IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,228,906
Granted Patent B2
US 10,228,906 · App. 15/490,994 · Granted Mar 12, 2019

Electronic apparatus and controlling method thereof

Inventor: Jang-ho Jin (Hwaseong-si, KR)
Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
G06F3/167G10L15/28
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,228,906
App. No.
15/490,994
Granted
Mar 12, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic apparatus and a controlling method thereof are provided. The electronic apparatus includes a communicator configured to communicate with an external apparatus including a microphone, a storage configured to store a voice recognition application and a middleware which relays the voice recognition application, and a processor configured to, in response to receiving an initiation signal from the external apparatus through the communicator, control the communicator to generate a microphone activation signal for activating the microphone using the middleware, transmit the generated microphone activation signal to the external apparatus, generate a voice recognition application signal for loading the voice recognition application, and initiate an operation of the voice recognition application.

Claims (54)

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a communicator;

a storage storing a voice recognition application and a middleware that is a software layer between a hardware and the voice recognition application; and

a processor configured to:

based on receiving, through the communicator, a voice input initiation signal from an external apparatus including a microphone, control the middleware to generate a microphone activation signal for activating the microphone and a voice recognition application signal for initiating an operation of the voice recognition application;

control the communicator to transmit the microphone activation signal to the external apparatus; and

control the middleware to transmit the voice recognition application signal to the voice recognition application.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

based on the microphone being activated, receive an audio signal from the external apparatus through the communicator; and

based on the audio signal being received, operate a voice engine, and process the audio signal, regardless of whether or not the operation of the voice recognition application is completed.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to, based on the audio signal being received, control the middleware to transmit the audio signal to the voice recognition application.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor further comprises a buffer, and

wherein the processor is further configured to store the audio signal in the buffer, based on the audio signal being received between a first time when the microphone activation signal is transmitted and a second time when the operation of the voice recognition application is completed.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether or not to process the audio signal stored in the buffer by combining the audio signal stored in the buffer, with a currently received audio signal, based on an interval between a third time when the audio signal stored in the buffer is inputted and a fourth time when the currently received audio signal is inputted;

determine whether or not the operation of the voice recognition application is completed; and

determine whether or not the currently received audio signal is received from a same source.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether or not the audio signal stored in the buffer and the currently received audio signal are received from sources using a same communication method; and

based on the audio signal stored in the buffer and the currently received audio signal being determined to be received from the sources using the same communication method, combine the audio signal stored in the buffer, with the currently received audio signal.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to, based on the audio signal stored in the buffer and the currently received audio signal being received from sources using a same communication method, combine the audio signal stored in the buffer, with the currently received audio signal.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a display configured to display a user interface (UI),

wherein the processor is further configured to control the display to display the UI, based on the operation of the voice recognition application being completed.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to control the middleware to generate the microphone activation signal and the voice recognition signal simultaneously.

10. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to control the middleware to generate the microphone activation signal and the voice recognition signal in parallel.

11. An electronic apparatus comprising:

an interface;

a microphone;

a storage storing a voice recognition application and a middleware that is a software layer between a hardware and the voice recognition application; and

a processor configured to:

based on receiving a voice input initiation signal through the interface, control the middleware to generate a microphone activation signal for activating the microphone and a voice recognition application signal for initiating an operation of the voice recognition application;

control the interface to transmit the microphone activation signal to the microphone; and

control the middleware to transmit the voice recognition application signal to the voice recognition application.

12. The electronic apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

based on the microphone being activated, receive an audio signal from the microphone; and

based on the audio signal being received, operate a voice engine, and process the audio signal, regardless of whether or not the operation of the voice recognition application is completed.

13. A method of controlling an electronic apparatus, the method comprising:

based on receiving a voice input initiation signal from an external apparatus including a microphone, controlling a middleware to generate a microphone activation signal for activating the microphone and a voice recognition application signal for initiating an operation of a voice recognition application;

controlling a communicator to transmit the microphone activation signal to the external apparatus; and

controlling the middleware to transmit the voice recognition application signal to the voice recognition application,

wherein the middleware and the voice recognition application are corresponding to different layers included in a hierarchy structure of software of the electronic apparatus.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

based on the microphone being activated, receiving an audio signal from the microphone; and

based on the audio signal being received, operating a voice engine, and processing the audio signal, regardless of whether or not the operation of the voice recognition application is completed.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the processing of the audio signal comprises, based on the audio signal being received, controlling the middleware to transmit the audio signal to the voice recognition application.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising storing the audio signal, based on the audio signal being received between a first time when the microphone activation signal is transmitted and a second time when the operation of the voice recognition application is completed.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

determining whether or not to process the audio signal that is stored by combining the audio signal that is stored, with a currently received audio signal, based on an interval between a third time when the audio signal that is stored is inputted and a fourth time when the currently received audio signal is inputted;

determining whether or not the operation of the voice recognition application is completed; and

determining whether or not the currently received audio signal is received from a same source.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the determining whether or not the currently received audio signal is received from the same source comprises determining whether or not the audio signal that is stored and the currently received audio signal are received from sources using a same communication method, and

the method further comprises, based on the audio signal that is stored and the currently received audio signal being determined to be received from the sources using the same communication method, combining the audio signal that is stored, with the currently received audio signal.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the determining whether or not the currently received audio signal is received from the same source comprises, based on the audio signal that is stored and the currently received audio signal being received from sources using a same communication method, combining the audio signal that is stored, with the currently received audio signal.

20. The method of claim 13 , further comprising displaying a user interface (UI), based on the operation of the voice recognition application being completed.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 19, 2017
From: JIN, JANG-HO
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 042094/0526 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2016-0104465 · Aug 17, 2016 · national
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62343037 · May 30, 2016
Related Publication 20170345421A1 · Nov 30, 2017