Pre-wakeword speech processing
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsKurt Wesley Piersol, Gabriel Beddingfield
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for capturing and processing portions of a spoken utterance command that may occur before a wakeword. The system buffers incoming audio and indicates locations in the audio where the utterance changes, for example when a long pause is detected. When the system detects a wakeword within a particular utterance, the system determines the most recent utterance change location prior to the wakeword and sends the audio from that location to the end of the command utterance to a server for further speech processing.
Claims20
A computer-implemented method for processing a spoken command when the wakeword does not begin the command, the method comprising:
- receiving audio comprising speech;
- buffering audio data representing the speech;
- determining that the audio data includes a number of consecutive audio frames with an energy level below a threshold;
- determining that a new utterance has occurred in the speech using a tone quality of the speech and the number of consecutive audio frames;
- determining a first location in the speech corresponding to the new utterance;
- storing the first location;
- detecting a wakeword in the speech, wherein the wakeword corresponds to a second location in the speech, the second location being after the first location;
- sending a portion of audio data to a remote server for speech processing, where a beginning of the portion of audio data corresponds to speech at the first location;
- determining an end of the new utterance at a third location in the speech, the third location being after the second location;
- concluding the sending of the portion of audio data to the remote server so that an end of the portion of audio data corresponds to speech at the third location;
- receiving command data from the remote server;
- and
- executing the command data.
A computer-implemented method comprising:
- receiving audio comprising speech;
- storing audio data representing the speech in a non-transitory memory;
- determining a first location in the audio data associated with a change in a characteristic of the speech;
- determining a wakeword at a second location in the audio data;
- determining a speech endpoint at a third location in the audio data;
- determining a first portion of audio data, wherein the first portion of audio data begins proximate to the first location and ends proximate to the third location;
- and
- selecting the first portion of audio data for speech processing.
A computing system comprising:
- at least one processor;
- a memory including instructions operable to be executed by the at least one processor to cause the system to perform a set of actions comprising:
- receiving audio comprising speech;
- storing audio data representing the speech in a non-transitory memory;
- determining a first location in the audio data associated with a change in a characteristic of the speech;
- determining a wakeword at a second location in the audio data;
- determining a speech endpoint at a third location in the audio data;
- determining a first portion of audio data, wherein the first portion of audio data begins proximate to the first location and ends proximate to the third location;
- and
- selecting the first portion of audio data for speech processing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.