Visual indication of an operational state

• US 9,779,757 B1
• Filed: 07/30/2012
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Blanksteen, Scott I., Hart, Gregory M., Rogers, III, Charles S., Langhammer, Heinz-Dominik, Webber, Ronald Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Serrou, Abdelali
• Application Number:
  US13/561,840
• Time in Patent Office: 1,891 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/80 using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/10 Transforming into visible information
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

Architectures and techniques to visually indicate an operational state of an electronic device. In some instances, the electronic device comprises a voice-controlled device configured to interact with a user through voice input and visual output. The voice-controlled device may be positioned in a home environment, such as on a table in a room of the environment. The user may interact with the voice-controlled device through speech and the voice-controlled device may perform operations requested by the speech. As the voice-controlled device enters different operational states while interacting with the user, one or more lights of the voice-controlled device may be illuminated to indicate the different operational states.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a cylindrically shaped housing;

a microphone residing at least partly within the housing;

a plurality of lights arranged along a perimeter of a top portion of the housing;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving an audio signal from the microphone;

determining an utterance of a user from the audio signal, the utterance specifying an operation to be performed by the apparatus;

determining a direction of the user relative to the apparatus;

illuminating one or more of the plurality of lights in a particular pattern to indicate that the apparatus has determined the direction of the user, wherein the particular pattern is one of a plurality of patterns,

wherein an individual pattern of the plurality of patterns corresponds to an individual operational state of a plurality of operational states of the apparatus, wherein the individual pattern provides a visual indication of the individual operational state of the apparatus, and wherein the individual operational state is based at least in part on the operation to be performed by the apparatus specified by the utterance; and

performing the operation specified by the utterance.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the particular pattern comprises less than all of the plurality of lights along the perimeter of the top portion of the housing in the direction of the user determined by the apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the acts further comprising:

determining an amplitude of the utterance; and

altering an intensity of the one or more of the plurality of lights in the particular pattern based at least in part on the amplitude of the utterance.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein determining the amplitude of the utterance comprises determining a volume of the utterance or a frequency of the utterance.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the acts further comprising:

determining an additional sound from the audio signal;

determining a direction of a source of the additional sound; and

illuminating one or more additional lights of the plurality of lights that are in the direction of the source of the additional sound.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein illuminating the one or more additional lights of the plurality of lights that are in the direction of the source of the additional sound comprises altering an intensity of the one or more additional lights based at least in part on changes in an amplitude of the additional sound.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a microphone;

a plurality of lights;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving an audio signal from the microphone;

determining, based at least in part on the audio signal, a direction of a source of sound;

illuminating at least one of the plurality of lights in the direction of the source;

determining an utterance from the audio signal, wherein the utterance corresponds to an operational state of the apparatus;

illuminating the at least one of the plurality of lights in a particular pattern to indicate an operation associated with the operational state, wherein the particular pattern is one of a plurality of patterns, wherein the particular pattern of the plurality of patterns corresponds to the operational state of a plurality of operational states of the apparatus, wherein the particular pattern provides a visual indication of the operational state of the apparatus, and wherein the operational state is based at least in part on the operation to be performed by the apparatus associated with the utterance; and

performing the operation specified by the utterance.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of lights comprise at least one of discrete segments of a single integrated light or multiple discrete lights and wherein a first one of the plurality of lights is adjacent to a second one of the plurality of lights.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of lights are arranged in a circle or ellipse near a top portion of the apparatus.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the audio signal represents the utterance spoken by a user, the utterance being associated with awaking the apparatus from an inactive state to the operational state of the plurality of operational states.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the illuminating the at least one of the plurality of lights in the particular pattern comprises illuminating each light of the plurality of lights in the particular pattern corresponding to the operational state of the plurality of operational states of the apparatus.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

based at least in part on the determining the direction of the source of the sound and after illuminating each light of the plurality of lights in the particular pattern corresponding to the operational state of the apparatus, illuminating a first subset of lights of the plurality of lights that are positioned in the direction of the source of the sound.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

determining that the source of the sound has changed to a changed direction relative to the apparatus; and

based at least in part on the determining that the source of the sound has changed to the changed direction, illuminating a second subset of lights of the plurality of lights that are closest to the one or more lights of the plurality of lights that are positioned in the changed direction of the source of the sound.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the audio signal includes a request to perform the operation associated with the apparatus.

15. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of operational states comprises at least one of the apparatus:

powering on,

powering off,

preparing to perform speech recognition on the audio signal,

tracking the source of sound associated with the audio signal,

performing speech recognition on the audio signal,

identifying an error due to an inability of the apparatus to identify another utterance in the audio signal,

adjusting volume of the apparatus,

determining or authenticating an identity of a user,

connecting to a network,

updating software,

transferring data to or from the apparatus,

identifying an error on the apparatus or another apparatus associated with the apparatus,

running an application, or

turning off the microphone of the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein a light of the plurality of lights comprises at least one of a light-emitting diode, a fluorescent light, an incandescent light, a laser, or a portion of a flat panel display.

17. A method implemented at least in part by an electronic device that includes a microphone and one or more lights, the method comprising:

receiving an audio signal from the microphone;

determining an utterance of a user from the audio signal, the utterance comprising a request from the user;

determining a direction of the user relative to the electronic device;

causing the electronic device to enter an operational state based at least in part on the request;

causing at least one of the one or more lights to illuminate in the direction of the user relative to the electronic device;

causing the at least one of the one or more lights to illuminate in a particular pattern to indicate the operational state of the electronic device, wherein the particular pattern is one of a plurality of patterns, wherein the particular pattern of the plurality of patterns corresponds to the operational state of a plurality of operational states of the electronic device, wherein the particular pattern provides a visual indication of the operational state of the apparatus, and wherein the operational state is based at least in part on an operation to be performed by the electronic device associated with the utterance; and

causing the electronic device to perform an operation corresponding to the operational state.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more lights comprise a plurality of lights arranged in a circular or elliptical shape around a top portion of the electronic device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more lights comprise a plurality of lights arranged in a polygonal shape near a top portion of the electronic device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the utterance comprises the user requesting that the electronic device transition from an inactive state to the operational state of the plurality of operational states.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the request is a first request, and wherein:

the operational state comprises a state in which the electronic device is awaiting to receive a further audio signal comprising a second request to perform a particular operation associated with the electronic device, the method further comprising;

illuminating each of the one or more lights to indicate the operational state.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the operational state of the plurality of operation states comprises a state in which the electronic device is determining a direction of the source of the sound associated with the audio signal; and

the causing the at least one of the one or more lights to illuminate in the direction of the user relative to the electronic device comprises illuminating a light of the one or more lights positioned in the direction of the source of the sound.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the operational state of the plurality of operation states comprises a state in which the electronic device is determining a direction of the source of the sound associated with the audio signal; and

the causing the at least one of the one or more lights to illuminate in the direction of the user relative to the electronic device comprises illuminating each of the one or more lights other than a light of the one or more lights positioned in the direction of the source of the sound.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the operational state is a first operational state, the utterance is a first utterance, and wherein:

a second operational state of the plurality of operation states comprises a state in which the electronic device is unable to determine a second utterance from the audio signal, the method further comprising;

causing the at least one of the one or more lights to illuminate in a predetermined pattern of the plurality of patterns indicating that the electronic device is unable to determine the second utterance.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the operational state of the plurality of operation states comprises a state in which the electronic device has determined that the audio signal includes both the utterance from the user and an additional sound from an additional source, the method further comprising;

causing an illuminated or non-illuminated segment of the one or more lights to move to a location of the one or more lights that is in a direction of the additional source to indicate a direction of the additional source.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the illuminated or non-illuminated segment of the one or more lights moves to the location of the one or more lights that is in a direction of the additional source to indicate a direction of the additional source, while another illuminated or non-illuminated segment of the one or more lights remains fixated in the direction of the user providing the utterance.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the operational state is a first operational state, and wherein:

a second operational state of the plurality of operation states comprises a state in which the microphone is turned off, the method further comprising;

illuminating the at least one light in a predetermined color based at least in part on the second operational state of the electronic device.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the operational state of the plurality of operation states comprises a state in which a volume of audio content to be output by the electronic device is being decreased, the method further comprising;

illuminating a segment of the one or more lights; and

thereafter reducing at least one of a length of the segment of the one or more lights that is illuminated or an intensity of at least a portion of the segment of the one or more lights that is illuminated, wherein the reducing is based at least in part on the operational state of the electronic device.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the operational state of the plurality of operation states comprises a state in which a volume of audio content to be output by the electronic device is being increased, the method further comprising;

illuminating a segment of the one or more lights; and

thereafter increasing at least one of a length of the segment of the one or more lights that is illuminated or an intensity of at least a portion of the segment of the one or more lights that is illuminated, wherein the increasing is based at least in part on the operational state of the electronic device.

30. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the operational state of the plurality of operation states comprises a state in which the electronic device has determined an identity of the user, the method further comprising;

illuminating the one or more lights in a predetermined color that is associated with the identified user.

31. A method comprising:

determining an operational state of an electronic device that includes;

(i) a microphone to generate an audio signal from received sound, (ii) a speaker to provide output based on the audio signal, and (iii) one or more lights arranged around a perimeter of the electronic device;

determining a direction of a source of the received sound;

illuminating at least one of the one or more lights of the electronic device to indicate the direction of the source of the received sound;

determining an utterance from the received sound, wherein the operational state is based at least in part on the utterance;

illuminating the at least one of the one or more lights of the electronic device in a particular pattern to indicate the operational state of the electronic device, wherein the particular pattern is one of a plurality of patterns, wherein the particular pattern of the plurality of patterns corresponds to the operational state of a plurality of operational states of the electronic device, wherein the particular pattern provides a visual indication of the operational state of the electronic device, and wherein the operational state is based at least in part on an operation to be performed by the electronic device associated with the audio signal; and

performing the operation specified by the utterance.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein:

the operational state comprises at least one of a state in which the electronic device is connecting to a network or a state in which a user is authenticating with the electronic device; and

the illuminating the at least one of the one or more lights of the electronic device in the particular pattern comprises;

(i) illuminating a first one of the plurality of lights and sequentially illuminating adjacent lights in a direction around the perimeter, and (ii) illuminating a second one of the lights that is opposite the first light and sequentially illuminating adjacent lights in the same direction around the perimeter.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein:

the operational state comprises at least one of a state in which the electronic device is connecting to a network or a state in which a user is authenticating with the electronic device; and

the illuminating the at least one of the one or more lights of the electronic device in the particular pattern comprises;

beginning at a first location of the one or more lights, sequentially illuminating adjacent segments of the one or more lights in a first direction until reaching a second location of the one or more lights; and

upon reaching the second location and beginning at the second location, sequentially illuminating adjacent segments of the one or more lights in a second, opposite direction until reaching the first location of the one or more lights.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein:

the operational state comprises a state in which the electronic device is powering on or powering off; and

the illuminating the at least one of the one or more lights of the electronic device in the particular pattern comprises sequentially illuminating adjacent segments of the one or more lights around the perimeter in a predetermined direction.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the segments of the one or more lights are illuminated in a first color a first time around the perimeter and are illuminated in a second color a second time around the perimeter.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein:

the operational state comprises at least one of a state in which volume of the output of the electronic device is being changed, a state in which the electronic device is updating software on the electronic device, or a state in which data is being transferred to or from the electronic device; and

the illuminating the at least one of the one or more lights of the electronic device in the particular pattern comprises illuminating adjacent segments of the one or more lights to increase in length a portion of the one or more lights that are illuminated.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the segments of the one or more lights are illuminated in a first color a first time around the perimeter and are illuminated in a second color a second time around the perimeter.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein:

the operational state comprises a state in which an error has occurred on at least one of the electronic device, a remote cloud computing device, or another electronic device in communication with the electronic device; and

the illuminating the at least one of the one or more lights of the electronic device in the particular pattern comprises illuminating the one or more lights in predetermined pattern that is associated with identifying the error.

39. The method of claim 31, wherein:

the operational state comprises a state in which an error has occurred on at least one of the electronic device, a remote cloud computing device, or another electronic device in communication with the electronic device; and

the illuminating the at least one of the one or more lights of the electronic device in the particular pattern comprises illuminating the one or more lights in predetermined color that is associated with identifying the error.

40. The method of claim 31, wherein:

the operational state comprises a state in which an application is running on the electronic device; and

the illuminating the at least one of the one or more lights of the electronic device in the particular pattern comprises illuminating the one or more lights in predetermined color or pattern that is associated with the application.