Voice controlled assistant with coaxial speaker and microphone arrangement

• US 9,837,083 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2016
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: List, Timothy Theodore
• Primary Examiner(s): Ensey, Brian
• Application Number:
  US15/207,249
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 381150, 381160, 381352, 181145, 181148, 181153, 181155, 181156, 181198, 181199
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1822 Parsing for meaning understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/20 Speech recognition techniques specially adapted for robustness in adverse environments, e.g. in noise, of stress induced speech G10L21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02082 the noise being echo, reverberation of the speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02166 Microphone arrays; Beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/08 Mouthpieces; Microphones; Attachments therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/323 for loudspeakers H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/326 for microphones H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/345 for loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/002 Damping circuit arrangements for transducers, e.g. motional feedback circuits
• 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 controlled assistant has a housing to hold one or more microphones, one or more speakers, and various computing components. The housing has an elongated cylindrical body extending along a center axis between a base end and a top end. The microphone(s) are mounted in the top end and the speaker(s) are mounted proximal to the base end. The microphone(s) and speaker(s) are coaxially aligned along the center axis. The speaker(s) are oriented to output sound directionally toward the base end and opposite to the microphone(s) in the top end. The sound may then be redirected in a radial outward direction from the center axis at the base end so that the sound is output symmetric to, and equidistance from, the microphone(s).

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a housing having a base and a distal top end;

at least two microphones mounted proximal to the distal top end to receive audio;

at least one speaker mounted proximal to the base to output sound;

a light element configured to indicate a state of the device;

a network interface to communicate, over a network, with a remote system;

a processor coupled to the housing to process a signal representative of the audio; and

a memory comprising one or more computer-executable instructions, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions are executable by the processor to;

send, to the remote system, data corresponding to the signal;

receive, from the remote system, instructions for an action to be performed by the device; and

provide, based at least in part on performing the action, feedback via the at least one speaker.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein audio corresponds to a query to search for data.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the housing comprises a cylindrical shape.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises one or more apertures near the base for passage of sound waves from the at least one speaker.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the network interface comprises:

a wireless unit configured to communicate with the remote system over the network via at least one of WiFi, Bluetooth, or radio frequency; and

at least one antenna.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the light element comprises at least one light emitting diode.

7. A device comprising:

a housing having a top end and a base end;

at least two microphones mounted proximal to the top end to receive audio;

at least one speaker mounted proximal to the base end to output sound;

a light element;

a network interface to communicate, over a network, with a remote system;

a processor coupled to the housing to process a signal representative of the audio;

a memory comprising one or more computer-executable instructions, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions are executable by the processor to;

illuminate the light element to indicate the signal has been received by at least one of the at least two microphones;

send, to the remote system, data corresponding to the signal;

receive, from the remote system, instructions for an action for the device to perform; and

provide, based at least in part on performing the action, feedback via the at least one speaker.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the housing has one or more openings near the base end to pass sound waves from the at least one speaker.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the at least one speaker comprises a plurality of speakers that are coaxially aligned.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the at least one speaker is configured to emit sound in a radial outward direction relative to a central axis of the housing.

11. The device of claim 7, further comprising a sound distribution cone arranged inside of the housing to distribute the sound emitted from the at least one speaker.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the at least one speaker and the sound distribution cone are coaxially aligned.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the sound distribution cone is configured to direct the sound at least partially in a radial outward direction from the housing.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the sound distribution cone is configured to direct the sound outward from the base end.

15. The device of claim 7, wherein the audio corresponds to a query to search for data.

16. The device of claim 7, wherein the audio corresponds to a task performance request.

17. The device of claim 7, wherein the one or more computer-executable instructions are further executable by the processor to reduce background noise.

18. A method comprising:

receiving, via one or more microphones positioned proximal to a top end of a device, first audio;

recognizing speech in a first audio signal representing the first audio;

determining that the speech corresponds at least in part to an action for the device to perform, the action including at least waking up the device;

receiving, via the one or more microphones, second audio representing a query;

sending, from the device over a network, a second audio signal corresponding to the second audio to a service that is remote from the device;

receiving, at the device over the network, data corresponding to a response to the query from the service; and

providing, via one or more speakers and based at least in part on the response to the query, feedback.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the service hosts at least one application for at least one of web browsing, online shopping, banking, email, work tools, productivity, entertainment, education, or search.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising substantially canceling acoustic echoes detected in the second audio signal.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising reducing double talk detected in the second audio signal.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein providing the feedback comprises outputting sound at least partially in a radial outward direction from the device.