In-vehicle voice feedback

Abstract

The invention provides in-vehicle voice feedback. A cloud server receives customer feedback from a vehicle, the received customer feedback including voice data including speech from an occupant of the vehicle recorded by the vehicle and vehicle data including a snapshot of information describing an operation of the vehicle. The vehicle data is binned into categories in a category hierarchy based on textual content of the speech in the speech data. The received customer feedback is added to the maintained customer feedback. A portal application presents a user interface to allow the client device to explore the category hierarchy and view customer feedback of the maintenance filtered to a selected category in the category hierarchy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to in-vehicle voice feedback (IVVF). Background Art

[0002] Cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communications allow vehicles to exchange information with other vehicles as well as with infrastructure, pedestrians, networks, and other devices. Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications enable applications to facilitate and accelerate communications or transactions between vehicles and infrastructure. In a vehicle telematics system, the Telematics Control Unit (TCU) can be used for various remote control services such as over-the-air (OTA) software downloads, emergency calls, and turn-by-turn navigation. Summary of the invention

[0003] In one or more illustrative examples, a system for IVVF includes: a storage device including maintained customer feedback; and a cloud server configured to receive customer feedback from a vehicle, the received customer feedback including voice data and vehicle data, the voice data including speech from an occupant of the vehicle recorded by the vehicle, the vehicle data including information snapshots describing the operation of the vehicle. The cloud server is also configured to: bin the vehicle data into categories in a category hierarchy based on textual content of the speech in the voice data, add the received customer feedback to the maintained customer feedback of the storage device, and present a portal application to a client device, the portal application presenting a user interface to allow the client device to explore the category hierarchy and view the maintained customer feedback filtered to a selected category in the category hierarchy.

[0004] In one or more illustrative examples, a method for IVVF includes: receiving customer feedback from a vehicle to a cloud server, the received customer feedback including voice data and vehicle data, the voice data including speech from an occupant of the vehicle recorded by the vehicle, the vehicle data including an information snapshot describing the operation of the vehicle; binning the vehicle data into categories in a category hierarchy based on textual content of the speech in the voice data; adding the received customer feedback to maintained customer feedback; and presenting a portal application to a client device, the portal application presenting a user interface to allow the client device to explore the category hierarchy and view the maintained customer feedback filtered to selected categories in the category hierarchy.

[0005] In one or more illustrative examples, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions for IVVF, which when executed by one or more computing devices cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations including: receiving customer feedback from a vehicle, the received customer feedback including voice data and vehicle data, the voice data including speech from an occupant of the vehicle recorded by the vehicle, the vehicle data including an information snapshot describing the operation of the vehicle; binning the vehicle data into categories in a category hierarchy based on textual content of the speech in the voice data; adding the received customer feedback to maintained customer feedback of a storage device; and presenting a portal application to a client device, the portal application presenting a user interface to allow the client device to explore the category hierarchy and view the maintained customer feedback filtered to selected categories in the category hierarchy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 An exemplary system for acquisition and analysis of in-vehicle customer feedback is shown;

[0007] Figure 2A An example of a human machine interface (HMI) displaying a prompt ready to receive voice data for providing in-vehicle customer feedback is shown;

[0008] Figure 2B An example of an HMI displaying prompts during recording of voice data is shown;

[0009] Figure 3 An exemplary data flow illustrating the operation of a cloud server in processing customer feedback;

[0010] Figure 4A shows an exemplary user interface provided by a portal application for use by a client device in exploring a category hierarchy of customer feedback;

[0011] Figure 4B Shown in Figure 4A a user interface for providing details of a second category within a selected entry of a first category selected in the selection;

[0012] Figure 4C Shown in Figure 4B a user interface for providing details of a third category within a selected item of a second category selected in the selection;

[0013] Figure 4D Shown in Figure 4C a user interface for providing details of a fourth category within a selected item of a third category selected in the selection;

[0014] Figure 5 Shown in FIG. 4A to FIG. 4DA sample of the underlying data records within the selected category of the hierarchy that you browse in

[0015] Figure 6 An example of a closed-loop feedback message sent to a customer in response to customer feedback is shown;

[0016] Figure 7 An exemplary process for obtaining customer feedback from a vehicle to provide to a cloud server is shown;

[0017] Figure 8 An exemplary process for analyzing customer feedback by a cloud server is shown; and

[0018] Fig. 9 An example of a computing device for in-vehicle customer feedback capture and analysis is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples, and other embodiments may take on various forms and alternative forms. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale; some features may be enlarged or minimized to show the details of a particular component. Therefore, the specific structural details and functional details disclosed herein should not be interpreted as limiting, but only as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to adopt the embodiments in different ways. As will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the various features shown and described with reference to any one of the drawings may be combined with the features shown in one or more other drawings to produce embodiments that are not explicitly shown or described. The combination of features shown provides representative embodiments for typical applications. However, various combinations and modifications of features consistent with the teachings of the present disclosure may be desired for specific applications.

[0020] Current methods of obtaining customer feedback about vehicles have limitations. Surveys are only sent to a small subset of the population via email or mail, and most customers have no easy way to communicate simple likes, dislikes, or suggestions other than contacting a dealership or relationship center. Only 6% of surveys are returned, resulting in insufficient samples to have statistically relevant data. Furthermore, traditional surveys are expensive, inefficient, and have significant feedback delays.

[0021] Email and mail surveys also fail to adequately capture feedback in the moment. Instead, when customers receive the survey three, twelve, or thirty-six months later, they are forced to think back and try to remember their questions, resulting in only the most tangible feedback, which can miss the little everyday issues that annoy customers. As a result, valuable information that manufacturers can use to iterate their products and gain a competitive quality advantage is missed.

[0022] Using email and postal survey methods, it is not currently possible to link the survey verbatim transcript (the words from the customer) to what may be happening within the vehicle data and software logs at that specific moment. However, doing so could revolutionize customer feedback as manufacturers can now review the vehicle data and software logs that were sent when the verbatim transcript was created, greatly aiding the ability to identify the root cause of an issue.

[0023] Onboard microphones may be used to receive spoken speech. Text transcription may be used to convert audio voice data into plain text. Snapshots of vehicle operation may be captured. Audio and vehicle data may be uploaded from the vehicle to a server. Artificial intelligence / machine learning models may be used to bin verbatim transcripts. Data pipelines may be used to assist with data processing and reporting as well as the ability to obtain vehicle snapshot data. An HMI may be provided on the vehicle to allow a user to record and send voice feedback. These aspects may be used to allow the vehicle to provide features to customers that allow real-time voice feedback to be provided. Other aspects of the disclosure are discussed in detail herein.

