Patent Publication Number: US-11393467-B2

Title: Electronic device, control method, and storage medium

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Field 
     The present disclosure relates to an electronic device capable of recognizing a voice input. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     In recent years, with the improvement in a voice recognition technique, a technique called a voice control function which enables a user to operate an electronic device through a voice input has been known. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-013351 discusses a communication robot which processes a voice input on a network that is received through a microphone, and vocally responds to that voice input. 
     SUMMARY 
     However, it has now been determined that with respect to conventional voice recognition, in order to prevent a device from operating with a voice which the user has produced without intention of inputting an instruction to the device, there is a use case in which the user turns on the voice control function only when the voice control function is to be used and turns off the voice control function for the rest of time. In the above-described use case, if the voice control function of the device is OFF, the user cannot use the voice control function unless the user manually turns on the voice control function. 
     In consideration of the above-discussed issues, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device includes a voice receiving unit configured to receive a voice input, a first communication unit configured to communicate with an external device having a voice recognition function, and a control unit, wherein the control unit receives a notification indicating whether the external device is ready to recognize the voice input via the first communication unit, and wherein, in a case where the notification indicates that the external device is not ready to recognize the voice input, the control unit controls the external device to be ready to recognize the voice input via the first communication unit when a predetermined voice input including a phrase corresponding to the external device is received through the voice receiving unit. 
     Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a system configuration according to a first exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a smart-speaker according to the first exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a digital camera according to the first exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a table illustrating an example of a power supply state of the digital camera according to the first exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing for setting a remote control function of the smart-speaker according to the first exemplary embodiment. 
         FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C  are tables illustrating examples of a device management database (DB) according to the first exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing which allows the smart-speaker according to the first exemplary embodiment in a power supply state PS 2 , to acquire information about an operation state of a voice control function of the digital camera. 
         FIG. 8  is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing which allows the smart-speaker according to the first exemplary embodiment in a power supply state PS 1 , to acquire information about an operation state of the voice control function of the digital camera. 
         FIG. 9  is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing of a remote control function executed when the voice control function of the digital camera according to the first exemplary embodiment is OFF. 
         FIG. 10  is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing of the remote control function executed when the voice control function of the digital camera according to the first exemplary embodiment is ON. 
         FIG. 11  is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the remote control function of the smart-speaker according to the first exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 12  is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the remote control function of the digital camera according to the first exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the appended drawings. 
     &lt;System Configuration&gt; 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a system configuration according to the first exemplary embodiment. The system described in the present exemplary embodiment is configured of a smart-speaker  100 , a digital camera  200 , a wireless local area network (LAN) router  300 , a server  400 , and a smartphone  500 . 
     The smart-speaker  100  is an electronic device having a voice control function. The voice control function is a function for executing a user command by determining the command based on a voice input. Generally, an electronic device having the voice control function firstly recognizes a predetermined word (a so-called “wake word”) included in a received voice input and determines the voice input following after the wake word. In the present exemplary embodiment, the smart-speaker  100  transmits the received voice input, to a server  400  connected thereto via a wireless LAN network, and determines a command based on the voice input by using the server  400 . The smart-speaker  100  and the below-described digital camera  200  of the present exemplary embodiment internally recognize the wake word, and determine the voice input following the wake word by using the server  400 . 
     The smart-speaker  100  operates by receiving power from an external power supply such as a commercial power supply. The smart-speaker  100  is connected to the wireless LAN router  300  and the server  400 . Further, the smart-speaker  100  can communicate with the digital camera  200  according to a communication standard compliant with the Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE). The smart-speaker  100  acquires information about an operation state of the voice control function of the digital camera  200 . 
     The digital camera  200  is a device having a voice control function. The digital camera  200  includes an electric cell such as a lithium-ion cell or battery, and operates receiving power from the electric cell. Because an amount of electric power which the electric cell can store is finite, the user would like to save the power consumption of the digital camera  200  as much as possible. Therefore, the voice control function and the wireless LAN function of the digital camera  200  is usually turned off, and the user enables the functions as necessary. A configuration of the digital camera  200  of the present exemplary embodiment is also applicable to devices such as a smartphone and a tablet terminal. 
     The wireless LAN router  300  forms a wireless LAN network. The smart-speaker  100 , the digital camera  200 , and the below-described smartphone  500  can execute wireless LAN communication via the wireless LAN network formed by the wireless LAN router  300 . Further, the smart-speaker  100  and the digital camera  200  can communicate with the server  400  via the wireless LAN router  300 . 
     The server  400  provides a service for recognizing a command based on a voice input. For example, the server  400  provides a service for converting voice data into characters or sentences and a service for analyzing characters or sentences to convert the characters or sentences into an instruction to the digital camera  200 . By using the service provided by the server  400 , the user can easily execute processing that is rather burdensome for a portable electronic device such as the smartphone  500  or the digital camera  200 . The smart-speaker  100  and the digital camera  200  analyze an input voice using a service provided by the server  400 . 
