Mobile audio input device controller

• US 9,836,055 B1
• Filed: 06/03/2016
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kim, Minkyong, Pickover, Clifford A., Salapura, Valentina, Vukovic, Maja
• Primary Examiner(s): Troost, Aaron L
• Application Number:
  US15/172,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20170351258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 40/10 for adjusting control surfaces or rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/11 using internal combustion piston engines
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• 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 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113

Abstract

A method, system, and/or computer program product controls operations of a mobile audio input device. One or more processors detect a first location of a mobile audio input device. The processor(s) identify a user that desires to input a speech input to a microphone on the mobile audio input device and detect a second location of the user. The processor(s) then direct the mobile audio input device to autonomously move from the first location to the second location and, in response to the mobile audio input device reaching the second location, to activate the microphone on the mobile audio input device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by one or more processors, a first location of a mobile audio input device;

identifying, by on or more processors, a user that desires to input a speech input to a microphone on the mobile audio input device;

detecting, by one or more processors, a second location of the user;

directing, by one or more processors, the mobile audio input device to autonomously move from the first location to the second location;

determining, by one or more processors, that the mobile audio input device has reached the second location; and

in response to the mobile audio input device reaching the second location, activating the microphone on the mobile audio input device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by one or more processors, a physical gesture from the user to identify the user that desires to input the speech input to the microphone on the mobile audio input device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user is a primary user from a group of users, and wherein the method further comprises:

prioritizing, by one or more processors, the primary user over other users from the group of users based on the primary user making the physical gesture before the other users from the group of users.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by one or more processors, a signal from an electronic device held by the user to identify the user that desires to input the speech input to the microphone on the mobile audio input device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the electronic device is a first user device that is capable of receiving messages from a second electronic device, and wherein the method further comprises:

enabling, by one or more processors, the first user device to receive a message from the second electronic device in response to the microphone on the mobile audio input device being activated at the second location.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by one or more processors, a signal from an electronic device held by the user that the user desires to input the speech input to the microphone on the mobile audio input device; and

disabling, by one or more processors, the microphone on the mobile audio input device until a signal is received from the electronic device to re-activate the microphone on the mobile audio input device.

7. The method of claim 6 comprising:

in response to the microphone being re-activated, providing, by one or more processors, an indicator on the electronic device that the microphone has been re-activated.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a primary user from a group of users, and wherein the method further comprises:

prioritizing, by one or more processors, use of the mobile audio input device by the primary user over other users from the group of users based on biometric sensor readings taken of the primary user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a primary user from a group of users, and wherein the method further comprises:

prioritizing, by one or more processors, use of the mobile audio input device by the primary user over other users from the group of users based on a personal profile of the primary user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, that the mobile audio input device has been at the second location for more than a predetermined amount of time; and

in response to determining that the mobile audio input device has been at the second location for more than the predetermined amount of time, issuing, by one or more processors, directions to a controller on the mobile audio input device to move the mobile audio input device away from the second position.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, that the mobile audio input device has been at the second location for more than a predetermined amount of time; and

in response to determining that the mobile audio input device has been at the second location for more than the predetermined amount of time, issuing, by one or more processors, a signal to an electronic device advising the user that the mobile audio input device will move away from the second position after an additional period of specified time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile audio input device is a primary audio input device from a group of audio input devices within a predefined space, and wherein the method further comprises:

providing, by one or more processors, priority of use to the primary audio input device based on a distributed leader election, wherein the distributed leader election identifies the primary audio input device according to a user of the primary audio input device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile audio input device comprises an electronic pointing device that is capable of directing a visual cue on a display, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by one or more processors, an instruction to cause the electronic pointing device to direct a visual cue on the display at a user-selected position; and

in response to receiving the instruction to cause the electronic pointing device to direct the visual cue on the display to the user-selected position, directing, by one or more processors, the electronic pointing device to direct the visual cue on the display at the user-selected position.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile audio input device is a smart phone being carried by the user, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining, by one or more processors, that the user holding the smart phone is to be designated as a next speaker; and

in response to determining that the user holding the smart phone is to be designated as the next speaker, activating, by one or more processors, the smart phone as the mobile audio input device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile audio input device is an aerial drone that is capable of autonomous movement.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile audio input device is a terrestrial drone that is capable of autonomous movement.

17. A computer program product comprising one or more computer readable storage mediums, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage mediums, the stored program instructions comprising:

program instructions to detect a first location of a mobile audio input device;

program instructions to identify a user that desires to input an input to a peripheral device on the mobile audio input device;

program instructions to detect a second location of the user;

program instructions to direct the mobile audio input device to autonomously move from the first location to the second location;

program instructions to determine that the mobile audio input device has reached the second location; and

program instructions to, in response to the mobile audio input device reaching the second location, activate the peripheral on the mobile audio input device.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the peripheral device is from a group consisting of a microphone, a camera, and a pointer.

19. A computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer readable memories, and one or more computer readable storage mediums, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage mediums for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the stored program instructions comprising:

program instructions to detect a first location of a mobile audio input device;

program instructions to identify a user that desires to input a speech input to a microphone on the mobile audio input device;

program instructions to detect a second location of the user;

program instructions to direct the mobile audio input device to autonomously move from the first location to the second location;

program instructions to determine that the mobile audio input device has reached the second location; and

program instructions to, in response to the mobile audio input device reaching the second location, activate the microphone on the mobile audio input device.