METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING A DEVICE IN A VEHICLE WITH A VOICE CONTROLLER

• US 20110007006A1
• Filed: 10/31/2008
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Bohrer, Lorenz, Bobzin, Christof
• Granted Patent: US 9,193,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

In a method for operating a device in a vehicle, an operating step is selected and a function associated with the operating step is performed. The operation of selecting the operating step automatically activates a voice controller for input following the operating step. An apparatus for operating a device in a vehicle has a display apparatus for displaying operating steps, a first operating unit for haptic input for selecting an operating step, a voice control unit for voice input for selecting an operating step, and a control unit which is coupled to the display apparatus, the first operating unit and the voice control unit and can be used to generate control signals for performing a function associated with a selected operating step. The control unit is designed in such a manner that the operation of selecting an operating step automatically activates the voice control unit for input following the operating step.

Claims

1. A method for operating a device of a vehicle, comprising

Selecting an operating step and carrying out a function associated with the operating step,

wherein

by means of the selection of the operating step a voice controller for an input following the operating step is activated automatically.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the input following the operating step may be carried out both by means of a linguistic input and by means of a haptic input.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein

it is defined by means of an input if the voice controller for an input following the respective operating step is automatically activated by means of the selection of the next operating step or the following operating steps.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the operating steps available for selecting are displayed to the user by means of push buttons on a display device, and that a voice controller symbol associated with the push buttons is displayed if by means of the selection of the operating step the voice controller further is activated automatically for an input following the operating step.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein

an operating activity is carried out which comprises several operating steps which are carried out by means of at least one of a linguistic input and a haptic input, and independent of wether a preceding operating step is carried out by means of a linguistic input or a haptic input the following operating step may be carried out by means of a linguistic input or a haptic input.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein

there is a limited number of options in an operating step, the options each are associated with words or phrases consisting of several words, and by a voice recognition of the voice controller the vocabulary is limited to the words associated with the options or which occur in the phrases of the options for the current operating step.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the haptic input is carried out by contacting a touch-sensitive surface with an object.

8. An apparatus for operating a device of a vehicle, comprising

a display device for displaying operating steps,

a first operating unit for a haptic input for selecting an operating step,

a voice controller unit for a linguistic input for selecting an operating step, and

a control unit coupled to the display device, the first operating unit, and the voice controller unit, wherein the control unit is operable to perform a function which is associated with a selected operating step, and wherein

the control unit is designed such that by means of a selection of an operating step the voice controller unit is automatically activated for an input following the operating step.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the voice controller unit comprises a microphone for detecting spoken speech within the vehicle and a voice recognition unit which converts speech detected by the microphone into input signals which are processible by the control unit.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the voice recognition unit is coupled to a memory in which the vocabulary is stored, the words or phrases consisting of several words of which are convertible into input signals by the voice recognition unit, and in an operating step the vocabulary may be limited depending on the words or the words occurring in the phrases associated with a limited number of options of the operating step.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the first operating unit comprises a touch-sensitive surface.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the first operating unit and a display of the display device are provided by a touchscreen.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the first operating unit is located offset from the display device in the vehicle.

14. An apparatus for operating a device of a vehicle, comprising

a display device,

a haptic input unit,

a voice controller unit, and

a control unit coupled to the display device, the haptic input unit, and the voice controller unit, wherein the control unit is operable to perform a function which is associated with an operating step displayed on the display device and selected by the haptic input unit, and wherein

the control unit is further operable to automatically activate the voice controller unit for an input following the selection.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the voice controller unit comprises a microphone for detecting spoken speech within the vehicle and a voice recognition unit which converts speech detected by the microphone into input signals which are processible by the control unit.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the voice recognition unit is coupled to a memory in which the vocabulary is stored, the words or phrases consisting of several words of which are convertible into input signals by the voice recognition unit, and that in an operating step the vocabulary may be limited depending on the words or the words occurring in the phrases associated with a limited number of options of the operating step.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the haptic input unit comprises a touch-sensitive surface.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the haptic input unit and a display of the display device are provided by a touchscreen.

19. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the haptic input unit is located offset from the display device in the vehicle.