IP Library Granted Patent US 12,249,341
Granted Patent B2
US 12,249,341 · App. 17/505,925 · Granted Mar 11, 2025

Electronic apparatus and method of controlling the same

Inventor: Chansik Bok (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
G10L21/0216G10L15/02G10L15/08G10L2015/088G10L2021/02082
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 12,249,341
App. No.
17/505,925
Granted
Mar 11, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic apparatus includes an interface configured to connect with an external apparatus, and a processor. The processor is configured to, in response to a first user speech received by the electronic apparatus including a trigger word, identify a first noise level corresponding to the first user speech received by the electronic apparatus. The processor is configured to identify a first recognition apparatus among a plurality of recognition apparatuses having a highest first noise level corresponding to the first user speech. The plurality of recognition apparatuses identify the first user speech as the trigger word and include the electronic apparatus and the external apparatus. The processor is configured to perform a control operation to implement a function corresponding to a second user speech in response to identifying a second recognition apparatus as having a highest second noise level corresponding to the second user speech among the plurality of recognition apparatuses.

Claims (36)

1. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a memory storing instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to:

based on a first user speech being received by the electronic apparatus and including a trigger word for activating a speech recognition function of the electronic apparatus, identify a first noise level corresponding to the first user speech received by the electronic apparatus,

identify, from among a plurality of recognition apparatuses that each received the first user speech and have a speech recognition function that is activatable by the trigger word, a first recognition apparatus having a highest first noise level corresponding to the first user speech, wherein the plurality of recognition apparatuses includes the electronic apparatus,

based on the identified first recognition apparatus being the electronic apparatus, turn down a level of sound output by the electronic apparatus and, while the level of sound output by the electronic apparatus is turned down, identify, from among the plurality of recognition apparatuses, a second recognition apparatus having a second noise level corresponding to a second user speech received by each recognition apparatus of the plurality of recognition apparatuses after the first user speech, and which is highest among the plurality of recognition apparatuses, wherein the second user speech includes a control command but does not include the trigger word, and

based on the identified first recognition apparatus being the electronic apparatus and the identified second recognition apparatus not being the electronic apparatus and the control command corresponding to a function of the electronic apparatus, receive information from the identified second recognition apparatus indicating the control command included in the second user speech received by the identified second recognition apparatus and perform the function of the electronic apparatus in accordance with the received information.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to, based on the identified first recognition apparatus being the electronic apparatus and the identified second recognition apparatus not being the electronic apparatus and the control command corresponding to a function of the identified second recognition apparatus,

recognize the control command using a natural language processing engine corresponding to the first recognition apparatus among a plurality of natural language processing engines respectively corresponding to the plurality of recognition apparatuses.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to, based on the identified first recognition apparatus being the electronic apparatus and a level of sound from at least one other recognition apparatus among the plurality of recognition apparatuses being lower than a preset value, identify the electronic apparatus as the second recognition apparatus.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processor is configured to:

obtain the second user speech by canceling a signal corresponding to the sound output by the electronic apparatus from a signal including the second user speech based on the identified second recognition apparatus being the electronic apparatus.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to identify the first noise level based on an utterance level of the first user speech.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to identify the second noise level based on a noise level of the second user speech.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:

based on the identified first recognition apparatus being the electronic apparatus and the second noise level corresponding to the second user speech received by other recognition apparatuses among the plurality of recognition apparatuses being similar to the second noise level corresponding to the second user speech received by the electronic apparatus, select the electronic apparatus as the second recognition apparatus.

8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:

based on the identified first recognition apparatus being the electronic apparatus and the second noise level corresponding to the second user speech received by other recognition apparatuses among the plurality of recognition apparatuses being similar to the second noise level corresponding to the second user speech received by the electronic apparatus, perform the function of the electronic apparatus in accordance with a recognition result based on a preset reference among a plurality of recognition results identified by the plurality of recognition apparatuses.

9. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, based on the identified first recognition apparatus not being the electronic apparatus and the identified second recognition apparatus being the electronic apparatus and the control command corresponding to a function of the identified first recognition apparatus, the processor is configured to transmit information to be received by the first recognition apparatus and indicating the control command.

