VEHICLE COMMUNICATIONS USING A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20140066132A1
• Filed: 09/05/2012
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Burke, Denis R., Gurovich, Danilo, Fry, Keith A., McCutchen, Shane M., Carnevale, Marco T., Gupta, Mukesh, Rudman, Daniel E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,909,153 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/569.2
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method of providing hands-free services using a mobile device having wireless access to computer-based services includes establishing a short-range wireless connection between a mobile device and a vehicle; receiving speech in the vehicle that is communicated to a mobile voice platform resident on the mobile device via the short-range wireless connection; parsing the received speech using the mobile voice platform to identify vehicle-specific vocabulary; when vehicle-specific vocabulary exists, identifying at least one vehicle-specific vocabulary term that affects vehicle operation; identifying at least one vehicle function of an inter-related group of vehicle functions that is associated with the identified vehicle-specific vocabulary; determining whether to access one or more cloud services based on the identity of the vehicle function; generating a text-based command reflecting audible control of the affected vehicle function; and sending the text-based command from the mobile device to the vehicle over the short-range wireless connection.

Claims

1. A method of providing hands-free services using a mobile device having wireless access to computer-based services, the method comprising:

(a) establishing a short-range wireless connection between a mobile device and a vehicle;

(b) receiving speech in the vehicle that is communicated to a mobile voice platform resident on the mobile device via the short-range wireless connection;

(c) parsing the received speech using the mobile voice platform to identify vehicle-specific vocabulary;

(d) when vehicle-specific vocabulary exists, identifying at least one vehicle function of an inter-related group of vehicle functions that is associated with the identified vehicle-specific vocabulary;

(e) determining whether to access one or more cloud services based on the identity of the vehicle function;

(f) generating a text-based command reflecting audible control of the affected vehicle function; and

(g) sending the text-based command from the mobile device to the vehicle over the short-range wireless connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of carrying out the inter-related group of vehicle functions using a plurality of vehicle system modules (VSMs).

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of carrying out the inter-related group of vehicle functions using an instrument panel vehicle system module (VSM), an infotainment VSM, a climate control VSM, a navigation VSM, or a diagnostic VSM.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving the speech via an audio user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of identifying the received speech as originating in the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining whether to access one or more cloud services based on a list of vehicle-related vocabulary terms.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining whether the received speech includes:

a request for vehicle data, a request for information about vehicle condition, or a command to control an aspect of vehicle function.

8. A method of providing hands-free services using a mobile device having wireless access to computer-based services, the method comprising:

(a) receiving vehicle information relating to vehicle function at a mobile device from a vehicle linked to the mobile device via a short-range wireless connection;

(b) presenting an audible message to a vehicle occupant that conveys at least some of the received vehicle information in response to the received vehicle information;

(c) receiving speech input at the mobile device from the vehicle occupant in reply to the audible message;

(d) identifying vehicle-specific vocabulary included in the received speech input using a mobile voice platform resident on the mobile device that is capable of carrying out speech recognition using a cloud-based service; and

(e) audibly controlling one or more vehicle functions chosen from an inter-related group of vehicle functions based on the identified vehicle-specific vocabulary included in the received speech.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of carrying out the inter-related group of vehicle functions using a plurality of vehicle system modules (VSMs).

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of carrying out the inter-related group of vehicle functions using an instrument panel vehicle system module (VSM), a body control VSM, an infotainment VSM, a climate control VSM, a navigation VSM, or a diagnostic VSM.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of receiving the speech input via an audio user interface.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of identifying the received speech input as originating in the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of determining whether to access one or more cloud services based on a list of vehicle-related vocabulary terms.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of establishing the list of vehicle-related vocabulary terms with user input.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of determining whether the received speech includes:

a request for vehicle data, a request for information about vehicle condition, or a command to control an aspect of vehicle function.

16. A system of providing hands-free services using a mobile device having wireless access to computer-based services comprises:

a mobile device capable of both short-range wireless communications and cellular communications, wherein the mobile device wirelessly receives spoken input from a vehicle occupant via an audio user interface integrated with a vehicle as well as vehicle data generated by one or more vehicle system modules on the vehicle; and

a mobile voice platform software application stored on the mobile device capable of accessing cloud services upon detecting vehicle-related vocabulary in the received spoken input, generating an audibly-playable response to the vehicle occupant when the detected vehicle-related vocabulary affects one or more aspects of vehicle operation, and carrying out a vehicle command included with the spoken input that affects one or more vehicle system modules.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the mobile voice platform carries out speech recognition using cloud-based speech services.