METHOD OF CONTROLLING DIALING MODES IN A VEHICLE

• US 20110250933A1
• Filed: 04/08/2010
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Wuergler, Michael A., Chengalvarayan, Rathinavelu, Voran-Nowak, Sherri J., Talwar, Gaurav
• Granted Patent: US 8,787,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/569.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6033 for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets arrangements for preventing acoustic echo H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6083 by interfacing with the vehicle audio system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface

Abstract

A dialing mode of a telematics unit in a vehicle is controlled by monitoring for dialing digits from a vehicle occupant, determining whether the type of dialing digits are continuous dialing digits or discrete dialing digits, establishing a continuous mode for receiving continuous dialing digits or a discrete mode for receiving discrete dialing digits based on the determination, and if the type of dialing digits changes, switching the established mode.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a dialing mode of a telematics unit in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving dialing digits that are spoken by a vehicle occupant;

(b) determining that the dialing digits are no longer being spoken;

(c) adding one or more dialing digits received via a tactile device to the dialing digits spoken by the vehicle occupant; and

(d) monitoring for additional dialing digits either spoken by the vehicle occupant or received at the tactile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of establishing a voice mode based on the spoken dialing digits.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises making the determination based on the detection of a manual manipulation of the tactile device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining whether the dialing digits are continuous dialing digits or discrete dialing digits.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of establishing a continuous mode or a discrete mode based on the determination.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the dialing digits added in step (c) are in response to an interactive voice response system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of changing a dialing mode from a voice mode to a manual mode.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactile device is a keypad.

9. A method of controlling a dialing mode of a telematics unit in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) monitoring for dialing digits from a vehicle occupant;

(b) determining whether the type of dialing digits are continuous dialing digits or discrete dialing digits;

(c) establishing a continuous mode for receiving continuous dialing digits or a discrete mode for receiving discrete dialing digits based on the determination; and

(d) if the type of dialing digits determined in step (b) changes, switching the established mode.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of monitoring for the dialing digits via a microphone or a tactile device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the continuous dialing digits are a string of numbers or a telephone number.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of establishing a voice mode or a manual mode.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the type of dialing digits in step (b) is determined using a temporal window.

14. A method of controlling a dialing mode of a telematics unit in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) prompting a vehicle occupant for a query response;

(b) establishing a temporal window during which the vehicle occupant can respond to the query;

(c) monitoring for both an audible query response received via a microphone and a manual query response received via a tactile device;

(d) detecting the manual query response using the tactile device; and

(e) adjusting the temporal window based on the detection of the manual query response.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the tactile device is a rotary knob.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the vehicle occupant manipulates the rotary knob to move a cursor over one or more menu selections.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the tactile device is a keypad.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein detecting the manual query response further comprises detecting physical manipulation of the tactile device by the vehicle occupant.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein adjusting the temporal window further comprises delaying the ending time of the temporal window by adding a predetermined amount of time to the end of the temporal window.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the predetermined amount of time is stored at the telematics unit.