Multiple digital assistant coordination in vehicular environments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12073834-B2
Application number	US-202318125583-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2023
Priority date	Oct 3, 2017
Publication date	Aug 27, 2024
Grant date	Aug 27, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure is generally related to a data processing system to selectively invoke applications for execution. A data processing system can receive an input audio signal and can parse the input audio signal to identify a command. The data processing system can identify a first functionality of a first digital assistant application hosted on the data processing system in the vehicle and a second functionality of a second digital assistant application accessible via a client device. The data processing system can determine that one of the first functionality or the second functionality supports the command. The data processing system can select one of the first digital assistant application or the second digital assistant application based on the determination. The data processing system invoke one of the first digital assistant application or the second digital assistant application based on the selection.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method implemented by one or more processors of a vehicle computing device of a vehicle, the method comprising:
receiving, via one or more microphones of the vehicle computing device, an input audio signal that includes: (i) a first portion capturing a given trigger word or phrase, and (ii) a second portion capturing a request;
determining, based on processing the first portion of the input audio signal that includes the given trigger word or phrase, a given digital assistant application, from among a plurality of digital assistant applications that are accessible by the vehicle computing device, that is associated with the given trigger word or phrase,
wherein each of the plurality of digital assistant applications that are accessible by the vehicle computing device correspond to different scripts or programs that executable by a data processing system of vehicle computing device,
wherein the plurality of digital assistant applications that are accessible by the vehicle computing device include at least a first digital assistant application and a second digital assistant application,
wherein the first digital assistant application is associated with a set of vehicular functionalities, and
wherein the second digital assistant application is associated with a set of non-vehicular functionalities;

determining, based on processing the second portion of the input audio signal that includes the request, an action to be performed responsive to the request;
in response to determining that the given trigger word or phrase is a first trigger word or phrase that is associated with the first digital assistant application:
causing the first digital assistant application to perform the action to satisfy the request; and

in response to determining that the given trigger word or phrase is a second trigger word or phrase that is associated with the second digital assistant application:
causing the second digital assistant application to perform the action to satisfy the request.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of digital assistant applications that are accessible by the vehicle computing device further include a third digital assistant application.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the given trigger word or phrase is a third trigger word or phrase that is associated with the third digital assistant application:
causing the third digital assistant application to perform the action to satisfy the request.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein an indication of the given digital assistant application is stored in association with the given trigger word or phrase in one or more databases that are accessible to the vehicle computing device.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein a corresponding indication of each of the plurality of digital assistant applications is stored in association with a corresponding trigger word or phrase in the one or more databases that are accessible to the vehicle computing device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the given digital assistant application that is associated with the given trigger word or phrase and based on processing the first portion of the input audio signal that includes the given trigger word or phrase comprises:
parsing, using a natural language processor component of the vehicle computing device, the first portion of the input audio signal to identify the given trigger word or phrase; and
determining, based on parsing the input audio signal to identify the given trigger word or phrase, that the given trigger word or phrase is associated with the given digital assistant application.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining the action to be performed responsive to the request and based on processing second portion of the input audio signal that includes the request comprises:
parsing, using the natural language processor component of the vehicle computing device, the second portion of the input audio signal to identify the request; and
determining, based on parsing the input audio signal to identify the request, the action to be performed responsive to the request.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the action to be performed responsive to the request includes one or more of: changing temperature controls of the vehicle, actuating one or more locks or windows of the vehicle, turning on or off a device of the vehicle, or controlling playback of media via one or more speakers of the vehicle computing device.

9. A vehicle computing device of a vehicle, the vehicle computing device comprising:
one or more hardware processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause the one or more hardware processors to:
receive, via one or more microphones of the vehicle computing device, an input audio signal that includes: (i) a first portion capturing a given trigger word or phrase, and (ii) a second portion capturing a request;
determine, based on processing the first portion of the input audio signal that includes the given trigger word or phrase, a given digital assistant application, from among a plurality of digital assistant applications that are accessible by the vehicle computing device, that is associated with the given trigger word or phrase,
wherein each of the plurality of digital assistant applications that are accessible by the vehicle computing device correspond to different scripts or programs that executable by a data processing system of vehicle computing device,
wherein the plurality of digital assistant applications that are accessible by the vehicle computing device include at least a first digital assistant application and a second digital assistant application,
wherein the first digital assistant application is associated with a set of vehicular functionalities, and
wherein the second digital assistant application is associated with a set of non-vehicular functionalities;

determine, based on processing the second portion of the input audio signal that includes the request, an action to be performed responsive to the request;
in response to determining that the given trigger word or phrase is a first trigger word or phrase that is associated with the first digital assistant application:
cause the first digital assistant application to perform the action to satisfy the request; and

in response to determining that the given trigger word or phrase is a second trigger word or phrase that is associated with the second digital assistant application:
cause the second digital assistant application to perform the action to satisfy the request.

10. The vehicle computing device of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of digital assistant applications that are accessible by the vehicle computing device further include a third digital assistant application.

11. The vehicle computing device of claim 10 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more hardware processors to:
in response to determining that the given trigger word or phrase is a third trigger word or phrase that is associated with the third digital assistant application:
cause the third digital assistant application to perform the action to satisfy the request.

12. The vehicle computing device of claim 9 , wherein an indication of the given digital assistant application is stored in association with the given trigger word or phrase in one or more databases that are accessible to the vehicle computing device.

13. The vehicle computing device of claim 4 , wherein a corresponding indication of each of the plurality of digital assistant applications is stored in association wit

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Ramic Haris
• Aggarwal Vikram
• Gali Moises Morgenstern
• Stuut Brandon

Classifications

• G10L2015/223

  Execution procedure of a spoken command · CPC title

• G10L2015/088

  Word spotting · CPC title

• G10L15/30

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

• G10L15/1822

  Parsing for meaning understanding · CPC title

• G06F9/44536

  Selecting among different versions · CPC title