# US 2021/0240435 A1 · Virtual Button Using a Sound Signal > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0240435 A1 - Document ID: US20210240435A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/141,827 - Filed: 2021-01-05 - Published: 2021-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2020-01-20 - Assignees: Sagemcom Broadband SAS - Applicants: Sagemcom Broadband SAS - Inventors: Radu NEDELCU; Jérôme BERGER - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210240435A1 ## CPC - G06F 3/165: {Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path} - G06F 3/167: {Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback} - G10L 25/21: the extracted parameters being power information - G10L 25/51: for comparison or discrimination - H04R 1/025: {Arrangements for fixing loudspeaker transducers, e.g. in a box, furniture} - H04R 1/04: Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor (in electric hearing aids H04R25/00) - H04R 1/2876: {by means of damping material, e.g. as cladding (damping material for tuning desired resonances H04R1/2807, e.g. in vents H04R1/2823, H04R1/2846)} - H04R 1/406: {microphones} - H04R 3/00: Circuits for transducers (arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound G10K15/08; amplifiers H03F) - H04R 3/005: {for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407)} - H04R 3/04: for correcting frequency response - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING - H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K) ## Abstract Electrical equipment includes a housing having a hole formed therein; a microphone positioned inside the housing and in the proximity of the hole; a loudspeaker; emitter means arranged to emit an emitted detection sound signal via the loudspeaker; and processor means arranged to acquire a received detection sound signal via the microphone, to detect in real time from the received detection sound signal whether a user's finger is or is not positioned on or in the immediate proximity of the hole, and if a finger is positioned on or in the immediate proximity of the hole to cause a predetermined action to be performed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Electrical equipment comprising: a housing having a hole formed therein; a microphone positioned inside the housing and in the proximity of the hole; a loudspeaker; emitter means arranged to emit an emitted detection sound signal via the loudspeaker; processor means arranged to acquire a received detection sound signal via the microphone, to detect in real time from the received detection sound signal whether a user's finger is or is not positioned on or in the immediate proximity of the hole, and if a finger is positioned on or in the immediate proximity of the hole to cause a predetermined action to be performed. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electrical equipment according to claim 1, wherein the microphone is a surface mount component that is mounted on a printed circuit of an electric circuit card positioned inside the housing parallel to a face of the housing in which the hole is formed. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electrical equipment according to claim 2, wherein sound insulating material is placed around the microphone between the housing and the circuit card. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electrical equipment according to claim 1, wherein the loudspeaker has a directivity pattern that is oriented towards a zone that does not include the microphone. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The electrical equipment according to claim 4, wherein the microphone is positioned in an upper portion of the electrical equipment and wherein the directivity pattern of the loudspeaker is downwardly oriented. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The electrical equipment according to claim 4, wherein the microphone is positioned in an upper portion of the electrical equipment and wherein the directivity pattern of the loudspeaker is horizontally oriented. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electrical equipment according to claim 1, wherein the emitted detection sound signal is a signal that is normally inaudible for a human being. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electrical equipment according to claim 1, wherein the emitted detection sound signal comprises a first run of first signals of non-zero amplitude and of first signals of zero amplitude. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electrical equipment according to claim 1 wherein the processor means are arranged to implement a bandpass filter around a frequency of the emitted detection sound signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The electrical equipment according to claim 1, wherein the processor means are arranged at a time t to evaluate a present instantaneous power P(t) of the received detection sound signal, to compare the present instantaneous power P(t) with a past instantaneous power P(t−T0), where T0 lies in the range 1 ms to 500 ms, and if the ratio between the present instantaneous power and the past instantaneous power is below a predetermined power threshold, to deduce that a finger is positioned on or in the immediate proximity of the hole. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The electrical equipment according to claim 1, wherein the emitter means are arranged to emit an emitted test sound signal comprising a second run of second signals of non-zero amplitude and of second signals of zero amplitude, wherein the processor means are arranged to acquire a received test sound signal, and wherein the processor means are arranged to evaluate an energy difference for the received test sound signal over its intervals corresponding to the second signals of non-zero amplitude and over its intervals corresponding to the second signals of zero amplitude, in order to define a target volume for the emitted test sound signal such that the energy difference is greater than a predetermined energy threshold, and to emit the emitted detection sound signal with the target volume. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The electrical equipment according to claim 1, wherein the electrical equipment includes a plurality of microphones, each positioned in the proximity of a respective hole formed in the housing. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The electrical equipment according to claim 12, wherein the processor means are arranged not to cause the predetermined action to be performed if the processor means detect that one or more objects are positioned on or in the immediate proximity of a plurality of holes simultaneously. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The electrical equipment according to claim 12, wherein a distinct predetermined action is associated with each microphone and wherein, when the processor means detect that a finger is positioned on or in the immediate proximity of a particular hole, the processor means are arranged to cause the predetermined action associated with the microphone situated in the proximity of said particular hole to be performed. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The electrical equipment according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined action is activating or deactivating voice interaction with a user. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The electrical equipment according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined action is activating or deactivating a standby mode. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The electrical equipment according to claim 1, the electrical equipment being a smartspeaker that performs a voice assistant function. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A method of controlling electrical equipment according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of: using the loudspeaker to emit an emitted detection sound signal; using the microphone to receive a received detection sound signal; using the received detection sound signal to detect in real time whether a user's finger is or is not positioned on or in the immediate proximity of the hole, and performing a predetermined action if a finger is positioned on or in the immediate proximity of the hole. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) A computer program including instructions for causing the electrical equipment according to claim 1 to execute a method of controlling the electrical equipment, the method comprising the steps of: using the loudspeaker to emit an emitted detection sound signal; using the microphone to receive a received detection sound signal; using the received detection sound signal to detect in real time whether a user's finger is or is not positioned on or in the immediate proximity of the hole, and performing a predetermined action if a finger is positioned on or in the immediate proximity of the hole. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon the computer program according to claim 19.