METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR UTILIZING VOICE COMMANDS ONBOARD AN AIRCRAFT

• US 20130197917A1
• Filed: 04/09/2013
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Dong, Xian Qin, Qin, Xiao Long
• Granted Patent: US 9,190,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/183 using context dependencies, e.g. language models
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/225 Feedback of the input speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0216 characterised by the method used for estimating noise
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/06 Transformation of speech into a non-audible representation, e.g. speech visualisation or speech processing for tactile aids G10L15/26 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for utilizing audio commands onboard an aircraft. A method comprises identifying a flight phase for the aircraft, resulting in an identified flight phase, receiving an audio input, resulting in received audio input, filtering the received audio input in a manner that is influenced by the identified flight phase for the aircraft, resulting in filtered audio input, and validating the filtered audio input as a first voice command of a first plurality of possible voice commands.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing voice commands onboard a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining a current operating state for the vehicle;

recognizing a received voice command as a first voice command of a plurality of possible voice commands, the first voice command being associated with one or more allowed operating states; and

in response to recognizing the received voice command;

invalidating the received voice command if a criterion associated with the first voice command does not allow execution of the first voice command during the current operating state; and

executing the first voice command when the current operating state of the vehicle corresponds to an allowed operating state of the one or more allowed operating states.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising validating the first voice command based on one or more criterion associated with the first voice command prior to executing the first voice command.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting, from a plurality of different noise models, a first noise model corresponding to the current operating state; and

filtering the received voice command in a manner that is influenced by the first noise model, resulting in a filtered voice command, wherein executing the first voice command comprises executing the first voice command in response to recognizing the filtered voice command as the first voice command.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing feedback in response to invalidating the received voice command.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the feedback comprises a warning or a message.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein providing the feedback comprises generating an auditory warning.

7. A system for an aircraft comprising:

an avionics system onboard the aircraft;

an audio input device onboard the aircraft, the audio input device being capable of receiving audio input;

a data storage element comprising a first plurality of possible voice commands, each voice command of the first plurality of possible voice commands being associated with one or more allowed flight phases; and

a processing system coupled to the avionics system, the audio input device, and the data storage element, wherein the processing system is configured to;

identify a current flight phase for the aircraft, resulting in an identified flight phase;

recognize the audio input as a first voice command of the first plurality of possible voice commands;

invalidate the first voice command if a flight phase criterion associated with the first voice command does not allow execution of the first voice command during the identified flight phase; and

when the identified flight phase corresponds to a flight phase of the one or more allowed flight phases for the first voice command, provide the first voice command to the avionics system, wherein the avionics system is configured to execute the first voice command.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing system is configured to provide feedback in response to invalidating the first voice command.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the feedback comprises a warning or a message.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising an audio output device coupled to the processing system, wherein providing the feedback comprises generating an auditory warning via the audio output device.

11. A method for utilizing voice commands onboard an aircraft, the method comprising:

identifying a current flight phase for the aircraft, resulting in an identified flight phase;

recognizing a received voice command as a first voice command of a plurality of possible voice commands, the first voice command being associated with one or more allowed flight phases; and

in response to recognizing the received voice command;

invalidating the received voice command if a flight phase criterion associated with the first voice command does not allow execution of the first voice command during the identified flight phase; and

executing the first voice command when the identified flight phase of the aircraft corresponds to an allowed flight phase of the one or more allowed flight phases.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing feedback in response to invalidating the received voice command.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the feedback comprises a warning or a message.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the feedback comprises generating an auditory warning.