Rotation and tilting of a display using voice information

• US 10,504,515 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2017
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chiun Mai Communication Systems, Inc. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Chiun Mai Communication Systems, Inc. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Chih, Yu-Yang, Ho, Ming-Chun, Tsai, Ming-Fu, Liu, Cheng-Ping, Wang, Fu-Bin, Lin, Shih-Lun
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Paras D
• Application Number:
  US15/842,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20180174584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/10 around a horizontal axis F16M11/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/18 with mechanism for moving the apparatus relatively to the stand
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2014 around a vertical axis F16M11/2035 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1605 Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1615 with several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function constructional details of portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts H04M1/0206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1675 Miscellaneous details related to the relative movement between the different enclosures or enclosure parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1688 the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/168 Feature extraction; Face representation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/068 for control of viewing angle adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/25 using position of the lips, movement of the lips or face analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 : Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02166 : Microphone arrays; Beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/034 : Automatic adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0364 : for improving intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3005 : in amplifiers suitable for low-frequencies, e.g. audio amplifiers H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 : Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/326 : for microphones H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/401 : 2D or 3D arrays of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 : for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 : for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A voice control device includes a microphone module, a voice encoding module, a display and a processing unit. The voice encoding module is electrically connected to the microphone module. The processing unit is electrically connected to the voice encoding module and the display. The microphone module receives a voice signal and transmits the received voice signal to the voice encoding module. One of the voice encoding module and the processing unit analyzes and processes the voice signal to determine a sound source direction of the voice signal and obtains response information according to the voice signal. The processing unit controls the display to rotate to the sound source direction and transmits the response information to the display for displaying the response information.

Claims

1. A voice control device, comprising:

a microphone module for receiving a voice signal;

a voice encoding module electrically connected to the microphone module;

a display;

a processing unit electrically connected to the voice encoding module and the display; and

a camera module electrically connected to the processing unit and positioned on the display;

wherein the microphone module transmits the voice signal to the voice encoding module, and one of the voice encoding module and the processing unit analyzes and processes the voice signal to determine a sound source direction of the voice signal and obtains response information according to the voice signal;

wherein the processing unit controls the display to rotate to the sound source direction and activates the camera module to capture an image after the display is rotated to the sound source direction, and

wherein the processing unit determines whether a face feature is in the image and adjusts a tilting angle of the display according to a location of the face feature in the image captured by the camera and transmits the response information to the display for displaying the response information.

2. The voice control device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit further transmits the voice signal to a network server, which finds out the response information, and receives the response information from the network server.

3. The voice control device of claim 1, wherein the microphone module comprises a first microphone unit and a second microphone unit, and wherein when the first microphone unit receives a predetermined voice starting instruction, the second microphone unit is activated to receive the voice signal.

4. The voice control device of claim 1, further comprising a drive module, wherein the drive module comprises a rotation drive unit and a tilting drive unit, and the processing unit controls the display to rotate to the sound source direction through the rotation drive unit;

and wherein the processing unit adjusts the tilting angle of the display through the tilting drive unit.

5. The voice control device of claim 4, further comprising an upper housing and a lower housing, wherein the display is positioned on the upper housing, and the rotation drive unit comprises a first motor, a first gear set and a first gear track connected to one another;

wherein the first gear track is positioned on an inner wall of the lower housing or an inner wall of the upper housing, and the first motor is electrically connected to the processing unit; and

wherein the processing unit drives the first motor and then drives through the first motor the first gear set to rotate, and the first gear set drives the first gear track to rotate so as to make a relative rotation between the upper housing and the lower housing, thereby rotating the display to the sound source direction.

6. The voice control device of claim 5, wherein the tilting drive unit comprises a second motor and a second gear set, the second gear set is coupled to the display, and the second motor is electrically connected to the processing unit;

and wherein the processing unit drives the second motor and then drives through the second motor the second gear set to rotate so as to tilt the display, thereby adjusting the tilting angle of the display.

7. The voice control device of claim 5, wherein the microphone module comprises a plurality of microphone units for receiving the voice signal, and the one of the voice encoding module and the processing unit determines the sound source direction according to the voice signal received by at least one of the plurality of microphone units.

8. The voice control device of claim 7, wherein a top plane or a side wall of the upper housing defines a plurality of microphone through holes, and the plurality of microphone through holes corresponds to the plurality of microphone units respectively.

