Method and system for using sound related vehicle information to enhance spoken dialogue by modifying dialogue's prompt pitch

• US 9,934,780 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2012
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Tzirkel-Hancock, Eli, Tsimhoni, Omer
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazeminezhad, Farzad
• Application Number:
  US13/351,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20130185078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,268 Days
• Field of Search: 704275, 704233
• 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 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/226 using non-speech characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02165 Two microphones, one receiving mainly the noise signal and the other one mainly the speech signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/00 Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility G10L19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering

Abstract

Sound related vehicle information representing one or more sounds may be received in the processor. The sound related vehicle information may or may not include an audio signal. Spoken dialog of a spoken dialog system associated with the vehicle based on the sound related vehicle information may be modified. The said modification comprises of modifying pitch, pace and timing of audio prompts associated with the said spoken dialog based on the sound related vehicle information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, in a processor associated with a vehicle, sound related vehicle information representing one or more sounds, the sound related vehicle information measured an exterior microphone located exterior to a cabin of the vehicle;

and modifying spoken dialogue of a spoken dialogue system associated with the vehicle based on the sound related vehicle information;

comprising determining interference profile records based on the sound related vehicle information;

wherein modifying spoken dialogue of the spoken dialogue system associated with the vehicle based on the sound related vehicle information comprises;

modifying pace and timing and pitch of audio prompts based on the interference profile records;

and outputting the modified audio prompts.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying spoken dialogue of the spoken dialogue system associated with the vehicle based on the sound related vehicle information comprises:

determining introductory audio prompts based on the interference profile records; and

outputting the introductory audio prompts to a user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying spoken dialogue of the spoken dialogue system associated with the vehicle based on the sound related vehicle information comprises:

modifying dialogue style to reduce grammar perplexity based on the interference profile records.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying spoken dialogue of the spoken dialogue system associated with the vehicle based on the sound related vehicle information comprises:

monitoring user confusion; and

outputting audio prompts responding to the user confusion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying spoken dialogue of the spoken dialogue system associated with the vehicle based on the sound related vehicle information comprises:

modifying multi-modal dialogue based on the interference profile records.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

measuring a success of modifying the spoken dialogue based on the sound related vehicle information in increasing dialogue success; and

adapting modification of the spoken dialogue based on the measured success.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the external microphone is located in an exterior location selected from a group consisting of:

a vehicle body;

a vehicle bumper;

a vehicle trunk; and

a vehicle windshield.

8. A system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

a memory;

an exterior microphone located exterior to a cabin of the vehicle for measuring sound-related information,

a processor associated with the vehicle to;

receive, in the processor associated with the vehicle, sound related vehicle information representing one or more sounds measured by the exterior microphone;

and modify spoken dialogue of a spoken dialogue system associated with the vehicle based on the sound related vehicle information;

wherein the processor is to determine interference profile records based on the sound related vehicle information;

wherein to modify spoken dialogue of the spoken dialogue system associated with the vehicle based on the sound related vehicle information the processor is to;

modify pace and timing and pitch of audio prompts based on the interference profile records;

and output the modified audio prompts.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein to modify spoken dialogue of the spoken dialogue system associated with the vehicle based on the sound related vehicle information the processor is to:

determine introductory audio prompts based on the interference profile records; and

output the introductory audio prompts to a user.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein to modify spoken dialogue of the spoken dialogue system associated with the vehicle based on the sound related vehicle information the processor is to:

modify dialogue style to reduce grammar perplexity based on the interference profile records; and

output modified prompts.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein to modify spoken dialogue of the spoken dialogue system associated with the vehicle based on the sound related vehicle information the processor is to:

monitor user confusion; and

output audio prompts responding to the user confusion.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein to modify spoken dialogue of the spoken dialogue system associated with the vehicle based on the sound related vehicle information the processor is to:

modify multi-modal dialogue based on the interference profile records.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is to:

measure a success of the spoken dialogue modification based on the sound related vehicle information in increasing dialogue success; and

adapt the spoken dialogue modification based on the measured success.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the external microphone is located in an exterior location selected from a group consisting of:

a vehicle body;

a vehicle bumper;

a vehicle trunk; and

a vehicle windshield.

15. A method comprising:

receiving, at a controller associated with a spoken dialogue system, information related to the operation of vehicle systems causing sound and measured by an exterior microphone located exterior to a vehicle cabin;

calculating interference profile records based on the information, the interference profile records representing noise types and noise levels; and

altering dialogue control based on the interference profile records;

wherein altering dialogue control based on the interference profile records comprises;

delaying and modifying pitch, pace and timing of an audio prompt output from the spoken dialogue system based on the interference profile records.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein altering dialogue control based on the interference profile records comprises reducing confidence levels associated with a semantic interpreter.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein altering dialogue control based on the interference profile records comprises modifying a backend application associated the spoken dialogue system based on the interference profile records.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the external microphone is located in an exterior location selected from a group consisting of:

a vehicle body;

a vehicle bumper;

a vehicle trunk; and

a vehicle windshield.