Multi-Provider Smart Assistant Wake Word Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional smart assistant services lack hardware compatibility between different service providers, requiring users to purchase multiple devices, and often support different languages and dialects, limiting the availability of certain services.
Innovation Solution
A single audio device captures an utterance with a user-defined wake word, processes it to include specific wake words for various service providers, and sends it to a cloud server for processing, combining responses from multiple providers to provide comprehensive smart assistance services, including information checking and device control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a single audio device is used to access multiple smart assistant services, then hardware cost and device quantity are reduced, but compatibility with different service providers and support for multiple languages/dialects deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The audio device is designed with multi-functionality to support multiple smart assistant services from different providers. The device includes multiple wake word models for different service providers and can process utterances in multiple languages and dialects, allowing a single device to perform the functions of multiple dedicated devices while maintaining compatibility with various service providers
Solution Approach 2:
The audio device acts as an intermediary between the user and multiple smart assistant service providers. It receives user utterances, processes them through appropriate wake word models and language processors, and forwards requests to the corresponding service providers, thereby enabling compatibility with multiple providers through a single interface device
2Adaptability or versatility
If dedicated audio hardware is required for each service provider, then service compatibility is improved, but device complexity and user burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple service provider interfaces and processing capabilities into a single audio device. Instead of requiring separate dedicated hardware for each service provider, the device combines multiple wake word models, language processing capabilities, and service access interfaces into one unified system, thereby reducing hardware complexity while maintaining compatibility
Solution Approach 2:
The audio device is designed as a universal platform that can interface with multiple service providers through software configuration rather than hardware differentiation. This multi-functional design allows the same physical device to work with different providers by loading appropriate wake word models and processing configurations, eliminating the need for multiple dedicated devices
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus supports smart assistant services with a plurality of smart service providers. The apparatus includes an audio device that receives a speech signal having a user utterance, captures the user utterance when the user utterance includes a user wake word, and sends the captured utterance to a backend computing device. The backend computing device replaces the user wake word with specific wake words associated with different smart service providers. The processed utterances are then sent to selected smart service providers. The backend computing device subsequently constructs feedback to the user utterance based on voice responses from the different smart service providers. The backend computing device then passes a digital representation of the feedback to the audio device, and the audio device converts the digital representation to an audio reply to the user utterance.