Audio Alert Tone Synchronization With Voice Input
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Solution Overview
Problem
Recurring audio tones create a noisy environment that hampers the recognition of voice commands in systems that rely on voice input for user interactions.
Innovation Solution
A system that synchronizes the playback of alarm tones with periods of open microphone for voice recognition input, canceling or postponing the tone upon detecting voice input, allowing users to issue commands during alert intervals and evaluating audio input data for accepted voice commands to determine whether to resume or cancel subsequent tones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If recurring audio tones are played to alert users, then the alert function is effective, but voice command recognition is hampered due to noisy environment
Solution Approach 1:
The alert tone is played in periodic intervals rather than continuously, creating silent windows between tone instances where the microphone can operate without interference. This periodic scheduling allows both alert delivery and voice recognition to function effectively by separating their operational time slots.
Solution Approach 2:
The system opens the microphone and prepares for voice input during the silent interval before the next alert tone is scheduled to play. This preliminary preparation ensures the voice command can be captured cleanly before the noisy environment of the alert tone begins.
2Ease of operation
If the microphone is kept open continuously for voice input, then voice command recognition is available, but the alert tone becomes inaudible due to microphone interference
Solution Approach 1:
The microphone is opened periodically during silent intervals between alert tones rather than remaining continuously open. This periodic operation ensures the microphone captures voice input only when the alert tone is not playing, preventing interference and ensuring both functions work reliably.
Solution Approach 2:
The microphone state dynamically switches between open and closed based on the alert tone status. The system adapts the microphone's operational state in real-time, opening it during silent periods and closing it during alert tone playback to optimize both voice recognition and alert delivery.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for audible alert tones are disclosed. The methods, systems, and apparatus include actions of determining whether audio input data received after ceasing output of a first instance of an audible alert tone includes voice activity and determining whether to delay a successive instance of the audible alert tone based on determining whether the audio input data includes voice activity.