METHOD AND DEVICE FOR OPERATING TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT, IN PARTICULAR A MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20120284031A1
• Filed: 12/09/2010
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Hain, Ronald, Nguyen Thien, Nhu, Meier, Herbert, Rosenstock, Thomas, Stege, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US13/517,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20120284031A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A method and device for operating technical equipment, in particular in a motor vehicle. Speech inputs are fed by a speech input unit and manual inputs are fed by means of a manual input unit as operating instructions to a controller by which a command corresponding to the operating instruction is generated and fed to the corresponding technical equipment, which then executes the operating procedure associated with the operating instruction. A basic structure of the command is established by the speech input unit or the manual input unit, and then the basic structure of the command is supplemented by the manual input unit or the speech input unit.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A method for operator control of devices in a motor vehicle, comprising:

routing at least one of a voice input by a voice input unit and a manual input by a manual input unit to a control unit as an operator control instruction;

generating a command by the control unit corresponding to the operator control instruction;

routing the command to a respective device, which then executes an operator control operation associated with the operator control instruction;

stipulating by the at least one of the voice input unit and the manual input unit a basic structure for the command; and

adding by the at least one of the voice input unit and the manual input unit the basic structure to the command.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

storing the voice input continuously in a ring buffer in the voice input unit,

wherein the ring buffer provides a period of time in the voice input for voice recognition prior to a starting time of the voice recognition.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

activating the voice recognition by the voice input unit by at least one of manual operation of a switching element and a gesture recognition element.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the operator control instruction from the voice input unit comprises a code word stored in the control unit.

15. An apparatus for operator control of technical devices in a motor vehicle, comprising:

a voice input unit configured to trigger operator control instructions;

a manual input unit configured to triggering the operator control instructions;

a control unit that receives the operator control instructions and generates a command corresponding to the operator control instruction that is routed to a respective technical device that executes an operator control operation associated with the command,

wherein at least one of the voice input unit and the manual input unit establishes a basic structure for the command and then at least one of the voice input unit and the manual input unit enables the basic structure of the command.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the manual input unit is a keypad.

17. The apparatus as claimed in one of claim 15, wherein the manual input unit has a touch-sensitive keypad.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:

a display having a display panel for displaying at least one of image representations, basic structures for the commands and additions to the basic structure of the commands,

wherein at least one of the basic structures and the additions are stipulated by one of the manual input unit and the voice input unit, for displaying at least one of menus and submenus.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the display is an electro-optical display.

20. The apparatus as claimed in one of claim 18, wherein the display panel is arranged behind the transparent manual input unit.

21. The apparatus as claimed in one of claim 16, wherein the keypad is a touch-sensitive keypad.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, further comprising:

a display having a display panel for displaying at least one of image representations, basic structures for the commands and additions to the basic structures of the commands,

wherein at least one of the basic structures and the additions are stipulated by one of the manual input unit and the voice input unit, for displaying at least one of menus and submenus.