CONTROL OF A SET OF DEVICES BY MEANS OF A VOICE-CONTROLLED DEVICE

Abstract

A method for controlling a set of devices (101, 102, 103, 104, and 105) is proposed. The method is carried out by a voice-controlled device (100). In response to receiving (S201) a first voice command from a user comprising a first reference to at least one device in the set of devices and a control command to be executed on that at least one device in the set of devices, the voice-controlled device presents (S202) an identifier associated with each of the at least one device in the set of devices.In response to the receipt (S203) of a second user voice command comprising a second reference to one or more of the identifiers, the voice-controlled device controls (S204) one or more of at least one device in the set of devices that can be identified on the basis of the second reference comprised in the second voice command to execute the control command comprised in the first voice command.

Description

CONTROL OF A SET OF DEVICES BY MEANS OF A VOICE-CONTROLLED DEVICE TECHNICAL FIELD The modalities presented in this document refer to a method, a voice-controlled device, a computer program, a computer program product, and a carrier for controlling a set of devices. zAon Ln / zznz / E / YiAi BACKGROUND Smart devices are increasingly common in homes. Everything from fixed installations, such as central heating and cooling systems, to smaller items like light bulbs is connected. Smart TVs, smart locks, and smart blinds are also commonplace. Traditional interfaces for controlling devices, such as hardware buttons and remote controls, still dominate. However, more and more devices are now being controlled via voice commands and / or a mobile app. One problem in controlling a set of devices is how to address a particular device among several devices in the set. For example, in a scenario where voice commands are used to control the lights in a room, turning all the lights on or off is usually not a problem. It becomes more complicated if one or more lights need to be controlled individually. This can be solved by assigning names to the lights, or groups of lights, such as "window" or "ceiling." However, in large rooms (e.g., conference rooms, exhibition halls, lecture halls, or similar spaces), there may be several lights of the same type, and it can be difficult to distinguish and remember all the lights by name. Gesture control hasn't yet become widespread, but there are examples where a user can, for instance, dim lights by moving a hand up and down in front of a panel or near a device's sensor. Through gesture control, a user can point to a device they wish to control. Such a gesture-controlled system may lack feedback, leading to uncertainty about which device the user is actually controlling. Therefore, there is a need for an improved method to control the device(s) of a set of devices individually. BRIEF DESCRIPTION According to a first aspect of the invention, zAon Ln / zznz / E / YiAi, a method for controlling a set of devices is disclosed. The method is carried out by means of a voice-controlled device. The method includes receiving a first voice command from a user of the voice-controlled device. The first voice command comprises a first reference to at least one device in the set of devices and a control command to be executed on the at least one device in the set of devices. The method includes presenting an identifier in association with each of the at least one device in the set of devices. The method includes receiving a second voice command from the user. The second voice command comprises a second reference to one or more of the identifiers.The method includes controlling one or more of at least one device from the set of devices that can be identified based on the second reference contained in the second voice command to execute the control command contained in the first voice command. According to a second aspect of the invention, a voice-controlled device is presented for controlling a set of devices. The voice-controlled device comprises a processing circuit that enables the voice-controlled device to receive a first voice command from a user of the voice-controlled device. The first voice command comprises a first reference to at least one device in the set of devices and a control command to be executed on that at least one device in the set of devices. The voice-controlled device is operative for presenting an identifier in association with each of the at least one device in the set of devices. The voice-controlled device is operative for receiving a second voice command from the user. The second voice command comprises a second reference to one or more of the identifiers.The voice-controlled device is operational to control one or more of at least one device from the set of devices that can be identified based on the second reference included in the second voice command to execute the control command included in the first voice command. According to a third aspect of the invention, a computer program for controlling a set of devices is presented. The computer program comprises computer code that, when executed in the processing circuit of a voice-controlled device, causes the voice-controlled device to receive a first voice command from a user of the voice-controlled device. The first voice command comprises a first reference to at least one device in the set of devices and a control command to be executed in the 7«on Ln / zznz / E / YiAi at least one device in the device set. The computer code causes the voice-controlled device to present an identifier in association with each of the at least one device in the device set. The computer code causes the voice-controlled device to receive a second voice command from the user. The second voice command comprises a second reference to one or more of the identifiers. The computer code causes the voice-controlled device to control one or more of the at least one device in the device set that can be identified based on the second reference comprised in the second voice command to execute the control command comprised in the first voice command. