Method of controlling dialing modes in a vehicle

• US 8,787,977 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2010
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Wuergler, Michael A., Voran-Nowak, Sherri J., Chengalvarayan, Rathinavelu, Talwar, Gaurav
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US12/756,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20110250933A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/563, 455/564, 455/569.1, 455/569.2, 379/88.03, 704/270, 704/270.1
• US Class Current: 455/563
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6033 for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets arrangements for preventing acoustic echo H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree 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 1/6083 by interfacing with the vehicle audio system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface

Abstract

A dialing mode of a telematics unit in a vehicle is controlled by monitoring for dialing digits from a vehicle occupant, determining whether the type of dialing digits are continuous dialing digits or discrete dialing digits, establishing a continuous mode for receiving continuous dialing digits or a discrete mode for receiving discrete dialing digits based on the determination, and if the type of dialing digits changes, switching the established mode.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a dialing mode of a telematics unit in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving dialing digits that are spoken by a vehicle occupant;

(b) placing a vehicle telematics unit in a voice mode;

(c) determining that the dialing digits are no longer being spoken;

(d) placing the vehicle telematics unit in a manual mode in response to the determination in step (c);

(e) adding one or more dialing digits received via a tactile device to the dialing digits spoken by the vehicle occupant; and

(f) monitoring both the tactile device and a microphone for additional dialing digits either spoken by the vehicle occupant or received at the tactile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of establishing a voice mode based on the spoken dialing digits.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises making the determination based on the detection of a manual manipulation of the tactile device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining whether the dialing digits are continuous dialing digits or discrete dialing digits.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of establishing a continuous mode or a discrete mode based on the determination.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the dialing digits added in step (e) are in response to an interactive voice response system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactile device is a keypad.

8. A method of controlling a dialing mode of a telematics unit in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) monitoring for dialing digits from a vehicle occupant;

(b) determining whether the type of dialing digits are continuous dialing digits or discrete dialing digits;

(c) selecting between a continuous mode for receiving continuous dialing digits and a discrete mode for receiving discrete dialing digits based on the determination, wherein the discrete mode performs speech recognition on each digit prior to receiving subsequent digits;

(d) directing a vehicle telematics unit to enter the selected mode; and

(e) if the type of dialing digits determined in step (b) changes, switching the selected mode.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of monitoring for the dialing digits via a microphone or a tactile device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the continuous dialing digits are a string of numbers or a telephone number.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of establishing a voice mode or a manual mode.