Abstract: A vehicle infotainment system that adds background sounds to an outgoing call on a mobile device. The infotainment system comprises: i) a database of selectable augmenting audio signals; and ii) audio processing circuitry configured to receive at a first input an uplink signal from the infotainment system and receive at a second input a selected augmenting audio signal. The audio processing circuitry adapts a spectrum of the first selected augmenting audio signal to prevent the selected augmenting audio signal from masking the uplink signal and combines the adapted selected augmenting audio signal and the uplink signal to produce an augmented uplink signal at an output.

Abstract: A vehicle infotainment system that adds background sounds to an outgoing call on a mobile device. The infotainment system comprises: i) a database of selectable augmenting audio signals; and ii) audio processing circuitry configured to receive at a first input an uplink signal from the infotainment system and receive at a second input a selected augmenting audio signal. The audio processing circuitry adapts a spectrum of the first selected augmenting audio signal to prevent the selected augmenting audio signal from masking the uplink signal and combines the adapted selected augmenting audio signal and the uplink signal to produce an augmented uplink signal at an output.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adapting a driving condition of a vehicle. The system includes a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a pre-programmed driving maneuver of the vehicle. The system also includes a processor configured to obtain audio data of acoustic sources in the environment of the vehicle. The processor is further configured to determine a receiving direction of the acoustic source based on the audio data. The processor is further configured to determine whether the acoustic source are located within the maneuver of the vehicle based on the pre-programmed or updated driving maneuvers and the determined receiving direction of the acoustic source. Furthermore, the processor is configured to determine a range between the vehicle and the acoustic source in order to determine that the acoustic source is located within the driving path of the vehicle.

Abstract: A system for interacting with a user in a vehicle includes a processing device including an input module configured to receive measurement data from one or more sensors, the measurement data related to features of the user. The system also includes a prompt design module configured to, in response to receiving an instruction to output a requested prompt to the user, determine a user state based on the measurement data, determine an activity state based on the measurement data and the user state, customize the requested prompt based on the user state and the activity state to generate a customized prompt, and output the customized prompt to the user.

Abstract: A system and method for locating a mobile device relative to a vehicle using mechanical waves and modulation techniques. A high frequency carrier wave that is generally inaudible to humans is modulated with a low frequency baseband signal that provides for accurate localization in order to generate a modulated signal. The modulated signal is a mechanical or pressure wave, as opposed to an electromagnetic (EM) wave, that is transmitted by one or more speaker(s) and is received by one or more microphone(s). In one example, the modulated signal is transmitted from a speaker on the mobile device (e.g., a smart phone) to a number of microphones mounted on the vehicle at specific distances apart, so as to establish multiple localization paths whose differences in phase can be used to determine the location of the mobile device, relative to the vehicle.

Abstract: A privacy system having at least one sensor and a device. The sensor may be operational to generate sensor data in response to a user. The device may be in communication with the sensor, in communication with multiple distributed cloud processing nodes, and operational to decompose the sensor data into multiple data items, transmit the multiple data items to the multiple distributed cloud processing nodes, receive multiple processed items from the multiple distributed cloud processing nodes, and generate output data based on the multiple processed items. Wherein individual ones of the multiple distributed cloud processing nodes are operational to generate a corresponding one of the multiple processed items in response to the corresponding one of the multiple data items, a privacy aspect of the user is indeterminable from individual ones of the multiple data items, and the privacy aspect of the user is determinable from the output data.

Abstract: Systems and methods performed in a vehicle involve obtaining a request generated from a voice command by an operator, the request being generated using speech recognition and the request being a selection of an operational mode of the vehicle. The method includes determining pre-settings required by the request, a specified order of activation required for the pre-settings, and whether the request is ready to initiate, the request requires one or more of the pre-settings to be activated, or the request is infeasible. The method also includes providing feedback to the operator based on a result of the determining, and issuing one or more instructions to implement the operational mode according to the request based on the result of the determining being that the request is ready to initiate.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adapting a driving condition of a vehicle. The system includes a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a pre-programmed driving maneuver of the vehicle. The system also includes a processor configured to obtain audio data of acoustic sources in the environment of the vehicle. The processor is further configured to determine a receiving direction of the acoustic source based on the audio data. The processor is further configured to determine whether the acoustic source are located within the maneuver of the vehicle based on the pre-programmed or updated driving maneuvers and the determined receiving direction of the acoustic source. Furthermore, the processor is configured to determine a range between the vehicle and the acoustic source in order to determine that the acoustic source is located within the driving path of the vehicle.

Abstract: A system for interacting with a user in a vehicle includes a processing device including an input module configured to receive measurement data from one or more sensors, the measurement data related to features of the user. The system also includes a prompt design module configured to, in response to receiving an instruction to output a requested prompt to the user, determine a user state based on the measurement data, determine an activity state based on the measurement data and the user state, customize the requested prompt based on the user state and the activity state to generate a customized prompt, and output the customized prompt to the user.