[0024] Figure 1 An exemplary system 100 for acquisition and analysis of in-vehicle customer feedback 128 is shown. In such a system 100, a vehicle 102 may utilize one or more controllers 104 and sensors 106 to capture vehicle data 112. The vehicle 102 may include a storage device 108 configured to maintain the vehicle data 112. The vehicle 102 may also include a TCU 110 configured to communicate with a cloud server 116 via a communication network 114. The cloud server 116 may maintain the vehicle data 112 in the cloud storage device 118 for use by a client device 120. The vehicle 102 may also include an HMI 124 located within the cabin of the vehicle 102. The HMI 124 may be configured to receive voice data 126 from an occupant of the vehicle 102. Using the vehicle data 112 and the voice data 126, the vehicle 102 may generate customer feedback 128 and send the customer feedback 128 to the cloud server 116 for analysis. It should be noted that system 100 is only an example, and systems 100 with more, fewer, or different elements may be used. As another example, although only a single cloud server 116 is shown for simplicity, it should be noted that embodiments may include multiple cloud components for load balancing, functional separation, or other networking purposes.

[0025] Vehicle 102 may include various types of automobiles, sedans, crossover utility vehicles (CUVs), sport utility vehicles (SUVs), trucks, recreational vehicles (RVs), boats, jeeps, airplanes, or other mobile machines for transporting people or goods. In many cases, vehicle 102 may be powered by an internal combustion engine. As another possibility, vehicle 102 may be a battery electric vehicle (BEV) powered by one or more electric motors. As another possibility, vehicle 102 may be a hybrid electric vehicle powered by both an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors, such as a series hybrid electric vehicle, a parallel hybrid electric vehicle, or a parallel / series hybrid electric vehicle. Since the type and configuration of vehicle 102 may vary, the capabilities of vehicle 102 may vary accordingly. As some other possibilities, vehicle 102 may have different capabilities in terms of passenger capacity, traction capacity and capacity, and storage capacity. Some vehicles 102 may be operator-controlled, while other vehicles 102 may be autonomously or semi-autonomously controlled. The vehicle 102 may be identified by various identifiers, such as a vehicle identification number (VIN), which is a series of Arabic numerals and Roman letters assigned to a motor vehicle for identification purposes. In some cases, the vehicle 102 may be identified by a user account, such as an account linked to a mobile application installed to a mobile device paired with the vehicle 102.

[0026] The vehicle 102 may include multiple controllers 104 configured to perform and manage various vehicle 102 functions under the power of the vehicle battery and / or drive train. In some examples, these controllers 104 may be discrete components. However, the vehicle controllers 104 may share physical hardware, firmware, and / or software, such that functionality from multiple controllers 104 may be integrated into a single controller 104, and functionality of various such controllers 104 may be distributed across multiple controllers 104.

[0027] As some non-limiting examples of vehicle controllers 104: a powertrain controller may be configured to provide control of engine operating components (e.g., idle control components, fuel delivery components, emissions control components, etc.), and to monitor the status of such engine operating components (e.g., the status of engine codes); a body controller may be configured to manage various power control functions, such as exterior lighting, interior lighting, keyless entry, remote starting, and access point status verification (e.g., the closed status of the hood, doors, and / or trunk of the vehicle 102); a radio transceiver controller may be configured to communicate with a key fob, mobile device, or other local vehicle 102 device; an autonomous controller may be configured to provide commands to control the powertrain, steering, or other aspects of the vehicle 102; a climate control management controller may be configured to provide control of heating and cooling system components (e.g., compressor clutch, blower fan, temperature sensor, etc.); and a position controller may be configured to provide global navigation satellite system (GNSS) vehicle position information.

[0028] The controller 104 of the vehicle 102 may utilize various sensors 106 in order to receive information about the surrounding environment of the vehicle 102. In one example, these sensors 106 may include one or more of a camera (e.g., an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) camera), an ultrasonic sensor, a radar system, and / or a lidar system.

[0029] The vehicle bus (not shown) may include various communication methods available between the vehicle controllers 104 and between the TCU 110 and the vehicle controllers 104. As some non-limiting examples, the vehicle bus may include one or more of a vehicle controller area network (CAN), an Ethernet network, and a media oriented systems transport (MOST) network.

[0030] The TCU 110 may be configured to provide telematics services to the vehicle 102. As some non-limiting possibilities, these services may include navigation, turn-by-turn directions, vehicle health reports, local business searches, accident reports, and hands-free calling. The TCU 110 may accordingly be configured to communicate with the communication network 114 using a transceiver.

[0031] The TCU 110 may include various types of computing devices that support the execution of the functions of the TCU 110 described herein. In one example, the TCU 110 may include one or more processors configured to execute computer instructions, and a storage medium on which computer executable instructions and / or data may be maintained. Computer-readable storage media (also referred to as processor-readable media or storage devices) include any non-temporary (e.g., tangible) media that participate in providing data (e.g., instructions) that can be read by a computer (e.g., by a processor). Generally speaking, the processor receives instructions and / or data, such as from a storage device, etc., to a memory and uses the data to execute the instructions, thereby performing one or more processes, including one or more of the processes described herein. Computer executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted according to a computer program created using a variety of programming languages ​​and / or technologies, which include, but are not limited to, Java, C, C++, C#, Fortran, Pascal, Visual Basic, Python, JavaScript, Perl, etc., individually or in combination.

[0032] The TCU 110 may be configured to facilitate the collection of networked vehicle data 112 and / or other vehicle information from a vehicle controller 104 connected to one or more vehicle buses. The vehicle data 112 may include collected information retrieved from the controller 104 via the vehicle bus. As some non-limiting examples, the networked vehicle data 112 may include latitude, longitude, time, heading angle, speed, lateral speed change, longitudinal speed change, yaw rate, throttle position, brake status, steering angle, headlight status, wiper status, outside temperature, turn signal status, vehicle length, vehicle width, vehicle mass, and bumper height. The vehicle data 112 may also include weather data (such as ambient temperature, ambient air pressure, etc.), traction control status, wiper status, or other vehicle status information (such as the status of exterior vehicle lights, vehicle type, anti-lock braking system (ABS) system status, etc.).

[0033] The vehicle data 112 may be stored in a database, memory, or other storage device 108 of the vehicle 102. In some cases, the vehicle data 112 may be stored as a snapshot in time. In some cases, the vehicle data 112 may be stored as a time series data.

[0034] The communication network 114 may provide communication services, such as packet-switched network services (e.g., Internet access, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication services), to devices connected to the communication network 114. An example of a communication network 114 is a cellular telephone network. For example, the TCU 110 may access a cellular network via a connection to one or more cellular towers. To facilitate communications over the communication network 114, the TCU 110 may be associated with a unique device identifier (e.g., a mobile device number (MDN), an Internet Protocol (IP) address, etc.) to identify communications of the TCU 110 over the communication network 114 as being associated with the vehicle 102.

