Electronic device with trigger phrase bypass and corresponding systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11145315-B2
Application number	US-201916654802-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2019
Priority date	Oct 16, 2019
Publication date	Oct 12, 2021
Grant date	Oct 12, 2021

Abstract

An electronic device includes an audio capture device receiving audio input. The electronic device includes one or more processors, operable with the audio capture device, and configured to execute a control operation in response to a device command preceded by a trigger phrase identified in the audio input when in a first mode of operation. The one or more processors transition from the first mode of operation to a second mode of operation in response to detecting a predefined operating condition of the electronic device. In the second mode of operation, the one or more processors execute the control operation without requiring the trigger phrase to precede the device command.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
an audio capture device receiving audio input; and
one or more processors, operable with the audio capture device, and configured to execute a control operation in response to a device command preceded by a trigger phrase identified in the audio input when in a first mode of operation;
the one or more processors transitioning from the first mode of operation to a second mode of operation in response to detecting a predefined operating condition of the electronic device and executing the control operation without requiring the trigger phrase to precede the device command;
the predefined operating condition of the electronic device comprising a first device housing of the electronic device pivoting about a hinge relative to a second device housing from a closed position to an axially displaced open position.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , the one or more processors executing the control operation without requiring the trigger phrase to precede the device command when the device command is a call to action.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , the predefined operating condition further comprising an absence of an occurrence of an incoming call while:
the first device housing pivots about the hinge relative to the second device housing between the closed position and the axially displaced open position.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising one or more flex sensors detecting the first device housing pivoting relative to the second device housing from the closed position to the axially displaced open position.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a timer operable with the one or more processors, the one or more processors actuating the timer in response to detecting the first device housing pivoting relative to the second device housing from the closed position to the axially displaced open position and transitioning from the second mode of operation to the first mode of operation upon expiration of the timer.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising one or more sensors operable with the one or more processors, the one or more sensors determining a distance between a source output of a source of the audio input and the electronic device.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , the predefined operating condition further comprising the distance being less than a predefined distance threshold.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising one or more sensors operable with the one or more processors, the one or more sensors determining a distance between a source input of a source of the audio input and the electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , the predefined operating condition comprising the distance being less than a predefined distance threshold.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising one or more sensors operable with the one or more processors, the one or more sensors determining a direction from which the audio input was received by the audio capture device.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , the one or more processors ignoring the device command unless the device command is preceded by the trigger phrase when the first device housing of the electronic device pivots about the hinge relative to the second device housing from the axially displaced open position to the closed position.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , further comprising the one or more processors prompting for the trigger phrase when the electronic device is in the closed position.

13. The electronic device of claim 1 , the one or more processors executing the control operation only when a source of the audio input is identified as an authorized user of the electronic device.

14. A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:
identifying, with one or more sensors of the electronic device, a predefined operating condition of the electronic device; and
transitioning one or more processors operable with the one or more sensors from a first mode of operation, where the one or more processors execute control operations in response to device commands identified in audio input received by an audio capture device only when the device commands are preceded by a trigger phrase identified in the audio input, to a second mode of operation where the one or more processors execute the control operations without requiring the trigger phrase when the device commands are received while the electronic device is in the predefined operating condition;
the predefined operating condition of the electronic device comprising a first device housing of the electronic device pivoting about a hinge relative to a second device housing from a closed position to an axially displaced open position.

15. The method of claim 14 , the first device housing of the electronic device pivoting about the hinge relative to a second device housing from the closed position to axially displaced open position exposing a display of the electronic device.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
initiating, by the one or more processors, a timer in response to the one or more sensors identifying commencement of the predefined operating condition; and
transitioning from the second mode of operation to the first mode of operation upon expiration of the timer.

17. The method of claim 14 , the predefined operating condition further comprising a distance between the audio capture device and a source output of a source of the audio input being below a predefined distance threshold.

18. The method of claim 14 , the predefined operating condition further comprising a distance between an audio output device and a source input of a source of the audio input being below a predefined distance threshold.

19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising the one or more processors further prompting for confirmation prior to executing the control operations without requiring the trigger phrase when the device commands.

20. The method of claim 14 , the one or more processors executing the control operations without requiring the trigger phrase only where the audio input is identified as emanating from an authorized user of the electronic device.

Assignees

• Motorola Mobility Llc

Inventors

• Gorsica John
• Merrell Thomas

Classifications

• G06F3/167

  Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback · CPC title

• G10L15/22

  Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue · CPC title

• H04M1/72454 Primary

  according to context-related or environment-related conditions · CPC title

• G10L2015/223

  Execution procedure of a spoken command · CPC title

• G10L17/00

  Speaker identification or verification techniques · CPC title