Pairwise UWB Earbud Ranging for Assistant Target Arbitration
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Solution Overview
Problem
In environments with multiple client devices equipped with automated assistants, unintended activations can occur due to misinterpretation of spoken utterances, leading to unnecessary resource consumption and power usage.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing ultra-wideband (UWB) antennas on earbuds for pairwise range multilateration to accurately identify a target device, allowing for precise activation of automated assistants and reducing unnecessary processing and power consumption by minimizing unintended activations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple client devices continuously monitor for hotwords to enable automated assistant activation, then the automated assistant can be triggered reliably, but unintended activations occur and processing resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary arbitration mechanism that uses UWB ranging data to determine which device should activate the automated assistant. Instead of all devices independently deciding to activate, a mediator system coordinates activation based on spatial relationships, preventing unintended activations while maintaining reliable response to genuine user intent
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary UWB ranging and arbitration before activating the automated assistant. By pre-determining which device is the intended target based on spatial positioning, the system avoids unnecessary activation and processing on devices that are not the primary target, thus conserving energy while ensuring reliable activation on the correct device
2Speed
If all client devices in the environment activate automated assistants in response to spoken utterances, then the system is highly responsive, but multiple unintended activations occur simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making each device's activation behavior dependent on its specific spatial relationship to the user. Instead of uniform activation across all devices, the arbitration system uses UWB ranging data to identify which device is positioned optimally for interaction, allowing responsive activation only on the appropriate device while preventing unintended activations on others
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediary arbitration system coordinates activation decisions across multiple devices. The mediator uses spatial positioning information to determine which device should respond, enabling the system to maintain high responsiveness by quickly identifying the target device while preventing the harmful effect of multiple simultaneous unintended activations
3Measurement precision
If UWB pairwise range multilateration is used to identify target device, then activation accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the universality of UWB technology, which is already widely integrated into modern devices for other purposes. By reusing this existing infrastructure for arbitration, the system achieves high measurement precision without adding significant complexity, as the UWB hardware and basic processing capabilities are already present in most client devices
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
Accurately localizes the target device with sub-meter precision, minimizing unintended automated assistant activations and conserving resources by performing speech recognition only on the intended device before identifying hotwords.
Implementation Method 1
determining a physical distance between the first user-worn device and the candidate device based on an elapsed time between transmitting the first impulse signal and receiving the second impulse signal
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described herein for multi-device arbitration using pairwise range multilateration between earbuds and a target device. A method includes: transmitting, by a first user-worn device, to a candidate device, a first impulse signal; receiving, by the first user-worn device, from the candidate device, a second impulse signal; determining a physical distance based on an elapsed time between transmitting the first impulse signal and receiving the second impulse signal; transmitting, by a second user-worn device, to the candidate device, a third impulse signal; receiving, by the second user-worn device, from the candidate device, a fourth impulse signal; determining a physical distance based on an elapsed time between transmitting the third impulse signal and receiving the fourth impulse signal; and determining, based on the physical distances, that the candidate device is a query target.