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a computer program product is presented comprising a computer-readable storage medium in which a computer program is stored according to the third aspect. According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is a carrier containing the computer program according to the third aspect, wherein the carrier is an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, and a computer-readable storage medium. Appropriately, these aspects provide a simple way to control the zAon Ln / zznz / E / YiAi device(s) individually in a set of devices. Beneficially, these aspects provide a mechanism for interacting with devices in a more natural and conversational way. Other objectives, features, and advantages of the attached modalities will become evident from the following detailed description, the attached dependent claims, and the drawings. In general, all terms used in the claims should be interpreted according to their common technical meaning, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to an element, apparatus, component, means, module, step, etc., should be clearly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, module, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method described herein need not be carried out in the exact order described, unless explicitly stated otherwise. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The inventive concept is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 schematically illustrates the control of zAon Ln / zznz / E / YiAi a set of devices using a voice-controlled device, according to modalities of the invention. Figure 2 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a set of devices, according to one embodiment of the invention. Figure 3 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a set of devices according to another embodiment of the invention. Figure 4 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a set of devices according to another embodiment of the invention. Figure 5 schematically illustrates a voice-controlled device for controlling a set of devices, according to one embodiment of the invention. Figure 6 shows a modality of a computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium according to a modality. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The inventive concept will now be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show certain embodiments of the inventive concept. However, this inventive concept can be embodied in many different ways and should not be interpreted as limited to the embodiments set forth in this document; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example to make this description comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art. Similar numbers refer to similar elements throughout the description of the figures. Any step or feature illustrated with dashed lines should be considered optional. With advancements in voice recognition technology, affordable voice-controlled devices / voice assistants have become popular, often in the form of small modules that sit on a table. Examples include Amazon Echo and Alexa, Apple HomePod, and Google Home. These voice-controlled devices / assistants allow for the integration of multiple devices and make them controllable with voice commands. In addition to simple commands, the Google Home assistant supports dialog boxes. For example, when a user asks the Google Home voice assistant to find their mobile phone, the assistant offers to control the phone's ringtone at full volume and asks for confirmation from the user before proceeding. Figure 1 schematically illustrates the control of a set of devices using a voice-controlled device 100. There are several ceiling lights on the right side of a room, i.e., device 101, device 102, device 103, and device 104. 7«on Ln / zznz / E / YiAi Devices 102, 103, 104, and 105. Ceiling lights / lamps are used here for illustrative purposes only. Devices can be any type of device that can be configured to operate. For example, devices can be electronic devices such as lights / lamps, speakers, computers, tablets, mobile phones, blinds, electronic locks, dishwashers, washing machines, refrigerators, televisions, and the like. These devices can communicate with each other and with the voice-controlled device (100) via a network 20, for example, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or short-range wireless radio communication such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, etc. Thus, these devices can be controlled by a user 10 via the voice-controlled device (100). In some configurations, the voice-controlled device 100 may include one or more microphones to generate audio signals based on captured sound, including the user's voice commands 10. The voice-controlled device 100 may be configured to perform speech recognition on the audio signals. Speech recognition allows computers to recognize and translate spoken language into text. The voice-controlled device may be configured to interact with and at least partially control other devices in the environment. For example, the user can issue a voice command to the voice-controlled device 100 to "Turn on the right-side ceiling lights." The voice-controlled device 100 can perform ASR (Automatic Signal Recognition) on a generated audio signal to identify the command ("Turn on") along with the referred devices ("Right-side ceiling lights"). Since there are several ceiling lights on the right side (101, 102, 103, 104, and 105), further instructions are needed to easily limit the ceiling lights so that the voice-controlled device 100 can perform the user's requested operation. The embodiments of the invention provide a solution to this problem. Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of method 200 for controlling a set of devices. Method 200 is carried out by a voice-controlled device 100. The method is advantageously provided as a computer program 620. S201: Receive a first voice command from a user of the voice-controlled device, wherein the first voice command comprises a first reference to at least one device in the set of devices and a control command to be executed on that at least one device. 