SPEECH COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR COMBINED VOICE RECOGNITION, HANDS-FREE TELEPHONY AND IN-CAR COMMUNICATION

• US 20150120305A1
• Filed: 05/16/2012
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Buck, Markus, Haulick, Tim, Matheja, Timo
• Granted Patent: US 9,620,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/00 Speech recognition G10L17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/32 Multiple recognisers used in sequence or in parallel; Score combination systems therefor, e.g. voting systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02166 Microphone arrays; Beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0272 Voice signal separating
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0364 for improving intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular 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 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/009 Signal processing in [PA] systems to enhance the speech intelligibility
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A multi-mode speech communication system is described that has different operating modes for different speech applications. A speech service compartment contains multiple system users, multiple input microphones that develop microphone input signals from the system users to the system, and multiple output loudspeakers that develop loudspeaker output signals from the system to the system users. A signal processing module is in communication with the speech applications and includes an input processing module and an output processing module. The input processing module processes the microphone input signals to produce a set user input signals for each speech application that are limited to currently active system users for that speech application. The output processing module processes application output communications from the speech applications to produce loudspeaker output signals to the system users, wherein for each different speech application, the loudspeaker output signals are directed only to system users currently active in that speech application. The signal processing module dynamically controls the processing of the microphone input signals and the loudspeaker output signals to respond to changes in currently active system users for each application.

Claims

1. A multi-mode speech communication system having a plurality of different operating modes for a plurality of different speech applications, the system comprising:

a speech service compartment that contains a plurality of system users;

a plurality of input microphones within the service compartment that develops microphone input signals from the system users to the system;

a plurality of output loudspeakers within the service compartment that develops loudspeaker output signals from the system to the system users;

a signal processing module in communication with the speech applications and including;

an input processing module that processes the microphone input signals to produce a set user input signals for each speech application that are limited to currently active system users for that speech application, and

an output processing module that processes application output communications from the speech applications to produce loudspeaker output signals to the system users, wherein for each different speech application, the loudspeaker output signals are directed only to system users currently active in that speech application;

wherein the signal processing module dynamically controls the processing of the microphone input signals and the loudspeaker output signals to respond to changes in currently active system users for each application.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the speech applications include a hands free telephone application.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the speech applications include an in-car communication system.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the speech applications include an automatic speech recognition (ASR) application.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the system operates a plurality of different speech applications in parallel.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the speech service compartment is the passenger compartment of an automobile.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing module further comprises a control module for dynamically controlling the processing of the microphone input signals and the loudspeaker output signals response to control mechanism inputs from the system users.

8. A computer-implemented method using one or more computer processes for multi-mode speech communication using a plurality of different operating modes for a plurality of different speech applications, the method comprising:

developing a plurality of microphone input signals received by a plurality of input microphones from a plurality of system users within a service compartment;

processing the microphone input signals with an input processing module to produce a set user input signals for each speech application that are limited to currently active system users for that speech application; and

processing application output communications from the speech applications with an output processing module to produce a plurality of loudspeaker output signals to a plurality of output loudspeakers within the service compartment, wherein for each different speech application, the loudspeaker output signals are directed only to system users currently active in that speech application;

wherein the processing of the microphone input signals and the loudspeaker output signals is dynamically controlled to respond to changes in system users currently active in each speech application.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the speech applications include a hands free telephone application.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the speech applications include an in-car communication system.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein the speech applications include an automatic speech recognition (ASR) application.

12. A method according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of different speech applications operate in parallel.

13. A method according to claim 8, wherein the speech service compartment is the passenger compartment of an automobile.

14. A method according to claim 8, wherein dynamically controlling the processing of the microphone input signals and the loudspeaker output signals is performed in response to control mechanism inputs from the system users.

15. A computer program product encoded in a non-transitory computer-readable medium for multi-mode speech communication using a plurality of different operating modes for a plurality of different speech applications, the product comprising:

program code for developing a plurality of microphone input signals received by a plurality of input microphones from a plurality of system users within a service compartment;

program code for processing the microphone input signals with an input processing module to produce a set user input signals for each speech application that are limited to currently active system users for that speech application; and

program code for processing application output communications from the speech applications with an output processing module to produce a plurality of loudspeaker output signals to a plurality of output loudspeakers within the service compartment, wherein for each different speech application, the loudspeaker output signals are directed only to system users currently active in that speech application;

wherein the processing of the microphone input signals and the loudspeaker output signals is dynamically controlled to respond to changes in system users currently active in each speech application.

16. A product according to claim 15, wherein the speech applications include a hands free telephone application.

17. A product according to claim 15, wherein the speech applications include an in-car communication system.

18. A product according to claim 15, wherein the speech applications include an automatic speech recognition (ASR) application.

19. A product according to claim 15, wherein a plurality of different speech applications operate in parallel.

20. A product according to claim 15, wherein the speech service compartment is the passenger compartment of an automobile.

21. (canceled)