[0035] The cloud server 116 may be a computing device configured to communicate with the vehicle 102 via the communication network 114. Similar to the TCU 110, the cloud server 116 may include a processor, a memory, a storage device, a network connection, and / or various peripherals. The cloud server 116 may be configured to receive the vehicle data 112 from the vehicle 102 via the communication network 114. In one example, the vehicle data 112 may be downloaded from the vehicle 102 periodically or based on a vehicle 102 event (e.g., a user sending customer feedback 128). In another example, the vehicle data 112 may be sent by the vehicle 102 in response to a request received from the cloud server 116.

[0036] The cloud server 116 may include or have access to a cloud storage device 118. The cloud server 116 may be configured to utilize the cloud storage device 118 to maintain data such as the vehicle data 112. The cloud server 116 may be configured to communicate with one or more client devices 120. In one example, the cloud server 116 may be configured to execute a portal application 122 programmed to analyze the vehicle data 112 and provide access to the vehicle data 112 to the client devices 120.

[0037] The HMI 124 of the vehicle 102 may be configured to receive user input via various buttons or other controls, and to provide the driver with vehicle status information, such as fuel level information, engine operating temperature information, and the current location of the vehicle 102. The HMI 124 may be configured to provide information to various displays within the vehicle 102, such as a center console touch screen, an instrument cluster screen, etc.

[0038] The HMI 124 may also include one or more microphones or other audio capture devices. These devices may be used, for example, to convert sound into an audio signal for processing. In one example, the audio signal may be used for a hands-free telephone interface. In another example, the audio signal may undergo speech-to-text processing to be converted into text data, where the text data is then processed into commands to be executed by the vehicle 102. This audio signal in the form of text or an audio signal may be referred to herein as voice data 126.

[0039] HMI 124 can also be used to allow customers to provide real-time voice feedback. The feedback can be recorded by HMI 124, augmented with a snapshot of vehicle data 112, and sent to cloud server 116 as customer feedback 128.

[0040] Figure 2A An example 200A of the HMI 124 is shown displaying a prompt 202 ready to receive voice data 126 for providing in-vehicle customer feedback 128 . Figure 2B An example 200B of the HMI 124 is shown displaying a prompt 202 during the recording of the voice data 126. As shown, the prompt 202 is displayed on a center console screen of the vehicle 102. It should be noted that this is only one example, and other locations or designs of the prompt 202 are possible.

[0041] The prompt 202 may be displayed in response to a selection of a record feedback control in the HMI 124. Alternatively, the prompt 202 may be displayed in response to a user issuing a voice command to the HMI 124 requesting that feedback be provided. This feature may be invoked by a customer to allow the customer to provide their thoughts as they arise, whether positive or negative. For example, a customer may provide feedback about a vehicle 102 problem that was just experienced. Alternatively, a customer may provide feedback that they were surprised or pleased with a vehicle 102 feature. It should be noted that customer feedback 128 may be provided while driving, not just when the vehicle 102 is stationary, to allow customer feedback 128 to be captured while problems are occurring.

[0042] The prompt 202 may include a title 204 notifying the user that the record feedback function has been invoked. The prompt 202 may also include an icon 206 to indicate whether the audio capture device of the HMI 124 is currently active or inactive.

[0043] like Figure 2A, the audio capture device of the HMI 124 is disabled. In addition, the prompt 202 may include a record control 208, which, when selected, allows the user to record an audio clip. The prompt 202 may also include a cancel control 210, which, when selected, allows the user to exit the record feedback function and, for example, return to the main display of the HMI 124. The prompt 202 may also include a progress bar 212 to indicate the length of the captured voice data 126. As shown, the progress bar 212 indicates a value between zero and forty-five seconds in length, but this is merely an example and a different maximum length may be used.

[0044] In response to selection of the record control 208, the prompt 202 may be adjusted to Figure 2B The record format shown in . Figure 2B As shown in , once recording is activated, prompt 202 is updated to indicate that recording is in progress. For example, icon 206 can change to indicate that audio capture is enabled. In addition, progress bar 212 can show the length of voice data 126 recorded so far, for example, five seconds as shown. Moreover, an indication of recording 214 can be provided, here the text "Recording feedback ...", but this is only an example. Moreover, record control 208 can be replaced with send control 216.

[0045] When selected, the send control 216 causes the vehicle 102 to send the voice data 126 to the cloud server 116. In addition, the voice data 126 can be sent along with a snapshot of the vehicle data 112. The vehicle data 112 snapshot can include information from the controller 104, software logs, and / or diagnostic test code (DTC) data. By sending the voice data 126 along with the vehicle data 112, the cloud server 116 can receive feedback in the context of the operation of the vehicle 102. This context may help determine the root cause of a problem related to what the customer said. For example, the symptoms described by the user may have multiple possible causes, and the vehicle data 112 can be used to identify which possible cause is the most likely cause. This in turn can inform the correct solution to solve the problem. If the cancel control 210 is selected, the feedback can be discarded and not sent.

[0046] Variations of the prompt 202 are possible. It should be noted that the wording as shown is only one possibility, and different wordings may be used, such as "tell us" or "tell [vehicle brand]". In another example, the capture of voice data 126 may be triggered by speaking a voice command requesting customer feedback 128 in response to pressing, for example, a talk button on a steering wheel. In yet another example, in a vehicle 102 integrated with a voice assistant, a user may speak a wake-up word that wakes up the voice assistant with a command requesting feedback about the vehicle 102. Alternatively, the user may speak a phrase indicating that the user likes or dislikes something about the vehicle 102, for example, "[wake-up word], tell Ford I like..." or "dislike". The voice assistant may then activate the prompt 202.

[0047] In yet another example, the prompt 202 may be provided by an application on the user's phone or other mobile device. In such an example, the mobile device may record voice data 126, receive vehicle data 112 from the vehicle 102 (e.g., via a wired or wireless connection to a telematics system or on-board diagnostic (OBD-II) port), and provide customer feedback 128 from the mobile device to the cloud server 116. In an example using a phone application, data from the user's mobile device may be used to augment the verbatim transcript. For example, the user may use the mobile device to record audio, video, still images, etc. corresponding to the issue being discussed in the verbatim transcript, and the phone application may include this information in the customer feedback 128. It should be noted that for vehicle 102 embodiments, image data such as from an on-board camera may also be included in the vehicle data 112 compiled into the customer feedback 128.

[0048] In yet another example, prompt 202 may allow the user to review the transcript before sending. For example, prompt 202 may include a control that, when selected, plays back the recorded voice data 126 to allow the user to verify the verbatim transcript before sending.

