Apparatus for communicating with a vehicle during remote vehicle operations, program product, and associated methods

• US 7,026,957 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Advanced Public Safety, LLC
• Original Assignee: Advanced Public Safety Incorporated (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Rubenstein, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US11/083,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20050179540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/692, 340/995, 340/996, 340/902, 340/933, 340/995.1, 340/995.12, 707 1- 2, 707/10, 707/24, 707/200, 707/231, 707/246
• US Class Current: 340/988
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/221 Announcement of recognition results
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02166 Microphone arrays; Beamforming

Abstract

An apparatus to enhance command communication in a high-noise environment between a user and user vehicle mobile data computer system, program product, and associated methods are provided. The apparatus includes a vehicle computer adapted to be positioned within a user vehicle and a vehicle computer application program stored in memory of the vehicle computer adapted to communicate with a remote host computer. A voice command interface program product is also stored in the memory and is in communication with the mobile data communications application program. The voice command interface program product is adapted to receive as audio input, through an audio input device, a voice command from the user representing a command input, identify the voice command by analyzing the received audio input, echo the identified voice command through an audio speaker, and transmit the command input to the vehicle computer application program, the echo including a preselected audio message verbally representing the identified voice command.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communicating with law enforcement during remote vehicle operations, the apparatus comprising:

a remote host computer defining a department server in communication with at least one law enforcement database to supply law enforcement data to officers positioned in vehicles located remote from the department server;

a vehicle computer positioned within a law enforcement vehicle defining a mobile data computer in communication with the department server and in communication with at least one audio speaker and at least one audio input device and having memory to store data therein;

a mobile data communications application program stored in the memory of the mobile data computer to facilitate officer communication with the department server through the mobile data computer and to transmit and receive law enforcement data from the at least one law enforcement database through the department server;

a voice command interface program product stored in the memory of the mobile data computer and in communication with the mobile data communications application program to enhance officer communication with the department server through the mobile data computer, the voice command interface program product including instructions to perform the operations of receiving as audio input a voice command representing a corresponding command input from an officer through the at least one audio input device, identifying the voice command by analyzing the received audio input, echoing the identified voice command through the at least one audio speaker, and transmitting the command input to the mobile data communications application program, the echo including a preselected and prerecorded audio message verbally repeating the identified voice command; and

a communication enhancing program product stored on the memory of the mobile data computer and in communication with the mobile data communications application program to enhance officer communication with the department server through the mobile data computer, the communications enhancing program product including instructions to perform the operation of transmitting enhanced audio law enforcement data received from the mobile data communications application program to the officer through the at least one audio speaker, the enhanced audio law enforcement data including a plurality of preselected and prerecorded audio messages responsive to the law enforcement data received from the mobile data communications application program.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the voice command interface program product further includes instructions to perform the operation of transmitting audio data associated with the identified voice command through the at least one audio speaker, the audio data comprising a representation of the identified command in prerecorded human voice.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1,

wherein the received audio input includes a plurality of voice commands representing a corresponding plurality of command inputs;

wherein the voice command interface program product includes instructions, responsive to a first preselected time delay, to perform the operation of rejecting received audio input as being a voice command from the officer, and resetting to receive another voice command from the officer; and

wherein the voice command interface program product further includes instructions, responsive to a second preselected time delay, to perform the operation of at least one of the following;

disabling receiving audio input from the audio input device, and disabling transmitting the plurality of command inputs to the mobile data communications application program.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1,

wherein the received audio input includes a plurality of voice commands;

wherein the mobile data computer includes a mobile data computer to input device having a plurality of control function selectors; and

wherein the apparatus further comprises an initializer accessible by the voice command interface program product and configured to assign a plurality of command terms or phrases defining the plurality of voice commands to a corresponding plurality of mobile data computer input device command inputs for the mobile data communication program, and to assign to each of a subset of the plurality of voice commands prerecorded audio output data to echo the respective voice commands.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1,

wherein the received audio input includes a plurality of voice commands representing a corresponding plurality of command inputs, continuous and repetitive noise, and noise caused by reverberation of the plurality of voice commands from adjacent vehicle structures;

wherein the at least one audio input device comprises an array microphone adapted to be connected to a vehicle structure separate and spaced apart from the officer when receiving audio input from the officer and having at least two unidirectional microphone transducers with individual audio channels adapted to provide a directional area of audio input sensitivity having an angle and area of reception, to thereby enhance detection of the plurality of voice commands and to thereby provide the plurality of voice commands from the officer to the mobile data communications application program through the voice command interface program product; and

wherein the apparatus further comprises an audio input processing program product adapted to interface with the array microphone and adapted to provide instructions to perform the operations of attenuating continuous and repetitive noise to thereby reduce voice command recognition latency, and adapted to adjust the area of reception of the audio input to the array microphone to substantially reduce reverberation noise to thereby enhance reception of the plurality of voice commands.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1,

wherein the received audio input includes a plurality of voice commands representing a corresponding plurality of command inputs;

and

wherein the at least one audio input device comprises a wireless microphone assembly including a microphone and audio speaker adapted to provide wireless audio communication between the mobile data computer and the officer when outside the law enforcement vehicle to transmit the plurality of voice commands from the officer to the mobile data communications application program through the voice command interface program product, to thereby provide command input to the mobile data communications application program, and to receive an audio echo for each of a subset of the plurality of voice commands, to thereby provide the officer verification of correct identification of each respective voice command echoed by the voice command interface program product.