Signal detection system for improved microphone-controllable device security

Abstract

A method and apparatus for detecting a photoacoustic light signal to prevent unauthorized voice commands for a microphone-controllable device are provided. The method includes receiving, by a processor, a signal, detecting, by the processor, that the signal is a photoacoustic signal generated by a thermal expansion and contraction of an object caused by at least one lightwave applied to the object, and activating, by the processor, a counter-measure to prevent the photoacoustic signal from reaching a microphone of a microphone-controllable device in response to detecting the photoacoustic signal.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 receiving, by a processor, a signal;   detecting, by the processor, that the signal is a photoacoustic signal generated by a thermal expansion and contraction of an object; and   activating, by the processor, a counter-measure to prevent a command represented by the photoacoustic signal from being executed by a microphone-controllable device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the detecting comprises:
 comparing, by the processor, the signal to a voice signature of a user of the microphone-controllable device to determine if a waveform of the signal matches a waveform of the voice signature.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the detecting comprises:
 receiving, by the processor, an indication from a heat sensor that a temperature increase is above a threshold.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the detecting comprises:
 receiving, by the processor, an indication from an optical sensor in response to detection of at least one lightwave.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the signal is received by a second microphone separate from a first microphone of the microphone-controllable device. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the activating comprises:
 deactivating, by the processor, the first microphone in response to detecting that the signal is the photoacoustic signal.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the activating comprises:
 generating, by the processor, a counter-signal to cancel the photoacoustic signal; and   emitting, by the processor, the counter-signal.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the counter-signal comprises an inverted waveform of the photoacoustic signal. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 controlling, by the processor, at least one electronic device wirelessly via the microphone-controllable device in response to the signal being a voice command.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the object is a portion of the microphone-controllable device. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus comprising:
 at least one microphone to receive a signal to activate a voice-activated assistant application;   at least one photoacoustic detection device to detect that the signal is a photoacoustic signal generated by a thermal expansion and contraction of a portion of the apparatus; and   a processor communicatively coupled to the at least one microphone and the at least one photoacoustic detection device to activate a counter-measure to prevent a command represented by the photoacoustic signal from being executed by a microphone-controllable device.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one photoacoustic detection device comprises:
 a heat sensor to detect a temperature increase is above a threshold.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one photoacoustic detection device comprises:
 an optical sensor to detect at least one lightwave.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a second microphone to receive the signal; and   a memory to store a voice signature, wherein the processor is to compare the signal to the voice signature to determine whether a waveform of the signal matches a waveform of the voice signature.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the counter-measure comprises deactivation of the at least one microphone. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the counter-measure comprises generating a counter-signal to cancel the photoacoustic signal. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a speaker to emit the counter-signal.   
     
     
         18 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processing system including at least one processor, cause the processing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:
 receiving a signal;   detecting that the signal is a photoacoustic signal generated by a thermal expansion and contraction of an object caused by at least one lightwave applied to the object; and   activating a counter-measure to prevent a command represented by the photoacoustic signal from being executed by a microphone-controllable device.   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 18 , wherein the detecting comprises:
 comparing the signal to a voice signature of a user of the microphone-controllable device to determine if a waveform of the signal matches a waveform of the voice signature.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 18 , wherein the activating comprises:
 generating a counter-signal to cancel the photoacoustic signal.