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

receiving a first user speech including a trigger word for activating a speech recognition function of the electronic apparatus;

identifying a first noise level corresponding to the first user speech received by the electronic apparatus;

identifying, from among a plurality of recognition apparatuses that each received the first user speech and have a speech recognition function that is activatable by the trigger word, a first recognition apparatus having a highest first noise level corresponding to the first user speech, wherein the plurality of recognition apparatuses includes the electronic apparatus;

based on the identified first recognition apparatus being the electronic apparatus, turning down a level of sound output by the electronic apparatus and, while the level of sound output by the electronic apparatus is turned down, identifying, from among the plurality of recognition apparatuses, a second recognition apparatus having a second noise level corresponding to a second user speech received by each recognition apparatus of the plurality of recognition apparatuses after the first user speech, and which is highest among the plurality of recognition apparatuses, wherein the second user speech includes a control command but does not include the trigger word;

based on the identified first recognition apparatus being the electronic apparatus and the identified second recognition apparatus not being the electronic apparatus and the control command corresponding to a function of the electronic apparatus, receiving information from the identified second recognition apparatus indicating the control command included in the second user speech received by the identified second recognition apparatus; and

performing the function of the electronic apparatus in accordance with the received information.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein based on the identified first recognition apparatus being the electronic apparatus and the identified second recognition apparatus not being the electronic apparatus and the control command corresponding to a function of the identified second recognition apparatus,

recognizing the control command using a natural language processing engine corresponding to the first recognition apparatus among a plurality of natural language processing engines respectively corresponding to the plurality of recognition apparatuses.

12. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:

based on the identified first recognition apparatus not being the electronic apparatus and the identified second recognition apparatus being the electronic apparatus and the control command corresponding to a function of the identified first recognition apparatus, transmitting information to be received by the first recognition apparatus and indicating the control command.

13. A non-transitory recording medium storing a computer program including computer readable code that, when executed by a processor of an electronic apparatus, causes the electronic apparatus to perform a method comprising:

based on a first user speech received by the electronic apparatus and including a trigger word for activating a speech recognition function of the electronic apparatus, identifying a first noise level corresponding to the first user speech received by the electronic apparatus;

identifying, from among a plurality of recognition apparatuses that each received the first user speech and have a speech recognition function that is activatable by the trigger word, a first recognition apparatus having a highest first noise level corresponding to the first user speech, wherein the plurality of recognition apparatuses includes the electronic apparatus;

based on the identified first recognition apparatus being the electronic apparatus, turning down a level of sound output by the electronic apparatus and, while the level of sound output by the electronic apparatus is turned down, identifying, from among the plurality of recognition apparatuses, a second recognition apparatus having a second noise level corresponding to a second user speech received by each recognition apparatus of the plurality of recognition apparatuses after the first user speech, and which is highest among the plurality of recognition apparatuses, wherein the second user speech includes a control command but does not include the trigger word; and

based on the identified first recognition apparatus being the electronic apparatus and the identified second recognition apparatus not being the electronic apparatus and the control command corresponding to a function of the electronic apparatus, receiving information from the identified second recognition apparatus indicating the control command included in the second user speech received by the identified second recognition apparatus and performing the function of the electronic apparatus in accordance with the received information.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 20, 2021
From: BOK, CHANSIK
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 057847/0913 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2020-0143186 · Oct 30, 2020 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTKR2021011646 · Aug 31, 2021
Related Publication 20220139413A1 · May 5, 2022
References Cited (32)
US 9729821B1 · Fineberg · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 10685652B1 · Cherukuri · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 10735597B1 · Zagorski · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20140136195A1 · Abdossalami · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 20140172953A1 · Blanksteen · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 20160210965A1 · Mun et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20170025124A1 · Mixter · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20170076720A1 · Gopalan · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20170154625A1 · Heo · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20180096690A1 · Mixter · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20180096696A1 · Mixter · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20180342244A1 · Thomsen · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20190295542A1 · Huang · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20190325865A1 · Oktem et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20200143807A1 · Ko · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200265838A1 · Lee · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20210043203A1 · Gao et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20210074283A1 · Park · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20220066008A1 · Jones · 2022 [cited by examiner]
CN 110457078A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
CN 111223497A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
JP 4581441 · 2010 [cited by applicant]
JP 6513749 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020150144547A · 2015 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020160089145A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020180128838A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020190109341A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020200024068 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020200050152 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020200051462A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
International Search Report, PCT/ISA/210, and Written Opinion, PCT/ISA/237, dated Dec. 3, 2021 in Application No. PCT/KR2021/011646. [cited by applicant]
Office Action dated Feb. 26, 2024, in European Application No. EP 21 88 6527. [cited by applicant]