HANDS FREE DEVICE WITH DIRECTIONAL INTERFACE

• US 20150346845A1
• Filed: 06/03/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: DI CENSO, Davide, MARTI, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 10,318,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• 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 3/165 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

Abstract

Embodiments provide a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer program code that, when executed, performs an operation. The operation includes detecting a user action requesting an interaction with a first device and originating from a source. Additionally, embodiments determine a direction in which the source is located, relative to a current position of the first device. A response to the user action is also determined, based on a current state of the first device. Embodiments further include outputting the determined response substantially in the determined direction in which the source is located.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer program code that, when executed, performs an operation comprising:

detecting a user action requesting an interaction with a first device and originating from a source;

determining a direction in which the source is located, relative to a current position of the first device;

determining a response to the user action, based on a current state of the first device; and

outputting the determined response substantially in the determined direction in which the source is located.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the response comprises an audible response, and wherein the response is output as a steerable beam of sound oriented in the determined direction in which the source location is located.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, the operation further comprising:

detecting, by operation of one or more sensor devices of the first device, that a user gaze is substantially oriented in the direction of the first device, comprising;

capturing one or more images that include the source;

analyzing the captured one or more images to identify a face within one of the one or more images; and

determining whether the user gaze is substantially oriented in the direction of the first device, based on the identified face within the one or more images.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the response comprises one or more frames, and wherein outputting the determined response substantially in the determined direction in which the source is located further comprises:

determining a physical surface within a viewing range of the source; and

projecting the one or more frames onto the physical surface, using a projector device of the first device.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the user action comprises a voice command, and the operation further comprising:

analyzing the voice command to determine a user request corresponding with the voice command; and

processing the user request to produce a result,

wherein the determined response provides at least an indication of the produced result.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein processing the user request to produce the result further comprises generating an executable query based on the user request, and wherein processing the user request to produce the result further comprises executing the executable query to produce query results, and wherein determining the response to the user action is performed using a text-to-speech synthesizer based on text associated with at least a portion of the query results.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer program code that, when executed, performs an operation comprising:

detecting a triggering event comprising at least one of;

detecting a voice trigger; and

detecting a user gaze in a direction of the first device;

determining a direction to a source of the triggering event, relative to a current position of the first device; and

initiating an interactive voice dialogue by outputting an audible response as a steerable sound beam substantially in the determined direction in which the source of the triggering event is located.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, the operation further comprising:

detecting, by operation of one or more sensors of the first device, that the user gaze is oriented in the direction of the first device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, the operation further comprising:

analyzing the voice trigger to determine a user request corresponding with the voice trigger; and

processing the user request to produce a result,

wherein the determined audible response provides at least an indication of the produced result.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein processing the user request to produce the result further comprises generating an executable query based on the user request, and wherein processing the user request to produce the result further comprises executing the executable query to produce query results, and wherein determining an audible response to the user action is performed using a text-to-speech synthesizer based on text associated with at least a portion of the query results.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, the operation further comprising:

capturing one or more images that include a depiction of the source of the triggering event using one or more sensor devices of the first device; and

authenticating the source of the triggering event based on a comparison of at least a portion of the captured one or more images and a predefined image.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, the operation further comprising:

authenticating the source of the triggering event based on a comparison of the voice trigger and a predefined voice recording.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a computer processor;

a memory containing a program that, when executed by the computer processor, performs an operation comprising;

detecting a user action originating from a source;

determining a direction in which the source is located, relative to a current position of the apparatus;

determining a response to the user action; and

outputting the determined response substantially in the determined direction in which the source is located.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more speakers comprise a beam-forming speaker array.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more speakers comprise one or more actuated directional speakers.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, the operation further comprising:

upon detecting a connection with a body-mounted audio output device associated with the source of the triggering event is available, outputting the determined response over the connection for playback using the body-mounted audio output device.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein determining the direction in which the source is located, relative to a current position of the apparatus, further comprises:

capturing one or more images using one or more sensor devices of the apparatus;

processing the one or more images to identify the source within a first image of the one or more images captured using a first sensor device of the one or more sensor devices; and

determining the direction in which the source is located, based on the location of the source within the first image and a known position first sensor device on the apparatus.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, the operation further comprising:

capturing one or more images including the source, using one or more sensor devices of the first device; and

authenticating the source based on a comparison of at least a portion of the captured one or more images and a predefined image.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein authenticating the source based on a comparison of at least a portion of the captured one or more images and a predefined image of the first user further comprises:

performing a facial recognition analysis of the first user, based on the at least a portion of the captured one or more images and the predefined image of the first user.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein authenticating the first user based on a comparison of at least a portion of the captured one or more images and a predefined image of the first user further comprises:

performing a retinal scan analysis of the first user, based on the at least a portion of the captured one or more images and the predefined image of the first user.