberger, Aaron
• Application Number:
  US14/375,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20150033130A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,817 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• 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 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• 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 3/03 Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback

Abstract

A computing device detects a user viewing the computing device and outputs a cue if the user is detected to view the computing device. The computing device receives an audio input from the user if the user continues to view the computing device for a predetermined amount of time.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a sensor to detect a user viewing the computing device;

an output device to output a cue in response to detecting the user viewing the computing device; and

a controller to;

determine if the user has viewed the computing device for a predetermined amount of time;

authenticate the user using facial recognition in response to determining that the user has viewed the computing device for the predetermined amount of time;

in response to successfully authenticating the user;

launch a listening mode of the computing device to receive an audio input from the user with a hardware audio input component,

load a speech profile of the user, the speech profile comprising information of a speech pattern of the user, and

recognize a command in the audio input from the user using the information of the speech pattern in the speech profile; and

disable the listening mode of the computing device in response to failing to authenticate the user.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the cue is selected from among a visual signal, an audio signal, and a haptic feedback, the cue indicating to the user that the computing device is ready to launch the listening mode to receive audio inputs.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the output device is selected from among a visual indicator, an audio speaker, and a haptic-motor to output the cue.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the information of the speech pattern of the user comprises information of a pitch of a voice of the user and information of a rate at which the user speaks.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the controller is to:

authenticate the user using the facial recognition based on an image of a face of the user.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the controller is to authenticate the user in response to detecting a change in facial expression of the user.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the controller is to:

detect a position and distance of the user from the computing device; and

calibrate the hardware audio input component based on the position and the distance of the user.

3. The computing device of claim wherein the audio input is a voice command or query from the user.

9. A method of a computing device, comprising:

detecting, using a sensor, a user viewing the computing device;

outputting a cue with an output component in response to detecting the user viewing the computing device;

determining if the user has viewed the computing device for a predetermined amount of time;

authenticating the user with facial recognition technology in response to determining that the user has viewed the computing device for the predetermined amount of time;

in response to successfully authenticating the user;

launching a listening mode of the computing device to receive an audio input from the user with a hardware audio input component,

loading a speech profile of the user, the speech profile comprising information of a speech pattern of the user, and

recognizing a command in the audio input from the user using the information of the speech pattern in the speech profile; and

disabling the listening mode of the computing device in response to failing to authenticate the user.

10. The method of claim 9,

wherein the speech profile of the user is associated with an identity of the user determined from successfully authenticating the user.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting, by the computing device, a position and distance of the user from the computing device; and

calibrating, by the computing device, the hardware audio input component based on the position and the distance of the user.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein disabling the listening mode comprises disabling the hardware audio input component of the computing device such that audio input cannot be received with the hardware audio input component.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that if executed cause a controller to:

detect, using a sensor, a user viewing a computing device;

output a cue with an output component in response to detecting the user viewing the computing device;

determine if the user continues to view the output component for a predetermined amount of time in association with the cue being outputted;

authenticate the user using facial recognition in response to determining that the user has viewed the output component for the predetermined amount of time;

in response to successfully authenticating the user;

launch a listening mode of the computing device to receive an audio input from the user,

load a speech profile of the user, the speech profile comprising information of a speech pattern of the user, and

recognize a command in the audio input from the user using the information of the speech pattern in the speech profile; and

disable the listening mode of the computing device in response to failing to authenticate the user.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the sensor additionally captures a view of the user'"'"'s mouth as an audio input component detects the audio input from the user, and the instructions if executed cause the controller to recognize the command further based on the view of the user'"'"'s mouth.

15. The non transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the output component includes a directional visual indicator with a limited field of view, and the cue is outputted to the user based on a position of the user.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the information of the speech pattern of the user comprises information of a pitch of a voice of the user and information of a rate at which the user speaks.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions if executed cause the controller to:

authenticate the user using the facial recognition based on an image of a face of the user.