Handwritten and voice control of vehicle components

• US 7,158,871 B1
• Filed: 05/06/1999
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications Israel Ltd. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Art Advancec Recognition Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Ilan, Gabriel, Giloh, Benjamin Dov, Kadosh, Arie
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu; Yonel
• Application Number:
  US09/674,710
• Time in Patent Office: 2,798 Days
• Field of Search: 701/49, 701/36, 345/173, 382/181, 382/182, 382/186, 382/187, 382/188
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3623 using a camera or code reader, e.g. for optical or magnetic codes
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/24 Speech recognition using non-acoustical features
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/10 Multimodal systems, i.e. based on the integration of multiple recognition engines or fusion of expert systems

Abstract

A recognition system (20) for use in a vehicle or the like includes a handwriting recognizer (44) and a voice recognizer (38) for receiving handwriting and voice signals, where the signals are associated with commands used to operate with a variety of vehicle appliances. Such appliances may include, but are not limited to, car alarms (32), electric windows, personal computers (28), navigation systems (26), and audio (30) and telecommunications equipment (24).

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a voice recognition unit to receive a voice input and associate said voice input with at least one first command from at least one command data set;

a handwriting recognition unit to receive a handwritten input and associate said handwritten input with at least one second command from said at least one command data set; and

a control unit to receive said at least one first command and at least one second command and to communicate a command signal associated with both of said voice and handwritten inputs to at least one appliance within a vehicle, wherein both of said voice and handwritten inputs are considered in combination with each other.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one command data set includes alphanumeric characters.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one appliance is a cellular telephone and said at least one command data set includes cellular telephone and alphanumeric characters.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one appliance is a personal computer and said at least one command data set includes computer instructions and alphanumeric characters.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one command data set is associated with a predetermined set of voice signals.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one command data set is associated with a predetermined set of handwritten signals.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one command data set is associated with a predetermined set of handwritten and voice signals.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one command data set is associated by a user with at least one voice signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one command data set is associated by a user with at least one hand signal.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one command data set is associated with handwritten and voice signals modifiable by said user.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one appliance is a car alarm.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said apparatus connects to said at least one appliance by an interface appropriate to said at least one appliance.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one appliance is a cellular telephone and said at least one command data set includes short text messages.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one appliance is a personal computer and said at least one command data set includes short text messages.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one appliance is a radio.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one appliance is a navigation system and said at least one command data set includes locations.

18. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a microphone operatively connected to said voice recognition unit.

19. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a touchpad operatively connected to said handwriting recognition unit.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control unit comprises a unit to compare said at least one first command and said at least one second command.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control unit comprises a unit to combine said at least one first command and said at least one second command.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one command data set is associated by a user with at least one 3 dimensional hand gesture.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one appliance is a sunroof.

24. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one appliance is a window.

25. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one command data set includes symbolic characters.

3. A method comprising:

receiving both a voice input and a handwritten input;

generating at least one signal from combined consideration of both said voice input and said handwritten input; and

controlling at least one appliance within a vehicle with said at least one signal generated from said combined consideration of both a said voice input and a said handwritten input.