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EP-4047499-B1 - VOICE CONTROL METHOD, VOICE CONTROL SYSTEM AND VEHICLE WITH VOICE CONTROL SYSTEM

EP4047499B1EP 4047499 B1EP4047499 B1EP 4047499B1EP-4047499-B1

Inventors

  • Hellert, Christian
  • Loyal, Antje Elisabeth

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20210217

Claims (15)

  1. A voice control method in a vehicle (1), wherein in a predefined region (4), in particular in a vehicle interior, in which users (3) can be located, an identification (213) of users (3) is carried out by acquiring features of the users (3) and comparing the features with features of registered users (3) stored in a database (221), each user (3) being identified as a registered user (3) or being classified as an unknown user (3); access rights are assigned to each user (3) dependent on the identification (213) of the users (3), wherein the access rights comprise the authorization of users (3) to execute voice commands; audio signals are acquired by means of at least one microphone (5); the audio signals are processed, wherein the audio signals are assigned (302) to the individual users (3), the audio signals are converted (301) into machine-readable form, and an analysis of the audio signals for voice commands is carried out; detected voice commands are checked for the access rights of the user (3); and if the access rights allow the voice commands to be executed, the voice commands are ordered to be executed, characterized in that if an emergency is detected, access rights are transferred to another user (3) and/or voice commands are also executed without corresponding access rights.
  2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an emergency is a drowsiness, inattention or a medical emergency of a user, and if, in this case, no other user located in the predetermined space has necessary access rights for driving functions of a vehicle, a transfer of the access rights to one or more further users takes place in order to be able to stop the vehicle and thus avoid an accident.
  3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the identification (213) of the users (3) is carried out by means of images, in particular in the range of the visible spectrum and/or in the near infrared, and/or by means of audio signals.
  4. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each user (3) is assigned a feature vector, wherein the feature vector comprises visual features, semantic features and/or auditory features, and the identification of the user (3) is carried out via a distance between the feature vector assigned to the user (3) and feature vectors stored in the database.
  5. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a change in the user (3) is acquired, in particular by means of a pressure sensor in a seat of the predetermined region (4), a seat belt sensor, a camera in the visible spectrum and/or in the near infrared and/or the audio signals, and if a new user (3) has joined, an identification (213) of the user (3) is carried out.
  6. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a user (3) identified as a registered user (3) is assigned access rights in the database (221) or in a user database and an unknown user (3) is assigned standard access rights.
  7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein security requirements and/or an authorization must be met in order to configure the entries in the database or in the user database.
  8. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein noise interference is minimized during the processing of the audio signals, and/or the audio signals are processed at least in part by means of deep learning and/or by using the context.
  9. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the audio signals are searched for predefined keywords and the analysis of the audio signals for voice commands is carried out only for a recognized keyword.
  10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the keywords are individually allocatable for separate users (3) and the keywords are preferably also taken into account when assigning the audio signals to the users (3).
  11. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein an error message is output in the event of a lack of access rights and/or verification by an authorized user (3) is made possible.
  12. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a token is created (406) for a recognized user (3), said token comprising the access rights, a time stamp of generation and/or a lifetime and preferably being encrypted, and being concomitantly transmitted when an order is made to execute the tokens.
  13. A voice control system in a vehicle (1) which is designed to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising at least one microphone (5) for acquiring the audio signals, and at least one computer unit (7).
  14. The system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising at least one near-infrared camera (6) and one near-infrared light source.
  15. A vehicle comprising a voice control system (2) as claimed in claim 13 or 14.

Description

Field of invention The invention relates to a method for voice control, in particular in a vehicle, a system for voice control, in particular in a vehicle, and a vehicle with a system for voice control. background Methods and systems for voice control are known from the prior art. For example, entertainment functions in a vehicle or certain functions of a smartphone or computer are controlled by voice input. A special case of voice control arises when multiple users can perform this voice control. For example, the US patent application describes US 2019/0080692 A1 A device that facilitates the simultaneous recognition and processing of multiple speeches from multiple users. This requires at least two microphones and beamforming logic. Voice control becomes problematic for multiple users when, for example, two or more users make different and even contradictory voice commands. This is particularly significant when dealing with safety-relevant voice commands, such as in a vehicle with autonomous or semi-autonomous driving functions. Conflicting voice commands or those from unauthorized users can lead to dangerous situations. However, this aspect is not addressed in the current state of the art. Summary The object of the invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and, in particular, to manage voice control by multiple users. This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further developments of the invention are described in the dependent claims and the following description. The scope of protection is defined by the appended claims. One aspect of the invention relates to a method for voice control. Voice control is understood to mean the control of functions of a device, machine, or apparatus by means of voice input. In particular, the invention relates to a method for voice control in a vehicle. This can be a land, water, and/or air vehicle, especially a passenger car or a bus. The controllable functions can be very diverse. In the case of a vehicle, for example, entertainment functions such as music playback or telephony, but also driving functions such as the speed setting of a cruise control or functions of semi-autonomous or autonomous driving can be controlled. Users can be located within a predefined area. This predefined area could be, for example, a single room or multiple rooms. In the case of multiple rooms, these rooms could be adjacent or separated from each other. For voice control in a vehicle, the predefined area would typically be the vehicle interior or several separate passenger compartments. The process involves user identification. Some or all users within the specified area can be identified. To do this, user characteristics are recorded and compared with characteristics of registered users stored in a database. A user is then either identified as... A registered user is recognized, or, if the user is not yet registered in the database, they are classified as an unknown user. This identification process is repeated for each user within the specified area. User identification is computer-aided, for example using deep learning, and is performed by a computer unit. Each user is then assigned access rights based on their user identification. These access rights include the authorization for users to execute voice commands. Access rights can be granted, for example, for each individual function controllable via voice commands and/or for groups of functions. The access rights specify whether a function or group of functions can be executed by a user, cannot be executed, or can only be executed under predetermined circumstances. Additionally, access rights can include a prioritization of individual users, which can be general for all functions or function-specific. Prioritization can, for example, be a numerical value, with a higher priority given to a user the higher the value. For instance, if two users issue opposing voice commands (e.g., "Increase driving speed" and "Decrease driving speed"), the voice command of the user with the higher priority will be executed. If both users have the same priority, a confirmation prompt can be asked, or the voice commands can be discarded. Furthermore, the method involves capturing audio signals using at least one microphone. A microphone is generally understood as a sound transducer that converts airborne sound into a machine-readable signal, particularly an electrical signal. The audio signals are preferably captured after user identification, so that no additional time is spent identifying the user after the audio signals have been captured. For example, user identification can be carried out before or at the start of a journey in a vehicle. However, it is also conceivable that, particularly if the number of users is very large and/or the users, which are located in the specified area, change frequently, and user identification is only carried out after the audio signals have been captured. The captured aud