Quickstart Guide - phyBOARD-Mira Voice Control Kit with Beamforming (L-1014e.A4)

Table of Contents

Quickstart Guide - phyBOARD-Mira Voice Control Kit with Beamforming (L-1014e.A4)
Document TitleQuickstart Guide - phyBOARD-Mira Voice Control Kit with Beamforming (L-1014e.A4)
Yocto PageYocto/L-813e 7 Yocto Reference Manual
Article NumberL-1014e.Ax
Release Date28.09.2021
Is Branch ofQuickstart Guide - phyBOARD-Mira Voice Control Kit with Beamforming (L-1014e.Ax) Head

Introduction

This Quickstart guide describes the tools and provides the know-how to install and begin working with the vicCONTROL Industrial Voice Control System from voice INTER connect GmbH for use with Voice Recognition Adapter and the phyBOARD-Mira. This guide includes installing the appropriate tools and sources, booting the board, and starting the two demo programs (Washing Machine and Industrial Paper Cutting Machine) in order to begin working with the hardware and software.

For further information on the phyBOARD-Mira, go to https://www.phytec.de/p/sbc/phyboard-mira-imx6/#downloads/. There you will find the following documentation:

  • QS Guide: A short guide on how to set up and boot a phyCORE board along with brief information on building a BSP, the device tree, and accessing peripherals.
  • Hardware Manual:  A detailed description of the System on Module and accompanying carrier board. 
  • Yocto Guide:  A comprehensive guide for the Yocto version the phyCORE uses. This guide contains an overview of Yocto; introducing, installing, and customizing the PHYTEC BSP; how to work with programs like Poky and Bitbake; and much more.
  • BSP Manual:  A manual specific to the BSP version of the phyCORE. Information such as how to build the BSP, booting, updating software, device tree, and accessing peripherals can be found here.
  • Development Environment Guide:  This guide shows how to work with the Virtual Machine (VM) Host PHYTEC has developed and prepared to run various Development Environments. There are detailed step-by-step instructions for Eclipse and Qt Creator, which are included in the VM. There are instructions for running demo projects for these programs on a phyCORE product as well. Information on how to build a Linux host PC yourself is also a part of this guide.
  • Pin Muxing Table:  phyCORE SOMs have an accompanying pin table (in Excel format). This table will show the complete default signal path, from the processor to the carrier board. The default device tree muxing option will also be included. This gives a developer all the information needed in one location to make muxing changes and design options when developing a specialized carrier board or adapting a PHYTEC phyCORE SOM to an application. 

On top of these standard manuals and guides, PHYTEC will also provide Product Change Notifications, Application Notes, and Technical Notes. These will be done on a case-by-case basis. Most of the documentation can be found on the applicable download page of our products.

For more information or details regarding the vicCONTROL Voice Control kit, please contact the PHYTEC Sales department. Go to https://www.phytec.de/unternehmen/kontakt/ to find several ways to contact us.

vicCONTROL Industrial Main Features

  • Local voice control for embedded platforms
  • Speaker independent, no training necessary
  • Natural Language Understanding (NLU)
  • Semantic analysis of speech command based on machine learning
  • Design your own speech applications for the embedded platform using the web tool vicSDC (included in this kit)
  • Support for many languages. Examples: English (Great Britain), English (USA), French (France), Mandarin Chinese, German (Germany), and many more!
  • Acoustic feedback
  • Communication via the industry-standard Internet of Things (IoT) protocol - Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT)
  • Far-field voice acquisition through integrated adaptive beamforming

Hardware

Kit Contents

  1. phyBOARD-Mira Carrier Board + Processor Module (PB-01501-1201I)
  2. Voice Recognition Adapter (PEB-AV-07)
  3. Microphone array set (PCM-940)
  4. Evaluation Module (PEB-EVAL-01)
  5. Power Module (PEB-POW-01)
  6. Power Adapter supplying 24 V, (60 W, 2.5 A) (SV040)
  7. 2 x RS-232 and CAN  cable (WS228)
  8. vicSDC Registration Code (located on your Packing Slip DO NOT LOSE)
  9. USB/AUX Speaker
  10. 1x Flat cable 20p (WF100)
  11. SD card with Software Image
  12. Patch cable F/UTP  (WK114)
  13. HDMI Cable (WK368)
  14. D sub 9 serial RS232 cable 2,0m (WK015)
  15. 20P flat Cable 200mm (WF-100) Beamforming cable 

Components

phyBOARD-Mira (Top)

phyBOARD-Mira (Bottom)

phyBOARD-Mira (Bottom)

phyBOARD-Mira (TOP)



Additional Equipment

Note

The Voice Recognition Adapter (PEB-AV-07) may look different than shown!

