Abstract: A system for interacting with an audio stream to obtain lyric information, control playback of the audio stream, and control aspects of the audio stream. In some instances, end users can request that the audio stream play with a lead vocal track or without a lead vocal track. Obtaining lyric information includes receiving via a text to speech module an audio playback of the lyric information.

Abstract: An In-Car Communication (ICC) system supports the communication paths within a car by receiving the speech signals of a speaking passenger and playing it back for one or more listening passengers. Signal processing tasks are split into a microphone related part and into a loudspeaker related part. A sound processing system suitable for use in a vehicle having multiple acoustic zones includes a plurality of microphone In-Car Communication (Mic-ICC) instances coupled and a plurality of loudspeaker In-Car Communication (Ls-ICC) instances. The system further includes a dynamic audio routing matrix with a controller and coupled to the Mic-ICC instances, a mixer coupled to the plurality of Mic-ICC instances and a distributor coupled to the Ls-ICC instances.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a representation of a spoken utterance, processing the representation of the spoken utterance to identify, from a number of candidate domains, a request and a serving domain, and routing the request to a personal assistant based on the request and the serving domain. Identification of the serving domain is based on one or more of a contextual state, a behavior profile of a speaker of the utterance, and a semantic content of the utterance.

Abstract: A method for selecting a speech recognition result on a computing device includes receiving a first speech recognition result determined by the computing device, receiving first features, at least some of the features being determined using the first speech recognition result, determining whether to select the first speech recognition result or to wait for a second speech recognition result determined by a cloud computing service based at least in part on the first speech recognition result and the first features.

Abstract: A method for applying a watermark signal to a speech signal to prevent unauthorized use of speech signals, the method may include receiving an original speech signal; determining a corresponding spectrogram of the original speech signal; selecting a phase sequence of fixed frame length and uniform distribution; and generating an encoded watermark signal based on the corresponding spectrogram and phase sequence.

Abstract: A hearing application for a vehicle audio system may include at least one speaker configured to play playback content, and at least one hearing application programmed to receive optimization parameters from a hearing device within the vehicle, the optimization parameters including signal processing parameters specific to the hearing device, apply the optimization parameters to the playback content, and transmit the playback content for playback by one of the hearing device and/or at least one speaker.

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.

Abstract: An interface customized to a detected emotional state of a user is provided. Audio signals are received from at least one microphone, the audio signals being indicative of spoken words, phrases, or commands. A wake-up word (WuW) is detected in the audio signals. An emotion is also detected in the audio signals containing the WuW. An emotion-aware processing system is configured according to the detected emotion. A voice control session is performed using the emotion-aware processing system configured according to the detected emotion.

Abstract: Methods and systems for deessing of speech signals are described. A deesser of a speech processing system includes an analyzer configured to receive a full spectral envelope for each time frame of a speech signal presented to the speech processing system, and to analyze the full spectral envelope to identify frequency content for deessing. The deesser also includes a compressor configured to receive results from the analyzer and to spectrally weight the speech signal as a function of results of the analyzer. The analyzer can be configured to calculate a psychoacoustic measure from the full spectral envelope, and may be further configured to detect sibilant sounds of the speech signal using the psychoacoustic measure. The psychoacoustic measure can include, for example, a measure of sharpness, and the analyzer may be further configured to calculate deesser weights based on the measure of sharpness. An example application includes in-car communications.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for a communication system having microphones and loudspeakers to determine a noise and speech level estimate for a transformed signal, determine a SNR from the noise and speech level estimates, and determine a gain for the transformed signal to achieve a selected SNR range at a given position. In one embodiment, the gain is determined by adapting an actual gain to follow a target gain, wherein the target gain is adjusted to achieve the selected SNR range.

Abstract: An apparatus for entertaining an entertainee in a passenger vehicle includes an infotainment system having an automotive assistant that executes a spatially-cognizant entertainment application that interacts with the entertainee. In doing so, the automotive assistant receives information about the vehicle's environment from peripheral devices connected to the infotainment system. This provides the entertainment application with spatial intelligence that it then uses while interacting with the entertainee.

Abstract: A voice-based system is configured to process commands in a flexible format, for example, in which a wake word does not necessarily have to occur at the beginning of an utterance. As in natural speech, the system being addressed may be named within or at the end of a spoken utterance rather than at the beginning, or depending on the context, may not be named at all.

