Audio playback settings for voice interaction
AssigneeSonos, Inc.
InventorsKlaus Hartung, Romi Kadri
Life of this patent
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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 network microphone device comprising:
- a network interface;
- one or more microphones;
- one or more audio transducers;
- at least one processor;
- a housing carrying at least the network interface, the one or more microphones, and the one or more audio transducers, and
- at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the network microphone device is configured to:
- while at least one playback device is playing back first audio in a given environment:
- (a) record, via the one or more microphones, audio into a buffer;
- (b) detect, within the recorded audio, a wake word to invoke a voice assistant;
- (c) in response to detection of the wake word:
- (i) cause, via the network interface, the at least one playback device to duck a first portion of the first audio while recording, into the buffer, audio representing a voice input to the voice assistant and (ii) send, to the voice assistant, the recorded audio in the buffer representing the voice input to the voice assistant;
- and
- (d) receive, from the voice assistant in response to the voice input, second audio representing a spoken response to the voice input;
- and
- in response to receipt of the second audio representing the spoken response to the voice input:
- (1) cause, via the network interface, the at least one playback device to duck a second portion of the first audio and (2) play back the received second audio via the one or more audio transducers concurrently with playback of the ducked second portion of the first audio by the at least one playback device.
A system comprising:
- a network microphone device comprising a network interface, one or more microphones and one or more audio transducers;
- at least one processor;
- and
- at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that are executable by the at least one processor such that the system is configured to:
- while at least one playback device is playing back first audio in a given environment:
- (a) record, via the one or more microphones, audio into a buffer;
- (b) detect, within the recorded audio, a wake word to invoke a voice assistant;
- (c) in response to detection of the wake word:
- (i) cause, via the network interface, the at least one playback device to duck a first portion of the first audio while recording, into the buffer, audio representing a voice input to the voice assistant and (ii) send, to the voice assistant, the recorded audio in the buffer representing the voice input to the voice assistant;
- and
- (d) receive, from the voice assistant in response to the voice input, second audio representing a spoken response to the voice input;
- and
- in response to receipt of the second audio representing the spoken response to the voice input:
- (1) cause, via the network interface, the at least one playback device to duck a second portion of the first audio and (2) play back the received second audio via the one or more audio transducers concurrently with playback of the ducked second portion of the first audio by the at least one playback device.
A method to be performed by a network microphone device comprising a network interface, one or more microphones and one or more audio transducers, the method comprising:
- while at least one playback device is playing back first audio in a given environment:
- (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) causing, via the network interface, the at least one playback device to duck a first portion of 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;
- and
- (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:
- (1) causing, via the network interface, the at least one playback device to duck a second portion of the first audio and (2) playing back the received second audio via the one or more audio transducers concurrently with playback of the ducked second portion of the first audio by the at least one playback device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.