7«on Ln / zznz / E / YiAi device of the set of devices. Using the same illustrative example as in Figure 1, a user 10 enters a room with several ceiling lights (101, 102, 103, 104, and 105) on the right side. The user gives the voice command "Turn on the ceiling lights on the right side" to the voice-controlled device 100. The voice-controlled device 100 performs speech recognition on the received audio signal to acquire the content of the voice command. The voice-controlled device 100 can compare the acquired content of the voice command with previously stored voice training records, which can be stored in the memory of the voice-controlled device 100 or in the memory of a server. After the comparison, the voice-controlled device 100 can extract the first reference, which in this scenario are the ceiling lights (101, 102, 103, 104 and 105) on the right side of the room, and the control command, which in this scenario is Turn On. In some modes, when the voice-controlled device 100 cannot extract the first reference and control command from the first voice command, the voice-controlled device 100 may ask the user to repeat the first voice command. S202: Present an identifier associated with each zAon Ln / zznz / E / YiAi one of the at least one device in the device set. Using the same illustrative example as in Figure 1, each ceiling light (101, 102, 103, 104, and 105) on the right side of the room can be represented by a color, such as blue, yellow, red, orange, and green. Smart bulbs that can change color and be controlled via Bluetooth and / or voice commands are already available, for example, Philips Hue bulbs (https: / / www2.meethue.com / en-us / bulbs). In this way, each of the ceiling lights 101–105 is individually identifiable by the user. S203: Receive a second voice command from the user, wherein the second voice command comprises a second reference to one or more of the identifiers. Using the same illustrative example as in Figure 1, the second voice command can be Blue and yellow, Blue and yellow lights, Blue and yellow lights, etc. S204: Control one or more of at least one device from the set of devices identifiable based on the second reference contained in the second voice command to execute the control command contained in the first voice command. Using the same illustrative example as in zAon Ln / zznz / E / YiAi figure 1, the voice-controlled device 100 can turn on lamps that have blue and yellow color identifiers with normal light. The proposed Method 200 receives at least two voice commands, the first of which initiates an action. Based on this first command, a selection of devices is enabled, with each device presented with an identifier. A second voice command is then issued to more specifically select the device(s) to be controlled and, optionally, to confirm the selection. Although Method 200 illustrates only two voice commands, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that additional voice commands can be used to specify the devices to be controlled through an iterative procedure. In some modes, the user can give an initial voice command Highlight all controllable devices so that all controllable devices can be highlighted by an identifier. In some modalities, the identifier is a visual identifier or an audible identifier. In some forms, the visual identifier is at least one of: a color, a number, a letter, a symbol, 7«on Ln / zznz / E / YiAi a code and a blinking pattern. All these modalities should be presented as alternatives that could also be combined. In some modalities, the visual identifier is presented by at least one of: projecting the visual identifier onto a device surface, displaying the visual identifier on a device screen, and activating a device light. In some configurations, devices may have a status indicator, such as a light-emitting diode (LED) or, in the case of a light bulb, the light itself. The voice-controlled device 100, for example, can cause the status indicators of selected devices to flash for emphasis. Each status indicator can have a specific flashing pattern, such as rapid flashing, slow flashing, or a heartbeat. In some embodiments, the device set may be divided into subsets, and step S202 of presenting the identifier associated with each of the at least one device in the device set further comprises presenting a subset identifier associated with one or more subsets of the device set. The subset identifier is a visual identifier or a 7«on Ln / zznz / E / YiAi audible identifier. For example, upon receiving the first voice command from the user to Turn on the lights, the lamps in the room will be grouped into several subsets based on their positions or some other criterion, such as predefined subsets of the device set or based on historical command patterns. There might be a subset of devices near the television, a subset near the window on the left side, and a subset near the window on the right side. Each subset can have a subset identifier, such as a color, and each lamp in the subset can have a blinking pattern. The user can give a second voice command specifying a color to select a specific subset. The user can also give a second command specifying a combination of a color and a blinking pattern to control a single lamp. Each subset can be further divided.For example, a subset of the device set might be ceiling lights that display in red. The ceiling lights on the left side of the room might flash, while the ceiling lights on the right side of the room might not. In some modalities, creating a device subset might include storing, for each device in the subset, an indication that the respective device is part of the zAon Ln / zznz / E / YiAi subset in a database, either on the voice-controlled device 100 or in some other remote location (such as a server).Consequently, when voice-controlled device 100 receives a voice command that refers to a subset of devices, it can identify, using the information stored in the database, the devices that make up the subset and instruct each device in the subset to perform the operation. Alternatively, each device can learn its association with a subset, and the voice-controlled device transmits commands, which are then executed by the relevant devices. Combinations of, for example, numbers, colors, and symbols can define various combinations of subsets of the device set, allowing for great flexibility when controlling multiple devices. In some configurations, the voice-controlled device 100 is equipped with a projector capable of projecting markers, such as shapes and colors, onto physical objects in the room. The projector can be used to highlight any device, especially those that might otherwise go unnoticed, such as a washing machine. For example, when a user wants to control a wall-mounted light, the voice-controlled zAon Ln / zznz / E / YiAi 100 can project a number onto each wall-mounted light. The user can then specify the desired