Voice control user interface during low power mode

• US 10,381,010 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:
  US15/281,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20170018275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory
• 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 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• 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: 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 an awake mode providing full functionality of a voice recognition system of the mobile device;

determining, by data processing hardware of the mobile device, to operate the mobile device in a low-power mode;

in response to determining to operate the mobile device in the low-power mode and before entering the low-power mode, storing, in a frame buffer of the mobile device, a graphical user interface; and

operating, by the data processing hardware, the mobile device in the low-power mode by turning off a display of the mobile device and reducing the functionality of the voice recognition system of the mobile device; and

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

receiving, at the data processing hardware, an utterance of at least an initial portion of a predetermined command phrase, 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 the utterance;

detecting, by the data processing hardware, the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in the utterance; and

in response to detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in the utterance;

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

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

displaying, by the data processing hardware for output on the display, at least a portion of the graphical user interface that was stored in the frame buffer before the mobile device entered the low-power mode.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when the remaining portion of the predetermined command phrase is not detected in the utterance within the first predetermined period of time, automatically deactivating, by the data processing hardware, the display of the mobile device a second predetermined period of time after displaying the at least the portion of the graphical user interface for output on the display.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the low-power mode maintains applications running on the mobile device in an inactive state.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising, after deactivating the display:

receiving, at the data processing hardware, an additional utterance of the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase; and

in response to receiving the additional utterance of the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase;

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

displaying, by the data processing hardware for output on the display, the at least the portion of the graphical user interface that was stored in the frame buffer before the mobile device entered the low-power mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface stored in the frame buffer includes a user-selected background, a current time, and a battery level indicator.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by the data processing hardware, that an amount of power remaining in a battery of the mobile device is below a predetermined power level,

wherein the battery level indicator of the graphical user interface indicates that the amount of power remaining in the battery of the mobile device is below the predetermined power level.

7. A system comprising:

one or more computers of a mobile device and one or more storage devices of the mobile device 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 the mobile device in an awake mode providing full functionality of a voice recognition system of the mobile device;

determining to operate the mobile device in a low-power mode;

in response to determining to operate the mobile device in the low-power mode and before entering the low-power mode, storing, in a frame buffer of the mobile device, a graphical user interface; and

operating the mobile device in the low-power mode by turning off a display of the mobile device and reducing the functionality of the voice recognition system of the mobile device; and

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

receiving an utterance of at least an initial portion of a predetermined command phrase, 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 the utterance;

detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in the utterance; and

in response to detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in the utterance;

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

turning on the display of the mobile device; and

displaying, for output on the display, at least a portion of the graphical user interface that was stored in the frame buffer before the mobile device entered the low-power mode.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise, when the remaining portion of the predetermined command phrase is not detected in the utterance within the first predetermined period of time, automatically deactivating the display of the mobile device a second predetermined period of time after displaying the at least the portion of the graphical user interface for output on the display.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the low-power mode maintains applications running on the mobile device in an inactive state.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise, after deactivating the display:

receiving an additional utterance of the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase; and

in response to receiving the additional utterance of the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase;

turning on the display of the mobile device; and

displaying, for output on the display, the at least the portion of the graphical user interface that was stored in the frame buffer before the mobile device entered the low-power mode.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the graphical user interface stored in the frame buffer includes a user-selected background, a current time, and a battery level indicator.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that an amount of power remaining in a battery of the mobile device is below a predetermined power level,

wherein the battery level indicator of the graphical user interface indicates that the amount of power remaining in the battery of the mobile device is below the predetermined power level.

13. 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 an awake mode providing full functionality of a voice recognition system of the mobile device;

determining to operate the mobile device in a low-power mode;

in response to determining to operate the mobile device in the low-power mode and before entering the low-power mode, storing, in a frame buffer of the mobile device, a graphical user interface; and

operating the mobile device in the low-power mode by turning off a display of the mobile device and reducing the functionality of the voice recognition system of the mobile device; and

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

receiving an utterance of at least an initial portion of a predetermined command phrase, 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 the utterance;

detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in the utterance; and

in response to detecting the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase in the utterance;

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

turning on the display of the mobile device; and

displaying, for output on the display, at least a portion of the graphical user interface that was stored in the frame buffer before the mobile device entered the low-power mode.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise, when the remaining portion of the predetermined command phrase is not detected in the utterance within the first predetermined period of time, automatically deactivating the display of the mobile device a second predetermined period of time after displaying the at least the portion of the graphical user interface for output on the display.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the low-power mode maintains applications running on the mobile device in an inactive state.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise, after deactivating the display:

receiving an additional utterance of the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase; and

in response to receiving the additional utterance of the initial portion of the predetermined command phrase;

turning on the display of the mobile device; and

displaying, for output on the display, the at least the portion of the graphical user interface that was stored in the frame buffer before the mobile device entered the low-power mode.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the graphical user interface stored in the frame buffer includes a user-selected background, a current time, and a battery level indicator.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that an amount of power remaining in a battery of the mobile device is below a predetermined power level,

wherein the battery level indicator of the graphical user interface indicates that the amount of power remaining in the battery of the mobile device is below the predetermined power level.