/Patent Tracker
SamsungGranted patentRobots & automationInterest 6/10

Samsung patents robot that adjusts hearing based on nearby objects

This filing describes a robot that uses a LiDAR sensor to detect objects around it and directional microphones to listen. The robot adjusts the volume of sound from specific directions based on what it sees and its current movement, then processes the audio to better understand voice commands.

Why it mattersThis approach could help robots distinguish between important voices and background noise in busy environments, making them more reliable when following spoken instructions.

In the filing’s own words

A robot includes: a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor; a plurality of directional microphones; and at least one processor configured to: identify, based on sensing data obtained through the LiDAR sensor, an object in a vicinity of the robot, identify, based on the type of the object, a weight to apply to an audio signal received through a directional microphone corresponding to a location of the object from among the plurality of directional microphones, obtain context information of the robot based on the sensing data, identify, based on the context information, a pre-processing model corresponding to each directional microphone of the plurality of directional microphones, apply the weight to an audio signal received through the directional microphone corresponding to the location of the object among a plurality of audio signals received through the plurality of directional microphones, obtain a plurality of pre-processed audio signals by inputting the audio signal to which the weight has been applied, and the remaining audio signals into the pre-processing model corresponding to the respective directional microphone, and perform voice recognition based on the plurality of pre-processed audio signals.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A robot comprising: a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor; a plurality of directional microphones; memory storing instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the robot to: identify, based on sensing data obtained through the LiDAR sensor, an object in a vicinity of the robot, identify, based on a type of the object, a weight to apply to an audio signal received through a directional microphone corresponding to a location of the object from among the plurality of directional microphones, obtain context information of the robot based on the sensing data, the context information including first context information on a space in the vicinity of the robot and second context information on a driving state of the robot, identify, based on the first context information and the second context information, a pre-processing model corresponding to each directional microphone of the plurality of directional microphones, apply the weight to the audio signal received through the directional microphone corresponding to the location of the object among a plurality of audio signals received through the plurality of directional microphones, obtain a plurality of pre-processed audio signals by inputting the audio signal to which the weight has been applied, and a remainder of the plurality of audio signals other than the audio signal to which the weight has been applied, into the pre-processing model corresponding to the respective directional microphone, perform voice recognition based on the plurality of pre-processed audio signals, and control an operation of the robot based on a result of the voice recognition.

Facts

Company
Samsung (SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.)
Official title
Robot and control method thereof
Patent number
US12728538B2
Application number
18509858
Filed
Nov 15, 2023
Granted
Sep 8, 2026
Inventors
4
Claims
17

Classified under

B25J 9/1694 Operations & transportB25J 19/02 Operations & transportB25J 19/026 Operations & transportG06V 20/50 Physics & computingG06V 40/10 Physics & computingG10L 15/22 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

More from Samsung in Robots & automation

Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.