Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for controlling noise in a cabin of a vehicle. In various embodiments, a method for controlling noise in a cabin of a vehicle includes measuring a first sound via a microphone in the cabin; obtaining a second sound from a loudspeaker of the cabin; estimating, via a processor, a third sound at a virtual location that is remote from both the microphone and the loudspeaker, using the first sound, the second sound, and one or more transfer functions; and applying active noise cancellation for the cabin based on the third sound at the virtual location.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for controlling noise in a cabin of a vehicle. In various embodiments, a method for controlling noise in a cabin of a vehicle includes measuring a first sound via a microphone in the cabin; obtaining a second sound from a loudspeaker of the cabin; estimating, via a processor, a third sound at a virtual location that is remote from both the microphone and the loudspeaker, using the first sound, the second sound, and one or more transfer functions; and applying active noise cancellation for the cabin based on the third sound at the virtual location.

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: An acoustic zoning system for a vehicle includes one or more speakers mounted in the vehicle, and a zoning control module that establishing one or more smartphone usage zones in the vehicle. The zoning control module includes a smartphone detection module operable to detect an audible interaction with a smartphone of at least one of a plurality of occupants of the vehicle, and a speaker control module operable to control at least one of the one or more speakers to substantially acoustically isolate the one of the plurality of occupants from another of the plurality of occupants of the vehicle.

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: 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: Technical solutions are described for acoustic echo cancellation. An example method includes computing, by a beamformer, a plurality of updated beamformer filter coefficients, the beamformer filter coefficients computed adaptively to determine a speech signal from a plurality of input audio signals. Further, the method includes computing, by a transfer function estimator, a relative transfer function based on the updated beamformer filter coefficients and a plurality of present acoustic echo canceller coefficients. Further, the method includes adjusting a plurality of acoustic echo canceller coefficients using the relative transfer function, and generating an output speech signal, by the acoustic echo canceller, by cancelling echo components from the speech signal using the adjusted filter coefficients. Further, the method includes sending, by the acoustic echo canceller, the output speech signal to a far end speech device.

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.

Abstract: A system and method of adjusting digital audio sampling used with wideband audio includes: performing audio sampling on an analog audio signal at an initial sampling rate and an initial bit rate over a wideband audio frequency range; generating a digital audio signal based on the audio sampling; detecting a qualitative error rate between the analog audio signal and the digital audio signal; and decreasing the initial sampling rate, the initial bit rate, or both for sampling subsequent analog audio when the qualitative error is below a threshold.

Abstract: A system, for implementation at a vehicle of transportation, having multiple arrangements of occupant-zone-specific acoustic equipment in the vehicle. Each arrangement is positioned at a respective occupant-specific acoustic zone of the vehicle. Each arrangement is configured to communicate with a hardware-based processing unit that, when executing code of a hardware-based storage device in operation of the system, interacts, via the arrangement, primarily only with a vehicle occupant occupying a corresponding occupant-specific acoustic zone. In some implementations, along with or instead of the acoustic equipment, the system includes multiple arrangements of occupant-zone-specific acoustic equipment in the vehicle. In various embodiments, based on identification of occupants at respective vehicle zones in operation of the vehicle, operations are performed, such as provision of media, vehicle-occupant conversation, and customized HVAC delivery.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling noise originating from a source external to a vehicle is disclosed. The method includes determining, by an active noise controller of a vehicle, characteristics of an unwanted noise. The unwanted noise originates from a source external to the vehicle. The method also includes determining an inverted noise based on the characteristics of the unwanted noise. The method also includes projecting the inverted noise. The projected inverted noise destructively interferes with the unwanted noise. The method also includes receiving a residual noise via an error microphone. The error microphone is configured to generate a signal based on the received residual noise.

Abstract: A system for identifying a location of a vehicle user following a collision event and a method of using the system that includes the steps of: receiving an indication of the vehicle collision event at a backend system, wherein the indication is displayed as a graphical user interface; receiving a command at the backend system using the graphical user interface, wherein the command is associated with identifying the location of the vehicle user at a vehicle; and transmitting the command to the vehicle for the vehicle to carry out the command.

Abstract: Sound related vehicle information representing one or more sounds may be received in the processor. The sound related vehicle information may or may not include an audio signal. Spoken dialog of a spoken dialog system associated with the vehicle based on the sound related vehicle information may be modified. The said modification comprises of modifying pitch, pace and timing of audio prompts associated with the said spoken dialog based on the sound related vehicle information.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for recovering from an error in a speech recognition system. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving, by a processor, a first command recognized from a first speech utterance by a first language model; receiving, by the processor, a second command recognized from the first speech utterance by a second language model; determining, by the processor, at least one of similarities and dissimilarities between the first command and the second command; processing, by the processor, the first command and the second command with at least one rule of an error model based on the similarities and dissimilarities to determine a root cause; and selectively executing a recovery process based on the root cause.

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 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: A system and method for performing an operation at a vehicle is disclosed. The system includes a first acoustic transceiver that transmits and receives inaudible acoustic signals and a second acoustic transceiver that transmits and receives inaudible acoustic signals. The second acoustic transceiver is stationary with respect to the vehicle. A processor receive an inaudible acoustic signal transmitted between the first acoustic transceiver and the second acoustic transceiver, determines a location of the first acoustic transceiver with respect to the vehicle from the received signal, and performs an operation at the vehicle based on the location of the first acoustic transceiver with respect to the vehicle.

Abstract: A system for providing proactive service to a passenger of an autonomous vehicle during an autonomous-driving ride. The system includes a hardware-based processing unit, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage component including an input-interface module that, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit, obtains input data indicating a condition related to the autonomous-driving ride. The storage component also includes an actions module that, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit determines, based on the condition indicated by the input data, a proposed action; and proactively initiates dialogue with the passenger by way of a vehicle-passenger interface, the dialogue including proposing that the vehicle take the proposed action. Example actions include executing a conversation function, an educating function, an HVAC function, an autonomous-driving function, and an infotainment function.

Abstract: A system, for determining autonomous-driving-vehicle actions associated with a group of autonomous-driving-vehicle passengers. The system includes an input-interface module that, when executed by a processing unit, obtains, from at least a first autonomous-driving-vehicle passenger of the group of autonomous-driving-vehicle passengers, an autonomous-vehicle-passenger input relating to the group. The system also includes at least one collaboration module. Example collaboration modules include an extra-vehicle-collaboration module that, when executed by the processing unit, determines, based on the autonomous-vehicle-passenger input, an extra-vehicle function to be performed at least in part outside of the vehicle. Another example collaboration module is an intra-vehicle-collaboration module that, when executed by the processing unit, determines, based on the autonomous-vehicle-passenger input, an intra-vehicle function to be performed at the vehicle.

Abstract: A system, for implementation with an autonomous vehicle, includes a hardware-based processing unit, a human-machine interface, and a non-transitory storage device including a registration module that, when executed by the hardware-based processing unit performs passenger-registration functions. The functions include obtaining passenger registration data indicating multiple identifications corresponding respectively to multiple passengers registered to use an autonomous-vehicle driving service, and determines whether each of multiple persons attempting to ride in the autonomous vehicle is one of the passengers registered for the autonomous-vehicle driving service, yielding respective authentications regarding persons determined to be one for the passengers registered for the service.