     The smartphone  500  executes various settings of the smart-speaker  100  via the wireless LAN communication. Specifically, an application for executing the various settings of the smart-speaker  100  is installed in the smartphone  500 . 
     In the system configuration illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the smart-speaker  100  of the present exemplary embodiment has a function for remotely controlling a part of the voice control function of the digital camera  200 . If a user speaks to the digital camera  200  when the voice control function is not operating, the smart-speaker  100  receives the user&#39;s voice input and enables the voice control function of the digital camera  200 . Further, the smart-speaker  100  can transmit the received voice data to the digital camera  200  and remotely control the digital camera  200  to execute a function corresponding to that received voice data. Details of remote control will be described below with reference to  FIGS. 9 and 10 . 
     &lt;Configuration Example of Smart-Speaker  100 &gt; 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the smart-speaker  100 . 
     A control unit  101  controls respective units of the smart-speaker  100  according to an input signal or a program stored in a read only memory (ROM)  102 . For example, the control unit  101  is configured of one or more processors such as central processing units (CPUs) or micro processing units (MPUs). In addition, the entirety of the device may be controlled by a plurality of pieces of hardware by sharing the processing instead of being controlled by the control unit  101 . 
     The ROM  102  is an electrically erasable/recordable non-volatile memory, and the below-described program executed by the control unit  101  is stored therein. 
     A random access memory (RAM)  103  is a volatile memory used as a work memory for the control unit  101  to execute a program or a temporary storage area of various types of data. 
     A recording medium  104  is a medium used for recording. For example, the recording medium  104  is configured of a memory card, a flash memory, or a hard disk. The recording medium  104  may be attachable to and detachable from the smart-speaker  100 , or may be built into the smart-speaker  100 . Therefore, the smart-speaker  100  just has to include at least a unit for accessing the recording medium  104 . 
     An operation unit  105  is a processing unit for receiving a user operation and notifying received information to the control unit  101 . For example, the operation unit  105  is configured of a touch panel, a button switch, and a cross key. The operation unit  105  further includes a power switch which allows the user to input an instruction for turning on or off the power of the smart-speaker  100 . 
     A display unit  106  is a processing unit for displaying image data and an operation state of the device. The display unit  106  is configured of a liquid crystal panel or a light-emitting diode (LED) panel. In addition, the smart-speaker  100  does not always have to include the display unit  106 . The smart-speaker  100  just has to be connectable to the display unit  106  and include at least a display control function for controlling display of the display unit  106 . 
     A voice receiving unit  107  is a processing unit which converts user&#39;s voice into digital data and stores the digital data in the RAM  103 . For example, the voice receiving unit  107  includes a microphone. 
     A voice output unit  108  is a processing unit which converts the data stored in the RAM  103  to voice and outputs the voice to an external portion through a speaker. 
     A wireless LAN communication unit  109  is a processing unit for executing wireless communication compliant with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard. The wireless LAN communication unit  109  operates as a station (STA) of the wireless LAN to execute wireless communication by connecting to the wireless LAN network formed by the wireless LAN router  300 . 
     A BT communication unit  110  is a processing unit for executing wireless communication compliant with the Bluetooth® standard. In the present exemplary embodiment, a Bluetooth® Low Energy (hereinafter, referred to as “BLE”) mode specified in the Bluetooth® version 4.0 or later is employed for Bluetooth® communication (BT communication). A communicable range of the BLE communication is narrower (i.e., a communicable distance thereof is shorter) than that of the wireless LAN communication, and a communication speed thereof is slower than that of the wireless LAN communication. On the other hand, power consumption of the BLE communication is lower than that of the wireless LAN communication. In the present exemplary embodiment, the BT communication unit  110  operates as “central”, and executes wireless data communication with the digital camera  200 . 
     An internal bus  120  mutually connects the respective processing units. 
     Herein, a role of a communication device in the BLE communication will be described. Two communication devices connected through the BLE communication respectively operate as “central” and “peripheral”. A connection mode of the BLE communication standard is a master-slave star network. A communication device operating as “central” (hereinafter, referred to as “central device”) functions as a master, whereas a communication device operating as “peripheral” (hereinafter, referred to as “peripheral device”) functions as a slave. The central device manages participation of the peripheral device to the network and executes setting of various parameters for wirelessly connecting to the peripheral device. Although the central device can concurrently connect to a plurality of peripheral devices, the peripheral device cannot establish wireless connection with more than one central device at a time. Further, wireless connection cannot be established between devices serving as central devices, so that one device should serve as a central device whereas another device should serve as a peripheral when wireless connection is to be established. A role of the communication device in BLE communication has been described as the above. 
