Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for managing speech dialog of a speech system. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving a first utterance from a user of the speech system; determining a first list of possible results from the first utterance, wherein the first list includes at least two elements that each represent a possible result; analyzing the at least two elements of the first list to determine an ambiguity of the elements; and generating a speech prompt to the user based on partial orthography and the ambiguity.

Abstract: A method of automatic speech recognition. An utterance is received from a user in reply to a text message, via a microphone that converts the reply utterance into a speech signal. The speech signal is processed using at least one processor to extract acoustic data from the speech signal. An acoustic model is identified from a plurality of acoustic models to decode the acoustic data, and using a conversational context associated with the text message. The acoustic data is decoded using the identified acoustic model to produce a plurality of hypotheses for the reply utterance.

Abstract: A system and method of regulating automatic speech recognition (ASR) playback of audible prompts includes: generating an audible prompt via a speaker; detecting ambient sound during the audible prompt via a microphone; obtaining a speech recognition confidence value for speech recognition performed on the ambient sound; and reducing a volume level of the audible prompt based on the speech recognition confidence value while continuing to generate the audible prompt.

Abstract: A system and method for providing speech recognition functionality offers improved accuracy and robustness in noisy environments having multiple speakers. The described technique includes receiving speech energy and converting the received speech energy to a digitized form. The digitized speech energy is decomposed into features that are then projected into a feature space having multiple speaker subspaces. The projected features fall either into one of the multiple speaker subspaces or outside of all speaker subspaces. A speech recognition operation is performed on a selected one of the multiple speaker subspaces to resolve the utterance to a command or data.

Abstract: A method of recognizing continuous digits uttered by a speaker using an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system includes receiving continuous digits via a microphone as speech from a user; detecting that recognition of one or more of the continuous digits falls below a predetermined confidence threshold; prompting the user to identify the continuous digits using a body gesture; detecting the body gesture made by the user; and identifying one or more of the continuous digits based on the body gesture.

Abstract: A method of processing audio received at a plurality of microphones in a vehicle includes receiving the audio as a first audio stream and second audio stream at respective first and second microphones that are positioned at different locations within the vehicle; creating a first digital time series and a second digital time series that represent the first audio stream and the second audio stream, respectively; calculating a delay that exists between the first audio stream and the second audio stream based on a cross-correlation of the first digital time series and the second digital time series; and processing the received audio using the calculated delay.

Abstract: A method of detecting vanity numbers using an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system includes wirelessly downloading data from a vanity number database into a vehicle; storing the uploaded data in an ASR model at the vehicle; and receiving speech input from a vehicle occupant at the vehicle; cross-referencing phonewords detected from the received speech with content from the ASR model.

Abstract: A system and method of tuning speech recognition systems includes performing text-to-speech conversion of text data; detecting the accuracy of speech converted from text data; determining that the detected accuracy is below a predetermined threshold; recording a user recitation of the text data in response to the determination; and storing the user recitation in an exception database located at a vehicle.

Abstract: A method and system of speech synthesis. A text input is received in a text-to-speech system and, using a processor of the system, the text input is processed into synthesized speech which is established as unintelligible. The text input is reprocessed into subsequent synthesized speech and output to a user via a loudspeaker to correct the unintelligible synthesized speech. In one embodiment, the synthesized speech can be established as unintelligible by predicting intelligibility of the synthesized speech, and determining that the predicted intelligibility is lower than a minimum threshold. In another embodiment, the synthesized speech can be established as unintelligible by outputting the synthesized speech to the user via the loudspeaker, and receiving an indication from the user that the synthesized speech is not intelligible.

Abstract: According to an embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided a method of choosing a nametag using automatic speech recognition (ASR). The method includes receiving a spoken nametag via a microphone; performing a first speech recognition analysis on the spoken nametag; determining that the first speech recognition analysis outputs only handheld wireless device nametags; performing a second speech recognition analysis that excludes the handheld wireless device nametags stored at the handheld wireless device; and combining the results of the first speech recognition analysis and the second speech recognition analysis.

Abstract: A method for processing a plurality of audio streams at a computer system onboard a vehicle is provided. The method receives the plurality of audio streams from a plurality of locations within a vehicle; prioritizes each of the plurality of audio streams to obtain a prioritization result; and completes a task associated with each of the plurality of audio streams, according to the prioritization result.

Abstract: A vehicle telematics unit and method of operating the same is provided. In one embodiment, a method includes storing an application access code provided from a telematics service user, initiating a call from a vehicle to the application, and receiving a request for the access code from the application during the call. Furthermore, the method includes determining that the application has requested the access code using a speech recognition function at the vehicle and sending the stored access code to the application based on the determination of the speech recognition function.

Abstract: At least first and second microphones with different frequency responses form part of a speech recognition system. The microphones are coupled to a processor that is configured to recognize a spoken word based on the microphone signals. The processor classifies the spoken word, and weights the signals from the microphones based on the classification of the spoken word.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for managing speech dialog of a speech system. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving a first utterance from a user of the speech system; determining a first list of possible results from the first utterance, wherein the first list includes at least two elements that each represent a possible result; analyzing the at least two elements of the first list to determine an ambiguity of the elements; and generating a speech prompt to the user based on partial orthography and the ambiguity.

Abstract: A dialing mode of a telematics unit in a vehicle is controlled by monitoring for dialing digits from a vehicle occupant, determining whether the type of dialing digits are continuous dialing digits or discrete dialing digits, establishing a continuous mode for receiving continuous dialing digits or a discrete mode for receiving discrete dialing digits based on the determination, and if the type of dialing digits changes, switching the established mode.

Abstract: A dialing mode of a telematics unit in a vehicle is controlled by monitoring for dialing digits from a vehicle occupant, determining whether the type of dialing digits are continuous dialing digits or discrete dialing digits, establishing a continuous mode for receiving continuous dialing digits or a discrete mode for receiving discrete dialing digits based on the determination, and if the type of dialing digits changes, switching the established mode.

Abstract: Methods of automatic speech recognition for premature enunciation. In one method, a) a user is prompted to input speech, then b) a listening period is initiated to monitor audio via a microphone, such that there is no pause between the end of step a) and the beginning of step b), and then the begin-speaking audible indicator is communicated to the user during the listening period. In another method, a) at least one audio file is played including both a prompt for a user to input speech and a begin-speaking audible indicator to the user, b) a microphone is activated to monitor audio, after playing the prompt but before playing the begin-speaking audible indicator in step a), and c) speech is received from the user via the microphone.

Abstract: A method of generating proxy acoustic models for use in automatic speech recognition includes training acoustic models from speech received via microphone from male speakers of a first language, and adapting the acoustic models in response to language-independent speech data from female speakers of a second language, to generate proxy acoustic models for use during runtime of speech recognition of an utterance from a female speaker of the first language.

Abstract: A method of automatic speech recognition includes receiving an utterance from a user via a microphone that converts the utterance into a speech signal, pre-processing the speech signal using a processor to extract acoustic data from the received speech signal, and identifying at least one user-specific characteristic in response to the extracted acoustic data. The method also includes determining a user-specific confidence threshold responsive to the at least one user-specific characteristic, and using the user-specific confidence threshold to recognize the utterance received from the user and/or to assess confusability of the utterance with stored vocabulary.

Abstract: A method of speech synthesis including receiving a text input sent by a sender, processing the text input responsive to at least one distinguishing characteristic of the sender to produce synthesized speech that is representative of a voice of the sender, and communicating the synthesized speech to a recipient user of the system.