Voice Control Activation via External Device Notification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional voice recognition systems require manual activation of the voice control function, leading to unnecessary power consumption and inconvenience when the voice control function is turned off, as users must manually enable it to use voice commands.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a voice receiving unit, a first communication unit, and a control unit that receives notifications on the readiness of an external device for voice input, enabling the voice control function remotely through a predetermined voice input, such as a wake word, when the external device is not ready.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the voice control function is manually turned off to prevent unintended operation, then power consumption is reduced and false activation is prevented, but the user cannot use voice control unless manually turning it on
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by having the external device (speaker) continuously monitor for wake words even when the target device (camera) has voice control turned off. When the wake word is detected, the external device proactively sends an activation notification to the target device, which then automatically enables voice control functionality before the user needs to use it.
2Speed
If the voice control function is continuously monitored for activation, then response time to voice commands is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The voice control functionality is segmented into two independent parts: (1) wake word detection, which is continuously monitored by the external device with always-on microphone, and (2) voice control processing, which is activated only in the target device when needed. This segmentation allows the detection function to run continuously at low power while the resource-intensive processing only activates when triggered.
Solution Approach 2:
The external device (speaker) acts as an intermediary that bridges the user's voice input and the target device (camera). The intermediary continuously listens for activation commands and only triggers the target device when necessary, eliminating the need for the target device to maintain continuous high-power monitoring while ensuring fast response times.
3Loss of time
If the external device continuously monitors for wake words, then voice control activation responsiveness is improved, but the external device consumes more power
Solution Approach 1:
The external device performs partial action by only monitoring for specific wake words rather than continuously processing all audio input. The microphone remains active and processes audio data, but full voice control activation only occurs when the specific wake word pattern is detected, avoiding unnecessary energy consumption from continuous full-processing modes.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device includes a voice receiving unit configured to receive a voice input, a first communication unit configured to communicate with an external device having a voice recognition function, and a control unit. The control unit receives a notification indicating whether the external device is ready to recognize the voice input, via the first communication unit. In a case where the notification indicates that the external device is not ready to recognize the voice input, the control unit controls the external device to be ready to recognize the voice input via the first communication unit when a predetermined voice input including a phrase corresponding to the external device is received through the voice receiving unit.