IP Library Granted Patent US 12688850
Granted Patent B2
US 12688850 · App. 18/424,402 · Granted Jul 21, 2026

Electronic device and control method therefor

Inventors: Hyeeun Park (Suwon-si, KR); Sehyun Kim (Suwon-si, KR); Jongin Lee (Suwon-si, KR); Kilsoo Choi (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
G10L15/22G10L15/28G10L21/034G10L2015/228
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12688850
App. No.
18/424,402
Granted
Jul 21, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic apparatus includes a communication interface configured to communicate with an external device; a speaker; a memory storing at least one instruction; and at least one processor operatively connected to the communication interface, the speaker, and the memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the at least one instruction to: based on a voice signal being received from an external device through the communication interface, identify whether the external device is a privacy device; based on identifying that the external device is a privacy device, output a response signal regarding the voice signal to the external device through the communication interface; and based on identifying that the external device is not a privacy device, output a response signal regarding the voice signal through the speaker.

Claims (80)

1 . An electronic apparatus comprising:

a communication interface configured to communicate with an external device;

a speaker;

memory storing at least one instruction; and

at least one processor operatively connected to the communication interface, the speaker, and the memory,

wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, causes the electronic apparatus to:

based on a voice signal being received from the external device through the communication interface, identify whether the external device is a privacy device;

based on identifying that the external device is a privacy device, output a response signal regarding the voice signal to the external device through the communication interface; and

based on identifying that the external device is not a privacy device, output a response signal regarding the voice signal through the speaker, and

wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, further causes the electronic apparatus to:

based on the voice signal being received from the external device while an audio signal corresponding to audio content is being output, identify whether the external device is a privacy device; and

based on identifying that the external device is a privacy device, output the response signal to the external device through the communication interface at a first output volume of a same level as an output volume of the audio signal.

2 . The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, causes the electronic apparatus to:

based on a trigger signal for voice recognition being received from the external device, activate a voice recognition function and identify whether the external device is a privacy device;

based on a signal corresponding to a subsequent voice being received from the external device identified as a privacy device, perform voice recognition regarding the signal corresponding to the subsequent voice; and

control the communication interface to output a response signal regarding the signal corresponding to the subsequent voice to the external device based on a result of the voice recognition.

3 . The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

a first audio output unit connected to the communication interface; and

a second audio output unit connected to the speaker,

wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, causes the electronic apparatus to:

based on the audio signal being output to at least one of the first audio output unit or the second audio output unit, identify whether the external device is a privacy device;

based on identifying that the external device is a privacy device, control the first audio output unit to output the response signal regarding the voice signal at the first output volume; and

based on identifying that the external device is not a privacy device, control the second audio output unit to output the response signal regarding the voice signal at a second output volume of a level different from the output volume of the audio signal.

4 . The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the second output volume is greater than the output volume of the audio signal.

5 . The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, causes the electronic apparatus to:

based on the voice signal being received from a plurality of external devices through the communication interface, identify whether each of the plurality of external devices is a privacy device; and

based on identifying that a first external device of the plurality of external devices is a privacy device and a second external device is not a privacy device, output a response signal regarding the voice signal to the first external device through the communication interface.

6 . The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, causes the electronic apparatus to:

based on the voice signal being received from a plurality of external devices through the communication interface, identify at least one of the plurality of external devices based on a size of the voice signal;

based on identifying that the at least one of the plurality of external devices is a privacy device, control the communication interface to output a response signal regarding the voice signal to the at least one of the plurality of external devices; and

based on identifying that the at least one of the plurality of external devices is not a privacy device, output a response signal regarding the voice signal through the speaker.

7 . The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, causes the electronic apparatus to:

based on the voice signal being received from a plurality of external devices through the communication interface, identify whether each of the plurality of external devices is a privacy device; and

transmit a control signal for turning off a microphone of a device that is identified as not a privacy device of the plurality of external devices through the communication interface.

8 . The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, causes the electronic apparatus to:

while an audio signal corresponding to game content is output to at least one of the external device or the speaker, identify whether the external device is a privacy device based on the voice signal being received from the external device.

9 . The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the at least one instruction to identify whether the external device is a privacy device based on identification information of the external device.

