Proximity-Aware Voice Agent for Room-Based Device Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In homes with multiple voice agent devices, users face challenges in accurately controlling companion devices like lights and speakers due to the need to remember specific labels or names, especially when devices are moved or when guests and children are unfamiliar with these labels, leading to potential incorrect device activation.
Innovation Solution
A personal assistant device system that maintains a companion device library with both short-cut and long-names, along with room locations, determines the user's location using room impulse responses, and verifies the device name's uniqueness and location before executing commands, allowing shared short-cut names for devices in the same room and alerting users if a device is not in their current room.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If users control companion devices using specific device names or labels, then device control accuracy is improved, but user burden to memorize names increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables companion devices to self-identify and self-locate by automatically determining their own room positions and broadcasting their presence. When a user says 'turn on lights,' the system automatically identifies which lights are in the user's current room without requiring the user to specify device names or locations, making the system serve itself rather than requiring detailed user input
Solution Approach 2:
The voice agent acts as an intermediary between the user and companion devices. It receives the user's simple command, determines the user's current room location, queries the companion device library for devices in that room, and automatically selects and executes the appropriate device. This intermediary layer translates simple user intent into precise device control without requiring users to memorize device names
2Ease of operation
If multiple voice agent devices are deployed throughout the home, then user accessibility is improved, but device identification ambiguity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements local quality by associating each companion device with a specific room location and making that location information locally available to nearby voice agent devices. When a user issues a command, the nearby voice agent device uses its determined room location to query the companion device library for devices in that specific local area, ensuring unambiguous device identification even with multiple voice agents deployed throughout the home
3Adaptability or versatility
If companion devices are moved to different rooms, then system flexibility is improved, but control accuracy decreases due to outdated location information
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamics by making companion device location information dynamic rather than static. When a companion device is moved to a different room, it automatically updates its location in the companion device library. The voice agent device determines the user's current room and queries the updated library to ensure accurate device identification and control, maintaining control accuracy even as devices are frequently moved throughout the home
Data Source
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AI summary
A personal assistant device configured to control companion devices may include a memory configured to maintain a companion device library including a plurality of companion device each associated with at least one long-name, short-cut name and companion device room location, and a processor. The processor may be configured to receive a user command from a microphone, extract a companion device name and action from the user command, determine whether the companion device name includes a unique name, and command a companion device associated with the unique name to perform the action from the user command in response to the user command including the unique name.