Dynamic voice assistant system for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12469499-B2
Application number	US-202217848598-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2022
Priority date	Jun 24, 2022
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

A voice assistant system for a vehicle includes a microphone configured to detect an audio signal from a user of the vehicle; a speaker configured to output a dialogue in response to the audio signal; and a processor programmed to responsive to detecting a conversation in which the user is involved, decrease a lengthiness setting of the voice assistant system to reduce the length of the dialogue, and increase an independency setting of the voice assistant system to prevent a confirmation question from the voice assistant system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A voice assistant system for a vehicle, comprising:
a microphone configured to detect an audio signal from a user of the vehicle, wherein the audio signal includes at least one of a system directed utterance and a non-system directed conversation; a speaker configured to output a dialogue in response to the audio signal; and a processor programmed to:
responsive to detecting the non-system directed conversation between the user and an occupant, decrease a lengthiness setting of the voice assistant system to reduce a length of the dialogue, and increase an independency setting of the voice assistant system to prevent a confirmation question from the voice assistant system; and
output, via the speaker, the dialogue with the reduced length without requiring a user confirmation.

2 . The voice assistant system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:
responsive to detecting an increased traffic on a route on which the vehicle traverses, increase a specificity setting of the voice assistant system to provide more detailed information via the dialogue.

3 . The voice assistant system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:
responsive to detecting a presence of the occupant other than the user in the vehicle, increase a formality setting of the voice assistant system such that the dialogue is structured in a more formal manner.

4 . The voice assistant system of claim 3 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:
identify the occupant; and responsive to the occupant being unrecognized to the voice assistant system or underaged, increase the formality setting.

5 . The voice assistant system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:
responsive to detecting an acceleration of the vehicle exceeding a threshold, decrease a formality setting of the voice assistant system such that the dialogue is structured in a less formal manner.

6 . The voice assistant system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:
process the audio signal to generate a voice command and determine a confidence score for the voice command; and responsive to the confidence score being lower than a threshold, reduce a dependency setting of the voice assistant system such that the voice assistant system asks for a user confirmation before starting to perform the voice command.

7 . The voice assistant system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:
analyze the audio signal and determine a user mood using at least one of tone or pitch of the audio signal; and responsive to the user mood being less than a threshold, increase a humor setting of the voice assistant such that the dialogue is structured in a more relaxing manner.

8 . The voice assistant system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:
responsive to a user interruption while the dialogue is being output via the speaker, decrease a specificity setting of the voice assistant system to output a less specific dialogue.

9 . A method for a voice assistant system of a vehicle, comprising:
detecting, via a microphone, an utterance from one of a plurality of users of the vehicle; identifying the one user of the plurality of users who made the utterance; determining a user characteristic associated with the one user; adjust a plurality of voice assistant settings between a least one lower bound and at least one upper bound based on the user-characteristic; identify a second user other than the one user who made the utterance; responsive to the second user being unrecognized to the voice assistant system, increasing a formality setting; and outputting, via an output device, a dialogue with the increased formality setting.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the user characteristic includes at least one of: a user profile stored in the vehicle or received from a mobile device wirelessly connected to the vehicle, a user seat location or a user age.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the voice assistant setting includes at least three of: an independency setting, a formality setting, a lengthiness setting, a proactiveness setting, a specificity setting, or a humor setting.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
responsive to detecting a conversation between the plurality of users of the vehicle, decreasing the lengthiness setting of the voice assistant system, and increase the independency and proactiveness setting of the voice assistant system.

13 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
responsive to detecting an increased traffic on a route on which the vehicle traverses, increasing the humor setting.

14 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
responsive to receiving a user question asking for more information, increase the specificity setting.

15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising instructions when executed by a processor of a vehicle, cause the vehicle to:
detect, via a microphone, an utterance from one of a plurality of users of the vehicle; identify, via the processor, the one user of the plurality of users who made the utterance; determine, via the processor, a user characteristic associated with the one user; adjust, via the processor, a plurality of voice assistant settings between a least one lower bound and at least one upper bound based on the user characteristic; output, via a speaker, a dialogue based on plurality of voice assistant settings; and responsive to a user interruption while the dialogue is being output via the speaker, decrease, via the processor, a specificity setting of the voice assistant settings to output a less specific dialogue.

16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , further comprising instructions, when executed by the processor of the vehicle, cause the vehicle to:
responsive to detecting a presence of another of the plurality of users being unrecognized to the vehicle or underaged, increase, via the processor, a formality setting of the voice assistant settings such that the dialogue is structured in a more formal manner.

17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the user characteristic includes at least one of: a user profile stored in the vehicle or received from a mobile device wirelessly connected to the vehicle, a user seat location or a user age.

Assignees

• Cerence Operating Co

Inventors

• Lee Cassandra

Classifications

• G10L25/78

  Detection of presence or absence of voice signals (switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10) · CPC title

• G10L25/63

  for estimating an emotional state · CPC title

• G10L17/06

  Decision making techniques; Pattern matching strategies · CPC title

• G10L17/02

  Preprocessing operations, e.g. segment selection; Pattern representation or modelling, e.g. based on linear discriminant analysis [LDA] or principal components; Feature selection or extraction · CPC title

• B60Q9/00

  Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 {, e.g. haptic signalling} · CPC title