Vehicular, hands-free telephone system

• US 7,050,834 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2003
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Harwood, Jody K., Rudnick, Kenan Robert, Bauman, Jason G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI MINH
• Application Number:
  US10/748,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20050143134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 455/569.1, 455/596.2, 455/564, 455/550.1, 455/415, 455563-567, 455/569.2, 379/88.03, 379/420
• US Class Current: 455/563
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00

Abstract

A hands-free, telephone system for a vehicle includes a vehicle appliance configured to read over vehicle speakers and display on a vehicle radio display a voice tag associated with a call incoming to a cell phone paired with the appliance for an operator to hear and view. The appliance uses text-to-speech (TTS) to transfer phonebook entries from the cell phone to memory of the appliance. The appliance uses TTS to read and display text messages incoming to the cell phone for the operator to hear and view. The appliance initiates connecting and disconnecting of the cell phone with the appliance in response to voice commands of the operator. The appliance wirelessly communicates vehicle diagnostic information to another device. The appliance controls vehicle functions in accordance with voice commands of the operator. The appliance receives music files from a device and plays the music files in accordance with operator voice commands.

Claims

1. A hands-free telephone system for a vehicle comprising:

a Bluetooth™

enabled cell phone located in the vehicle, the cell phone storing a phonebook having entries, each entry including a name text and an associated telephone number; and

a vehicle appliance integrated into the vehicle, the vehicle appliance having a Bluetooth™

enabled communications module, memory, a text-to-speech (TTS) module, and a voice synthesizer;

the communications module being operable for wirelessly communicating with the cell phone to receive a selected phonebook entry from the cell phone;

the TTS module being operable for converting the name text of the selected phonebook entry into a voice tag for play by the voice synthesizer over a vehicle speaker for the operator to hear;

the memory being operable for storing the converted voice tag and the associated telephone number of the selected phonebook entry in a phonebook for access by the voice synthesizer;

wherein the vehicle appliance further includes a controller operable for accessing the memory to determine if the converted voice tag of the name text of the selected phonebook entry corresponds to a voice tag of a name text already stored in the memory, wherein if the converted voice tag of the name text of the selected phonebook entry corresponds to a voice tag of a name text already stored in the memory, the voice synthesizer outputs an indication over the vehicle speaker for the driver to hear indicating that the converted voice tag of the name text of the selected phonebook entry corresponds to a voice tag of a name text already stored in the memory;

wherein the vehicle appliance further includes a voice recognition module operable for receiving a verbal pronunciation of the converted voice tag of the selected phonebook entry by the operator, the voice recognition module being operable for converting the verbal pronunciation into a voice tag for play by the voice synthesizer over the vehicle speaker for the operator to hear;

wherein the memory is operable for storing the voice tag converted by the voice recognition module in place of the converted voice tag generated by the TTS module for access by the voice synthesizer.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the voice recognition module is operable for recognizing voice commands stated by the operator, wherein the controller generates a control signal to control operation of a vehicle component in response to a vehicle component voice command received by the voice recognition module from the operator.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the communications module wirelessly communicates with the cell phone to receive the selected phonebook entry using the OBEX file transfer protocol.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the memory has at least first and second memory phonebooks for storing entries, each memory phonebook storing a list of entries with each entry including a voice tag and an associated telephone number, wherein one of the memory phonebooks is operable at a time.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein:

the voice recognition module is operable for receiving a voice command indicative of a selected memory phonebook from the operator, the controller being operable for enabling the selected memory phonebook for use by the operator.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the voice recognition module is operable for receiving a voice command indicative of disconnecting the cell phone from the communications module, the controller being operable for disconnecting the communications module from the cell phone in response to the voice command.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein:

the voice recognition module is operable for receiving a second voice command indicative of connecting the disconnected cell phone with the communications module, the controller being operable for reconnecting the cell phone with the communications module in response to the second voice command.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a Bluetooth™

enabled device;

wherein the controller is operable with vehicle components for generating vehicle diagnostic information;

wherein the memory is operable for storing the vehicle diagnostic information;

wherein the communications module is operable for wirelessly communicating the vehicle diagnostic information to the device.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the communications module wirelessly communicates with the device to receive the diagnostic information using the OBEX file transfer protocol.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a second Bluetooth™

enabled device operable for storing MP3 music files;

wherein the communications module is operable for wirelessly communicating with the second device to receive the MP3 music files and the memory is operable for storing the received MP3 music files.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the voice recognition module is operable for receiving voice commands of the operator, wherein the controller is operable with a vehicle radio system to play the MP3 music files over a vehicle speaker for the operator to hear in accordance with the voice commands of the operator.