Providing audio information with a digital assistant
In an exemplary technique for providing audio information, an input is received, and audio information responsive to the received input is provided using a speaker. While providing the audio information, an external sound is detected. If it is determined that the external sound is a communication of a first type, then the provision of the audio information is stopped. If it is determined that the external sound is a communication of a second type, then the provision of the audio information continues.
1. An electronic device, comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:
providing, using a speaker, audio information responsive to received input;
while providing the audio information, detecting an external sound;
in accordance with a determination that the external sound is a communication of a first type, stopping the provision of the audio information;
in accordance with a determination that the external sound is a communication of a second type, continuing the provision of the audio information;
after stopping the provision of the audio information:
detecting one or more visual characteristics associated with the communication of the first type; and
detecting the communication of the first type has stopped;
in response to detecting the communication of the first type has stopped, determining whether the one or more visual characteristics indicate that further communication of the first type is expected;
in accordance with a determination that further communication of the first type is not expected, providing resumed audio information; and
in accordance with a determination that further communication of the first type is expected, continuing to stop the provision of the audio information.
2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more visual characteristics include eye gaze, facial expression, hand gesture, or a combination thereof.
3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein stopping the provision of the audio information includes fading out the audio information.
4. The electronic device of claim 1 , the one or more programs further including instructions for:
after stopping the provision of the audio information and in accordance with a determination that the communication of the first type has stopped, providing resumed audio information.
5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the audio information is divided into predefined segments, and the resumed audio information begins with the segment where the audio information was stopped.
6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the resumed audio information includes a rephrased version of a previously provided segment of the audio information.
7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the received input includes a triggering command.
8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the communication of the first type includes a directly-vocalized lexical utterance.
9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the directly-vocalized lexical utterance excludes silencing commands.
10. The electronic device of claim 8 , the one or more programs further including instructions for:
determining the external sound is a directly-vocalized lexical utterance by determining a location corresponding to a source of the external sound.
11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the location is determined with a directional microphone array.
12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the communication of the second type includes conversational sounds.
13. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the communication of the second type includes compressed audio.
14. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the communication of the second type includes a lexical utterance reproduced by an electronic device.
15. The electronic device of claim 14 , the one or more programs further including instructions for:
determining the external sound is a lexical utterance reproduced by an electronic device by determining a location corresponding to a source of the external sound.
16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the location is determined with a directional microphone array.
17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, the one or more programs including instructions for:
providing, using a speaker, audio information responsive to received input;
while providing the audio information, detecting an external sound;
in accordance with a determination that the external sound is a communication of a first type, stopping the provision of the audio information;
in accordance with a determination that the external sound is a communication of a second type, continuing the provision of the audio information;
after stopping the provision of the audio information:
detecting one or more visual characteristics associated with the communication of the first type; and
detecting the communication of the first type has stopped;
in response to detecting the communication of the first type has stopped, determining whether the one or more visual characteristics indicate that further communication of the first type is expected;
in accordance with a determination that further communication of the first type is not expected, providing resumed audio information; and
in accordance with a determination that further communication of the first type is expected, continuing to stop the provision of the audio information.
18. A method, comprising:
providing, using a speaker, audio information responsive to received input;
while providing the audio information, detecting an external sound;
in accordance with a determination that the external sound is a communication of a first type, stopping the provision of the audio information;
in accordance with a determination that the external sound is a communication of a second type, continuing the provision of the audio information;
after stopping the provision of the audio information:
detecting one or more visual characteristics associated with the communication of the first type; and
detecting the communication of the first type has stopped;
in response to detecting the communication of the first type has stopped, determining whether the one or more visual characteristics indicate that further communication of the first type is expected;
in accordance with a determination that further communication of the first type is not expected, providing resumed audio information; and
in accordance with a determination that further communication of the first type is expected, continuing to stop the provision of the audio information.
19. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more visual characteristics include a gaze direction of a user associated with the communication of the first type.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the one or more visual characteristics include eye gaze, facial expression, hand gesture, or a combination thereof.
21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein stopping the provision of the audio information includes fading out the audio information.
22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , the one or more programs further including instructions for:
after stopping the provision of the audio information and in accordance with a determination that the communication of the first type has stopped, providing resumed audio information.
23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22 , wherein the audio information is divided into predefined segments, and the resumed audio information begins with the segment where the audio information was stopped.
24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23 , wherein the resumed audio information includes a rephrased version of a previously provided segment of the audio information.
25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the received input includes a triggering command.
26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the communication of the first type includes a directly-vocalized lexical utterance.
27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26 , wherein the directly-vocalized lexical utterance excludes silencing commands.
28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26 , the one or more programs further including instructions for:
determining the external sound is a directly-vocalized lexical utterance by determining a location corresponding to a source of the external sound.
29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 28 , wherein the location is determined with a directional microphone array.
30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the communication of the second type includes conversational sounds.
31. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the communication of the second type includes compressed audio.
32. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the communication of the second type includes a lexical utterance reproduced by an electronic device.
33. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 32 , the one or more programs further including instructions for:
determining the external sound is a lexical utterance reproduced by an electronic device by determining a location corresponding to a source of the external sound.
34. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33 , wherein the location is determined with a directional microphone array.
35. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the one or more visual characteristics include a gaze direction of a user associated with the communication of the first type.
36. The method of claim 18 , wherein the one or more visual characteristics include eye gaze, facial expression, hand gesture, or a combination thereof.
37. The method of claim 18 , wherein stopping the provision of the audio information includes fading out the audio information.
38. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
after stopping the provision of the audio information and in accordance with a determination that the communication of the first type has stopped, providing resumed audio information.
39. The method of claim 38 , wherein the audio information is divided into predefined segments, and the resumed audio information begins with the segment where the audio information was stopped.
40. The method of claim 39 , wherein the resumed audio information includes a rephrased version of a previously provided segment of the audio information.
41. The method of claim 18 , wherein the received input includes a triggering command.
42. The method of claim 18 , wherein the communication of the first type includes a directly-vocalized lexical utterance.
43. The method of claim 42 , wherein the directly-vocalized lexical utterance excludes silencing commands.
44. The method of claim 42 , further comprising:
determining the external sound is a directly-vocalized lexical utterance by determining a location corresponding to a source of the external sound.
45. The method of claim 44 , wherein the location is determined with a directional microphone array.
46. The method of claim 18 , wherein the communication of the second type includes conversational sounds.
47. The method of claim 18 , wherein the communication of the second type includes compressed audio.
48. The method of claim 18 , wherein the communication of the second type includes a lexical utterance reproduced by an electronic device.
49. The method of claim 48 , further comprising:
determining the external sound is a lexical utterance reproduced by an electronic device by determining a location corresponding to a source of the external sound.
50. The method of claim 49 , wherein the location is determined with a directional microphone array.
51. The method of claim 18 , wherein the one or more visual characteristics include a gaze direction of a user associated with the communication of the first type.