Voice recognition system for an avionics system using unique words to encode specific frequencies

• US 8,234,121 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Swearingen, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): He, Jialong
• Application Number:
  US11/891,434
• Time in Patent Office: 1,817 Days
• Field of Search: 704/275, 704/270, 704/270.1, 704271-274
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting

Abstract

An avionics system, including a means to tune communication radio frequencies utilizing a voice recognition system. A specific feature of this mode of initiation is the automatic radio tuning of communication VHF radios by the utterance of specific key words resulting in the automatic transference of letters to numbers.

Claims

1. An avionics system, comprising:

a voice recognition (VR) system configured to recognize an utterance of unique specific words and to tune a specific radio to a specific frequency associated with said utterance;

a Push-to-Recognize (PTR) switch operably connected to said VR system, to signal automatic speech recognition software of said VR system to begin processing voice commands, wherein said VR system comprises;

a) an Adaptive Flight Display (AFD) operatively connected to said PTR switch for accepting commands from said PTR switch;

b) a voice recognition (VR) subsystem operatively connected to said AFD comprising automatic speech recognition software for processing a digital signal received from said AFD, said VR subsystem for sending out data labels to a Graphics Server (GS), and Network Data Objects (NDOs) to a Radio Tuning System Application (RTSA);

c) a Window Manager (WM) operatively connected to said AFD for managing the placement of displays;

d) the Radio Tuning System Application (RTSA) operatively connected to said VR subsystem for rendering and processing said radio tuning commands displayed by said WM; and

e) the Graphics Server (GS) for rendering said displays based on said data labels.

2. The avionics system of claim 1, wherein said unique word is “

EMERGENCY” and

said voice recognition system encodes this to a full command string of TUNE—

RADIO NAME—

121.5 mHZ.

3. The avionics system of claim 1, wherein said VR system is configured to recognize a unique word and to encode said specific frequency through the use of look up tables.

4. The avionics system of claim 2, said RADIO NAME for initiating a signal that an operator is issuing a voice command, wherein if said operator is a pilot, upon initiation of the PTR switch, the frequency command string is TUNE—

COMM 1—

121.5 and in the case of copilot initiation of the PTR switch, the frequency command string is TUNE—

COMM 2—

121.5.

5. The avionics system of claim 1, wherein

said Push-To-Recognize (PTR) switch interacts with an Informational Management System (IMS) of the avionics system to signal automatic speech recognition software to begin processing voice commands.

6. The avionics system of claim 5, wherein said VR subsystem processes said digital signal by dividing a command string of said digital signal into its individual components, comprising commands, frequencies and displays, each component being routed by way of an NDO to an appropriate hardware device.

7. The avionics system of claim 5, wherein said ARINC Graphics Server comprises an ARINC 661 Graphics Server.

8. A method for recognizing a unique word in a speech recognition system of an avionics system for the purpose of encoding a specific frequency associated with that word, comprising the steps of:

utilizing a voice recognition (VR) system for translating a voice command utterance of unique specific command words to tune a specific radio to a specific frequency associated with said utterance;

utilizing a Push-to-Recognize (PTR) switch operably connected to said VR system, to signal automatic speech recognition software of said VR system to begin processing voice commands;

utilizing an Adaptive Flight Display (AFD) operatively connected to said PTR switch for accepting commands from said PTR switch;

utilizing a voice recognition (VR) subsystem operatively connected to said AFD comprising automatic speech recognition software for processing a digital signal received from said AFD, said VR subsystem for sending out data labels to a Graphics Server (GS), and Network Data Objects (NDOs) to a Radio Tuning System Application (RTSA);

utilizing a Window Manager (WM) operatively connected to said AFD for managing the placement of displays;

the Radio Tuning System Application (RTSA) operatively connected to said VR subsystem for rendering and processing said radio tuning commands displayed by said WM; and

,

the Graphics Server (GS) for rendering said displays based on said data labels.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said step of translating a voice command utterance of a key command word to a specific frequency, comprises utilizing a said VR system configured to recognize said unique key command word and to encode said specific frequency through the use of look up tables.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said unique word is “

EMERGENCY” and

said voice recognition system encodes this to a full command string of TUNE—

RADIO NAME—

121.5 mHZ.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

a) utilizing said Push-To-Recognize (PTR) switch for interacting with an Informational Management System (IMS) of the avionics system to signal automatic speech recognition software to begin processing voice commands.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said VR subsystem processes said digital signal by dividing a command string of said digital signal into its individual components, comprising commands, frequencies and displays, each component being routed by way of an NDO to an appropriate hardware device.