Collaborative Voice Wake-Up With Fallback Decision Timing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Multiple intelligent devices in a space simultaneously responding to a voice command due to independent decision-making and network anomalies affecting timely decision transmission.

Innovation Solution

A centralized decision-making method where a first intelligent device generates a request, receives requests from other devices, and makes decisions based on a preset rule, with a server providing a secondary confirmation to ensure timely and accurate responses.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If each intelligent device independently decides whether to respond to a voice command, then the response speed is fast, but multiple devices respond simultaneously causing confusion

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresponse speedVSAvoidresponse accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a server as an intermediary to coordinate the awakening decisions of multiple intelligent devices. The server receives awakening requests from all devices, determines which device should respond based on preset rules (such as selecting the device with the strongest voice signal or the closest device to the user), and notifies the selected device to respond while instructing others to remain silent. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by maintaining fast local response capability while ensuring only one device responds through centralized coordination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If a server makes the awakening decision centrally, then only one device responds accurately, but network anomalies may delay or lose the decision transmission

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresponse accuracyVSAvoiddecision transmission time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a timeout mechanism where devices set a predetermined time threshold for waiting to receive the server's awakening decision. If the server fails to transmit the decision within this timeout period, the first device to detect the voice command will automatically respond as a backup. This preliminary action ensures that even if network anomalies prevent timely server communication, the system can still respond accurately and promptly through the fallback mechanism, resolving the contradiction between centralized reliability and time loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If the system waits for server confirmation before responding, then response accuracy is improved, but response time increases due to network delays

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveawakening accuracyVSAvoidawakening time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a timeout mechanism where devices set a predetermined time threshold for waiting to receive the server's awakening decision. If the server fails to transmit the decision within this timeout period, the first device to detect the voice command will automatically respond as a backup. This preliminary action ensures that even if network anomalies prevent timely server communication, the system can still respond accurately and promptly through the fallback mechanism, resolving the contradiction between centralized reliability and time loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4137932B1Voice collaborative awakening method and apparatus, electronic device and storage medium
Publication Date: 2026.01.28 BEIJING XIAOMI MOBILE SOFTWARE CO LTD
  • EP4137932B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4137932B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4137932B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method can include: generating a first awakening request and transmitting the first awakening request to a server responsive to a voice awakening event(S110); receiving a second awakening request transmitted by a second intelligent device(S 120), where the second awakening request is generated by the second intelligent device which transmits the second awakening request responsive to the voice awakening event; if a decision-making condition is met, generating a first awakening result according to a preset decision-making rule and transmitting the first awakening result to each intelligent device(S130); if the first awakening result is generated, performing awakening or inhibiting awakening according to the second awakening result after receiving a second awakening result returned by the server according to the first awakening request and the second awakening request(S140); and if the first awakening result is generated, performing awakening or inhibiting awakening according to the first awakening result before receiving the second awakening result (S150).