[0049] As another possibility, the prompt 202 may include controls for allowing the user to select an emotion associated with the verbatim. For example, the prompt 202 may provide controls to allow the user to select whether the verbatim is positive, negative, or neutral. As one possibility, these controls may be illustrated with a happy facial expression, a neutral facial expression, and an unhappy facial expression.

[0050] Figure 3An exemplary data flow 300 of the operation of the cloud server 116 in processing received customer feedback 128 is shown. As shown, the cloud server 116 can receive the vehicle data 112 and the voice data 126 at the export component 302. The cloud server 116 can use a vehicle data updater 304 to add the received vehicle data 112 to the vehicle data database 306. The cloud server 116 can also use a speech-to-text component 308 to convert the voice data 126 into text data for storage in the IVVF database 310. The cloud server 116 can use a semantic analyzer 312 on the voice data 126 to determine the sentiment of the feedback, and can also use a data classifier 316 to classify the feedback into one or more information categories and / or ontologies. Once augmented, the voice data 126 can be provided to the aggregator 320 for analysis and can become available to the portal application 122 for querying by the client device 120. An example of the operation of the portal application 122 is shown in FIG. FIG. 4A to FIG. 6 Shown in.

[0051] The export component 302 can be configured to receive, verify, and route the vehicle data 112 and the voice data 126. In one example, the export component 302 can perform a checksum validation or other data verification on the received data to ensure that the data is transmitted without errors. The export component 302 can also retrieve an identifier of the vehicle 102 from the received data, such as the VIN of the vehicle 102. The vehicle identifier can be used to ensure that the transmitter is set to use the cloud server 116. For example, the export component 302 can ensure that the vehicle has selected to use the feedback feature.

[0052] The vehicle data updater 304 may be configured to receive the vehicle data 112 from the export component 302. The vehicle data updater 304 may utilize the vehicle identifier as an index to add the vehicle data 112 to the vehicle data database 306. The vehicle data database 306 may be configured to maintain the vehicle data 112 for various diagnostic purposes.

[0053] The speech-to-text component 308 can be configured to transform the audio signal data including speech content into text content. Speech-to-text, also known as automatic speech recognition (ASR), is a technology for converting spoken language into written text. In order to perform recognition, noise reduction, filtering and normalization can be used to pre-process the voice data 126 to remove background noise or interference that may affect the accuracy of speech recognition. Then, the pre-processed audio signal can be converted into an acoustic feature sequence. Commonly used features include Mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC), which represent the spectral characteristics of the audio signal over time. The acoustic modeler can be used to map the extracted acoustic features to speech units or sub-word units. Additional language modeling or word boundary post-processing can also be performed to improve the quality of the results. It should be noted that although the data flow 300 shows that speech-to-text is performed by the cloud server 116, in other examples, this can be performed on the vehicle 102 side.

[0054] The IVVF database 310 may be a data storage area configured to maintain the voice data 126, receive additional attributes of the voice data 126, and allow the voice data 126 to be available for analysis. The IVVF database 310 may include records including the voice data 126 in text form, the voice data 126 in audio form, a vehicle 102 identifier corresponding to the voice data 126, a capture time of the voice data 126, and a data link for each record of the voice data 126 to the corresponding vehicle data 112 stored in the vehicle data database 306.

[0055] The semantic analyzer 312 can utilize sentiment analysis or opinion mining techniques for determining the emotions 314 or sentiments expressed in a piece of text. The output of the semantic analyzer 312 can indicate whether the text is generally positive, negative, or neutral. In order to perform recognition, the speech data 126 can be preprocessed to remove content that does not carry much emotion 314, such as the most common utterances. Various techniques can then be used to represent the text in a form that extracts relevant features to capture the emotion 314 signal. This information can then be applied to a model trained on labeled data to classify the text into various emotions, such as positive, negative, neutral, or different emotional states, such as happy, sad, angry. This emotion 314 information can be added to the speech data 126 as an attribute of the speech data 126 (e.g., Figure 5 shown).

[0056] The data classifier 316 uses a variety of techniques and methods to classify the speech data 126 into different bins or categories 318 based on its content. In one example, keywords can be used to represent categories 318, and the presence or frequency of these keywords in the text can be used to assign the text to the correct category 318. Alternatively, rule-based classification can use a set of predefined rules to classify speech based on the terms included. Alternatively, verbs in a test can be used as keywords to perform binning. Alternatively, a machine learning model can be trained using labeled training data including text and associated categories 318, where the model is used to infer patterns to assign text to categories 318. In some examples, the data classifier 316 can use multiple different sets of bins or categories 318 to classify text, such as classification of vehicle features, classification of question categories 318, etc. This bin information can also be added to the speech data 126 as a category 318 attribute of the speech data 126 (such as Figure 5 shown).

[0057] In one specific example, the speech data 126 may be binned into a hierarchy of categories 318, starting with a first bin for vehicle functions, and within those bins are vehicle function groups (VFGs), followed by customer concern codes (CCCs), and then followed by clarifiers. Vehicle functions may indicate relevant features of a vehicle, such as interior, exterior, underbody, driver assistance, paint, telematics, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), etc. VFGs refer to codes for component classifications used for quality binning of issues. CCCs reflect sub-codes under VFGs at a finer level of the hierarchy. Clarifiers refer to classifications for specific issues or types of issues.

[0058] Aggregator 320 can be configured to receive and combine voice data 126 augmented with emotions 314 and categories 318. For example, aggregator 320 can process data corresponding to voice data 126 received within a predefined time period or at all times in system 100, and can generate a record indicating the frequency of occurrence of categories 318, emotions 314, and / or other factors to be considered. Thus, voice data 126 is now annotated with information that can be used by portal application 122 in categorizing and viewing customer feedback 128. Portal application 122 can utilize data in IVVF database 310 processed by aggregator 320 to provide an interface for use by client device 120.

[0059] FIG. 4A to FIG. 4BAn exemplary user interface provided by the portal application 122 for use by the client device 120 in exploring the hierarchy of categories 318 of the customer feedback 128 is collectively shown. In one example, the client device 120 may access the portal application 122 of the cloud server 116 through the communication network 114. In another example, the portal application 122 may be available only through an internal network, rather than through the entire communication network 114. In one example, the portal application 122 is a web application, while in another example, the portal application 122 is a thick client-specific application for accessing the portal application 122.

[0060] like Figure 4A As shown in FIG, user interface 400 shows a data visualization 402 of customer feedback 128 in a top-level functional category 318, a drop-down control 404 for selecting a specific category 318 (i.e., a subcategory) from the available categories 318, and a view response control 406, which, when selected, allows the user to view the underlying data records 500 stored in the IVVF database 310.

