IP Library Granted Patent US 12,506,920
Granted Patent B2
US 12,506,920 · App. 17/297,782 · Granted Dec 23, 2025

Information processing apparatus, control method, information processing terminal, and information processing method

Inventors: Shinpei Kameoka (Tokyo, JP); Hideki Asazu (Tokyo, JP); Hidenori Yamaji (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC
H04N21/42203G10L15/22G10L15/30H04N21/4221H04N21/42222H04R1/02H04R3/00H04R2499/11H04R2499/15
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,506,920
App. No.
17/297,782
Granted
Dec 23, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present technology relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method, an information processing terminal, and an information processing method capable of detecting a voice to be recognized by using a microphone in accordance with a user's intention. An information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present technology, a main body microphone that is a microphone provided in a housing, and controls which of the main body microphone or a terminal microphone that is a microphone provided in an information processing terminal used for a user's operation is to be used to detect a voice to be recognized, on the basis of a state of the user's operation on the information processing terminal. The present technology can be applied to a TV having a microphone.

Claims (38)

1 . An information processing apparatus comprising:

a main body microphone that is a microphone provided in a housing; and

a controller configured to:

control which of the main body microphone or a terminal microphone that is a microphone provided in an information processing terminal is to be used to detect a voice to be recognized,

detect an utterance of a wake word detected on a basis of audio data supplied from the main body microphone,

enable the main body microphone and acquire audio data supplied from the main body microphone, the audio data being used for voice recognition, if the utterance of the wake word has been detected,

determine whether or not a user button enabling the terminal microphone has been pressed, if no utterance of the wake word has been detected,

enable the terminal microphone and acquire audio data supplied by the terminal microphone, the audio data being used for voice recognition, in a case where it is determined that the user button has been pressed,

enable the main body microphone and acquire audio data supplied by the main body microphone, the audio data being used for voice recognition, in a case where it is determined that the user button has not been pressed,

present whether the microphone being used for voice detection is the main body microphone or the terminal microphone,

control light up of a first LED included in the housing of the information processing apparatus when the main body microphone is used for voice detection, and

control light up of a second LED when the terminal microphone is used for voice detection.

2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a receiver configured to receive audio data acquired by the terminal microphone and transmitted from the information processing terminal.

3 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the controller is configured to determine whether or not the user button is pressed in response to a voice recognition request being output from an application executed by the information processing apparatus.

4 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 ,

wherein the voice recognition request is output in a case where the user button has been pressed while the application is running, and in a case where a voice recognition has been requested from a user interface using a screen of the application.

5 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a voice recognition controller configured to transmit, to a server, data associated with audio data acquired by the main body microphone or the terminal microphone, and to receive a result of voice recognition by the server.

6 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is configured to determine whether or not a user is holding the information processing terminal.

7 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second LED is included in the housing of the information processing apparatus.

8 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second LED is included in a housing of the information terminal apparatus.

9 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , including a screen and

wherein the controller is configured to present whether the microphone being used for voice detection is the main body microphone or the terminal microphone, by displaying a message on the screen.

10 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to present whether the microphone being used for voice detection is the main body microphone or the terminal microphone, by displaying an icon on the screen.

11 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein information processing apparatus is a television.

12 . A control method comprising:

controlling, by an information processing apparatus that includes a main body microphone that is a microphone provided in a housing, which of the main body microphone or a terminal microphone that is a microphone provided in an information processing terminal is to be used to detect a voice to be recognized,

detecting an utterance of a wake word detected on a basis of audio data supplied from the main body microphone,

enabling the main body microphone and acquiring audio data supplied from the main body microphone, the audio data being used for voice recognition, if the utterance of the wake word has been detected,

determining whether or not a user button enabling the terminal microphone has been pressed, if no utterance of the wake word has been detected,

enabling the terminal microphone and acquiring audio data supplied by the terminal microphone, the audio data being used for voice recognition, in a case where it is determined that the user button has been pressed,

enabling the main body microphone and acquiring audio data supplied by the main body microphone, the audio data being used for voice recognition, in a case where it is determined that the user button has not been pressed,

presenting whether the microphone being used for voice detection is the main body microphone or the terminal microphone,

controlling light up of a first LED included in the housing of the information processing apparatus when the main body microphone is used for voice detection, and

controlling light up of a second LED when the terminal microphone is used for voice detection.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 23, 2023
From: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
To: SATURN LICENSING LLC
Reel/Frame 062451/0005 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 28, 2021
From: KAMEOKA, SHINPEI; ASAZU, HIDEKI; YAMAJI, HIDENORI
To: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 056382/0453 →