Voice Recognition Adapter (PEB-AV-07)

Microphone Array with Stand (PCM-940)

Evaluation Adapter (PEB-EVAL-01)

Power Module (PEB-POW-01)

Power Adapter 12V-24V (SV040)

Power Adapter 24V (SV040)

RS-232 and CAN Adapter (WS228)





20p Flat cable (WF100)

HDMI Cable (WK368)

USB/AUX Speaker

Additional Equipment

Additional Equipment (Not included in Kit)

  • HDMI screen (with cable) or  7" Capacitive Display Upgrade Kit (KPEB-AV-07-070.Ax)
  • USB Mouse

Board Connections

Module Connections

The phyBOARD-Mira comes with the following add-on adapters and cables preassembled:

phyBOARD-Mira (top view) with Evaluation and Power Modules


phyBOARD-Mira (bottom view) with Voice Control Module


  • Connect the Microphone Array to Voice Control Module using the 20p flat cable (WF100) (Figure 3)

Connecting Microphone Array (bottom) to Voice Module (top) and Pin 1 Locations  


  • Finally, place the Microphone Array on the stand that comes with the kit (Figure 4).

Microphone Array with Stand


Jumper Settings

Jumpers have been preset for use with the microphone array. There is no need for jumpers to be manually set. Below are the locations and descriptions for the jumpers on the Voice Control Module.

Voice Control Module Locations


JumperSettingDescription
JP11+2Uses 7 microphones on the Microphone Array Set (PCM-940)

2+3

Uses 2 microphones on the Voice Recognition Adapter (PEB-AV-07)

JP21+2TXD signal is available on Microphone Array Connector (X75)

2+3

TXD is connected to Audio Codec

Voice Control Module Descriptions

Display

Warning

A display is required for the two demo programs to work.

There are two options to connect a display to your kit.

HDMI

An HDMI display can be connected via the HDMI connector (X28) on the phyBOARD-Mira. HDMI is the default display output. This requires an HDMI display and cable.

PHYTEC Upgrade Kit 7" Capacitive Display

The PHYTEC upgrade kit, KPEB-AV-07-070.Ax for the phyBOARD-Mira, is a 7" capacitive display that can be used instead of an HDMI display. Contact PHYTEC for further information. For more information, please read Connecting the Capacitive 7'' EDT Display to Voice Recognition Kit (LAN-078e_1).

Audio Input and Output

The input is done by means of the Microphone Array which has 7 microphones mounted over it.

The output is only supported via the USB port. The audio jack of the Voice Recognition Adapter (PEB-AV-07) is not supported for an output device.

Tip

For more information on setting the Audio input and output, please read vicCONTROL industrial version 5.0.0 User guide Phytec Voice Control Kits (phyBOARD®-Mira) Section4.9. The link can be found in the section Further Documentation.

Setting USB Input and Output

Manual setting of USB input and output is not necessary. The USB output device is automatically detected and set as default upon plugging in. This restarts the recognition system.

Jumpers are set out of the box to use the microphone array as default.

Tip

For more information on setting the Audio input and output, please read vicCONTROL industrial version 5.0.0 User guide Phytec Voice Control Kits (phyBOARD®-Mira) Sections 4.9. The link can be found in the section Further Documentation.

USB Mouse (optional)

A USB mouse can be connected to the phyBOARD-Mira. This is optional but will make using the interface and demo easier.

Warning

Either a mouse or touch screen is required to change the language of the Washing Machine demo.

Initial Boot Up

Tip

To obtain the SD card image used in this kit, please contact our support: support@phytec.de

Once the SD card has been inserted and a speaker and display attached to the board, connecting a power supply will boot up the phyBOARD-Mira. A pre-loaded demo, vicCONTROL Industrial Demo - Industrial Paper Cutting Machine, will then begin automatically.

vicCONTROL Industrial Usage

Starting the Demo Program

The Boot Sequence

Before you can start working with the demo applications, you will need to make sure the phyBOARD-Mira is set to the correct boot sequence.

Tip

The boot switch on the phyBOARD-Mira has only one label: ON. To avoid confusion when selecting the boot sequence, the side not labeled is considered to be OFF.