[0061] The data visualization 402 may show the number of customer feedback 128 records classified by the data classifier 316 into each of the categories 318. This exemplary data visualization 402 provides the information as a scrollable bar chart sorted from largest to smallest, with the number of records indicated by each bar, but this is just one example of a possible data visualization 402. In the particular example of the user interface 400, the embedded software control category 318 is selected in the drop-down control 404. This is also shown by the corresponding highlighting of that same category 318 in the data visualization 402.

[0062] Figure 4B The user interface 400 shows details of the second category 318 within the selected item of the first category 318. For example, in response to Figure 4A Selection of the embedded software controls category 318 in FIG. 1 now shows a breakdown of the category 318 into subcategories.

[0063] Figure 4C A user interface 400 is shown showing details of a third category 318 within a selected entry of a second category 318. For example, in response to Figure 4B , the selection of the networking services category 318 now shows the breakdown of the category 318 into subcategories.

[0064] Figure 4D The user interface 400 shows details of the fourth category 318 within the selected item of the third category 318. For example, in response to Figure 4C Selection of the infotainment operating system category 318 in FIG. 1 now shows the breakdown of the category 318 into subcategories.

[0065] Figure 5 Shown in FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D 318. In the example shown, the base data records 500 stored in the IVVF database 310 are shown, and the base data records are filtered according to the selected categories of the first category, the second category, the third category, and the fourth category 318 described above. For example, in response to the user selecting Figure 4D The user interface 400 is shown to display the base data records 500 by selecting the view response control 406. However, it should be noted that the base data records 500 can be viewed at any level of the categories 318 by selecting the view response control 406.

[0066] As shown, the data record 500 may include rows of data including voice data 126, emotions 314, categories 318, and a link 502 to the voice data 126 stored in the vehicle data database 306. These data elements may allow a user to view actual customer feedback 128 received from a customer. By traversing the link 502 to the vehicle data database 306, the user may be able to view a recorded snapshot of the operation of the vehicle 102 to help understand the root cause for the customer feedback 128.

[0067] Additionally, customer feedback 128 may be used to implement closed loop feedback (CLF). In one example, data classifier 316 or another component along data flow 300 may tag speech data 126 including specific terms, categories 318, and / or emotions 314 for tracking back to the customer.

[0068] Return to reference Figure 3 In response to detecting such customer feedback 128, the closed-loop feedback component 322 of the cloud server 116 can attempt to connect back with the customer. In one example, the closed-loop feedback component 322 can access the vehicle data database 306 to identify the contact information of the consumer associated with the vehicle identifier of the vehicle 102 that provided the customer feedback 128. As some examples, the contact information can include an email address or a phone number.

[0069] Figure 6 An example of a closed-loop feedback message 600 is shown for sending to a customer in response to customer feedback 128. As shown, the example closed-loop feedback message 600 is an email message sent to contact information associated with the vehicle 102 that has provided the customer feedback 128.

[0070] For example, the customer feedback 128 may have indicated that the dealership experience was not optimal and that no one at the dealership showed the customer how to use the features of the truck the customer had purchased. In response to the wording and sentiment 314 in the customer feedback 128, the cloud server 116 may bin the customer feedback 128 into the category 318 of dealership experience and the subcategory of vehicle walkthrough.

[0071] Based on the customer feedback 128 being in this classification, the closed-loop feedback component 322 can automatically respond with a feedback message 600. Based on the classification of the problem, the closed-loop feedback component 322 can find an associated proposed solution to the problem and include it in the feedback message 600. Here, the proposed solution is a virtual tour, but this is just an example. It should also be noted that more advanced techniques than using binning to provide suggestions may be possible. For example,

[0072] In addition, the closed-loop feedback component 322 can also include in the CLF message 600 an indication that the customer can reply to the message to receive further assistance. If the customer replies to the message, the cloud server 116 can automatically open a support record in the customer support system. The support record can be linked to the voice data 126 and the vehicle data 112 from the customer feedback 128, and can be assigned to a customer support technician for analysis. In order to associate the response with the customer feedback 128, the cloud server 116 can identify an identifier included in the message to identify a specific customer feedback 128. As some examples, this can include customer contact information, an identifier embedded in the message text, a specific email address to send the CLF message 600 associated with the customer feedback 128, and the like. Therefore, the in-vehicle customer feedback 128 can also be used to close the loop of customer feedback 128 and speed up the resolution of customer issues.

[0073] Figure 7 An exemplary process 700 is shown for obtaining customer feedback 128 from a vehicle 102 to provide to a cloud server 116. In one example, the process 700 may be performed by the HMI 124, the TCU 110, and other components of the vehicle 102 of the system 100.

[0074] At operation 702, the vehicle 102 presents a prompt 202 to receive customer feedback 128. The prompt 202 may be displayed in response to a selection of a record feedback control in the HMI 124. Alternatively, the prompt 202 may be displayed in response to a user issuing a voice command to the HMI 124 requesting that feedback be provided. This feature may be invoked by the customer to allow the customer to provide their thoughts (whether positive or negative) as they arise. For example, a customer may provide feedback regarding a vehicle 102 problem that was just experienced. Alternatively, a customer may provide feedback that they were surprised or pleased with a vehicle 102 feature. FIG. 2A to FIG. 2BAn exemplary prompt 202 is shown in FIG.

[0075] At operation 704 , the vehicle 102 captures the voice data 126 . The prompt 202 may include a record control 208 that, when selected, allows the user to record an audio clip. In response to the selection of the record control 208 , the prompt 202 may utilize the audio capture device of the HMI 124 to receive the voice data 126 .

[0076] At operation 706, the vehicle 102 captures vehicle data 112. The vehicle data 112 snapshot may include information from the controller 104, software logs, and / or DTC data. In some examples, the vehicle data 112 is captured by the TCU 110 (or another controller 104) in a timely manner so that it is available when the data is needed. In other examples, the vehicle data 112 is captured in response to the capture of the voice data 126. For example, the capture may be initiated in response to the activation of the prompt 202 and / or in response to the selection of the record control 208.

[0077] At operation 708, the vehicle 102 sends the customer feedback 128 including the voice data 126 and the vehicle data 112 to the cloud server 116. When selected, the send control 216 of the prompt 202 causes the vehicle 102 to send the voice data 126 captured at operation 704 and the vehicle data 112 captured at operation 706 to the cloud server 116. By sending the voice data 126 along with the vehicle data 112, the cloud server 116 can receive the feedback in the context of the operation of the vehicle 102. This context may be helpful in determining the root cause of the problem related to what the customer said. After operation 708, the process 700 ends.

[0078] Figure 8 An exemplary process 800 is shown for analyzing customer feedback 128. In one example, process 800 can be performed by cloud server 116 in the context of system 100.