     In the present exemplary embodiment, a communication speed of communication realized by the wireless LAN communication unit  109  is faster than a communication speed of communication realized by the BT communication unit  110 . Further, a communicable range of communication realized by the wireless LAN communication unit  109  is wider than that of communication realized by the BT communication unit  110 . 
     Herein, the smart-speaker  100  constantly receives power from an external power supply such as a commercial power supply. 
     &lt;Configuration Example of Digital Camera  200 &gt; 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the digital camera  200 . 
     A control unit  201  controls respective units of the digital camera  200  according to an input signal or a program stored in a ROM  202 . For example, the control unit  201  is configured of one or more processors such as CPUs or MPUs. In addition, the entirety of the device may be controlled by a plurality of pieces of hardware by sharing the processing instead of being controlled by the control unit  201 . 
     The ROM  202  is an electrically erasable/recordable non-volatile memory, and the below-described program executed by the control unit  201  is stored therein. 
     A RAM  203  is a volatile memory, and serves as a work memory which the control unit  201  uses to execute a program, or a temporary storage area of various types of data. 
     A recording medium  204  is a medium used for recording. For example, the recording medium  204  is configured of a memory card, a flash memory, or a hard disk. The recording medium  204  may be attachable to and detachable from the digital camera  200 , or may be built into the digital camera  200 . In other words, the digital camera  200  just has to include at least a unit for accessing the recording medium  204 . 
     An operation unit  205  is a processing unit for receiving a user operation and notifying received information to the control unit  201 . For example, the operation unit  205  is configured of a touch panel, a button switch, and a cross key. The operation unit  205  further includes a power switch which allows the user to input an instruction for turning on or off the power of the digital camera  200 . 
     A display unit  206  is a processing unit for displaying image data and an operation state of the device. The display unit  206  is configured of a liquid crystal panel or an LED panel. In addition, the digital camera  200  does not always have to include the display unit  206 . The digital camera  200  just has to be connectable to the display unit  206  and include at least a display control function for controlling display of the display unit  206 . 
     A voice receiving unit  207  is a processing unit which converts user&#39;s voice into digital data and stores the digital data in the RAM  203 . For example, the voice receiving unit  207  detects user&#39;s voice via a microphone. 
     A voice output unit  208  is a processing unit which converts the data stored in the RAM  203  to voice and outputs the voice to an external portion through a speaker. 
     A wireless LAN communication unit  209  is a processing unit for executing wireless communication compliant with the IEEE 802.11 standard. The wireless LAN communication unit  209  operates as a station (STA) of the wireless LAN to execute wireless communication by connecting to the wireless LAN network formed by the wireless LAN router  300 . 
     A BT communication unit  210  is a processing unit for executing wireless communication compliant with the Bluetooth® standard. BT communication unit  210  operates as “peripheral”, and executes BLE communication with the smart-speaker  100 . 
     A power supply control unit  211  is a processing unit for controlling power to be supplied to respective processing units from a power supply unit  212 . 
     The power supply unit  212  can supply power to respective elements of the digital camera  200 . For example, the power supply unit  212  is a lithium ion cell or battery. 
     An internal bus  220  mutually connects the respective processing units. 
     Herein, power control of the digital camera  200  executed by the power supply control unit  211  will be described with reference to  FIG. 4 . As described above, the digital camera  200  is a device driven by a battery, and includes the power supply control unit  211  in order to realize low power consumption. 
       FIG. 4  is a table illustrating an example of a power supply state of the digital camera  200 . In a power supply state PS 0 , power is not supplied to any of the processing units of the digital camera  200 , so that the power switch of the digital camera  200  is turned off. In a power supply state PS 1 , the power supply control unit  211  does not distribute power to the voice receiving unit  207 , the voice output unit  208 , and the wireless LAN communication unit  209 . The power supply state PS 1  is a state where power consumption is suppressed next to the power supply state PS 0 . In a power supply state PS 2 , power is supplied to at least all of the units illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The digital camera  200  is shifted to the power supply state PS 2  from the power supply state PS 0  when the power switch is turned on by a user operation. The digital camera  200  is shifted to the power supply state PS 0  from the power supply state PS 2  or PS 1  when the power switch is turned off by a user operation. Further, when the power supply control unit  211  receives an instruction from the control unit  201 , the digital camera  200  is shifted to the power supply state PS 2  from the power supply state PS 1 , or shifted to the power supply state PS 1  from the power supply state PS 2 . For example, in the power supply state PS 1 , if a request packet for enabling the voice control function is received from the smart-speaker  100  via the BT communication unit  210 , the control unit  201  instructs the power supply control unit  211  to shift the power supply state to the power supply state PS 2 . The power control unit receives the instruction and supplies power to the voice receiving unit  207 , the voice output unit  208 , and the wireless LAN communication unit  209 . On the other hand, if the control unit  201  instructs the power supply control unit  211  to shift the power supply state PS 2  to the power supply state PS 1 , the power supply control unit  211  stops supplying power to the voice receiving unit  207 , the voice output unit  208 , and the wireless LAN communication unit  209 . 