9. The voice control device of claim 1, further comprising a loudspeaker, wherein when the voice encoding module or the processing unit determines that the voice signal is a voice request instruction, the voice encoding module or the processing unit obtains the response information and outputs the response information to the loudspeaker or the display.

10. The voice control device of claim 9, further comprising a memory, wherein the memory is electrically connected to the processing unit and stores a voice database, and the processing unit determines whether the voice signal is the voice request instruction according to data stored in the voice database.

11. The voice control device of claim 9, further comprising a first wireless communication module, wherein the first wireless communication module is electrically connected to the processing unit, and the processing unit transmits the voice signal to a network server through the first wireless communication module, so as to determine whether the voice signal is the voice request instruction through a voice analysis program or a voice database of the network server.

12. The voice control device of claim 9, wherein when the voice encoding module or the processing unit determines that the voice signal is a control instruction, the voice control device transmits the control instruction to a corresponding remote electronic device.

13. The voice control device of claim 9, wherein the processing unit further calculates a distance between a user and the voice control device;

and wherein when the response information is outputted to the loudspeaker, the processing unit further adjusts a sound output volume of the loudspeaker according to the distance.

14. A voice control method applied to a voice control device, the voice control device comprising a display and a camera module;

the method comprising;

(a) receiving a voice signal;

(b) processing the voice signal to determine a sound source direction of the voice signal;

(c) analyzing the voice signal to obtain a response information;

(d) controlling the display to rotate to the sound source direction;

(e) activating the camera module to capture an image after the display is rotated to the sound source direction;

(f) determining whether a user feature is in the image captured by the camera, and adjusting a tilting angle of the display according to a location of the user feature in the captured image; and

(g) transmitting the response information to the display for displaying the response information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein when the step (c) is performed, the method further comprises:

(c1) transmitting the voice signal to a network server for finding out the response information through the network server; and

(c2) receiving the response information from the network server.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the voice control device further comprises a first microphone unit and a second microphone unit, the method further comprising:

activating the second microphone unit to receive the voice signal when the first microphone unit receives a predetermined voice starting instruction.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining whether the response information is coincided with a condition of outputting to the display;

converting the response information into a corresponding voice signal and playing the corresponding voice signal through a loudspeaker when the response information is not coincided with the condition of outputting to the display; and

performing step (b) when the response information is coincided with the condition of outputting to the display.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein when the response information is coincided with the condition of outputting to the display, the method further comprises:

calculating a distance between a user and the voice control device;

determining whether the distance between the user and the voice control device is less than a preset distance; and

generating a first rotation drive signal according to the sound source direction to control the display to rotate to the sound source direction when the distance between the user and the voice control device is less than the preset distance.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein when the distance between the user and the voice control device is larger than the preset distance, the method further comprises:

transmitting the response information to a remote electronic device for displaying the response information.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the step (f) further comprises:

generating a first tilting drive signal according to a location of the user feature in the captured image when there is a user feature existing in the captured image, so as to adjust the tilting angle of the display.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein when there is no user feature existing in the captured image, the method further comprises:

generating a second rotation drive signal or a second tilting drive signal to adjust a horizontal direction or a tilting angle of the camera module for searching a user feature.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein when the response information is not coincided with the condition of outputting to the display, the method further comprises:

calculating a distance between the user and the voice control device; and

adjusting a sound output volume of the loudspeaker according to the distance.

23. A voice control system, comprising:

a network server; and

a voice control device, comprising;

a microphone module for receiving a voice signal;

a voice encoding module electrically connected to the microphone module;

a display;

a processing unit electrically connected to the voice encoding module and the display; and

a camera module electrically connected to the processing unit and positioned on the display;

wherein the microphone module transmits the voice signal to the voice encoding module, and one of the voice encoding module and the processing unit analyzes and processes the voice signal to determine a sound source direction of the voice signal and obtains response information according to the voice signal;

wherein the processing unit controls the display to rotate to the sound source direction and transmits the response information to the display for displaying the response information;

wherein the processing unit controls the display to rotate to the sound source direction and activates the camera module to capture an image after the display is rotated to the sound source direction,

wherein the processing unit determines whether a face feature is in the image and adjusts a tilting angle of the display according to a location of the face feature in the image captured by the camera and transmits the response information to the display for displaying the response information.

24. The voice control system of claim 23, further comprising at least one remote electronic device, wherein when the voice encoding module or the processing unit determines that the voice signal is a control instruction, the voice control device transmits the control instruction to the at least one remote electronic device.