[0079] At operation 802, the cloud server 116 receives customer feedback 128. The customer feedback 128 may include voice data 126 and vehicle data 112. For example, the cloud server 116 may receive the vehicle data 112 and voice data 126 at the export component 302. The voice data 126 may include speech from an occupant of the vehicle 102 recorded by the vehicle 102. The vehicle data 112 may include a snapshot of information describing the operation 702 of the vehicle 102. In the example 200A, the customer feedback 128 may have been sent by the vehicle 102, as discussed with respect to operation 708 in the context of process 700.

[0080] At operation 804, the cloud server 116 extracts text from the customer feedback 128. In one example, the cloud server 116 may also use the speech-to-text component 308 to convert the voice data 126 into text data for storage in the IVVF database 310. In another example, the vehicle 102 may have performed speech-to-text conversion, and the extraction may include reading the text data from the received customer feedback 128.

[0081] At operation 806, the cloud server 116 performs semantic analysis on the text. The semantic analyzer 312 can utilize sentiment analysis or opinion mining techniques for determining the sentiment 314 or emotion expressed in a piece of text. The output of the semantic analyzer 312 can indicate whether the text is generally positive, negative, or neutral. This sentiment 314 information can be added to the voice data 126 as an attribute of the voice data 126.

[0082] At operation 808, the cloud server 116 bins the customer feedback 128 into a hierarchy of categories 318. In one example, the data classifier 316 can use a variety of techniques and methods to classify the voice data 126 into different bins or categories 318 based on its content. The bin information can also be added to the voice data 126 as a category 318 attribute of the voice data 126. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D and Figure 5 The diagram of shows an exemplary hierarchy of categories 318 .

[0083] At operation 810, the cloud server 116 stores the customer feedback 128. In one example, the cloud server 116 stores the vehicle data 112 in the vehicle data database 306 and stores the voice data 126 in the IVVF database 310. The cloud server 116 may use the vehicle data updater 304 to add the vehicle data 112 to the vehicle data database 306. The voice data 126 in the IVVF database 310 may be stored with a link 502 to the vehicle data 112 in the vehicle data database 306 corresponding to the voice data 126.

[0084] At operation 812, the cloud server 116 sends a closed-loop feedback message 600. In one example, the closed-loop feedback component 322 can access the vehicle data database 306 to identify the contact information of the consumer associated with the vehicle identifier of the vehicle 102 that provided the customer feedback 128. As some examples, the contact information can include an email address or a phone number. Based on the category 318 of the customer feedback 128, the closed-loop feedback component 322 can find the associated proposed solution of the customer feedback 128 based on the customer feedback 128 in the category. The closed-loop feedback component 322 can automatically respond with the feedback message 600. The CLF component 322 can also include in the CLF message 600 an indication that the customer can reply to the message to receive further assistance. If the customer replies to the message, the cloud server 116 can automatically open a support record in the customer support system. The support record can be linked to the voice data 126 and the vehicle data 112 from the customer feedback 128, and can be assigned to a customer support technician for analysis.

[0085] At operation 814, the cloud server 116 provides the portal application 122 to the client device 120. The portal application 122 can present the user interface 400 to allow the client device 120 to explore the category 318 hierarchy and view the maintained customer feedback 128 filtered to a selected category in the category 318 hierarchy. The portal application 122 can also present a link 502 for each voice data 126 record to provide access to the vehicle data 112 corresponding to the voice data 126 in the vehicle data database 306. After operation 814, the process 800 ends.

[0086] Variations in the use of the IVVF system 100 are possible. In one variation, the closed-loop feedback can be associated with predictive maintenance intelligence (PRI). For example, before the vehicle 102 arrives for service, the dealership can utilize the client device 120 to access the portal application 122 to pull any customer feedback 128 sent from the vehicle 102. This can speed up the diagnosis of the problem with the vehicle 102 and potentially allow parts to be ordered before the vehicle 102 arrives at the dealership.

[0087] In another example, the cloud server 116 may send a request to the user to open the prompt 202 and provide feedback, rather than the customer initiating IVVF. The request may be displayed in the HMI 124, sent to the customer as an email or text or call or other message, displayed as a news item in a vehicle application installed to the user's mobile device, etc. In one example, the cloud server 116 may send a request to provide customer feedback 128 at predefined milestones. As some examples, these milestones may include one week after the warranty start date, at a set of feedback intervals (e.g., three months, one year, three years), at mileage-based intervals, etc. The customer feedback 128 may also be tracked on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis across the life cycle of the vehicle 102 to allow analysis of the same vehicle 102 over time.

[0088] In yet another example, the cloud server 116 may send a request to the user to open the prompt 202 and provide feedback in response to the customer's vehicle 102 being selected for a particular survey about a component of the vehicle 102. For example, if an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) wishes to obtain information about how much customers like the interior of a particular model or trim of vehicle 102, a survey may be sent to the corresponding vehicle 102 using the prompt 202 to obtain a response.

[0089] In yet another example, the vehicle 102 or cloud server 116 may make a feedback request to the user in response to the occurrence of a DTC. This may allow the OEM to receive information from the user about what the vehicle 102 was experiencing when the code was encountered. For example, a customer may opt-in to a program to provide feedback about the severity level of detected vehicle events to enhance the OEM's understanding of those events for the customer.

[0090] As another possibility, the IVVF system 100 may reward the user for providing customer feedback 128. This may motivate the user to provide useful input. In one example, a verification process may be performed by an administrative user of the client device 120 to ensure that the customer feedback 128 is valid or useful. Rewards to the user may include, for example, points that may be used for dealership products and services that the user may purchase.

[0091] In another example, the IVVF system 100 can support two-way voice interaction with the user. For example, in response to the user submitting customer feedback 128, the vehicle 102 can ask the user whether he or she expects to be contacted by an agent. If the user agrees, the vehicle 102 can call the support center to initiate a telephone support call. As a background for the support call, the support center can also receive access to the customer feedback 128 provided by the user. It should be noted that the user can be asked whether he or she expects to be connected to a dealership instead. Alternatively, the user can be asked whether he or she expects the support staff or dealership to call the user back instead of calling immediately. If the user agrees, a call to the vehicle 102 or other contact information of the user can be established.

[0092] In some examples, when a vehicle 102 is taken in for service, a dealership can access customer feedback 128. This can allow the dealership to see if there has been a problem with the user's vehicle 102. If so, the dealership can resolve the problem, such as by making repairs or teaching the user how to better use the vehicle 102.

[0093] Fig. 9 An example 900 of a computing device 902 for capturing and analyzing in-vehicle customer feedback 128 is shown. Fig. 9 And refer to Figures 1 to 8 , controller 104, sensor 106, storage device 108, TCU 110, communication network 114, cloud server 116, cloud storage device 118, client device 120, HMI 124, etc. may be examples of such computing device 902. As shown, computing device 902 may include processor 904, which is operatively connected to storage device 906, network device 908, output device 910, and input device 912. It should be noted that this is merely an example, and computing devices 902 with more, fewer, or different components may be used.