     &lt;Processing Sequence for Setting Remote Control Function of Smart-Speaker  100 &gt; 
       FIG. 5  is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing for setting a remote control function of the smart-speaker  100 . Details of the remote control function will be described below with reference to  FIGS. 9 and 10 . By executing the processing, the smart-speaker  100  can receive user&#39;s voice that should be input to the digital camera  200  in place of the digital camera  200 . Further, if the smart-speaker  100  transmits voice data of the received voice to the digital camera  200  after the voice control function of the digital camera  200  is turned on, the digital camera  200  can execute processing based on the voice data. 
     This processing is executed when the user operates an application for setting the smart-speaker  100  on the smartphone  500 . This application is installed in the smartphone  500 . The smartphone  500  communicates with the smart-speaker  100  and the digital camera  200  through wireless LAN communication according to the user operation to execute the above-described processing. 
     In addition, the smartphone  500 , the smart-speaker  100 , and the digital camera.  200  are connected to the same wireless LAN network. Further, the smartphone  500  has detected the smart-speaker  100  and the digital camera  200  in the wireless LAN network and is accessible to the respective devices  100  and  200 . 
     In step S 501 , the smartphone  500  transmits a message for requesting acquisition of information about the digital camera  200  to the digital camera  200  via wireless LAN communication. For example, the information about the digital camera includes a device name of the digital camera  200 , a wake word, and a Bluetooth® device (BD) address. Herein, the device name is a character string which the user has set as a name of the digital camera  200 . The wake word is a word for executing the voice control function of the digital camera  200 . The BD address is 48-bit address information used for identifying a device as a communication partner in the BLE communication. This BD address is different for each device. 
     In step S 502 , in response to the message received in step S 501 , the digital camera  200  transmits the information about the digital camera  200  to the smartphone  500  via wireless LAN communication. 
     In step S 503 , the smartphone  500  transmits a message for requesting the smart-speaker  100  to start setting the remote control function to the smart-speaker  100  via wireless LAN communication. In step S 503 , the smartphone  500  transmits the information about the device name, the wake word, and the BD address of the digital camera  200  received in step S 502  to the smart-speaker  100 . 
     In step S 504 , the smart-speaker  100  registers the information about the digital camera  200  received in step S 503  in a device management database (DB). The device management DB is database information for managing the information about a device name, a wake word, a BD address, and an operation state of a voice control function for each device. The device management DB is stored in the ROM  202 . Herein,  FIG. 6A  is a table illustrating the device management DB after the processing in step S 504  is ended. An identification (ID)  1  represents information about the smart-speaker  100 , and an ID  2  represents information about the digital camera  200 . In step S 504 , the information about the digital camera  200  is registered. 
     In step S 505 , the smart-speaker  100  establishes connection for BLE communication with the digital camera  200 . Specifically, with respect to an advertisement message periodically transmitted from the digital camera  200  serving as a peripheral device, the BT communication unit  210  of the smart-speaker  100  transmits a message for requesting connection of BLE communication to establish the connection of BLE communication. 
     In step S 506 , the smart-speaker  100  detects a state notification service provided by the digital camera  200  via the BLE communication through an attribute (ATT) protocol. The state notification service is a service for periodically notifying a communication partner about whether an operation state of the voice control function is ON or OFF. 
     In step S 507 , the smart-speaker  100  requests the digital camera  200  to start providing the state notification service detected in step S 506  via BLE communication. 
     In step S 508 , the digital camera  200  starts providing the state notification service to the smart-speaker  100 . 
     In step S 509 , the digital camera  200  transmits a notification indicating start of the state notification service to the smart-speaker  100  via BLE communication. 
     In step S 510 , the smart-speaker  100  transmits a notification indicating completion of setting of the remote control function to the smartphone  500  via wireless LAN communication. 
     The processing sequence for setting the remote control function of the smart-speaker  100  has been described with reference to  FIG. 5 . 
     In the present exemplary embodiment, the application for executing the processing for setting the remote control function to the smart-speaker  100  is installed in the smartphone  500 . However, the application does not always have to be installed in the smartphone  500 . For example, in a state where the smart-speaker  100  executes a Web application, the user may execute the processing via a Web client function (e.g., Web browser) of the smartphone  500  by using a Web application programming interface (API). 
     Further, in the present exemplary embodiment, the user executes the processing of the smart-speaker  100  by using the smartphone  500 . However, the user may make the smart-speaker  100  execute the above-described processing by using the digital camera  200 . For example, the user installs the application for executing the processing in the digital camera  200 , and makes the smart-speaker  100  execute the processing by using the digital camera  200 . 
