Adjusting A Speech Engine For A Mobile Computing Device Based On Background Noise

• US 20090271188A1
• Filed: 04/24/2008
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cross, Charles W. JR., Patel, Paritosh D., Bodin, William K., Agapi, Ciprian
• Granted Patent: US 8,121,837 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/233
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/20 Speech recognition techniques specially adapted for robustness in adverse environments, e.g. in noise, of stress induced speech G10L21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for adjusting a speech engine for a mobile computing device based on background noise, the mobile computing device operatively coupled to a microphone, that include: sampling, through the microphone, background noise for a plurality of operating environments in which the mobile computing device operates; generating, for each operating environment, a noise model in dependence upon the sampled background noise for that operating environment; and configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting a speech engine for a mobile computing device based on background noise, the mobile computing device operatively coupled to a microphone, the method comprising:

sampling, through the microphone, background noise for a plurality of operating environments in which the mobile computing device operates;

generating, for each operating environment, a noise model in dependence upon the sampled background noise for that operating environment; and

configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the method further comprises detecting a change in the mobile computing device from a previous operating environment to a current operating environment and determining whether a noise model exists for the current operating environment;

sampling, through the microphone, background noise for a plurality of operating environments in which the mobile computing device operates further comprises sampling background noise for the current operating environment if a noise model does not exist for the current operating environment; and

generating, for each operating environment, a noise model in dependence upon the sampled background noise for that operating environment further comprises generating a noise model for the current operating environment if a noise model does not exist for the current operating environment.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the method further comprises detecting a change in the mobile computing device from a previous operating environment to a current operating environment and determining whether a noise model exists for the current operating environment; and

configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates further comprises selecting the noise model for the current operating environment if a noise model exists for the current operating environment and configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the selected noise model.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates further comprises updating a current acoustic model for the speech engine with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates further comprises replacing the current acoustic model for the speech engine with another acoustic model already incorporating the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the mobile computing device is implemented as a multimodal device having installed upon it a multimodal application, the multimodal device supporting multiple modes of user interaction with the multimodal application, the modes of user interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal application operatively coupled to the speech engine; and

the method further comprises performing speech recognition for the multimodal application using the speech engine configured for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

7. An apparatus for adjusting a speech engine for a mobile computing device based on background noise, the mobile computing device operatively coupled to a microphone, the apparatus comprising a computer processor and a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

sampling, through the microphone, background noise for a plurality of operating environments in which the mobile computing device operates;

generating, for each operating environment, a noise model in dependence upon the sampled background noise for that operating environment; and

configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

the computer memory has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of detecting a change in the mobile computing device from a previous operating environment to a current operating environment and determining whether a noise model exists for the current operating environment;

sampling, through the microphone, background noise for a plurality of operating environments in which the mobile computing device operates further comprises sampling background noise for the current operating environment if a noise model does not exist for the current operating environment; and

generating, for each operating environment, a noise model in dependence upon the sampled background noise for that operating environment further comprises generating a noise model for the current operating environment if a noise model does not exist for the current operating environment.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

the computer memory has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of detecting a change in the mobile computing device from a previous operating environment to a current operating environment and determining whether a noise model exists for the current operating environment; and

configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates further comprises selecting the noise model for the current operating environment if a noise model exists for the current operating environment and configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the selected noise model.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates further comprises updating a current acoustic model for the speech engine with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates further comprises replacing the current acoustic model for the speech engine with another acoustic model already incorporating the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

the mobile computing device is implemented as a multimodal device having installed upon it a multimodal application, the multimodal device supporting multiple modes of user interaction with the multimodal application, the modes of user interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal application operatively coupled to the speech engine; and

the computer memory has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of performing speech recognition for the multimodal application using the speech engine configured for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

A computer program product for adjusting a speech engine for a mobile computing device based on background noise, the mobile computing device operatively coupled to a microphone, the computer program product disposed upon a computer-readable, recordable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of;

sampling, through the microphone, background noise for a plurality of operating environments in which the mobile computing device operates;

generating, for each operating environment, a noise model in dependence upon the sampled background noise for that operating environment; and

configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

13. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

the computer program product comprises computer program instructions capable of detecting a change in the mobile computing device from a previous operating environment to a current operating environment, and determining whether a noise model exists for the current operating environment;

sampling, through the microphone, background noise for a plurality of operating environments in which the mobile computing device operates further comprises sampling background noise for the current operating environment if a noise model does not exist for the current operating environment; and

generating, for each operating environment, a noise model in dependence upon the sampled background noise for that operating environment further comprises generating a noise model for the current operating environment if a noise model does not exist for the current operating environment.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

the computer program product comprises computer program instructions capable of detecting a change in the mobile computing device from a previous operating environment to a current operating environment and determining whether a noise model exists for the current operating environment; and

configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates further comprises selecting the noise model for the current operating environment if a noise model exists for the current operating environment and configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the selected noise model.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates further comprises updating a current acoustic model for the speech engine with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates further comprises replacing the current acoustic model for the speech engine with another acoustic model already incorporating the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

17. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

the mobile computing device is implemented as a multimodal device having installed upon it a multimodal application, the multimodal device supporting multiple modes of user interaction with the multimodal application, the modes of user interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal application operatively coupled to the speech engine; and

the computer program product comprises computer program instructions capable of performing speech recognition for the multimodal application using the speech engine configured for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

18. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a recordable medium.

19. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a transmission medium.