[0094] The processor 904 may include one or more integrated circuits that implement the functionality of a central processing unit (CPU) and / or a graphics processing unit (GPU). In some examples, the processor 904 is a system on a chip (SoC) that integrates the functionality of the CPU and GPU. The SoC may optionally include other components (such as, for example, a storage device 906 and a network device 908) into a single integrated device. In other examples, the CPU and GPU are connected to each other via a peripheral connection device (such as a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) express) or another suitable peripheral data connection. In one example, the CPU is a commercially available central processing device that implements an instruction set, such as one of the x86, ARM, Power, or microprocessor (MIPS) instruction set families without interlocked pipeline stages.

[0095] Regardless of the details, during operation, the processor 904 executes stored program instructions retrieved from the storage device 906. The stored program instructions (such as the program instructions of the portal application 122, the export component 302, the vehicle data database 306, the speech-to-text component 308, the semantic analyzer 312, the data classifier 316, and the aggregator 320) include software that controls the operation of the processor 904 to perform the operations described herein. The storage device 906 may include both non-volatile memory and volatile memory devices. Non-volatile memory includes solid-state memory, such as "NAND" (NAND) flash memory, magnetic and optical storage media, or any other suitable data storage device that retains data when the system is disabled or loses power. Volatile memory includes static and dynamic random access memory (RAM) that stores program instructions and data during operation of the system 100. As non-limiting examples, the data may include vehicle data 112, voice data 126, and customer feedback 128.

[0096] The GPU may include hardware and software for displaying at least two-dimensional (2D) and optionally three-dimensional (3D) graphics to an output device 910. The output device 910 may include a graphics or visual display device, such as an electronic display screen, a projector, a printer, or any other suitable device for reproducing a graphical display. As another example, the output device 910 may include an audio device, such as a speaker or headphones. As yet another example, the output device 910 may include a tactile device, such as a mechanically elevable device, which in an example may be configured to display Braille or another physical output that may be touched to provide information to a user.

[0097] Input device 912 may include any of a variety of devices that enable computing device 902 to receive control input from a user. Examples of suitable input devices that receive human-computer interface input may include a keyboard, mouse, trackball, touch screen, voice input device, graphics tablet, etc.

[0098] The network devices 908 may each include any of a variety of devices that enable the devices discussed herein to send and / or receive data from an external device over a network. Examples of suitable network devices 908 include an Ethernet interface, a Wi-Fi transceiver, a Li-Fi transceiver, a cellular transceiver, or a Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transceiver or other network adapter or peripheral interconnect device that receives data from another computer or external data storage device, which may be useful for receiving large amounts of data in an efficient manner.

[0099] Although exemplary embodiments are described above, these embodiments are not intended to describe all possible forms covered by the claims. The words used in the specification are descriptive words rather than restrictive words, and it should be understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. As previously described, the features of various embodiments can be combined to form other embodiments of the present invention that may not be explicitly described or shown. Although various embodiments may have been described as providing advantages or being superior to other embodiments or prior art implementations in terms of one or more desired characteristics, it should be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that one or more features or characteristics can be compromised to achieve the desired overall system properties, depending on the specific application and implementation. These properties may include, but are not limited to, strength, durability, life cycle, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. For this reason, in terms of one or more characteristics, to the extent that any embodiment is described as less than other embodiments or prior art implementations are ideal, these embodiments are not outside the scope of the present disclosure and may be desired for specific applications.

[0100] According to the present invention, a system for in-vehicle voice feedback (IVVF) is provided, having: a storage device, the storage device including maintained customer feedback; and a cloud server, the cloud server being configured to: receive customer feedback from a vehicle, the received customer feedback including voice data and vehicle data, the voice data including speech from an occupant of the vehicle recorded by the vehicle, the vehicle data including an information snapshot describing the operation of the vehicle, binning the vehicle data into categories in a category hierarchy based on textual content of the speech in the voice data, adding the received customer feedback to the maintained customer feedback in the storage device, and presenting a portal application to a client device, the portal application presenting a user interface to allow the client device to explore the category hierarchy and view the maintained customer feedback filtered to selected categories in the category hierarchy.

[0101] According to an embodiment, the cloud server is also configured to: store the vehicle data in a vehicle data database of the storage device; and store the voice data in an IVVF database of the storage device, wherein the voice data in the IVVF database is stored together with a link to the vehicle data corresponding to the voice data in the vehicle data database.

[0102] According to an embodiment, the portal application is further configured to present, for each voice data record, a link to provide access to the vehicle data in the vehicle data database corresponding to the voice data.

[0103] According to an embodiment, the cloud server is further configured to: utilize a semantic analyzer to identify emotions in the speech; augment the voice data to include the identified emotions; and present the emotions and the maintained customer feedback in the portal application.

[0104] According to an embodiment, the cloud server is further configured to bin the voice data according to keywords, verbs or phrases included in the voice data.

[0105] According to an embodiment, the cloud server is also configured to: identify potential solutions to the problems indicated by the maintained customer feedback based on the categories into which the voice data is binned in the category hierarchy; and send a message to the contact information corresponding to the maintained customer feedback, the message indicating the potential solution.

[0106] According to an embodiment, the cloud server is further configured to: in response to the cloud server receiving a reply to the message, automatically open a support record linked to the voice data and the vehicle data of the received customer feedback for analysis.

[0107] According to an embodiment, the cloud server is further configured to utilize the vehicle data to identify a root cause of the problem.

[0108] According to the present invention, a method for in-vehicle voice feedback (IVVF) includes: receiving customer feedback from a vehicle to a cloud server, the received customer feedback including voice data and vehicle data, the voice data including speech from an occupant of the vehicle recorded by the vehicle, the vehicle data including an information snapshot describing the operation of the vehicle; binning the vehicle data into categories in a category hierarchy based on text content of the speech in the voice data; adding the received customer feedback to maintained customer feedback; and presenting a portal application to a client device, the portal application presenting a user interface to allow the client device to explore the category hierarchy and view the maintained customer feedback filtered to selected categories in the category hierarchy.

[0109] In one aspect of the present invention, the method comprises: storing the vehicle data in a vehicle data database; and storing the voice data in an IVVF database, wherein the voice data in the IVVF database is stored together with a link to the vehicle data corresponding to the voice data in the vehicle data database.

[0110] In one aspect of the invention, the method comprises presenting, for each voice data record, a link providing access to the vehicle data in the vehicle data database corresponding to the voice data.

[0111] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes: identifying emotions in the speech using a semantic analyzer; augmenting the speech data to include the identified emotions; and presenting the emotions along with the maintained customer feedback in the portal application.