10 . The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the external device comprises at least one of a headset, a remote controller, a microphone, or a speaker.

11 . A method of controlling an electronic apparatus that comprises a communication interface and a speaker, the method comprising:

based on a voice signal being received from an external device through the communication interface, identifying whether the external device is a privacy device;

based on identifying that the external device is a privacy device, outputting a response signal regarding the voice signal to the external device through the communication interface; and

based on identifying that the external device is not a privacy device, outputting a response signal regarding the voice signal through the speaker,

wherein the identifying the privacy device comprises:

based on the voice signal being received from the external device while an audio signal corresponding to audio content is being output, identifying whether the external device is a privacy device,

wherein the outputting the response signal to the external device through the communication interface comprises:

based on identifying that the external device is a privacy device, outputting the response signal to the external device through the communication interface at a first output volume of a same level as an output volume of the audio signal.

12 . The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the identifying whether the external device is a privacy device comprises:

based on a trigger signal for voice recognition being received from the external device, activating a voice recognition function and identifying whether the external device is a privacy device; and

based on a signal corresponding to a subsequent voice being received from the external device identified as a privacy device, performing voice recognition regarding the signal corresponding to the subsequent voice, and

wherein the outputting the response signal to the external device through the communication interface comprises:

outputting a response signal regarding the signal corresponding to the subsequent voice to the external device through the communication interface based on a result of the voice recognition.

13 . The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the electronic apparatus further comprises a first audio output unit connected to the communication interface and a second audio output unit connected to the speaker,

wherein the identifying the privacy device comprises:

based on the audio signal being output to at least one of the first audio output unit or the second audio output unit, identifying whether the external device is a privacy device,

wherein the outputting the response signal to the external device through the communication interface comprises:

based on identifying that the external device is a privacy device, controlling the first audio output unit to output the response signal regarding the voice signal at the first output volume, and

wherein the outputting the response signal through the speaker comprises:

based on identifying that the external device is not a privacy device, controlling the second audio output unit to output the response signal regarding the voice signal at a second output volume of a level different from the output volume of the audio signal.

14 . The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the second output volume is greater than the output volume of the audio signal.

15 . The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:

based on the voice signal being received from a plurality of external devices through the communication interface, identifying whether each of the plurality of external devices is a privacy device; and

based on identifying that a first external device of the plurality of external devices is a privacy device and a second external device is not a privacy device, outputting a response signal regarding the voice signal to the first external device through the communication interface.

16 . The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:

based on the voice signal being received from a plurality of external devices through the communication interface, identifying at least one of the plurality of external devices based on a size of the voice signal;

based on identifying that the at least one of the plurality of external devices is a privacy device, controlling the communication interface to output a response signal regarding the voice signal to the at least one of the plurality of external devices; and

based on identifying that the at least one of the plurality of external devices is not a privacy device, outputting a response signal regarding the voice signal through the speaker.

17 . The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:

based on the voice signal being received from a plurality of external devices through the communication interface, identifying whether each of the plurality of external devices is a privacy device; and

transmitting a control signal for turning off a microphone of a device that is identified as not a privacy device of the plurality of external devices through the communication interface.

18 . The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:

while an audio signal corresponding to game content is output to at least one of the external device or the speaker, identifying whether the external device is a privacy device based on the voice signal being received from the external device.

19 . The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises identifying whether the external device is a privacy device based on identification information of the external device.

20 . A non-transitory computer readable recording medium that stores computer instructions that, when executed by a processor of an electronic apparatus including a communication interface and a speaker, cause the electronic apparatus to perform at least one operation, the at least one operation comprising:

based on a voice signal being received from an external device through the communication interface, identifying whether the external device is a privacy device;

based on identifying that the external device is a privacy device, outputting a response signal regarding the voice signal to the external device through the communication interface; and

based on identifying that the external device is not a privacy device, outputting a response signal regarding the voice signal through the speaker,

wherein the identifying the privacy device comprises:

based on the voice signal being received from the external device while an audio signal corresponding to audio content is being output, identifying whether the external device is a privacy device,

wherein the outputting the response signal to the external device through the communication interface comprises:

based on identifying that the external device is a privacy device, outputting the response signal to the external device through the communication interface at a first output volume of a same level as an output volume of the audio signal.