     &lt;Processing Sequence for Acquiring Information about Operation State of Voice Control Function&gt; 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  are sequence diagrams illustrating examples of processing which allows the smart-speaker  100  to acquire information about an operation state of the voice control function of the digital camera  200 . 
     The digital camera  200  periodically transmits information indicating the operation state of the voice control function to the smart-speaker  100  via BLE communication. For example, the digital camera  200  transmits the information indicating the operation state of the voice control function to the smart-speaker  100  at an interval of 100 milliseconds. Based on the information received from the digital camera  200 , the smart-speaker  100  updates the operation state of the voice control function of the digital camera  200  registered in the device management DB. 
     The operation of the digital camera  200  in this sequence diagram corresponds to the state notification service described in  FIG. 5 .  FIGS. 7 and 8  are sequence diagrams respectively illustrating processing to be executed if the voice control function is ON or OFF when the digital camera  200  is executing the state notification service. 
     First,  FIG. 7  will be described. This processing is executed when the power of the digital camera  200  is ON.  FIG. 7  is a sequence diagram of the processing executed when the digital camera  200  is in the power supply state PS 2 . 
     In step S 701 , the digital camera  200  changes the voice control function to the OFF state from the ON state. At this time, the power supply state of the digital camera  200  is shifted to the power supply state PS 1  from the power supply state PS 2 . The processing of step S 701  is executed when the user does not operate the digital camera  200  for a predetermined period of time, or when the user manually disables the voice control function via the operation unit  205 . 
     In step S 702 , the digital camera  200  transmits a state notification message indicating the OFF state of the voice control function to the smart-speaker  100  via BLE communication. The digital camera  200  transmits the state notification message periodically and repeatedly even after step S 702 . 
     In step S 703 , the smart-speaker  100  changes the operation state of the voice control function of the digital camera  200  registered in the device management DB to “OFF”. Through the processing in step S 703 , the device management DB is updated to a state illustrated in  FIG. 6B . 
     Next,  FIG. 8  will be described.  FIG. 8  is a sequence diagram of the processing executed when the digital camera  200  is in the power supply state PS 1 . 
     In step S 801 , the digital camera  200  changes the voice control function to the ON state from the OFF state. At this time, the power supply state of the digital camera  200  is shifted to the power supply state PS 2  from the power supply state PS 1 . The processing of step S 701  is executed, for example, when the user manually enables the voice control function via the operation unit  205 . 
     In step S 802 , the digital camera  200  transmits a state notification message indicating the ON state of the voice control function to the smart-speaker  100  via BLE communication. The digital camera  200  further transmits the state notification message periodically and repeatedly even after step S 802 . 
     In step S 803 , the smart-speaker  100  changes the operation state of the voice control function of the digital camera  200  registered in the device management DB to “ON”. Through the processing in step S 803 , the device management DB is updated to a state illustrated in  FIG. 6C . 
     The processing sequence which allows the smart-speaker  100  to acquire information about the operation state of the voice control function of the digital camera  200  has been described with reference to  FIGS. 7 and 8 . 
     &lt;Processing Sequence of Remote Control Function of Smart-Speaker  100 &gt; 
       FIGS. 9 and 10  are sequence diagrams illustrating examples of processing of a remote control function of the smart-speaker  100 . The sequence diagram in  FIG. 9  illustrates an example of processing to be executed if the user speaks to the digital camera  200  when the voice control function of the digital camera  200  is OFF. The sequence diagram in  FIG. 10  illustrates an example of processing to be executed if the user speaks to the digital camera  200  when the voice control function of the digital camera  200  is ON. In addition, the processing for setting the remote control function of the smart-speaker  100  described with reference to  FIG. 5  has been executed before the processing in  FIG. 9 or 10  is executed. 
     First,  FIG. 9  will be described. When the processing is to be started, the voice control function of the digital camera  200  is OFF, and the power supply state is the power supply state PS 1 . Further, a state of the device management DB of the smart-speaker  100  is the state illustrated in  FIG. 6B . 
     This processing sequence is started, for example, when the user speaks to the digital camera  200 , “Hey, Thomas, show me the photo taken last time.” At this time, it is assumed that the user exists within a range where the user&#39;s voice can sufficiently reach the smart-speaker  100  and the digital camera  200 . 
     In step S 901 , the smart-speaker  100  detects a wake word included in a received voice input. For example, the smart-speaker  100  detects a wake word “Thomas” from the received voice input. The smart-speaker  100  stores the voice data of the voice input in the RAM  203 . 
     In step S 902 , the smart-speaker  100  refers to the device management DB and determines whether an entry corresponding to the wake word detected in step S 901  exists. The smart-speaker  100  determines, for example, whether an entry corresponding to the wake word “Thomas” exists. If the entry corresponding to the detected wake word does not exist, the smart-speaker  100  ends the processing. If the entry corresponding to the detected wake word exists, the smart-speaker  100  advances the processing to step S 903 . 