[0112] In one aspect of the present invention, the method includes binning the speech data according to keywords, verbs or phrases included in the speech data.

[0113] In one aspect of the present invention, the method includes: identifying potential solutions to problems indicated by the maintained customer feedback based on the voice data being binned into the categories in the category hierarchy; and sending a message to contact information corresponding to the maintained customer feedback, the message indicating the potential solution.

[0114] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes, in response to receiving a reply to the message, opening a support record linked to the voice data and the vehicle data of the received customer feedback for analysis.

[0115] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes utilizing the vehicle data to identify a root cause of the problem.

[0116] In one aspect of the present invention, the method includes: presenting a prompt for receiving the voice data for the received customer feedback via a human-machine interface (HMI) of the vehicle; receiving the voice data from the occupant of the vehicle; capturing the information snapshot describing the operation of the vehicle; and sending the received customer feedback including the voice data and the snapshot from the vehicle to the cloud server.

[0117] According to the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which has instructions for in-vehicle voice feedback (IVVF), which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations including: receiving customer feedback from a vehicle, the received customer feedback including voice data and vehicle data, the voice data including speech from an occupant of the vehicle recorded by the vehicle, the vehicle data including an information snapshot describing the operation of the vehicle; binning the vehicle data into categories in a category hierarchy based on text content of the speech in the corresponding voice data; adding the received customer feedback to maintained customer feedback of a storage device; and presenting a portal application to a client device, the portal application presenting a user interface to allow the client device to explore the category hierarchy and view the maintained customer feedback filtered to selected categories in the category hierarchy.

[0118] According to an embodiment, the present invention is also characterized by instructions that, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations including: storing the vehicle data in a vehicle data database of the storage device; and storing the voice data in an IVVF database of the storage device, wherein the voice data in the IVVF database is stored together with a link to the vehicle data corresponding to the voice data in the vehicle data database.

[0119] According to an embodiment, the present invention is also characterized by instructions that, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations including: presenting a link for each voice data record to provide access to the vehicle data corresponding to the voice data in the vehicle data database.

[0120] According to an embodiment, the present invention is also characterized by instructions that, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations including: utilizing a semantic analyzer to identify emotions in the speech; expanding the voice data to include the identified emotions; and presenting the emotions and the maintained customer feedback in the portal application.

[0121] According to an embodiment, the present invention is also characterized by instructions that, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations including: binning the voice data according to keywords, verbs, or phrases included in the voice data.

[0122] According to an embodiment, the present invention is also characterized by instructions that, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations including: identifying potential solutions to the problems indicated by the maintained customer feedback based on the categories into which the voice data is binned in the category hierarchy; and sending a message to contact information corresponding to the maintained customer feedback, the message indicating the potential solution.

[0123] According to an embodiment, the present invention is also characterized by instructions that, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations including the following: in response to one or more computing devices receiving a reply to the message, automatically opening a support record linked to the voice data and the vehicle data of the received customer feedback for analysis.

[0124] According to an embodiment, the invention also features instructions that, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations including: utilizing vehicle data to identify a root cause of the problem.

Claims

1. A system for in-vehicle voice feedback (IVVF), comprising: a storage device, the storage device including maintained customer feedback; and A cloud server, wherein the cloud server is configured to: receiving customer feedback from a vehicle, the received customer feedback comprising voice data including speech from an occupant of the vehicle recorded by the vehicle and vehicle data including a snapshot of information describing the operation of the vehicle, binning the vehicle data into categories in a category hierarchy based on textual content of the utterances in the speech data, adding the received customer feedback to the maintained customer feedback of the storage device, and A portal application is presented to a client device, the portal application presenting a user interface to allow the client device to explore the category hierarchy and view the maintained customer feedback filtered to selected categories in the category hierarchy.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the cloud server is further configured to: storing the vehicle data in a vehicle data database of the storage device; and storing the voice data in an IVVF database of the storage device, The voice data in the IVVF database is stored together with a link to the vehicle data corresponding to the voice data in the vehicle data database. 3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the portal application is further configured to present, for each voice data record, a link to provide access to the vehicle data in the vehicle data database corresponding to the voice data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the cloud server is further configured to: Using a semantic analyzer to identify emotions in the speech; augmenting the speech data to include the identified emotion; and The sentiment is presented in the portal application along with the maintained customer feedback.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the cloud server is further configured to bin the voice data according to keywords, verbs, or phrases included in the voice data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the cloud server is further configured to: identifying potential solutions to problems indicated by the maintained customer feedback based on the voice data being binned into the categories in the category hierarchy; and A message is sent to the contact information corresponding to the maintained customer feedback, the message indicating the potential solution.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the cloud server is further configured to: In response to the cloud server receiving a reply to the message, a support record is automatically opened that is linked to the voice data of the received customer feedback and the vehicle data for analysis.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the cloud server is further configured to utilize the vehicle data to identify a root cause of the problem.

9. A method for in-vehicle voice feedback (IVVF), comprising: receiving customer feedback from a vehicle to a cloud server, the received customer feedback comprising voice data and vehicle data, the voice data comprising speech from an occupant of the vehicle recorded by the vehicle, the vehicle data comprising a snapshot of information describing the operation of the vehicle; binning the vehicle data into categories in a category hierarchy based on textual content of the utterances in the speech data; Adding received customer feedback to maintained customer feedback; as well as A portal application is presented to a client device, the portal application presenting a user interface to allow the client device to explore the category hierarchy and view the maintained customer feedback filtered to selected categories in the category hierarchy.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: storing the vehicle data in a vehicle data database; as well as storing the voice data in an IVVF database, The voice data in the IVVF database is stored together with a link to the vehicle data corresponding to the voice data in the vehicle data database.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising presenting, for each voice data record, a link to provide access to the vehicle data in the vehicle data database corresponding to the voice data.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising: Using a semantic analyzer to identify emotions in the speech; augmenting the speech data to include the identified emotion; as well as The sentiment is presented in the portal application along with the maintained customer feedback.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising binning the voice data according to keywords, verbs, or phrases included in the voice data.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising: identifying potential solutions to problems indicated by the maintained customer feedback based on the voice data being binned into the categories in the category hierarchy; sending a message to the contact information corresponding to the maintained customer feedback, the message indicating the potential solution; and one or more of the following: in response to receiving a reply to the message, opening a support record linked to the voice data of the received customer feedback and the vehicle data for analysis; and / or utilizing the vehicle data to identify a root cause of the problem.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising: presenting, via a human machine interface (HMI) of the vehicle, a prompt for receiving the voice data for the received customer feedback; receiving the voice data from the occupant of the vehicle; capturing a snapshot of said information describing said operation of said vehicle; as well as The received customer feedback including the voice data and the snapshot is sent from the vehicle to the cloud server.

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