METHOD OF RECOGNIZING SPEECH FROM A PLURALITY OF SPEAKING LOCATIONS WITHIN A VEHICLE

• US 20080118080A1
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Chengalvarayan, Rathinavelu, Gratke, Jesse T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,054,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/86
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L

Abstract

A speech recognition method includes the steps of receiving a location-specific command from a vehicle occupant, and adjusting either the shape or magnitude of a pick up pattern of at least one microphone in response to the location-specific command. The microphone adjustment can be carried out by electronically or physically steering the pick-up pattern.

Claims

1. A method of recognizing speech from a plurality of speaking locations within a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a location-specific command from a vehicle occupant; and

adjusting the shape and/or magnitude of a pick up pattern of at least one microphone in response to the location-specific command.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

steering the pick up pattern of the at least one microphone in response to the location-specific command.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one microphone is electromechanically steered.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one microphone includes a plurality of microphones that are electronically steered.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

adjusting output of at least one loudspeaker in the vehicle in response to the location-specific command.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting output of at least one loudspeaker in the vehicle in response to the location-specific command.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step includes receiving an activation of a pushbutton located at one of the plurality of seating locations.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step includes receiving a voice command via the at least one microphone.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting step includes switching between a plurality of individual microphones from one type of microphone to another.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a cardioid microphone is switched off and a hypercardioid microphone is switched on.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting step includes switching the at least one microphone from one microphone mode to another.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one microphone is switched between cardioid and hypercardioid modes.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one microphone comprises:

two pairs of front and rear sound ports for switching between the cardioid and hypercardioid modes; and

a pair of electrically actuated acoustic valves disposed in one of the two pairs of front and rear sound ports to selectively permit or retard flow of sound waves therethrough to achieve variable directivity of the at least one microphone.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one microphone behaves as a cardioid microphone when the valves close off their respective ports, and behaves as a hypercardioid microphone when the valves open their respective ports.

15. A method of recognizing speech from a plurality of speaking locations within a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a location-specific command from a vehicle occupant, wherein the command is a pushbutton activation or a voice command;

adjusting the shape and/or magnitude of a pick up pattern of at least one microphone in response to the location-specific command by switching at least one microphone from (a) one type of microphone to another or (b) one microphone mode to another; and

steering the pick up pattern of the microphone(s) in response to the location-specific command by (a) electromechanically steering the microphone(s) or (b) electronically steering a plurality of the microphones.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of adjusting output of at least one loudspeaker in the vehicle in response to the location-specific command.