Monitoring of vehicle window vibrations for voice-command recognition

• US 10,479,300 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2017
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Wheeler, Joshua, Amman, Scott Andrew, Busch, Leah, Rangarajan, Ranjani, Huber, John Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Ni, Suhan
• Application Number:
  US15/727,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20190106069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 381332-336, 381365, 381388
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 11/00 Measuring mechanical vibrations or ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves by detecting changes in electric or magnetic properties
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 11/08 using piezoelectric devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/46 Special adaptations for use as contact microphones, e.g. on musical instrument, on stethoscope throat mountings H04R1/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/02 Microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/04 Microphones H04R19/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 23/02 Transducers using more than one principle simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for monitoring of vehicle window vibrations for voice-command recognition. An example vehicle includes a window, an outer layer, a vibration sensor coupled to the window to detect audio vibrations, an audio actuator coupled to the outer layer to vibrate the outer layer, and a controller. The controller is to detect a voice command from a user via the vibration sensor, identify an audio response based upon the voice command, and emit the audio response to the user via the audio actuator.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a window;

an outer layer;

a communication node to detect when a key fob of a user is within a communication range of the vehicle;

a vibration sensor coupled to the window to detect audio vibrations;

an audio actuator coupled to the outer layer to vibrate the outer layer; and

a controller to;

activate the vibration sensor responsive to the communication node detecting the key fob is within the communication range;

detect a voice command from the user via the vibration sensor;

identify an audio response based upon the voice command; and

emit the audio response to the user via the audio actuator.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the window is a windshield.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller detects the voice command of and emits the audio response for the user when the user is outside of a vehicle cabin.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vibration sensor is an accelerometer.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the audio actuator actuates the outer layer to cause the outer layer to form an acoustic baffle.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the outer layer to which the audio actuator is coupled includes a door panel.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the outer layer to which the audio actuator is coupled includes the window.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller triggers detection of the voice command responsive to detecting a wake-up term via the vibration sensor, the wake-up term preceding the voice command.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the voice command includes a request to identify a factory-recommended tire pressure and the audio response includes the factory-recommended tire pressure.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the voice command includes an instruction for the controller to perform a vehicle function.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the instruction is selected from the group consisting of sending a text message via a communication module, starting an engine, and opening a vehicle window.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of vibration sensors and a plurality of audio actuators located on a front side, a rear side, a driver side, and a passenger side of the vehicle.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, further comprising communication nodes including the communication node to wirelessly couple to the key fob of the user, the communication nodes to detect a location of the key fob via received signal strength indicators.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the controller selects which of the plurality of vibration sensors to activate for detecting the voice command based upon the location of the key fob.

15. A method comprising:

activating a vibration sensor responsive to detecting, via a communication node of a vehicle, that a key fob of a user is within a communication range of the vehicle;

detecting, via the vibration sensor, a voice command of the user, the vibration sensor coupled to a window of the vehicle to detect audio vibrations;

identifying, via a processor, an audio response based upon the voice command; and

emitting, via an audio actuator, the audio response to the user, the audio actuator coupled to an outer layer of the vehicle to vibrate the outer layer.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising triggering detection of the voice command responsive to detecting a wake-up term via the vibration sensor, the wake-up term preceding the voice command.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

detecting, via communication nodes of the vehicle including the communication node, a location of the key fob of the user; and

determining whether to activate the vibration sensor and the audio actuator based upon the location of the key fob.

18. A vehicle comprising:

an outer layer;

a communication module;

a vibration sensor and an audio actuator coupled to the outer layer; and

a controller to;

activate the vibration sensor responsive to detecting, via the communication module, a key fob associated with the vehicle is within a vehicle communication range;

detect a voice command via the vibration sensor;

identify an audio response based upon the voice command; and

emit the audio response via the audio actuator.

19. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the outer layer includes one or more windows.

20. The vehicle of claim 19, wherein the one or more window includes at least one of a windshield and a side window.