SYSTEMS, VEHICLES, AND METHODS FOR LIMITING SPEECH-BASED ACCESS TO AN AUDIO METADATA DATABASE

• US 20150006165A1
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Eric Randell
• Granted Patent: US 9,620,148 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/231
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/285 Memory allocation or algorithm optimisation to reduce hardware requirements
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/54 for retrieval

Abstract

Systems, vehicles, and methods for limiting speech-based access to an audio metadata database are described herein. Audio metadata databases described herein include a plurality of audio metadata entries. Each audio metadata entry includes metadata information associated with at least one audio file. Embodiments described herein determine when a size of the audio metadata database reaches a threshold size, and limit which of the plurality of audio metadata entries may be accessed in response to the speech input signal when the size of the audio metadata database reaches the threshold size.

Claims

1. A speech recognition system comprising:

one or more processors;

a microphone communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the microphone receives acoustic vibrations;

one or more memory modules communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;

an audio metadata database stored in the one or more memory modules, wherein the audio metadata database includes a plurality of audio metadata entries, wherein each audio metadata entry includes metadata information associated with at least one audio file; and

machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that cause the speech recognition system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors;

transform the acoustic vibrations received by the microphone into a speech input signal;

determine when a size of the audio metadata database reaches a threshold size; and

limit which of the plurality of audio metadata entries may be accessed in response to the speech input signal when the size of the audio metadata database reaches the threshold size.

2. The speech recognition system of claim 1, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules cause the speech recognition system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

determine a number of audio metadata entries in the audio metadata database; and

determine the size of the audio metadata database reaches the threshold size when the number of audio metadata entries in the audio metadata database reaches a threshold number.

3. The speech recognition system of claim 1, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules cause the speech recognition system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

determine a memory size of the audio metadata database; and

determine the size of the audio metadata database reaches the threshold size when the memory size of the audio metadata database reaches a threshold memory size.

4. The speech recognition system of claim 1, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules cause the speech recognition system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

limit which of the plurality of audio metadata entries may be accessed in response to the speech input signal based on a metadata category associated with at least one of the plurality of audio metadata entries.

5. The speech recognition system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of audio metadata entries includes a category group of audio metadata entries, wherein the category group of audio metadata entries are associated with a metadata category, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules cause the speech recognition system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

remove at least one of the category group of audio metadata entries from the plurality of audio metadata entries that may be accessed in response to the speech input signal.

6. The speech recognition system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of audio metadata entries includes a category group of audio metadata entries, wherein the category group of audio metadata entries are associated with a metadata category, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules cause the speech recognition system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

remove the category group of audio metadata entries from the plurality of audio metadata entries that may be accessed in response to the speech input signal.

7. The speech recognition system of claim 1, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules cause the speech recognition system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

limit which of the plurality of audio metadata entries may be accessed in response to the speech input signal based on an audio source associated with at least one of the plurality of audio metadata entries.

8. The speech recognition system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of audio metadata entries includes an audio source group of audio metadata entries, wherein the audio source group of audio metadata entries are associated with an audio source, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules cause the speech recognition system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

remove at least one of the audio source group of audio metadata entries from the plurality of audio metadata entries that may be accessed in response to the speech input signal.

9. The speech recognition system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of audio metadata entries includes an audio source group of audio metadata entries, wherein the audio source group of audio metadata entries are associated with an audio source, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules cause the speech recognition system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

remove the audio source group of audio metadata entries from the plurality of audio metadata entries that may be accessed in response to the speech input signal.

10. The speech recognition system of claim 1, wherein the metadata information includes a song title, an album name, an artist, a composer, a playlist, a genre, an audiobook name, or a podcast title.

11. A vehicle comprising:

one or more processors;

a microphone communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the microphone receives acoustic vibrations;

one or more memory modules communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;

an audio metadata database stored in the one or more memory modules, wherein the audio metadata database includes a plurality of audio metadata entries, wherein each audio metadata entry includes metadata information associated with at least one audio file; and

machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that cause the vehicle to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors;

transform the acoustic vibrations received by the microphone into a speech input signal;

determine when a size of the audio metadata database reaches a threshold size; and

limit which of the plurality of audio metadata entries may be accessed in response to the speech input signal when the size of the audio metadata database reaches the threshold size.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules cause the vehicle to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

determine a number of audio metadata entries in the audio metadata database; and

determine the size of the audio metadata database reaches the threshold size when the number of audio metadata entries in the audio metadata database reaches a threshold number.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules cause the vehicle to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

limit which of the plurality of audio metadata entries may be accessed in response to the speech input signal based on a metadata category associated with at least one of the plurality of audio metadata entries.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules cause the vehicle to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

limit which of the plurality of audio metadata entries may be accessed in response to the speech input signal based on an audio source associated with at least one of the plurality of audio metadata entries.

15. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules cause the vehicle to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

store the audio metadata database in the one or more memory modules before the vehicle is powered off; and

access the audio metadata database from the one or more memory modules when the vehicle is turned on.

16. A method for limiting access to an audio metadata database stored in one or more memory modules, wherein the audio metadata database includes a plurality of audio metadata entries, wherein each audio metadata entry includes metadata information associated with at least one audio file, the method comprising:

receiving, automatically by a processor a speech input signal;

determining when a size of the audio metadata database reaches a threshold size; and

limiting which of the plurality of audio metadata entries may be accessed in response to the speech input signal when the size of the audio metadata database reaches the threshold size.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a number of audio metadata entries in the audio metadata database; and

determining the size of the audio metadata database reaches the threshold size when the number of audio metadata entries in the audio metadata database reaches a threshold number.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

limiting which of the plurality of audio metadata entries may be accessed in response to the speech input signal based on a metadata category associated with at least one of the plurality of audio metadata entries.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

limiting which of the plurality of audio metadata entries may be accessed in response to the speech input signal based on an audio source associated with at least one of the plurality of audio metadata entries.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the metadata information includes a song title, an album name, an artist, a composer, a playlist, a genre, an audiobook name, or a podcast title.