Audio playback settings for voice interaction
AssigneeSonos, Inc.
InventorsKlaus Hartung, Romi Kadri
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Example techniques relate to voice interaction in an environment with a media playback system that is playing back audio content. In an example implementation, while playing back first audio in a given environment at a given loudness: a playback device (a) detects that an event is anticipated in the given environment, the event involving playback of second audio and (b) determines a loudness of background noise in the given environment, the background noise comprising ambient noise in the given environment. The playback device ducks the first audio in proportion to a difference between the given loudness of the first audio and the determined loudness of the background noise and plays back the ducked first audio concurrently with the second audio.
Claims20
A playback device comprising:
- a network interface;
- one or more microphones;
- an audio stage comprising an amplifier;
- one or more speakers;
- one or more processors;
- a housing, the housing carrying at least the network interface, the one or more microphones, the audio stage, the one or more speakers, the one or more processors, and data storage having stored therein instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the playback device to perform functions comprising:
- while playing back first audio in a given environment at a given loudness via the audio stage and the one or more speakers:
- (a) recording, via the one or more microphones, audio into a buffer;
- (b) detecting, within the recorded audio, a wake word to invoke a voice assistant;
- (c) in response to detecting the wake word:
- (i) ducking the first audio while recording, into the buffer, audio representing a voice input to the voice assistant and (ii) sending, to the voice assistant, the recorded audio in the buffer representing the voice input to the voice assistant;
- (d) receiving, from the voice assistant in response to the voice input, second audio representing a spoken response to the voice input;
- and
- in response to receiving the second audio representing the spoken response to the voice input, ducking the first audio while playing back the ducked first audio concurrently with the second audio representing the spoken response to the voice input via the audio stage and the one or more speakers, wherein playing back the ducked first audio concurrently with the second audio comprises filtering the first audio, and wherein filtering the first audio comprises cutting the first audio in a frequency range corresponding to human speech.
A method to be performed by a playback device, the method comprising:
- while playing back first audio in a given environment at a given loudness via an audio stage and one or more speakers:
- (a) recording, via one or more microphones, audio into a buffer;
- (b) detecting, within the recorded audio, a wake word to invoke a voice assistant;
- (c) in response to detecting the wake word:
- (i) ducking the first audio while recording, into the buffer, audio representing a voice input to the voice assistant and (ii) sending, to the voice assistant, the recorded audio in the buffer representing the voice input to the voice assistant;
- (d) receiving, from the voice assistant in response to the voice input, second audio representing a spoken response to the voice input;
- and
- in response to receiving the second audio representing the spoken response to the voice input, ducking the first audio while playing back the ducked first audio concurrently with the second audio representing the spoken response to the voice input via the audio stage and the one or more speakers, wherein playing back the ducked first audio concurrently with the second audio comprises filtering the first audio, and wherein filtering the first audio comprises cutting the first audio in a frequency range corresponding to human speech.
A non-transitory, computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or more processors of a playback device, cause the playback device to perform functions comprising:
- while playing back first audio in a given environment at a given loudness via an audio stage and one or more speakers:
- (a) recording, via one or more microphones, audio into a buffer;
- (b) detecting, within the recorded audio, a wake word to invoke a voice assistant;
- (c) in response to detecting the wake word:
- (i) ducking the first audio while recording, into the buffer, audio representing a voice input to the voice assistant and (ii) sending, to the voice assistant, the recorded audio in the buffer representing the voice input to the voice assistant;
- (d) receiving, from the voice assistant in response to the voice input, second audio representing a spoken response to the voice input;
- and
- in response to receiving the second audio representing the spoken response to the voice input, ducking the first audio while playing back the ducked first audio concurrently with the second audio representing the spoken response to the voice input via the audio stage and the one or more speakers, wherein playing back the ducked first audio concurrently with the second audio comprises filtering the first audio, and wherein filtering the first audio comprises cutting the first audio in a frequency range corresponding to human speech.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.