Accessory Coordination via Inaudible Audio Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies lack efficient methods for coordinating the operation of devices and accessory devices in an environment, particularly in response to voice commands, leading to fragmented and uncoordinated output of content.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes a remote system with speech recognition and natural language understanding capabilities to process voice commands, determine primary and supplemental content, and coordinate the output of devices and accessory devices through various communication channels, including high-frequency audio data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple devices and accessory devices operate independently in response to voice commands, then each device can process commands autonomously, but the output content becomes fragmented and uncoordinated across devices
Solution Approach 1:
A coordinator device is introduced as an intermediary between the voice-controlled device and accessory devices. The coordinator receives the primary content from the voice-controlled device, determines supplemental content, and distributes both primary and supplemental content to appropriate devices. This mediator ensures coordinated output while allowing each device to operate autonomously based on received instructions.
2Reliability
If a coordinator device is introduced to coordinate output across multiple devices, then content coordination is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coordinator device performs multiple functions: receiving primary content, determining supplemental content, routing content to appropriate devices, and managing communication protocols. By consolidating these coordination tasks into a single multi-functional device, the system avoids the need for complex peer-to-peer coordination logic in each individual device.
3Reliability
If supplemental content is determined and transmitted through the coordinator device, then content synchronization is improved, but the response time may be delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The coordinator device determines supplemental content in advance based on the primary content received from the voice-controlled device. By pre-processing and preparing supplemental content before it is needed for output, the system minimizes delays during actual content delivery and ensures synchronized output across devices.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes techniques and systems for encoding instructions in audio data that, when output on a speaker of a first device in an environment, cause a second device to output content in the environment. In some instances, the audio data has a frequency that is inaudible to users in the environment. Thus, the first device is able to cause the second device to output the content without users in the environment hearing the instructions. In some instances, the first device also outputs content, and the content output by the second device is played at an offset relative to a position of the content output by the first device.