Abstract: Microphone signal is received from at least one microphone. AEC produces an echo cancelled microphone signal using first adaptive filters to estimate and cancel feedback that is a result of the environment. AFC produces a processed microphone signal using second adaptive filters to estimate and cancel feedback resulting from application of the reinforced voice signal within the environment. The uttered speech is reinforced in the processed microphone signal to produce the reinforced voice signal. The reinforced voice signal and the audio signal is applied to the loudspeakers. A step size of adjustment of the second adaptive filters may be increased responsive to detection of reverberation in the microphone signal. The reverberation that is used to control the step size of the second adaptive filters may be added artificially. This may provide multiple benefits including improving adjustment of the second adaptive filters and also improving the sound impression of the voice.

Abstract: According to some aspects, a method of monitoring an acoustic environment of a mobile device, at least one computer readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed, perform such a method and/or a mobile device configured to perform such a method is provided. The method comprises receiving acoustic input from the environment of the mobile device while the mobile device is operating in the low power mode, detecting whether the acoustic input includes a voice command based on performing a plurality of processing stages on the acoustic input, wherein at least one of the plurality of processing stages is performed while the mobile device is operating in the low power mode, and using at least one contextual cue to assist in detecting whether the acoustic input includes a voice command.

Abstract: A system for detection of at least one designated wake-up word for at least one speech-enabled application. The system comprises at least one microphone; and at least one computer hardware processor configured to perform: receiving an acoustic signal generated by the at least one microphone at least in part as a result of receiving an utterance spoken by a speaker; obtaining information indicative of the speaker's identity; interpreting the acoustic signal at least in part by determining, using the information indicative of the speaker's identity and automated speech recognition, whether the utterance spoken by the speaker includes the at least one designated wake-up word; and interacting with the speaker based, at least in part, on results of the interpreting.

Abstract: A vehicle system for classifying spoken utterance within a vehicle cabin as one of system-directed and non-system directed, the system may include at least one microphone configured to detect at least one acoustic utterance from at least one occupant of a vehicle, at least one sensor to detect user behavior data indicative of user behavior, and a processor programmed to: receive the acoustic utterance, classify the acoustic utterance as one of a system-directed utterance and a non-system directed utterance, determine whether the acoustic utterance was properly classified based on user behavior observed via data received from the sensor after the classification, and apply a mitigating adjustment to classifications of subsequent acoustic utterances based on an improper classification.

Abstract: A method for a user device, including receiving a first acoustic input of a user speaking a wake-up word in the target language; providing a first acoustic feature derived from the first acoustic input to an acoustic model stored on the user device to obtain a first sequence of speech units corresponding to the wake-up word spoken by the user in the target language, the acoustic model trained on a corpus of training data in a source language different than the target language; receiving a second acoustic input including the wake-up word in the target language; providing a second acoustic feature derived from the second acoustic input to the acoustic model to obtain a second sequence of speech units corresponding to the wake-up word in the target language; and comparing the first and second sequences of speech units to recognize the wake-up word in the target language.

Abstract: A system for detection of at least one designated wake-up word for at least one speech-enabled application. The system comprises at least one microphone; and at least one computer hardware processor configured to perform: receiving an acoustic signal generated by the at least one microphone at least in part as a result of receiving an utterance spoken by a speaker; obtaining information indicative of the speaker's identity; interpreting the acoustic signal at least in part by determining, using the information indicative of the speaker's identity and automated speech recognition, whether the utterance spoken by the speaker includes the at least one designated wake-up word; and interacting with the speaker based, at least in part, on results of the interpreting.

Abstract: A vehicle control system executing a voice control system for facilitating voice-based dialog with a driver to enable the driver or autonomous vehicle to control certain operational aspects of an autonomous vehicle is provided. Using environmental and sensor input, the vehicle control system can select optimal routes for operating the vehicle in an autonomous mode or choose a preferred operational mode. Occupants of the autonomous vehicle can change a destination, route or driving mode by engaging with the vehicle control system in a dialog enabled by the voice control system.

Abstract: An communication system supports communication paths within an environment by receiving speech signals of a speaker and playing it back for one or more listeners. Signal processing tasks are split into a microphone related part and into a loudspeaker related part. A sound processing system suitable for use in an environment having multiple acoustic zones includes a plurality of microphone communication instances coupled and a plurality of loudspeaker instances.