Electronic device and operation method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11715468-B2
Application number	US-202117169058-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2021
Priority date	Apr 8, 2020
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

Provided are an electronic device and an operation method thereof. The electronic device includes: a first sound receiver configured to receive a sound input while power is supplied to the first sound receiver in a standby state; a trigger word/phrase recognizer configured to recognize whether the sound input received by the first sound receiver corresponds to a trigger word or phrase; a second sound receiver configured to receive a sound input by receiving supply of power based on the trigger word or phrase being recognized by the trigger word/phrase recognizer; and a data transceiver configured to output a first sound input signal supplied from the first sound receiver and a second sound input signal supplied from the second sound receiver.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a first sound receiver configured to receive a first sound input while power is supplied to the first sound receiver in a standby state of the electronic device;
a trigger word/phrase recognizer configured to recognize whether the first sound input received by the first sound receiver corresponds to a trigger word or phrase;
a second sound receiver configured to receive a second sound input by receiving supply of power based on the trigger word or phrase being recognized by the trigger word/phrase recognizer;
a sound signal processor configured to remain in a power-off state in the standby state of the electronic device, and based on the trigger word or phrase being recognized by the trigger word/phrase recognizer, change the power-off state to a power-on state for receiving the power, receive a first sound input signal corresponding to the first sound input from the first sound receiver and a second sound input signal corresponding to the second sound input from the second sound receiver, and process the first sound input signal and the second sound input signal; and
a data transceiver configured to output the first sound input signal and the second sound input signal.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a power controller configured to control the power to be supplied to the second sound receiver based on a control signal indicating the recognizing of the trigger word or phrase being received from the trigger word/phrase recognizer.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the sound signal processor is further configured to generate a stereo signal by mixing the first sound input signal with the second sound input signal.

4. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the power controller is further configured to, based on a key input signal for requesting a speech recognition function being received, supply the power to the second sound receiver, and cease power supply to the first sound receiver, and
the data transceiver is further configured to receive the second sound input signal from the second sound receiver operating and output the received second sound input signal.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the power controller is further configured to control cease power supply to the second sound receiver based on the speech recognition function being terminated.

6. An electronic device comprising:
a first sound receiver configured to receive a sound input while power is supplied to the first sound receiver in a standby state of the electronic device;
a trigger word/phrase recognizer configured to recognize whether the sound input received by the first sound receiver corresponds to a trigger word or phrase;
a second sound receiver configured to receive a sound input by receiving supply of power based on the trigger word or phrase being recognized by the trigger word/phrase recognizer;
a data transceiver configured to output a first sound input signal supplied from the first sound receiver and a second sound input signal supplied from the second sound receiver; and
a flag inserting unit configured to insert, into the second sound input signal output in response to a key input signal for requesting a speech recognition function, a flag for distinguishing the second sound input signal output in response to the key input signal from the first sound input signal output in response to the recognizing of the trigger word or phrase.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein, based on the flag, the second sound input signal output in response to the key input signal is subjected to sound processing that is different from sound processing to be performed on the first sound input signal output in response to the recognizing of the trigger word or phrase.

8. The electronic device of claim 4 , further comprising a switch connected to the second sound receiver,
wherein the switch is configured to transmit, based on the key input signal requesting the speech recognition function being received, the second sound input signal supplied from the second sound receiver to the data transceiver, or transmit, based on the recognizing of the trigger word or phrase, the second sound input signal to the sound signal processor configured to process the second sound input signal with the first sound input signal.

9. An operation method of an electronic device, the operation method comprising:
receiving a first sound input, by a first sound receiver to which power is supplied in a standby state of the electronic device;
recognizing whether the first sound input received by the first sound receiver corresponds to a trigger word or phrase;
receiving a second sound input by a second sound receiver to which the power is supplied based on the trigger word or phrase being recognized;
based on the trigger word or phrase being recognized, changing a power-off state of a sound signal processor to a power-on state, receiving, by the sound signal processor in the power-on state, a first sound input signal corresponding to the first sound input from the first sound receiver and a second sound input signal corresponding to the second sound input from the second sound receiver, and processing, by the sound signal processor in the power-on state, the first sound input signal and the second sound input signal, wherein the sound signal processor remains in the power-off state in the standby state of the electronic device, and the sound signal processor is supplied with the power in the power-on state; and
outputting, by a data transceiver, the first sound input signal and the second sound input signal.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising controlling, by a power controller, the power to be supplied to the second sound receiver based on a control signal indicating the recognizing of the trigger word or phrase being received.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising generating, by the sound signal processor, a stereo signal by mixing the first sound input signal with the second sound input signal.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
supplying, by the power controller, based on a key input signal for requesting a speech recognition function being received, the power to the second sound receiver, and ceasing, by the power controller, power supply to the first sound receiver, and
receiving, by the data transceiver, the second sound input signal from the second sound receiver operating based on the power being supplied, and outputting, by the data transceiver, the received second sound input signal.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising ceasing power supply to the second sound receiver based on the speech recognition function being terminated.

14. An operation method of an electronic device, the operation method comprising:
receiving a sound input, by a first sound receiver to which power is supplied in a standby state of the electronic device;
recognizing whether the sound input received by the first sound receiver corresponds to a trigger word or phrase;
receiving a sound input by a second sound receiver to which the power is supplied based on the trigger word or phrase being recognized;
outputting, by a data transceiver, a first sound input signal supplied from the first sound receiver and a second sound input signal supplied from the second sound receiver; and
inserting into the second sound input signal output in response to a key input signal for requesting a speech recognition function being received, a flag for distinguishing the second sound input signal output in response to the key input signal from the first sound inpu

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yoon Sukhoon
• Kim Minsup
• Song Kihyun
• Lee Wonjae
• Lee Jongkeun

Classifications

• G10L15/22 Primary

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

• G10L15/065

  Adaptation · CPC title

• G10L15/30

  Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications · CPC title

• G10L2015/223

  Execution procedure of a spoken command · CPC title

• G06F1/3287 Primary

  by switching off individual functional units in the computer system · CPC title