     In step S 903 , the smart-speaker  100  determines whether a device corresponding to the wake word detected in step S 901  is the own device (smart-speaker  100 ) or an external device. If the smart-speaker  100  determines that the own device corresponds thereto, the smart-speaker  100  uses the own voice control function to analyze the received voice input and executes processing corresponding to that voice input. If the smart-speaker  100  determines that the external device corresponds thereto, the processing proceeds to step S 904 . 
     In step S 904 , the smart-speaker  100  determines whether the operation state of the voice control function of the external device is ON or OFF. In the processing, because the device management DB is in the state illustrated in  FIG. 6B , the smart-speaker  100  determines that the ID2 (digital camera) corresponds to the wake word “Thomas”, and determines that the operation state of the voice control function is OFF. 
     In step S 905 , the smart-speaker  100  transmits a message for requesting the digital camera  200  to enable the voice control function, to the digital camera  200  via BLE communication. The smart-speaker  100  transmits information about a service set identifier (SSID) and a cryptography key as the information necessary for connecting to the wireless LAN network to which the smart-speaker  100  is connected together with this message. The digital camera  200  receives the message and starts processing for enabling the voice control function. This wireless LAN network is the wireless LAN network formed by the wireless LAN router  300  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     In step S 906 , the digital camera  200  shifts the power supply state to the power supply state PS 2  from the power supply state PS 1 . 
     In step S 907 , the digital camera  200  connects to the wireless LAN network by using the information about the SSID and the cryptography key received in step S 905 . Further, the digital camera  200  detects the server  400  via the wireless LAN network and brings the voice control function into a usable state. 
     In step S 908 , the digital camera  200  transmits a message notifying completion of the request received in step S 905  to the smart-speaker  100  via BLE communication. In addition to the information about the completion notification, the message also includes information indicating the ON state of the voice control function of the digital camera  200  and the information such as an internet protocol (IP) address of the digital camera  200  necessary for accessing the digital camera  200  via the wireless LAN communication. 
     In step S 909 , the smart-speaker  100  changes the operation state of the voice control function of the ID2 (digital camera  200 ) registered in the device management DB to “ON”. Through the processing in step S 909 , the device management DB is brought into a state illustrated in  FIG. 6C . 
     In step S 910 , the smart-speaker  100  transmits a message requesting the digital camera  200  to execute the voice control function corresponding to the voice input detected in step S 901  to the digital camera  200  via wireless LAN communication. This message includes the data of the voice input received by the smart-speaker  100  in step S 901 . 
     In step S 911 , the digital camera  200  executes the voice control function according to the message received in step S 910 . Specifically, by using the server  400 , the digital camera  200  interprets a portion of the voice data, “Show me the photo taken last time”, received in step S 910  to determine necessary processing. The digital camera  200  displays a last still image data recorded in the recording medium  204  on the display unit  206 , and outputs a voice message, “Here, please see the photo”, in response to the user&#39;s request. 
     In step S 912 , the digital camera  200  transmits a message indicating completion of the processing requested in the message received in step S 910  to the smart-speaker  100  via wireless LAN communication. 
     The processing in steps S 901  to S 911  corresponds to the procedures of the voice control function executed with respect to the user&#39;s voice input, “Hey, Thomas, show me the photo taken last time.” 
     Subsequently,  FIG. 10  will be described. When the processing is to be started, the voice control function of the digital camera  200  is ON, and the power supply state is the power supply state PS 2 . Further, the device management DB of the smart-speaker  100  is in the state illustrated in  FIG. 6C . For example, this processing sequence is started when the user speaks, “Hey, Thomas, show me the last but one photo”, to the digital camera  200  after the processing in  FIG. 9 . 
     In step S 1001 , the smart-speaker  100  detects a wake word from the received user&#39;s voice input. For example, the smart-speaker  100  detects a wake word “Thomas” from the received voice input. 
     In step S 1002 , the smart-speaker  100  refers to the device management DB and determines whether an entry corresponding to the wake word detected in step S 1001  exists. For example, the smart-speaker  100  determines whether an entry corresponding to the wake word “Thomas” exists. If the entry corresponding to the detected wake word does not exist, the smart-speaker  100  ends the processing. 
     If the smart-speaker  100  determines that the corresponding entry exists in step S 1002 , in step S 1003 , the smart-speaker  100  determines whether the operation state of the voice control function of the device corresponding to the wake word is ON or OFF. In step S 1003 , for example, because the device management DB is in the state illustrated in  FIG. 6C , the smart-speaker  100  determines that the ID2 (digital camera  200 ) corresponds to the wake word “Thomas”, and determines that the operation state of the voice control function is ON. In this case, the smart-speaker  100  does not have to remotely control the digital camera  200 . Therefore, the smart-speaker  100  ends the processing. 
