Open Smart Speaker Multi-Provider Voice Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Smart speakers are currently limited to working with only one dedicated voice service provider, restricting users from accessing multiple services without needing multiple devices.
Innovation Solution
An open smart speaker design that uses reserved phrases to identify voice service providers, a Voice Service Registry, and cloud integration, allowing it to communicate with multiple service providers by processing sound signals and converting them into compatible voice inputs for different backends.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a smart speaker is designed to work with only one dedicated voice service provider, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but the adaptability and versatility are significantly limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the voice service functionality into separate modules: a local voice processing unit in the smart speaker and remote voice service provider backends. The speaker is divided into components handling different providers independently, allowing multiple providers to be supported without consolidating all logic in one complex unit. This segmentation enables the speaker to route voice commands to appropriate external services while maintaining local coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The smart speaker is designed with universal interfaces and protocols that enable it to work with multiple different voice service providers through standardized communication methods. The device implements a universal voice command routing mechanism that can adapt to different providers' requirements, allowing one speaker to perform the function of multiple dedicated speakers while managing complexity through standardized interactions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple reserved phrases are implemented to identify different service providers, then the adaptability improves, but the device complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary configuration by pre-registering multiple reserved phrases and their corresponding service provider mappings in a voice service registry during device setup or through cloud-based configuration. This preliminary action allows the speaker to have multiple service provider identification capabilities ready in advance, reducing the complexity of real-time phrase management and enabling seamless switching between providers based on pre-configured rules.
3Adaptability or versatility
If voice commands are routed to multiple different backends, then the versatility improves, but the loss of information increases due to compatibility issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a voice service registry and routing intermediary that acts as a mediator between the smart speaker and multiple voice service provider backends. This intermediary layer translates and adapts voice commands into provider-specific formats, ensuring compatibility information is preserved during routing. The registry maintains mapping information between universal commands and provider-specific implementations, preventing information loss when forwarding commands to different backends.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods to build an open smart speaker to orchestrate voice services from multiple providers, and open smart speakers that orchestrate voice services from multiple providers.