Temporary Hands-Free Voice Interaction for Battery-Powered Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
In public-safety or mission-critical environments, users cannot rely on manual activation of buttons for communication devices when hands are occupied, and universal wake words can lead to inadvertent or malicious activation of hands-free modes, posing risks and battery drain issues in battery-operated devices.
Innovation Solution
A battery-operated communication device with a processor that enables hands-free voice interaction using triggers such as remote user requests, event conditions, or location conditions, assigns temporary wake words, and manages audio commands to prevent inadvertent activation and conserve battery power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If universal wake word is used for hands-free activation, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to inadvertent or malicious activation
Solution Approach 1:
The system assigns different wake words to different users or devices, creating localized authentication credentials rather than using a universal wake word. This allows hands-free operation for authorized users while preventing inadvertent or malicious activation by others in the environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary authentication layer between the wake word and command execution. The system compares the detected wake word against assigned wake words for authorized users, acting as a mediator that verifies authenticity before allowing hands-free operation to proceed.
2Ease of operation
If hands-free operation is continuously enabled, then ease of operation is improved, but use of energy deteriorates due to battery drain
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuously monitoring for wake words, the system periodically activates the microphone and voice processing only when triggered by specific conditions (button press, remote request, or detected wake word). This periodic operation significantly reduces battery power consumption while maintaining hands-free functionality when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions to enable hands-free mode only under specific conditions rather than keeping it continuously active. The processor is configured to enter hands-free operation mode only after receiving a trigger, which preliminarily prepares the system for voice command processing only when necessary.
3Reliability
If button activation is required for voice interaction, then reliability is improved by preventing inadvertent activation, but ease of operation deteriorates when hands are occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its activation mode based on the situation. It can operate in button-press mode for reliable activation, or switch to wake-word-based hands-free mode when appropriate conditions are met. This dynamic behavior allows the system to adapt between reliability-focused and convenience-focused operation modes.
Solution Approach 2:
The activation mechanism is segmented into multiple independent triggers: button press, remote device request, and wake word detection. This segmentation allows the system to offer multiple pathways to hands-free operation, combining the reliability of physical buttons with the convenience of voice-activated modes.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery-operated communication device for temporary hands-free voice interaction may include a microphone that is configured to receive sound and a processor that is communicatively coupled to the microphone and is configured to receive a first trigger to enable hands-free operation, initiate hands-free operation, receive audio input using the microphone, compare a portion of the audio input to one or more predetermined audio commands, determine whether the portion corresponds to a matching command of the predetermined audio commands, and process the matching command based on a determination that the portion corresponds to the matching command. The first trigger may correspond to a remote user request, an event location, a location condition, or any combination of a remote user request, event location, and location condition.