wall light simply by saying the corresponding number. The projector can also highlight items requested by the user or display status messages on a wall visible to the user. In some models, the projector can project markers in the form of shapes to indicate the light intensity of a lamp. For example, if a circle is projected onto or near a lamp, a full circle can represent 100% of the light intensity, and a semicircle can represent 50% of the maximum light intensity. Alternatively, the chosen light intensity level relative to the maximum light intensity can be displayed in a specific color and projected onto or near the lamp. In some configurations, for a device with a screen, the screen can be used to highlight the device. The screen can simply turn on, and a number can be displayed to identify the device. For example, any TV or computer screen in the room can display a number, and this number can be used to control the corresponding screen. In some modes, a device can use the presence of an external device. For example, a television that is initially off can use a nearby table lamp, such as one on the same shelf, as an indicator of the television to avoid turning on the television screen. The voice-controlled device 100 can refer to the television as "the screen next to the table lamp" in conversation. This requires that the voice-controlled device 100 has registered the position of each device and, consequently, has information about nearby devices for each device. This application describes how to make the voice-controlled device 100 aware of the position of each device. In some versions, one or more of the set of devices may be a lamp. In some configurations, one or more of the set of devices may have a screen. In some forms, one or more of the set of devices may be presented by a projected light. In some modalities, the audible identifier is presented audibly as at least one of the following: a number, a letter, a symbol, a code, and a ringtone. A ringtone can be any combination of sounds, such as a piece of music or a song. All these modalities must be presented as zAon Ln / zznz / E / YiAi alternatives that could also be combined. Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating another form of a method for controlling a set of devices where the voice-controlled device 100 is configured to perform steps (optional) S204a and S204b (dashed line). Steps S204a and S204b follow the step of receiving (S203) a second voice command from the user, wherein the second voice command comprises a second reference to one or more of the identifiers. S204a: Deactivate the identifier associated with the device that cannot be identified based on the second reference included in the second voice command. Using the same illustrative example as in Figure 1, the voice-controlled device 100 turns off the other ceiling lights on the right side of the room that are highlighted with colors other than blue and yellow, namely orange, red, and green. S204b: Receives a third voice command from the user confirming a correct selection of the device set. In this step, using the same illustrative example as in Figure 1, the user can confirm that the remaining lights displayed in blue and yellow are the correct devices they intend to control, and confirm the device selection using a third voice command such as "That's correct." This way, if the remaining lights are not the ones the user intends to control, the user can issue another voice command to correct the device selection. Figure 4 is a flowchart that illustrates an example of controlling specific window lights using a projector following the method described in Figure 3. S301a: The user says something like "Hello Assistant" to activate the Voice Controlled Device 100. In some modes, the Voice Controlled Device 100 may be in low-power mode to conserve energy. When the user says its name ("Assistant" in this example), the Voice Controlled Device 100 may switch to an active mode and wait for a voice command. If no voice command is received within a certain time, the Voice Controlled Device 100 will return to its original low-power mode. S301: The user gives the first voice command Turn on some window lights, where the control command is Turn On and the first reference is some window lights. S302: Since there are multiple window lights and they cannot be distinguished with the first voice command, the projector activates and projects a number for each window light. Devices in the room can be identified in the photo using object detection, a computer technology related to computer vision and image processing that deals with detecting instances of semantic objects in digital images and videos. Existing devices, already known to the voice-controlled device 100, can be annotated in the photo. The voice-controlled device 100 can be configured in a learning mode. In some modes, the user can provide input to the photo to confirm the device to be added.In some configurations, the voice-controlled 100 device can automatically identify unregistered devices and suggest them to the user as new devices. In some configurations, the relative positions of the devices can be obtained and recorded by analyzing a photo of the room. If a new device, such as a lamp, is added, the voice-controlled device 100 can register the new lamp and assign it an identifier. The new lamp can then present itself with its identifier to confirm this assignment. The other devices in the device set can also present themselves with their identifiers simultaneously to display the configuration. 