Visual indication of an operational state

• US 9,786,294 B1
• Filed: 01/16/2013
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• 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: Bezos, Jeffrey P., Hart, Gregory Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Saint Cyr, Leonard
• Application Number:
  US13/743,282
• Time in Patent Office: 1,728 Days
• Field of Search: 704233, 704246, 704247, 704251, 704252, 362 2301- 2322
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/20 Speech recognition techniques specially adapted for robustness in adverse environments, e.g. in noise, of stress induced speech G10L21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/225 Feedback of the input speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/10 Transforming into visible information
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use
• 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

Abstract

This disclosure describes 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. 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 substantially cylindrical-shaped housing;

microphones residing at least partly within the housing;

lights arranged in a circular pattern 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 at least one of the microphones, the audio signal representative of an utterance;

selecting, based at least in part on an approximate direction of a source of the utterance with respect to the housing, a first light of the lights;

determining that an amplitude of the audio signal is greater than a first threshold amplitude;

illuminating the first light at a first intensity based at least in part on the amplitude being greater than the first threshold amplitude;

illuminating a second light adjacent to the first light at a second intensity, the second intensity different from the first intensity;

causing speech-recognition to be performed on at least a portion of the audio signal; and

causing, based at least in part on the speech-recognition, an action to be performed.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, the acts further comprising:

varying, based at least in part on the amplitude of the audio signal being greater than a second threshold, at least one of the first intensity or the second intensity.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the lights is not illuminated.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the utterance corresponds to a user utterance, the acts further comprising:

determining, based at least in part on the audio signal, a characteristic of the user.

5. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions;

receiving an audio signal from a microphone positioned at least partially within a housing of a device, the audio signal representative of an utterance;

selecting, based at least in part on a characteristic of a user, a first light from lights arranged in a pattern along a perimeter of the housing;

determining that an amplitude of the audio signal is greater than a first threshold amplitude;

illuminating the first light at a first intensity based at least in part on the characteristic of the user and the amplitude being greater than the first threshold amplitude;

illuminating a second light adjacent to the first light at a second intensity, the second intensity different from the first intensity;

causing speech-recognition to be performed on at least a portion of the audio signal; and

causing, based at least in part on the speech-recognition, an action to be performed.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the action is performed at least in part by the device, a remote computing resource, or a second device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the action includes a response that is at least one of audio, visual, or tactile.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the action includes illuminating at least one of the first light or the second light.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

causing, based at least in part on the action, at least one of the first intensity or the second intensity to vary.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the characteristic of the user is an approximate direction of the user with respect to the device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein illuminating at least one of the first light or the second light is based at least in part on an identity of the user.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the amplitude of the audio signal corresponds to pitch.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the characteristic of the user is an approximate direction of the user with respect to the housing, the operations further comprising:

determining that the approximate direction of the user is between the first light and the second light; and

causing illumination of the second light to adjust to the first intensity.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the audio signal is a first audio signal, the amplitude is a first amplitude, and further comprising:

receiving a second audio signal;

determining that a second amplitude of the second audio signal is greater than a second threshold amplitude;

illuminating at least one of the first light or the second light at a third intensity based at least in part on the second amplitude being greater than the second threshold amplitude.

15. The one or more computing devices of claim 5, wherein illuminating the second light is based at least in part on the first intensity of the first light.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

illuminating, based at least in part on initiation of an application, at least one light of the lights.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

selecting, based at least in part on an approximate direction of a source other than the user with respect to the housing, a third light of the lights; and

illuminating the third light.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein the third light is illuminated at a third intensity that is different from the first intensity.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising:

alternating illumination of the first light and illumination of the third light.

16. One or more computing devices configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving an audio signal from a microphone positioned at least partially within a housing of a device, the audio signal representative of an utterance;

selecting, based at least in part on a characteristic of a user, a first light from lights arranged in a pattern along a top portion of the housing;

determining that an amplitude of the audio signal is greater than a first threshold amplitude;

illuminating the first light at a first intensity based at least in part on the characteristic of the user and the amplitude being greater than the first threshold amplitude;

illuminating at least one light other than the first light at a second intensity, the second intensity different from the first intensity;

causing speech-recognition to be performed on at least a portion of the audio signal; and

causing, based at least in part on the speech-recognition, an action to be performed.

17. The one or more computing devices of claim 16, wherein the action is performed at least in part by the device, a remote computing resource, or a second device.

18. The one or more computing devices of claim 16, wherein the action includes a response that is at least one of audio, visual, or tactile.

19. The one or more computing devices of claim 16, wherein the action includes illuminating at least one of the first light or the at least one light other than the first light.

20. The one or more computing devices of claim 16, wherein the action includes causing, based at least in part on a second audio signal, at least one of the first intensity or the second intensity to vary.

21. The one or more computing devices of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

causing, based at least in part on the action, at least one of the first intensity or the second intensity to vary.

22. The one or more computing devices of claim 16, wherein the characteristic of the user is an approximate direction of the user with respect to the device.

23. The one or more computing devices of claim 16, wherein the characteristic of the user is an identity of the user.

24. The one or more computing devices of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

causing, based at least in part on data determined from the received audio signal, at least one of the first intensity or the second intensity to vary.

25. The one or more computing devices of claim 24, wherein the data includes pitch.