User sensing system and method for low power voice command activation in wireless communication systems

• US 9,763,194 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2015
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Shen, Jian, Yang, Tongzeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Chawan, Vijay B
• Application Number:
  US14/944,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20160073350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 704231, 704233, 704254, 704275, 704226, 704214, 704207, 704227, 704228, 455570, 455296, 37040606, 37040608, 37038804, 37040601, 370 8801, 37040605, 370 8803, 37022111, 381 56, 381110
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/10 using distance or distortion measures between unknown speech and reference templates
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2025/786 Adaptive threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/06 Transformation of speech into a non-audible representation, e.g. speech visualisation or speech processing for tactile aids G10L15/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/78 Detection of presence or absence of voice signals switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of activating voice control on a wireless device includes sampling signals from a plurality of sensors on the device, determining if the device is in a hands-on state by a user on the basis of the signal sampling, and enabling a voice activated detection (VAD) application on the device on the basis of the determination. A voice controlled apparatus in a wireless device includes a plurality of sensors arranged on the device, a microphone, a controller to sample signals from one or more of the plurality of sensors, a processor coupled to the controller, and a voice activated detection (VAD) application running on the processor coupled to the controller and the microphone.

Claims

1. A voice controlled apparatus included in a wireless device, comprising:

a processor;

a plurality of sensors located along one or more edges of the wireless device, the plurality of sensors configured to facilitate sampling one or more signals indicative of whether the wireless device is in a hands-on state by a user;

a microphone configured to receive voice commands from the user; and

a controller coupled to the plurality of sensors, the microphone, and the processor, the controller configured to initiate, via the processor, a voice activated detection (VAD) application that interprets voice commands on the basis of the one or more signals.

2. The voice controlled apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a communications interface coupled the processor, the communications interface configured to access a remote server adapted to interpret voice commands and provide response instructions to the wireless device.

3. The voice controlled apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is an audio processor.

4. The voice controlled apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises at least one of piezoelectric sensors, pyroelectric sensors, capacitive sensors, thermoelectric sensors, or piezoresistive sensors.

5. The voice controlled apparatus of claim 4, wherein the piezoresistive sensors may include a Wheatstone bridge for detecting contact pressure, by an extremity of the user, on the sensors.

6. The voice controlled apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sensors located at the top or bottom of the wireless device.

7. The voice controlled apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller compares a level of the sampled signals to a threshold level, and activates the hands-on state when the sampled signals equal or exceed the threshold level.

8. The voice controlled apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller periodically activates at least one of the plurality of the sensors at a duty cycle for sampling output signals.

9. The voice controlled apparatus of claim 1, wherein the duty cycle is less than 50% and greater than 0%.

10. The voice controlled apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors are configured to detect a voltage impulse when contacted in compression by an extremity of the user.