Voice Assistant Device Leader Selection for Duplicated Response Elimination

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In environments where multiple electronic devices provide the same intelligent assistant service, processing user requests can lead to duplicated responses and unnecessary resource consumption, deteriorating the user experience.

Innovation Solution

An electronic device broadcasts its identification information and receives information from other devices upon detecting a wake-up utterance, determining its role as a leader to transmit voice information to a server based on signal quality and other metrics, ensuring only one device responds to the user.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple electronic devices provide intelligent assistant service in the same space, then service coverage and accessibility are improved, but duplicated processing and resource consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice coverageVSAvoidprocessing resources
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the intelligence processing capabilities of multiple devices by selecting one device as the leader to handle all voice processing tasks. The leader device coordinates with follower devices, combining their sensing capabilities while centralizing decision-making to avoid duplicated processing and reduce overall system resource consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The leader device acts as an intermediary between the user and the follower devices. It receives voice inputs, determines whether to process them, and coordinates responses, thereby mediating the interaction between multiple devices and preventing direct duplicated processing by each device independently.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If multiple devices respond to user requests, then response availability is improved, but user experience deteriorates due to duplicated responses

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresponse availabilityVSAvoiduser experience
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the response generation function into a single leader device while maintaining the distributed sensing capability of all devices. This ensures that only one device generates and sends responses, eliminating duplicated responses to users while preserving the availability of the service across multiple devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of having each device independently decide whether to respond, the patent inverts the logic by having devices broadcast their presence and capabilities, then selecting one leader based on predefined criteria. This inverted selection process ensures coordinated response behavior while maintaining service availability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Speed

If all devices process voice inputs independently, then processing speed is improved, but resource efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidresource efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by having devices broadcast their identification and capability information before actual voice processing occurs. This pre-established communication framework allows for rapid coordination and leader selection, enabling fast processing without requiring each device to independently analyze the entire voice input stream.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The leader device serves as an intermediary that consolidates voice processing tasks. While follower devices can quickly detect and broadcast voice presence, the leader device handles the actual processing, thereby maintaining fast response times through distributed detection while improving resource efficiency through centralized processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3830821B1Method, device, and system of selectively using multiple voice data receiving devices for intelligent service
Publication Date: 2024.06.12 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP3830821B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3830821B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3830821B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

An electronic device is provided, which includes a user interface, at least one communication module, a microphone, at least one speaker, at least one processor operatively connected with the user interface, the at least one communication module, the microphone, and the at least one speaker, and at least one memory operatively connected with the at least one processor, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, which when executed, instruct the at least one processor to while the electronic device is wiredly or wirelessly connected with an access point (AP) connected with at least one external electronic device, after receiving, through the microphone, part of a wake-up utterance to invoke a voice-based intelligent assistant service, broadcast identification information about the electronic device and receive identification information broadcast from the external electronic device, after receiving the whole wake-up utterance through the microphone, individually transmit first information related to the wake-up utterance received through the microphone to the at least one external electronic device and individually receive, from the external electronic device, second information related to the wake-up utterance received by the at least one external electronic device, and determine whether to transmit voice information received after the wake-up utterance to an external server based on at least part of the first information and the second information. Other various embodiments are possible as well.