Adaptive voice control and vehicle collision warning and countermeasure system

• US 7,188,012 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2004
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Strumolo, Gary S., Miller, Ronald H., Salmeen, Irv T., Zevalkink, Anna, DiMeo, David D.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/711,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/36, 701/45, 701/46, 701/49, 180/169, 180/170, 180/171
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/22 including control of suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/085 Taking automatic action to adjust vehicle attitude in preparation for collision, e.g. braking for nose dropping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision

Abstract

A safety system (10) for a host vehicle (12) includes a voice sensor (38) that detects voice signals from a vehicle occupant. An occupant classifier (30) determines a state of mind of the vehicle occupant. A controller (13) performs a safety countermeasure in response to the state of mind of the occupant including the transmission of the state of mind to a target vehicle. A vehicle voice control system (24) includes the voice sensor (38), which detects voice signals from the vehicle occupant. A speech classifier (32) monitors a speech characteristic, including a vehicle occupant identifiable and associated speech characteristic, in response to the voice signals and associates the voice signals with a vehicle related task in response thereto. A controller (13) performs the vehicle related task in response to the voice signals and the association.

Claims

1. A safety system for a host vehicle comprising:

a voice sensor detecting voice signals from at least one vehicle occupant;

an occupant classifier determining a state of mind of said at least one vehicle occupant; and

a controller performing a safety countermeasure in response to said state of mind comprising transmitting said state of mind to at least one target vehicle.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein said voice sensor is in the form of at least one microphone.

3. A system as in claim 1 wherein said occupant classifier determines said state of mind in response to at least one of voice signal frequency and voice signal amplitude.

4. A system as in claim 1 wherein said occupant classifier determines and profiles said at least one vehicle occupant in response to historical data and threshold excursion data.

5. A system as in claim 1 further comprising a speech classifier identifying said at least one vehicle occupant in response to at least one speech characteristic associated with said voice signals, said controller performing at least one vehicle related task in response to said voice signals and said vehicle occupant identification.

6. A system as in claim 5 wherein said speech classifier in monitoring said at least one speech characteristic monitors a vehicle occupant identifiable and associated speech characteristic.

7. A system as in claim 6 wherein said vehicle occupant identifiable and associated speech characteristic comprises at least one speech irregularity.

8. A system as in claim 7 wherein said at least one speech irregularity comprises at least one of a speech impediment, a speech disorder, a lisp, and an accent.

9. A system as in claim 1 wherein said controller assesses a collision threat using spheroidal partitioning in response to said state of mind.

10. A vehicle voice control system comprising:

a voice sensor detecting voice signals from at least one vehicle occupant;

a speech classifier monitoring at least one speech characteristic comprising a vehicle occupant identifiable and associated speech characteristic in response to said voice signals and associating said voice signals with at least one vehicle related task in response thereto; and

a controller performing said at least one vehicle related task in response to said voice signals and said association.

11. A system as in claim 10 wherein said speech classifier comprises an n-dimensional analysis tool to determine a voice command.

12. A system as in claim 10 wherein said speech classifier comprises learning algorithms that store vehicle occupant speech identification and behavioral characteristic related information.

13. A system as in claim 12 wherein said behavioral characteristic related information comprises at least one of speech amplitude, frequency, and tone, in relation to vehicle status, vehicle operating conditions, and vehicle environmental situations.

14. A system as in claim 10 wherein said speech classifier comprises a manual classifier.

15. A system as in claim 14 further comprising a manual input device for term identification associated with a verbal statement.

16. A system as in claim 10 wherein said speech classifier comprises at least one spectral filter filtering said voice signal to identify said at least one vehicle occupant.

17. A system as in claim 10 wherein said vehicle related tasks are selected from at least one of a vision system task, a safety system task, a navigation system task, telematic system task, a climate control task, a communication system task, an audio system task, a video system task, and a vehicle status determination task.

18. A system as in claim 10 wherein said speech classifier adaptively alters speech identification and behavioral characteristic related information and generates an occupant relational/history database.

19. A method of performing a safety countermeasure within a host vehicle comprising:

detecting voice signals from at least one vehicle occupant;

monitoring at least one speech characteristic in response to said voice signals including a vehicle occupant identifiable and associated speech characteristic;

identifying said at least one vehicle occupant;

determining a state of mind of said at least one vehicle occupant in response to said voice signals and said identification; and

performing the safety countermeasure in response to said state of mind comprising transmitting said state of mind to at least one target vehicle.

20. A method as in claim 19 further comprising invoking a manual training session when a voice command is not recognized.