Voice control user interface during low-power mode

• US 10,381,001 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gunn, Michael E., Kamdar, Pratik M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yehl, Walter
• Application Number:
  US15/282,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20170018276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/18 Use of a frame buffer in a display terminal, inclusive of the display panel
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/24 the user being prompted to utter a password or a predefined phrase
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• 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 2025/783 based on threshold decision
• 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: G10L 25/87 Detection of discrete points within a voice signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A method include placing a first processor in a sleep operating mode and running a second processor that is operative to wake the first processor from the sleep operating mode in response to a speech command phrase. The method includes identifying, by the second processor, a speech command phrase segment and performing a control operation in response to detecting the segment in detected speech. The control operation is performed while the first processor is maintained in the sleep operating mode.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

during operation of a mobile device in a low-power mode in which functionality of a voice recognition engine of the mobile device is reduced;

detecting, by data processing hardware, an initial portion of a predetermined command phrase in a first utterance while a display of the mobile device is turned off, the predetermined command phrase comprising a series of multiple words configured to cause the mobile device to wake-up from the low-power mode in response to detecting each word of the series of multiple words in any given utterance;

detecting, by the data processing hardware, the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in a second utterance while the display of the mobile device is turned off;

determining, by the data processing hardware, whether the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase was detected in the second utterance within a first predetermined period of time after detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in the first utterance; and

when the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase was detected in the second utterance within the first predetermined period of time;

turning on, by the data processing hardware, the display of the mobile device; and

providing, by the data processing hardware for output on the display, a graphical user interface comprising a message box.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message box of the graphical user interface comprises a recommendation to a user of the mobile device to speak a next utterance of the predetermined command phrase louder than the first utterance and the second utterance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message box of the graphical user interface includes text of the series of multiple words of the predetermined command phrase.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to determining whether the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase was detected in the second utterance within the first predetermined period of time:

in response to detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in the second utterance, incrementing, by the data processing hardware, a counter, the counter indicating a total number of times the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase was detected in utterances beginning with the first utterance; and

determining, by the data processing hardware, that the counter satisfies a command phrase attempt threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after turning on the display of the mobile device:

determining, by the data processing hardware, whether a remaining portion of the predetermined command phrase is detected in the second utterance within a second predetermined period of time after detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in the second utterance; and

when the remaining portion of the predetermined command phrase is not detected in the second utterance within the second predetermined period of time, automatically deactivating, by the data processing hardware, the display of the mobile device a third predetermined period of time after providing the graphical user interface comprising the message box for output on the display.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising, when the remaining portion of the predetermined command phrase is detected in the second utterance within the second predetermined period of time, commanding, by the data processing hardware, the mobile device to wake-up from the low-power mode and operate in an awake mode.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, during operation of the mobile device in the awake mode in which full functionality of the speech recognition engine is provided, detecting, by the data processing hardware, a voice command in the second utterance that follows the predetermined command phrase.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, after detecting the voice command in the second utterance that follows the predetermined command phrase, performing, by the data processing hardware, an action that corresponds to the voice command.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein turning on the display of the mobile device is based on a setting input by a user of the mobile device that specifies to turn on the display of the mobile device in response to receiving the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase.

10. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

during operation of a mobile device in a low-power mode in which functionality of a voice recognition engine of the mobile device is reduced;

detecting an initial portion of a predetermined command phrase in a first utterance while a display of the mobile device is turned off, the predetermined command phrase comprising a series of multiple words configured to cause the mobile device to wake-up from the low-power mode in response to detecting each word of the series of multiple words in any given utterance;

detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in a second utterance while the display of the mobile device is turned off;

determining whether the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase was detected in the second utterance within a first predetermined period of time after detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in the first utterance; and

when the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase was detected in the second utterance within the first predetermined period of time;

turning on the display of the mobile device; and

providing, for output on the display, a graphical user interface comprising a message box.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the message box of the graphical user interface comprises a recommendation to a user of the mobile device to speak a next utterance of the predetermined command phrase louder than the first utterance and the second utterance.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the message box of the graphical user interface includes text of the series of multiple words of the predetermined command phrase.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise, prior to determining whether the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase was detected in the second utterance within the first predetermined period of time:

in response to detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in the second utterance, incrementing a counter, the counter indicating a total number of times the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase was detected in utterances beginning with the first utterance; and

determining that the counter satisfies a command phrase attempt threshold.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise, after turning on the display of the mobile device:

determining whether a remaining portion of the predetermined command phrase is detected in the second utterance within a second predetermined period of time after detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in the second utterance; and

when the remaining portion of the predetermined command phrase is not detected in the second utterance within the second predetermined period of time, automatically deactivating the display of the mobile device a third predetermined period of time after providing the graphical user interface comprising the message box for output on the display.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise, when the remaining portion of the predetermined command phrase is detected in the second utterance within the second predetermined period of time, commanding hardware, the mobile device to wake-up from the low-power mode and operate in an awake mode.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise, during operation of the mobile device in the awake mode in which full functionality of the speech recognition engine is provided, detecting a voice command in the second utterance that follows the predetermined command phrase.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise, after detecting the voice command in the second utterance that follows the predetermined command phrase, performing an action that corresponds to the voice command.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein turning on the display of the mobile device is based on a setting input by a user of the mobile device that specifies to turn on the display of the mobile device in response to receiving the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

during operation of a mobile device in a low-power mode in which functionality of a voice recognition engine of the mobile device is reduced;

detecting an initial portion of a predetermined command phrase in a first utterance while a display of the mobile device is turned off, the predetermined command phrase comprising a series of multiple words configured to cause the mobile device to wake-up from the low-power mode in response to detecting each word of the series of multiple words in any given utterance;

detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in a second utterance while the display of the mobile device is turned off;

determining whether the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase was detected in the second utterance within a first predetermined period of time after detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in the first utterance; and

when the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase was detected in the second utterance within the first predetermined period of time;

turning on the display of the mobile device; and

providing, for output on the display, a graphical user interface comprising a message box.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether a remaining portion of the predetermined command phrase is detected in the second utterance within a second predetermined period of time after detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in the second utterance; and

when the remaining portion of the predetermined command phrase is not detected in the second utterance within the second predetermined period of time, automatically deactivating the display of the mobile device a third predetermined period of time after providing the graphical user interface comprising the message box for output on the display.