On the bottom of the phyBOARD-Mira is a switch controlling the boot sequence (either internal memory or SD card). The default setting (the boot switch set to ON) begins booting from the SD card. To change the boot sequence, power off the phyBOARD-Mira, and move the switch from ON to OFF:

phyBOARD-Mira Boot Switch (S2)


  • Booting from the SD card (boot switch set to ON) will start the preloaded vicCONTROL Industrial Demo - Industrial Paper Cutting Machine.
  • Booting from internal memory (boot switch set to OFF) will start the preloaded demo Washing Machine.

Then power the board back on. The system will boot using the chosen boot sequence.

Boot Switch set to ON - Industrial Paper Cutting Machine Demo

By default, the boot switch on the phyBOARD-Mira is set to ON before connecting the power supply. After the board has been powered on, the vicCONTROL Industrial Welcome Screen will be presented. This screen also shows the system ID:

vicCONTROL Industrial Welcome Screen

An example of a vicCONTROL Industrial Welcome Screen showing the system ID


Tip

If a display is not available, logging in via SSH aslp prints the hardware ID as part of the welcome message.

With the given hardware ID, a license can be obtained from vicSDC (vicsdc.voiceinterconnect.de). The generated license file, named lic, should be deployed to:

/home/root/speech/config

and then speech applications need to be reloaded:

systemctl restart speech.target

After a license is successfully deployed, the vicCONTROL Industrial - Industrial Paper Cutting Machine Demo will be shown:

Industrial Paper Cutting Machine demo

Industrial Paper Cutting Machine Demo


  • Similar to the Washing Machine demo, simply say the wake-up phrase followed by a command, for example:
Hey machine, turn on.
Hey machine, set the paper size to A5, 500 pieces.

Tip

Audio input and output can be tricky and has many components involved (microphone, amplifier, casing, the room's acoustic you are in, the noise inside the room, speaker distance, etc.).

  • The demo is meant to be used in relatively quiet office environments.

Command-Line Example App

After logging in, you can run the command line (CLI) demo with the following command:

demo_speech_cli

The application will print the recognition results for the running speech application (the Paper Cutting Machine demo by default). The user can also input the name of an audio prompt that is included in the application and the prompt will be played. The application can also serve as a sample Python implementation for communication between a user application and the rest of the recognition system. The code for the application can be found in:

/opt/speech/example/cli/speechapp_mqtt.py

Boot Switch set to OFF - Washing Machine Demo

For the Washing Machine Demo, the jumpers have to be changed to use the built-in microphones. The complete setup and behavior are covered in the "FAQ for the target platform Phytec Voice Control Kits", FAQ 13: How to use the washing machine demo with the Voice Control Kit 2. The link can be found in the section Further Documentation.

Warning

The "Washing Machine" application is for demonstration only. It cannot be used as a starting point for your own applications.

Tip

The German version is the default setting for the "Washing Machine" demo. You can return to the main menu with the button in the upper left corner and select another recognition language from there. This can only be done if there is a mouse or touch screen attached to the pyhBOARD-Mira.

Washing Machine Demo in different languages - left: German; right - Mandarin


Say the wake-up phrase. This will allow you to control the setting on the screen.

Tip

The wake-up phrase is different for each language but is shown on the screen. For example, in the German version, you might say:

  • "Hallo Waschmaschine, Kockwäsche 90°C, 1200 Umdrehungen, extra Spülen, fertig in 5 Stunden!"
  • "Hallo Waschmachine, wie lange dauert das Programm noch?"

Tip

You do not have to follow this format exactly when talking to the application. The system should be able to understand natural speech.

Inside the "Washing Machine" screen, you can say the wake-up phrase, for example: "Hallo Waschmachine", and then a command phrase.

After the wake-up phrase and before issuing a command, you should wait for the system to respond with a short tune and highlighting of the wake-up phrase on the screen. This is, however, optional. You can also say the wake-up and command phrase at once, without a pause in between.

In general, the system supports two tasks (or intents):

  1. Selection of a program or changing its parameters by voice: The system provides natural language input and will try to follow any reasonable command that you provide by voice. You can set a program or any of the parameters here or even many at once.
  2. Get the remaining time of the "currently running" program: Just ask how long the current program will last.

The following provides just a few short examples of sentences. Get creative! Try long or short sentences! Try synonyms for words...and have fun!!

English (Great Britain) - Washing Machine
"Hello washing machine, wash my coloured cloths at 60 degrees!" "Hello washing machine, how long does the program last?"

