US 2016/0240192 A1 · Audio Buffer Catch-Up Apparatus and Method With Two Microphones

Abstract

A first microphone is operated in a low power sensing mode, and a buffer at the first microphone is used to temporarily store at least some of the phrase. Subsequently the first microphone is deactivated, then the first microphone is re-activated to operate in normal operating mode where the buffer is no longer used to store the phrase. The first microphone forms first data that does not include the entire phrase. A second microphone is maintained in a deactivated mode until the trigger portion is detected in the first data, and when the trigger portion is detected, the second microphone is caused to operate in normal operating mode where no buffer is used. The second microphone forms second data that does not include the entire phrase. A first electronic representation of the phrase as received at the first microphone and a second electronic representation of the phrase as received at the second microphone are formed from selected portions of the first data and the second data.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of forming multiple electronic representations of an uttered phrase, the method comprising:

receiving buffered data at a microphone interface of a processor, the buffered data derived from a first segment of the uttered phrase by a first microphone;
receiving first unbuffered data at the microphone interface of the processor, the first unbuffered data derived from a second segment of the uttered phrase by the first microphone, the first segment different than the second segment;
receiving second unbuffered data at the microphone interface of the processor, the second unbuffered data derived from less than the entire uttered phrase by a second microphone;
forming a first electronic representation of the entire uttered phrase based on buffered data and based on first unbuffered data;
and
forming a second electronic representation of the entire uttered phrase based on buffered data and based on second unbuffered data.

3 more elements

A method of forming multiple electronic representations of a phrase that is uttered by a user and received at different microphones, the method comprising:

receiving buffered first data from a first microphone that is being operated in a low power sensing mode, the buffered first data having been buffered at the first microphone;
determining whether speech is present in the buffered first data received from the first microphone;
when speech is determined to be present in the buffered first data, activating a second microphone;
subsequently receiving unbuffered second data from the second microphone in real time, the unbuffered second data not having been buffered at the second microphone;
deactivating the first microphone after a delay period while continuing to receive the unbuffered second data in real time from the second microphone, the deactivating causing the first microphone to fail to sense a part of the phrase, the unbuffered second data including the part of the phrase not sensed by the first microphone;
re-activating the first microphone, the re-activating causing the first microphone to operate in a normal operating mode, wherein the first microphone produces unbuffered first data when in normal operating mode;
forming a first electronic representation of the entire phrase, the first electronic representation being assembled from the buffered first data, the unbuffered second data, and the unbuffered first data;
forming a second electronic representation of the entire phrase, the second electronic representation being assembled from the buffered first data and the unbuffered second data.

5 more elements

A system of forming multiple electronic representations of a phrase uttered by a user and received at different microphones, the system comprising:

a first microphone that includes a buffer, wherein the buffer at the first microphone temporarily stores data corresponding to at least some of the phrase;
a second microphone;
a control apparatus coupled to the first microphone and the second microphone, the control apparatus having an output, the first microphone forming first data including buffered data corresponding to at least a portion of the phrase, the control apparatus further configured to maintain the second microphone in a deactivated mode until speech is detected in the first data, and when speech is detected, cause the second microphone to provide unbuffered second data, the second data corresponding to less than the entire phrase, the control apparatus configured to form a first electronic representation of the entire phrase and a second electronic representation of the entire phrase, the first electronic representation and second electronic representation being assembled from selected portions of the first data and the second data, the first electronic representation and the second electronic representation be transmitted at the output.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Audio Buffer Catch-Up Apparatus and Method With Two Microphones

Life of this patent

Audio Buffer Catch-Up Apparatus and Method With Two Microphones

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20