7«on Ln / zznz / E / YiAi of identifiers for the set of devices. The voice-controlled device 100 can register properties of the newly added device. The voice-controlled device 100 can communicate with the user to acquire properties of the newly added device. In some configurations, the Voice Controlled Device 100 may also include a gesture control function. In some configurations, the user can physically point at devices in the room, and the Voice Controlled Device 100 can track the user's hand using its built-in camera. The Voice Controlled Device 100 can recognize the user's gesture by highlighting the devices they are pointing at. The modalities described above are intended to be illustrative in all aspects, rather than restrictive. Therefore, the modalities are capable of many variations in detailed implementation, which can be derived from the description contained in this document by a subject matter expert. The voice commands illustrated in the modalities described above are also capable of many variations in detailed implementation. Figure 5 schematically illustrates, in terms of various functional units, the components of a voice-controlled device 100 according to a modality. The processing circuit 510 is provided using any combination of one or more suitable central processing units (CPUs), multiprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), etc. The processing circuit 510 may comprise a processor 560 and a memory 530, wherein the memory 530 contains instructions executable by the processor 560. The memory 530 may further contain the computer program product 610 (as shown in Figure 6). The processing circuit 510 may further be provided as at least one application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The voice-controlled device 100 can understand input 540 and output 550.Input 540 can include a keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, joystick, control buttons, etc. In some implementations, one or more microphones (not shown in Figure 5) can function as an input to receive audio, such as the user's voice command. Output 550 can include a display, a light element (e.g., LED), a vibrator to create haptic feedback, or similar elements. In some implementations, one or more speakers (not shown in Figure 5) can function as output 550 to emit audio. zAon Ln / zznz / E / YiAi The voice-controlled device 100 may also include a communication interface 520. The communication interface 520 may implement one or more of several wireless technologies, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, etc. An Ethernet port (not shown in Figure 5) may also be provided as part of the voice-controlled device 100 to facilitate a wired connection to a network, or a plug-in network device that communicates with other wireless networks. In addition to, or as an alternative to, the USB port, other forms of wired connection, such as a broadband connection, may be used. Specifically, the processing circuit 510 is configured to cause the voice-controlled device 100 to perform a set of operations or steps, as described above. For example, memory 530 can store the set of operations, and the processing circuit 510 can be configured to retrieve the set of operations from memory 530 to cause the voice-controlled device 100 to carry out the set of operations. The set of operations can be provided as a set of executable instructions. Therefore, the 510 processing circuit is designed to execute methods such as those described here. The 530 memory can also comprise storage 7«on Ln / zznz / E / YiAi persistent which, for example, can be any or a combination of magnetic memory, optical memory, solid-state memory, or even remotely mounted memory. Figure 6 shows an example of a computer program product 610 comprising a computer-readable storage medium 630. A computer program 620 can be stored on this computer-readable storage medium 630, and said computer program 620 can cause the processing circuit 510 and entities and devices operatively coupled thereto, such as the communications interface 520, to execute methods in accordance with the modalities described herein. The computer program 620 and / or the computer program product 610 can provide means for carrying out any of the steps described herein. In the example in Figure 6, the software product 610 is illustrated as an optical disc, such as a CD (compact disc), DVD (digital versatile disc), or Blu-ray disc. Software product 610 could also be incorporated as memory, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or electrically programmable and erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), and more specifically as a non-volatile storage medium on an external storage device such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) drive or flash memory, such as a compact flash drive. Therefore, while software 620 is shown here schematically as a track on the represented optical disc, software 620 can be stored in any way suitable for software product 610.A carrier can contain the computer program 620, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, and a computer-readable storage medium 630. The inventive concept has been described above primarily with reference to a few embodiments. However, as anyone skilled in the art will readily appreciate, other embodiments besides those described above are equally possible within the scope of the inventive concept, as defined in the accompanying patent claims.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a set of devices (101, 102, 103, 104, and 105), wherein the method is carried out by a voice-controlled device (100) and comprising: in response to the receipt (S201) of a first voice command from a user of the voice-controlled device (100), wherein the first voice command comprises a first reference to at least one device in the set of devices and a control command to be executed on the at least one device in the set of devices; presenting (S202) an identifier in association with each of the at least one device in the set of devices; in response to the receipt (S203) of a second voice command from the user, wherein the second voice command comprises a second reference to one or more of the identifiers;and control (S204) one or more of at least one device from the set of devices that can be identified based on the second reference included in the second voice command to execute the control command included in the first voice command.; 2. The method according to claim 7, wherein the method further comprises: turning off (S204a) the identifier in association with the device that cannot be identified on the basis of the second reference included in the second voice command; and receiving (S204b) a third voice command from the user confirming a correct selection of the device set.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the identifier is a visual identifier or an audible identifier.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the visual identifier is at least one of: a color, a number, a letter, a symbol, a code, and a blinking pattern.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the visual identifier is presented by at least one of: projecting the visual identifier onto a device surface, displaying the visual identifier on a device screen, and activating a device light.