     In step S 1004 , the digital camera  200  detects a voice input via the voice receiving unit  207 . For the sake of convenience, a step number “S 1004 ” is applied to the above processing. However, the processing is executed independently from the processing executed by the smart-speaker  100  when the user speaks to the digital camera  200 . 
     In step S 1005 , the digital camera  200  executes the voice control function according to the voice input received in step S 1004 . For example, the digital camera  200  determines a portion of the voice data, “Show me the last but one photo”, received in step S 1004  to determine necessary processing, and displays still image data that is recorded second-last on the display unit  206 . The digital camera  200  further outputs a voice message, “Here, please see the photo”, in response to the user&#39;s voice input. 
     The processing sequence of the remote control function of the smart-speaker  100  has been described with reference to  FIGS. 9 and 10 . 
     As a method of executing the voice control function corresponding to the voice input received in step S 901 , a method of transmitting voice data from the smart-speaker  100  to the digital camera  200  via wireless LAN communication has been described. However, another method can be also used. 
     As another method, a method using a Web API can be carried out. In a case where the Web API function which enables the smart-speaker  100  to remotely control various functions of the digital camera  200  via the network is provided, the smart-speaker  100  analyzes the voice input received in step S 901 . With this configuration, the voice data can be converted into the Web API through the server, and the smart-speaker  100  may execute the converted Web API with respect to the digital camera  200 . In addition, a function for converting the voice data into the Web API may be provided by the server on the Internet so that the smart-speaker  100  uses that server. 
     Furthermore, as another exemplary embodiment, the smart-speaker  100  may output voice data received in step S 901  via the voice output unit  108  in place of the user. 
     &lt;Processing Sequence of Remote Control Function of Smart-Speaker  100 &gt; 
       FIG. 11  is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the remote control function of the smart-speaker  100 . 
     In step S 1101 , the control unit  101  detects a wake word included in the voice input received by the voice receiving unit  107 . The control unit  101  stores voice data of the received voice input in the RAM  203 . This processing corresponds to the processing in step S 901  of  FIG. 9 . 
     In step S 1102 , the control unit  101  determines whether the wake word detected in step S 1101  is registered in the device management DB stored in the ROM  202 . If the control unit  101  determines that the wake word is registered (YES in step S 1102 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1103 . If the control unit  101  determines that the wake word is not registered (NO in step S 1102 ), the processing is ended. The processing in step S 1102  corresponds to the processing in step S 902  of  FIG. 9 . 
     In step S 1103 , the control unit  101  identifies a device that corresponds to the wake word determined to be registered in the device management DB in step S 1102 , and determines whether that device is an external device. If the control unit  101  determines that the device is the external device (i.e., digital camera  200 ) (YES in step S 1103 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1104 . If the control unit  101  determines that the device is the own device (NO in step S 1103 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1112 . This processing in step S 1103  corresponds to the processing in step S 903  of  FIG. 9 . 
     In step S 1104 , the control unit  101  determines whether the operation state of the voice control function of the digital camera  200  identified in step S 1103  is ON or OFF. If the control unit  101  determines that the operation state of the voice control function is OFF (OFF in step S 1104 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1105 . If the control unit  101  determines that the operation state of the voice control function is ON (ON in step S 1104 ), the processing is ended. This processing in step S 1104  corresponds to the processing in step S 904  of  FIG. 9 . 
     In step S 1105 , the control unit  101  transmits a message requesting the digital camera  200  to enable the voice control function through the BT communication unit  110 . This processing in step S 1105  corresponds to the processing in step S 905  of  FIG. 9 . 
     In step S 1106 , the control unit  101  determines whether a notification of completion is received from the digital camera  200  within a predetermined period in response to the message transmitted in step S 1105 . If the notification is received from the digital camera  200  within a predetermined period (YES in step S 1106 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1108 . If the notification is not received from the digital camera  200  within a predetermined period (NO in step S 1106 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1107 . This processing in step S 1106  corresponds to the processing in step S 908  of  FIG. 9 . 
     In step S 1107 , the control unit  101  notifies the user that the voice control function of the digital camera  200  cannot be enabled and ends the processing. As an error processing, for example, a message such as “Digital camera  200  is not communicable” or “Digital camera  200  is not found in the vicinity” is notified to the user through the voice output unit  108  or the display unit  106 . 
     In step S 1108 , the control unit  101  updates the device management DB. The control unit  101  changes the operation state of the voice control function of the digital camera  200  to “ON”. This processing in step S 1108  corresponds to the processing in step S 909  of  FIG. 9 . 
     In step S 1109 , the control unit  101  transmits a message requesting the digital camera  200  to execute the voice control function corresponding to the voice input received in step S 1101  to the digital camera  200  via the wireless LAN communication unit  109 . This processing in step S 1109  corresponds to the processing in step S 910  of  FIG. 9 . 
