Identifying a location of a voice-input device

• US 10,665,235 B1
• Filed: 03/19/2018
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Blanksteen, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan S
• Assistant Examiner(s): McKinney, Angelica M
• Application Number:
  US15/925,615
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• 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 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/226 using non-speech characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/00 Monitoring arrangements; Testing arrangements for hearing aids H04R25/30; detection of loudspeaker connection H04R5/04; sound-field adaptation dependent on speaker detection H04S7/308
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/305 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic audio signals to reverberation of the listening space H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

Techniques for identifying a location of a voice-controlled device within an environment. After identifying a location of the device, the device may receive a voice command from a user within the environment and may determine a response to the command based in part on the location, may determine how to output a response based in part on the location or may determine how to interact with the user based in part on the location.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first audio signal generated at least partly by a microphone unit of an electronic device, the first audio signal based on sound captured within an environment in which the electronic device resides, the environment including at least a first location having at least a first sound characteristic and a second location having at least a second sound characteristic;

determining that the electronic device is located at the first location within the environment based at least in part on the first audio signal having at least the first sound characteristic;

receiving a second audio signal generated at least partly by the microphone unit;

analyzing the second audio signal to identify a request from a user;

configuring an operation based at least in part on the electronic device being located at the first location; and

causing output of the operation in response to the request from the user.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first sound characteristic represents an echo characteristic of the environment.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first sound characteristic represents one or more first background noises associated with the first location within the environment and the second sound characteristic represents one or more second background noises associated with the second location within the environment.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the determining further comprises analyzing the one or more first background noises to determine that the electronic device is located at the first location within the environment.

5. The system according to claim 1, the operations further comprising determining, based at least in part on at least one of the first audio signal or the second audio signal, an identity of the user,

wherein the configuring the operation is further based at least in part on the identity of the user.

6. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a first audio signal generated at least partly using a microphone of an electronic device, the first audio signal based on sound captured within an environment in which the electronic device resides, the environment including at least a first location having at least a first sound characteristic and a second location having at least a second sound characteristic;

determining that the first audio signal includes at least the first sound characteristic;

receiving a second audio signal generated at least partly using the microphone;

analyzing the second audio signal to identify a request from a user;

configuring an operation based at least in part on the first sound characteristic; and

causing output of the operation in response to the request from the user.

7. The computer-implemented method according to claim 6, wherein the first audio signal includes an indication from the user of a location of the electronic device, and wherein the determining further comprises determining that the electronic device is located at the first location within the environment based at least in part on the indication from the user.

8. The computer-implemented method according to claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying one or more other devices in the environment with the electronic device; and

issuing commands to the one or more other devices to control the outputting of the operation.

9. The computer-implemented method according to claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

determining, based at least in part on at least one of the first audio signal or the second audio signal, an identity of the user,

wherein the configuring the operation is further based at least in part on the identity of the user.

10. The computer-implemented method according to claim 6, wherein causing output of the operation comprises causing audio output using a speaker of the electronic device based at least in part on the configuring of the operation.

11. The computer-implemented method according to claim 6, wherein the determining that the electronic device is located at the first location within the environment comprises determining a room within the environment in which the device resides by analyzing the first audio signal to identify background noise captured by the microphone unit and associating the identified background noise to the room.

12. The computer-implemented method according to claim 6, wherein the first sound characteristic comprises an echo characteristic of the environment in which the electronic device resides.

13. The computer-implemented method according to claim 6, wherein the determining that the electronic device is located at the first location within the environment comprises determining a room within the environment in which the electronic device resides by analyzing the first audio signal to associate previous voice interactions between the electronic device and users within the environment to the room.

14. The computer-implemented method according to claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying one or more other devices in the environment with the electronic device, and

wherein the determining that the electronic device is located at the first location is further based at least in part on the one or more other devices.

15. The computer-implemented method according to claim 6, wherein the configuring the operation includes determining content to output via the electronic device or the one or more other devices.

16. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first audio signal generated at least partly by a microphone of an electronic device, the first audio signal based on sound captured within an environment in which the electronic device resides;

identifying, from the first audio signal, an echo characteristic of the environment;

determining that the electronic device is located at the first location within the environment based at least in part on the echo characteristic;

receiving a second audio signal generated at least in part using the microphone;

analyzing the second audio signal to identify a request from a user;

configuring an operation in response to the request from the user, based at least in part on the echo characteristic; and

causing output of the operation in response to the request from the user.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the configuring the operation comprises:

identifying content to output; and

determining, based at least in part on the first location of the electronic device, a second electronic device by which to output the content to the user.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise analyzing the first audio signal to determine an identity of the user, and wherein the configuring the operation is further based at least in part on the identity of the user.

19. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise identifying one or more other devices in the environment in which the electronic device resides.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the configuring the operation comprises issuing commands to the one or more other devices to output the operation.