6. The method in accordance with any of claims 1 to 5, wherein one or more devices of the zAon Ln / zznz / E / YiAi 30 device assembly are lamps.

7. The method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein one or more devices of the device assembly have a display.

8. The method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein one or more devices of the device assembly can be presented by a projected light.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein the audible identifier is presented audibly as at least one of: a number, a letter, a symbol, a code, and a ringing sound.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the set of devices (101, 102, 103, 104 and 105) is divided into subsets, and the presentation (S202) of the identifier in association with each of the at least one device of the set of devices further comprises presenting a subset identifier in association with one or more subsets of the set of devices.

11. A voice-controlled device (100) for controlling a set of devices (101, 102, 103, 104, and 105), wherein the voice-controlled device (100) comprises a processing circuit (510) that makes the voice-controlled device (100) operative to: receive a first voice command from a user of the voice-controlled device (100), wherein the first voice command comprises a first reference to at least one device in the set of devices and a control command to be executed on the at least one device in the set of devices; present an identifier in association with each of the at least one device in the set of devices; receive a second voice command from the user, wherein the second voice command comprises a second reference to one or more of the identifiers;and control one or more of at least one device from the set of devices that can be identified based on the second reference included in the second voice command to execute the control command included in the first voice command.; 12. The voice-controlled device (100) according to claim 11, wherein the voice-controlled device (100) is further operative to: turn off the identifier in association with the device that cannot be identified on the basis of the second reference included in the second voice command; and receive a third voice command from the user confirming a correct selection from the set of 32 devices.

13. The voice-controlled device (100) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the identifier is a visual identifier or an audible identifier.

14. The voice-controlled device (100) according to claim 13, wherein the visual identifier is at least one of: a color, a number, a letter, a symbol, a code, and a blinking pattern.

15. The voice-controlled device (100) according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the visual identifier is presented by at least one of: projecting the visual identifier onto a surface of the device, displaying the visual identifier on a screen of the device, and activating a light of the device.

16. The voice-controlled device (100) according to any of claims 11 to 15, wherein one or more devices in the device assembly are lamps.

17. The voice-controlled device (100) according to any of claims 11 to 15, wherein one or more devices of the device assembly have a display. 7«on Ln / zznz / E / YiAi 18. The voice-controlled device (100) according to any of claims 11 to 15, wherein one or more devices of the device assembly can be presented by a projected light.

19. The voice-controlled device (100) according to claim 13, wherein the audible identifier is audibly presented as at least one of: a number, a letter, a symbol, a code, and a ringing sound.

20. The voice-controlled device (100) according to claim 11, wherein the set of devices (101, 102, 103, 104 and 105) is divided into subsets, and the presentation (S202) of the identifier in association with each of the at least one device in the set of devices further comprises presenting a subset identifier in association with one or more subsets of the set of devices.

21. A computer program (620) for controlling a set of devices (101, 102, 103, 104, and 105), wherein the computer program comprises computer code that, when executed in the processing circuit (510) of a voice-controlled device (100), causes the voice-controlled device (100): to receive a first voice command from a user of the voice-controlled device (100), wherein the first voice command comprises a first reference to at least one device in the set of devices and a control command to be executed on the at least one device in the set of devices; to present an identifier in association with each of the at least one device in the set of devices; and to receive a second voice command from the user, wherein the second voice command comprises a second reference to one or more of the identifiers.and control one or more of at least one device from the set of devices that can be identified based on the second reference included in the second voice command to execute the control command included in the first voice command.; 22. A computer program product (610) comprising a computer-readable storage medium (630) in which the computer program (620) is stored in accordance with claim 21.

23. A carrier containing the computer program according to claim 21, wherein the carrier is an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal and a computer-readable storage medium (630).

Images