     In step S 1110 , the control unit  101  determines whether a notification of the completion is received from the digital camera  200  within a predetermined period. If the completion notification is received within a predetermined period (YES in step S 1110 ), the processing is ended. If the completion notification cannot be received from the digital camera  200  even if a predetermined time has passed or an error response is received (NO in step S 1110 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1111 . This processing in step S 1110  corresponds to the processing in step S 912  of  FIG. 9 . 
     In step S 1111 , the control unit  101  notifies the user that the instruction provided by the user&#39;s voice is not executed by the digital camera  200 , and ends the processing. In the error processing, for example, a message such as “Digital camera  200  is not communicable”, “Digital camera  200  is not found in the vicinity”, or “Please speak again” is notified to the user through the voice output unit  108  or the display unit  106 . 
     In step S 1112 , the control unit  101  executes the voice control function corresponding to the voice input received in step S 1101 . Specifically, the control unit determines a command based on the received voice input by using the server  400  via the wireless LAN communication unit  209 , and executes the processing instructed by the voice input. 
     A processing sequence of the remote control function of the smart-speaker  100  has been described as the above. 
     &lt;Processing Sequence of Remote Control Function of Digital Camera  200 &gt; 
       FIG. 12  is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the remote control function of the digital camera  200 . This flowchart is started when the digital camera  200  is activated. 
     In step S 1201 , the control unit  201  determines whether the voice control function is ON or OFF. If the voice control function is ON (ON in step S 1201 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1209 . If the voice control function is OFF (OFF in step S 1201 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1202 . 
     In step S 1202 , the control unit  201  determines whether a message requesting the digital camera  200  to enable the voice control function is received from the smart-speaker  100  via the BT communication unit  210 . If the message is received (YES in step S 1202 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1203 . If the message is not received (NO in step S 1202 ), the processing returns to step S 1201 , and the control unit  201  determines the operation state of the voice control function. 
     In step S 1203 , the control unit  201  controls the power supply control unit  211  to shift the power supply state to the power supply state PS 2  from the power supply state PS 1 . 
     In step S 1204 , the control unit  201  uses the SSID and the cryptography key included in the message received in step S 1202  to connect to the wireless LAN network via the wireless LAN communication unit  209 . Further, the control unit  201  detects the server  400  via the wireless LAN communication unit  209  and brings the voice control function into a usable state. 
     In step S 1205 , the control unit  201  transmits a completion notification indicating the enabled state of the voice control function to the smart-speaker  100  via the BT communication unit  210 . 
     In step S 1206 , the control unit  201  determines whether voice data is received from the smart-speaker  100  via the wireless LAN communication unit  209 . If the voice data is not received (NO in step S 1206 ), the control unit  201  ends the processing and stands ready in a state where the voice control function is enabled. If the voice data is received (YES in step S 1206 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1207 . 
     In step S 1207 , the control unit  201  analyzes the received voice data and executes processing based on the analysis result. 
     In step S 1208 , the control unit  201  transmits a message indicating that the processing has been completed based on the received voice data to the smart-speaker  100  via the wireless LAN communication unit  209 . 
     The processing to be executed when the voice control function of the digital camera  200  is OFF has been described. Next, the processing will be described with respect to the case where the control unit  201  determines that the voice control function is ON in step S 1201 . 
     In step S 1209 , the control unit  201  determines whether a voice input is received. If the voice input is received (YES in step S 1209 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1210 . If the voice input is not received (NO in step S 1209 ), the control unit  201  ends the processing and stands ready until an instruction is given by the user. 
     In step S 1210 , the control unit  201  executes the voice control function based on the received voice input. The control unit  201  analyzes voice data of the received voice input and executes processing based on the analysis result. 
     A processing sequence of the remote control function of the digital camera  200  has been described. 
     In the above-described exemplary embodiment, in place of the digital camera  200 , the smart-speaker  100  can receive the voice input even when the voice control function of the digital camera  200  is OFF, so that the user can use the voice control function. Further, through the above-described configuration, the user can use the voice control function while reducing the power consumption of the digital camera  200 . 
     The present disclosure can be realized in such a manner that a program for realizing one or more functions according to the above-described exemplary embodiments is supplied to a system or an apparatus via a network or a storage medium, so that one or more processors in the system or the apparatus read and execute the program. Further, the present disclosure can be also realized with a circuit (e.g., application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) that realizes one or more functions. 
     Further, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments. Therefore, in the implementation phase, the present disclosure can be embodied by modifying the constituent element within a range which does not depart from the technical spirit thereof. Further, various embodiments can be achieved by appropriately combining the plurality of constituent elements described in the above exemplary embodiments. For example, some of the constituent elements may be deleted from all the constituent elements described in the above-described exemplary embodiments. 
     Other Embodiments 
     Embodiment(s) can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a ‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or that includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing the computer executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). The computer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read out and execute the computer executable instructions. The computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™), a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like. 
     While the present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions. 
     This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-205868, filed Oct. 31, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.