In-Cabin Voice Command Zoning for Accurate Vehicle Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle systems struggle to effectively differentiate and assign voice-activated commands to specific in-cabin vehicle zones, leading to potential interference and confusion when multiple occupants attempt to control vehicle functions.
Innovation Solution
The system employs an interface device and in-cabin vehicle control unit to identify and separate spoken or tactile inputs to specific vehicle zones, using background audio data separation and machine-learning calibration to assign commands to individual zones, allowing localized control of vehicle functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If voice-activated command capabilities are implemented in vehicles with multiple occupants, then the ability to control vehicle functions is improved, but interference and confusion occur when multiple occupants attempt to control functions simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle cabin is divided into multiple zones (e.g., driver zone, front passenger zone, rear passenger zones) with each zone having dedicated microphones and control capabilities. This segmentation allows the system to identify which zone the command originates from and assign control accordingly, resolving the interference problem when multiple occupants speak simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary control unit that processes audio signals from multiple zones, determines the active speaker through signal analysis, and routes commands to the appropriate functional units. This intermediary layer prevents direct conflict between simultaneous commands from different occupants.
2Adaptability or versatility
If microphones are equipped throughout the vehicle to capture spoken commands, then voice control coverage is improved, but background audio interference increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each zone in the vehicle is equipped with its own microphone array optimized for capturing audio from that specific location. The system processes audio locally at each zone before combining results, which improves signal-to-noise ratio by focusing on local speech while filtering out distant background audio and interference from other zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts and isolates the active speaker's voice signal from the mixed audio input by analyzing audio characteristics such as volume, timing, and spectral features. Background audio and interference are separated and excluded from command processing, allowing clear voice recognition even in noisy environments.
3Measurement precision
If the system processes audio data from all vehicle zones simultaneously, then command recognition coverage is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the processing level for each zone based on activity detection. When only one zone has an active speaker, full processing is applied to that zone while other zones are monitored with reduced processing. When multiple zones are active, the system prioritizes zones based on command type and occupancy, reducing overall processing complexity while maintaining accurate command recognition.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes an interface device, an in-vehicle control unit, a functional unit, and a processing circuitry. The interface device receives a spoken command to identify an in-cabin vehicle zone of two or more in-cabin vehicle zones of the vehicle, and receives background audio data concurrently with a portion of the spoken command. The in-cabin vehicle control unit separates the background audio data from the spoken command, and selects which in-cabin vehicle zone of the two or more in-cabin vehicle zones is identified by the spoken command. The functional unit controls a function within the vehicle. The processing circuitry stores, to a command buffer, data processed from the received spoken command, and controls, based on the data processed from the received spoken command, the functional unit using audio input received from the selected in-cabin vehicle zone.