Audio modulation for an audio interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11037558-B2
Application number	US-201816139734-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2018
Priority date	Sep 24, 2018
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

A method, apparatus, system, and computer program product for generating an audio communication. An urgency for a user is determined by a computer system in response to detecting a trigger event in a verbal communication from the user. A frequency modulator is selected by the computer system from a plurality of frequency modulators based on the urgency determined to form a selected frequency modulator. A frequency of words in an audio communication is modulated by the computer system using the selected frequency modulator to form a modulated audio communication, wherein the modulated audio communication comprises a natural language response generated in response to the trigger event. The modulated audio communication is sent by the computer system to an audio output device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for generating an audio communication, the method comprising: determining, by a computer system, an urgency for a user in response to detecting a trigger event in a verbal communication from the user; selecting, by the computer system, a frequency modulator from a plurality of frequency modulators based on the urgency determined to form a selected frequency modulator; modulating, by the computer system, a frequency of words in an audio communication using the selected frequency modulator to form a modulated audio communication, wherein the modulated audio communication comprises a natural language response generated in response to the trigger event; and sending, by the computer system, the modulated audio communication to an audio output device; wherein selecting, by the computer system, the frequency modulator from the plurality of frequency modulators based on the urgency to form the selected frequency modulator comprises: determining a language proficiency for the user for a language used in the audio communication; and selecting, by the computer system, the frequency modulator from the plurality of frequency modulators based on the urgency and the language proficiency for the user to form the selected frequency modulator.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
selecting, by the computer system, a new frequency modulator from the plurality of frequency modulators when the urgency changes for the user.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
modulating, by the computer system, an amplitude of the words in the audio communication in addition to the frequency using the selected frequency modulator.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
generating, by the computer system, the natural language response based on the urgency for the user.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining, by the computer system, a set of response urgencies for a set of portions of the natural language response in the audio communication;
wherein selecting, by the computer system, the frequency modulator modulating step comprises selecting, by the computer system, a set of frequency modulators from the plurality of frequency modulators based on the set of response urgencies for the set of portions and the urgency for the user to form a set of selected frequency modulators; and
wherein modulating, by the computer system, the frequency of the words in an audio communication using the selected frequency modulator comprises modulating, by the computer system, a set of frequencies of the words in the set of portions of the natural language response in the audio communication using the set of selected frequency modulators selected to form the modulated audio communication.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining, by the computer system, the urgency for the user in response to detecting the trigger event in the verbal communication from the user comprises:
determining, by the computer system, the urgency based on a situational context for the user in a situation in response to detecting the trigger event in the verbal communication from the user.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the trigger event is selected from at least one of a key phrase by spoken the user, an emergency call made by the user, a wake word spoken by the user, or a gesture made by the user.

8. An audio communications system comprising: a computer system that determines an urgency for a user in response to detecting a trigger event in a verbal communication from the user; selects a frequency modulator from a plurality of frequency modulators based on the urgency determined to form a selected frequency modulator; modulates a frequency of words in an audio communication using the selected frequency modulator to form a modulated audio communication, wherein the modulated audio communication comprises a natural language response generated in response to the trigger event; and sends the modulated audio communication to an audio output device; wherein in selecting the frequency modulator from the plurality of frequency modulators based on the urgency to form the selected frequency modulator, the computer system determines a language proficiency for the user for a language used in the audio communication; and selects the frequency modulator from the plurality of frequency modulators based on the urgency, and the language proficiency for the user to form the selected frequency modulator.

9. The audio communications system of claim 8 , wherein the computer system selects a new frequency modulator from the plurality of frequency modulators when the urgency changes for the user.

10. The audio communications system of claim 8 , wherein the computer system modulates an amplitude of the words in the audio communication in addition to the frequency using the selected frequency modulator.

11. The audio communications system of claim 8 , wherein the computer system generates the natural language response based on the urgency for the user.

12. The audio communications system of claim 8 , wherein the computer system determines a set of response urgencies for a set of portions of the natural language response in the audio communication; wherein selects the frequency modulator comprises selects a set of frequency modulators from the plurality of frequency modulators based on the set of response urgencies for the set of portions and the urgency for the user to form a set of selected frequency modulators; and wherein modulates the frequency of the words in an audio communication using the selected frequency modulator comprises modulates a set of frequencies of the words in the set of portions of the natural language response in the audio communication using the set of selected frequency modulators selected to form the modulated audio communication.

13. The audio communications system of claim 12 , wherein in determining the urgency for the user in response to detecting the trigger event in the verbal communication from the user, the computer system determines the urgency based on a situational context for the user in a situation in response to detecting the trigger event in the verbal communication from the user.

14. The audio communications system of claim 8 , wherein the trigger event is selected from at least one of a key phrase by spoken the user, an emergency call made by the user, a wake word spoken by the user, or a gesture made by the user.

15. A computer program product for generating an audio communication, the computer program product comprising: a computer-readable storage media; first program code, stored on the computer-readable storage media, for determining an urgency for a user in response to detecting a trigger event in a verbal communication from the user; second program code, stored on the computer-readable storage media, for selecting a frequency modulator from a plurality of frequency modulators based on the urgency determined to form a selected frequency modulator; third program code, stored on the computer-readable storage media, for modulating a frequency of words in an audio communication using the selected frequency modulator to form a modulated audio communication, wherein the modulated audio communication comprises a natural language response generated in response to the trigger event; and fourth program code, stored on the computer-readable storage media, for sending the modulated audio communication to an audio output device: wherein selecting the frequency modulator from the plurality of frequency modulators based on the urgency to form the selected frequency modulator comprises: determining a language proficiency

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Trim Craig M
• Povar Victor
• Sivakumar Gandhi
• Hodge Rashida

Classifications

• G10L15/26

  Speech to text systems (G10L15/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G10L15/30

  Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications · CPC title

• G10L13/00 Primary

  Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems · CPC title

• G06F40/30

  Semantic analysis · CPC title

• G10L15/1815

  Semantic context, e.g. disambiguation of the recognition hypotheses based on word meaning · CPC title