Adjusting or setting vehicle elements through speech control

• US 9,580,028 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Buck, Markus, Haulick, Tim, Schmidt, Gerhard Uwe
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Huyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAVEZ, RODRIGO A
• Application Number:
  US12/241,837
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,073 Days
• Field of Search: 704/275
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques

Abstract

A speech processing device includes an automotive device that filters data that is sent and received across an in-vehicle bus. The device selectively acquires vehicle data related to a user settings or adjustments. An interface acquires the selected vehicle data from in-vehicle sensors in response to a user'"'"'s articulation of a first code phrase. A memory stores the selected vehicle data with unique identifying data associated with the user and establishes a connection between the selected vehicle data and the user when a second code phrase is articulated. A data interface provides access to the selected vehicle data and stored relationship data and enables the processing of the data to customize the in-vehicle system. The data interface is responsive to the user'"'"'s articulation of a third code phrase to process the selected vehicle data that enables the setting or adjustment of the in-vehicle system.

Claims

1. A speech processing device comprising:

an automotive device that provides an interface that filters data that is sent and received across an in-vehicle bus by selectively acquiring vehicle data related to user vehicle settings or adjustment of an in-vehicle system, the interface acquires the selected vehicle data from one or more in-vehicle sensors in response to a user'"'"'s articulation of a first code phrase;

a memory that stores the selected vehicle data with unique identifying data including individual voice characteristics associated with the user within the vehicle that establishes a connection between the selected vehicle data and the user and to differentiate the user from other different users when a second code phrase is articulated by the user, the memory further storing a third code phrase that is detected responsive to a prompt, the prompt being transmitted to the user in response to detection of the articulation of the second code phrase, and the third code phrase tagging the selected vehicle data, wherein the first and second code phrases are the same for any vehicle adjustment recording and the third code phrase is different from the first and second code phrases and denotes at least one vehicle element to be adjusted; and

a data interface that provides access to the selected vehicle data and relationship data retained in the memory and enables the processing of the data to customize the in-vehicle system,

where the data interface is responsive to the user'"'"'s articulation of the third code phrase to process the selected vehicle data that customizes the vehicle.

2. The speech processing system of claim 1 where the in-vehicle system comprises a plurality of in-vehicle systems that include an entertainment setting and a climate setting.

3. The speech processing system of claim 1 where the memory comprises a distributed memory that is linked to the vehicle, where tagging the selected vehicle data comprises storing a tag including an identifier, characters, or one or more pointers that identify an address of a data file for the selected vehicle data in the distributed memory, and where the selected vehicle data and the unique identifying data are stored in a multi-element data structure in a hierarchical file format.

4. The speech processing system of claim 1 further comprising a digitizing device that converts a continuous spectrum of a voiced code phrase into a digital form.

5. The speech processing system of claim 1 where the customization of the in-vehicle system comprises initiating a mechanical device that communicates with the data interface.

6. The speech processing system of claim 1 where the automotive device selectively acquires vehicle data by polling a vehicle electronic control module through an original equipment manufacturer'"'"'s data bus.

7. The speech processing system of claim 1 further comprising a speech synthesizer in communication with the automotive device to synthesize speech.

8. The speech processing system of claim 1 where the automotive device comprises a speech recognition device in communication with a controller where the controller is configured to communicate with a vehicle device that is customized by the user.

9. The speech processing system of claim 8 where the speech recognition device may interpret a continuous flow of an aural sound that includes the user'"'"'s first code phrase, the user'"'"'s second code phrase and the user'"'"'s third code phrase.

10. The speech processing system of claim 9 where the controller acquires software that permits the controller to communicate with the device that the user sets or adjusts.

11. The speech processing system of claim 10 where the in-vehicle bus comprises one or more of a Media Oriented System Transport bus and a wireless bus, and wherein processing the selected vehicle data that customizes the vehicle comprises performing the adjustment of the in-vehicle system that was made between the user'"'"'s articulation of the first code phrase and the articulation of the second code phrase.

12. The speech processing system of claim 11 where the automotive device comprises a spectrum analyzer that derives a short-term power spectrum and generates a sequence of vectors when processing the user'"'"'s first code phrase, the user'"'"'s second code phrase, and the user'"'"'s third code phrase.

13. The speech processing system of claim 10 further comprising a half-duplex transceiver in communication with the automotive device, the half-duplex transceiver configured to transmit data in one direction without first establishing a connection with a destination.

14. The speech processing system of claim 1 where the third code phrase includes a command word, and where the vehicle data is processed to customize the in-vehicle system responsive to the user'"'"'s articulation of a part of the third code phrase without the command word.

15. The speech processing system of claim 1 where the in-vehicle system comprises a navigation system and where selectively acquiring vehicle data related to the user vehicle settings or adjustment of the in-vehicle system comprises automatically determining whether the user vehicle settings or adjustment of the in-vehicle system are to be retained based on one or more programmed allowances.

16. The speech processing system of claim 1 where the automotive device is configured to store the selected vehicle data into the memory through a multi-element data structure that enables list processing that adds and deletes elements, writes data into elements, and traverses the list.

17. The speech processing system of claim 1 where the user'"'"'s first code phrase, the user'"'"'s second code phrase, and the user'"'"'s third code phrase comprise silent speech not perceived by a human ear that may be generated when a person speaks to him or herself.

18. A system that automatically adjusts at least one vehicle element, comprising:

a speech recognition device configured to interpret a continuous or interrupted flow of sound that comprises a user'"'"'s speech in real time based at least in part on stored individual voice characteristics associated with the user to differentiate the user from other different users;

a controller in communication with the speech recognition device;

an in-vehicle actuator in communication with the speech recognition device, the controller, and at least one vehicle element;

a bus system that interfaces the speech recognition device and the in-vehicle actuator;

where the speech recognition device is configured to recognize a first code phrase as being articulated by the user;

generate a data file and monitor an in-vehicle bus system in response to the recognition of the first code phrase;

recognize a second code phrase as being articulated by the user;

write to the data file monitored data related to the adjustment of the at least one vehicle element and/or adjustment parameters obtained from the in-vehicle data bus after completion of the adjustment of the at least one vehicle element in response to the speech recognition device detection of the second code phrase;

transmit a prompt to the user;

recognize a third code phrase articulated by the user in response to the prompt, wherein each of the first and second code phrases are the same for any vehicle adjustment recording and the third code phrase is different from the first and second code phrases and denotes the at least one vehicle element to be adjusted;

tag the data file with the recognized third code phrase detected by the speech recognition device; and

in response to a second detection of the third code phrase, cause the controller to enable the actuator to adjust the at least one vehicle element based on the processing of the data file.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a half-duplex transceiver in communication with the speech recognition device, the half-duplex transceiver configured to transmit data in one direction without first establishing a connection with a destination.

20. The system of claim 19 where the at least one vehicle element comprises a navigation system.