English (USA) - Washer
"Hey washer, wash my white clothes, hot!"
"Hey washer, how long?"

French (France) - Lave-linge
"Allô lave-linge, couleur 60 degrés Celsius!"
"Allô lave-linge, quand le programme est-il terminé?"

SSH Login

The root user can be used for SSH login. There is no password set for this account. The system uses a static IP: 192.168.3.11. If you need to change the network configuration, please refer to PHYTEC Yocto Reference Manual: How to Change the Network Configuration.

Registering to vicSDC

After exploring the two demo programs, you will want to see how to create and modify your own speech application. vicSDC is a web tool where speech applications are defined and generated. These applications can be downloaded from here, ready for deployment on the phyBOARD-Mira.

Warning

The vicSDC registration code can be found on your Packing Slip. DO NOT lose, throw away, or destroy your Bill of Delivery as you will not be able to register your account!

Go to the following webpage and click Register from the main menu:

https://vicsdc.voiceinterconnect.de/

Enter a username and password, along with the Registration Code found on your Bill of Delivery to register. With this account, you are now able to create and maintain all speech applications for the vicCONTROL Industrial.

Tip

Only one user account can be created per the Registration Code.

After registering, you can now log in and see the included example application or create new speech applications. Under Links and Documentation, you will find a downloadable user guide to help work through the many options you have when designing an application.

Congratulations! You have now completed the demo programs that come with this product.

Modifying the PHYTEC BSP

Now that you have completed the demo program, you may want to design your own carrier board, change the user functionality of either your hardware or software and create your own application with Voice Recognition support.

For any of these situations, you will probably need to modify the PHYTEC BSP that comes with this product. The following section shows you how this can be done.

PHYTEC BSP Information

For information on the PHYTEC BSP, go to https://www.phytec.de/produkte/development-kits/voice-control-kit-2/#downloads/. In the table, you will find the image versions. For each version, there is a BSP, Yocto, and Development Environment guide that will assist you in creating or modifying the BSP used in your kit. 

voice INTER connect Runtime

vicCONTROL Industrial: Speech Layer

This layer provides speech recognition-related software as part of vicCONTROL Industrial for the phyBOARD-Mira. This layer is only intended to be used with PHYTEC's Yocto build system.

Usage

When running PHYTEC's phyLinux script, select:

SoC Platform:  topic
Release:       PD-BSP-Yocto_Speech_i.MX6

Add this layer (meta-speech) to the folder "Sources", unpacked. Then register this layer in the file build/conf/bblayers.conf, by adding the following line at the bottom of the existing list of layers in the BBLAYERS variable:

{OEROOT}/../meta-speech \

Accept the vicCONTROL Industrial license by adding the following lines in the file build/conf/local.conf:

# Accept vicCONTROL industrial license
LICENSE_FLAGS_WHITELIST += "vicCONTROL-industrial-v1.0.0"

Finally, the image can be built with:

source sources/poky/oe-init-build-env
bitbake viccontrol-industrial-image

Tip

The layer is distributed and maintained by voice INTER connect GmbH. (https://voiceinterconnect.de).

For support contact viccontrolsupport@voiceinterconnect.de.

Further Documentation

Information on how to set up and use the Voice Control Kit with Beamforming and the vicSDC web tool (under Links and Documentation):

https://vicsdc.voiceinterconnect.de/

Information about voice INTER connect GmbH products and services:

https://www.voiceinterconnect.de/en/

For more information about vicCONTROL, visit:

https://viccontrol.de/en/

More information about vicCONTROL Industrial is available at:

https://www.voiceinterconnect.de/en/viccontrol_industrial

Voice Control Kit with Beamforming specific information can be found in:

  • vicCONTROL industrial version 5.0.0 User guide Phytec Voice Control Kits (phyBOARD®-Mira - Section 4.9)
  • FAQ 13: "How to use the washing machine demo with the Voice Control Kit 2"

For information about PHYTEC Messtechnik GmbH products and services:

https://www.phytec.eu/

For more detailed information and documentation on the phyBOARD-Mira:

https://www.phytec.de/p/sbc/phyboard-mira-imx6/

Revision History

Date

Version #

Changes in this manual

28.01.2020

L-1014.A0

Preliminary edition.

23.02.2020L-1014.A1Updated info from voice INTER connect
15.03.2021L-1014.A2Various Links updated
30.03.2021L-1014.A3New Pictures added
01.08.2021L-1014.A4PDF Version
New License Information
Updated Further Documentation information