Playback Microphone Control for Voice Assistant Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing playback devices with microphone-based features face the challenge of users being forced to choose between enabling voice assistants and disabling all microphone functionalities, leading to unsatisfactory user experiences.
Innovation Solution
Playback devices are equipped with a capacitive touch control to enable or disable voice assistant capabilities separately from microphone operation, allowing microphones to remain active for environmental sound detection while disabling voice assistant processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single switch is used to control both microphone and voice assistant functionality, then device complexity is reduced, but user experience deteriorates because users cannot selectively enable microphone features without enabling voice assistant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the control mechanism into two separate switches: a first switch specifically for controlling microphone functionality and a second switch for controlling voice assistant functionality. This segmentation allows users to independently control each feature, enabling the microphone to remain active for environmental sound detection while disabling voice assistant processing, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a processor as an intermediary that receives control signals from both switches and independently manages the microphone and voice assistant based on their respective switch states. This intermediary component coordinates the two control mechanisms, allowing selective activation of features without requiring a complex integrated control system
2Object-affected harmful factors
If voice assistant processing is disabled to protect privacy, then harmful factors are reduced, but device functionality deteriorates because all microphone features become unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
By implementing separate control switches for microphone and voice assistant functionality, the patent enables users to disable voice assistant processing (reducing privacy concerns) while maintaining microphone operation for other features such as environmental sound detection, hand-free mode activation, and media playback control (preserving device functionality)
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts its operational mode based on the state of the two switches: when the first switch is enabled and second is disabled, the microphone operates for non-voice-assistant features; when both are enabled, full functionality including voice assistant is available; when first is disabled, all microphone-dependent features are turned off. This dynamic behavior allows flexible adaptation to user privacy preferences while maintaining versatility
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables users to disable voice assistants without limiting other microphone-dependent features, providing a seamless user experience by maintaining device functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a capacitive touch control to enable or disable voice assistant capabilities
Implementation Method 2
microphones to remain active for environmental sound detection
Data Source
AI summary
An example playback device may include at least one microphone and a capacitive control disposed on a housing of the playback device. The playback device may be configured to receive information that causes the playback device to operate in a first state where the playback device is configured to (i) capture audio data via the at least one microphone and (ii) perform voice assistant wake word detection on audio data captured by the at least one microphone. While the playback device is operating in the first state, it may detect a selection of the capacitive control and based on the selection, transition to operate in a second state where the playback device is (i) configured to capture audio data via the at least one microphone and (ii) not configured to perform voice assistant wake word detection on audio data captured by the at least one microphone.