Abstract: A system and method for locating a mobile device relative to a vehicle using mechanical waves and modulation techniques. A high frequency carrier wave that is generally inaudible to humans is modulated with a low frequency baseband signal that provides for accurate localization in order to generate a modulated signal. The modulated signal is a mechanical or pressure wave, as opposed to an electromagnetic (EM) wave, that is transmitted by one or more speaker(s) and is received by one or more microphone(s). In one example, the modulated signal is transmitted from a speaker on the mobile device (e.g., a smart phone) to a number of microphones mounted on the vehicle at specific distances apart, so as to establish multiple localization paths whose differences in phase can be used to determine the location of the mobile device, relative to the vehicle.

Abstract: A method of accessing data from an owner's manual saved in a memory of a computing device includes inputting a query into the computing device. A query classifier classifies the query into one of a plurality of categories. A text analyzer identifies at least one candidate section of the manual related to the query. A candidate classifier classifies each of the candidate sections into one of the plurality of categories, and assigns a confidence score to each respective candidate section. The computing device outputs the candidate sections, based on their respective confidence score, that are classified in the same category as the query as an answer to the query.

Abstract: A method and system perform perimeter security and control of a vehicle. The system includes a radar system arranged in the vehicle, a maximum range of the radar system being less than 100 meters, and a communication unit to communicate with the radar system. The system also includes a control system of the vehicle to control the platform based on the radar system. The control system dynamically controls each door of the vehicle according to a location of the communication unit relative to the platform.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided in an autonomous vehicle for providing auditory guidance to a pedestrian. In one embodiment, a processor-implemented method in a vehicle for providing auditory guidance includes: identifying a desire to communicate with a pedestrian; determining a message to communicate to the pedestrian; calculating a travel path about which to make the pedestrian aware; positioning a directional acoustic device to project directional sound waves to a starting point of the travel path; modulating the message in the directional sound waves; and repositioning the directional acoustic device to project the directional sound waves with the modulated message along the travel path, wherein as the directional sound waves contact with a travel path surface the message is demodulated and a sound conveying the message appears to originate from and travel along the travel path.

Abstract: Systems and method are provided for controlling a vehicle. A method of soundscape selection in a vehicle includes receiving a number of biometric parameters from sensors provided within an interior of the vehicle, and determining a state-of-mind of an occupant within the interior of the vehicle based on the biometric parameters. The method further includes selecting, with a soundscape determination module including a processor, a soundscape responsive to the state of mind of the occupant, and providing to the vehicle a set of vehicle parameters based on the selected soundscape.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a controller in communication with a plurality of microphones and disposed to dynamically capture signals generated thereby. The controller includes an instruction set that is executable to monitor the signals generated by the plurality of microphones and extract a base frequency therefrom. The extracted base frequency is correlated to one of a plurality of known frequencies, wherein the known frequencies are associated with an acoustic sound being emitted from an emergency vehicle. A direction of arrival of a proximate emergency vehicle relative to the vehicle is determined based upon the signals generated by the plurality of microphones, and operation of the vehicle is controlled based upon the direction of arrival of the proximate emergency vehicle.

Abstract: A system and method for determining an intended destination is disclosed. The method includes receiving, by a geolocation processor, a mobile device location. The mobile device location corresponds to a location of a mobile device of a vehicle user. The vehicle user has parked a vehicle at a parking location different than the mobile device location. The method also includes storing the parking location or the mobile device location as an intended destination of the vehicle user based at least on a determining of which of the parking location or the mobile device location corresponds to the intended destination of the vehicle user.

Abstract: A control system and method dynamically adjust radar parameters of a radar system on a platform. The method includes obtaining inputs including platform parameters, wherein the platform parameters includes speed and braking duration, and obtaining a characterization of driving behavior based on the inputs. Modifying the radar parameters is based on the inputs and the characterization, wherein the modifying includes changing a maximum range, and providing alerts to a driver of the platform is based on the radar system.

Abstract: A noise cancellation system for a vehicle includes a sensor configured to determine an imminent noise that will be perceivable in a passenger compartment of the vehicle, a noise identification module operable to identify at least one quality of the imminent noise, and a noise cancellation device operable to substantially attenuate the imminent noise as the imminent noise becomes a perceivable noise in the passenger compartment based on the at least one quality of the imminent noise.

Abstract: Examples of techniques for wake-up-word detection are disclosed. In one example implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving, by a processing device, an utterance from a user. The method further includes streaming, by the processing device, the utterance to each of a plurality of digital assistants. The method further includes monitoring, by the processing device, an activity of at least one of the plurality of digital assistants to determine whether any of the plurality of digital assistants recognize the utterance as a wake-up-word. The method further includes, responsive to determining that one of the plurality of digital assistants recognize the utterance as a wake-up-word, disabling, by the processing device, streaming of additional utterances to a subset of the plurality of digital assistants that do not recognize the utterance as a wake-up-word.

Abstract: A system and method to perform an estimation of a location of an active speaker in real time includes designating a microphone of an array of microphones as a reference microphone. The method includes storing a relative transfer function (RTF) for each microphone of the array of microphones other than the reference microphone associated with each potential location among potential locations as a set of stored RTFs, and obtaining a voice sample of the active speaker and obtaining a speaker RTF for each microphone of the array of microphones other than the reference microphone. The method also includes performing an RTF projection of the speaker RTF for each microphone on the set of stored RTFs, and determining one of the potential locations as the location of the active speaker based on the performing the RTF projection.