Voice-Controlled Device Using User Device Relay for Command Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Voice-controllable devices often fail to correctly process voice commands due to distance or noisy environments, leading to frustration for users as they may need to repeat or correct misinterpreted commands, especially when the device is far away or positioned in noisy settings.
Innovation Solution
A method where a voice-controllable device determines attribute values such as wireless signal strength and background noise at both the device and a user device, and if they differ by a threshold, instructs the user device to enter a receiving mode to relay voice commands, ensuring clearer reception and processing of voice commands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the voice-controllable device processes voice commands directly, then the device structure remains simple, but voice command processing accuracy deteriorates when the device is far from the user or in noisy environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a user device (smartphone, tablet, or computer) as an intermediary to receive and relay voice commands to the voice-controllable device. This mediator captures voice commands in environments where the voice-controllable device cannot reliably detect them, thereby improving voice command processing accuracy without significantly increasing the complexity of the voice-controllable device itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The user device serves multiple functions: it acts as a voice command receiver, a signal quality monitor, and a relay station. By utilizing the existing multi-functional capabilities of common user devices, the system improves voice command reliability without adding dedicated specialized hardware, thus avoiding excessive system complexity.
2Reliability
If the voice-controllable device uses multiple microphones or sensors to improve voice detection, then voice command accuracy improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of equipping the voice-controllable device with multiple microphones or sensors, the patent uses the user device's existing microphone and processing capabilities as an intermediary. This approach achieves improved voice detection reliability by leveraging the user device's position closer to the user and its dedicated voice recognition hardware, without increasing the complexity of the voice-controllable device.
Solution Approach 2:
The user device, which the user already possesses and carries, is utilized to perform the voice command reception function. This eliminates the need for the voice-controllable device to invest in additional sensors or microphones, as the user's own device provides the necessary voice detection capabilities.
3Reliability
If the system always uses the user device to relay voice commands, then voice command reception accuracy improves, but response time increases due to additional transmission steps
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically determines whether to use direct voice command processing or relayed processing based on real-time conditions such as distance, noise level, and signal strength. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to minimize response time by using direct processing when conditions are favorable while maintaining high accuracy by switching to relayed processing when conditions are unfavorable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors attributes such as wireless signal strength and background noise levels to determine the optimal voice command reception mode. This feedback mechanism enables the system to make real-time decisions about whether to use direct or relayed processing, ensuring both high accuracy and minimal response time by adapting to current environmental conditions.
4Reliability
If the voice-controllable device increases processing power to handle more complex voice commands, then command understanding accuracy improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The user device acts as an intermediary that performs initial voice command processing and filtering. By offloading some processing tasks to the user device, the voice-controllable device reduces its own processing requirements and energy consumption while maintaining high voice command understanding accuracy through the collaborative processing architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of always performing full voice command processing, the system uses partial processing at the user device level (filtering, preliminary recognition) and only performs complete processing when necessary. This partial action approach reduces overall energy consumption while maintaining sufficient accuracy for most voice commands.
Data Source
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AI summary
A voice-controllable device (104) is arranged to receive voice commands. The device determines a value of an attribute of the voice-controllable device (104) and determines a value of the same attribute of a user device (102). The voice-controllable device (104) transmits an instruction to the user device (102) to cause the user device (102) to be placed in a receiving mode such that the user device (102) receives voice commands and relays the voice commands to the voice-controllable device (104) if the value of the attribute of the user device (102) and the value of the same attribute of the voice-controllable device (104) differ by more than a threshold.