Abstract: A method for communicating a menu structure to a user within a vehicle includes assigning menu levels to predetermined sets of spatial coordinates of a vehicle interior, each menu level spatially corresponding to at least one of the sets of spatial coordinates. An audio prompt is played through one or more vehicle audio components to create a perception that the prompt is originating from the set(s) of spatial coordinates. The audio prompt relates to the menu level corresponding to the set(s) of spatial coordinates.

Abstract: A method for presenting a navigation route to a user of a vehicle includes generating a navigation route. An audio prompt is played through a predetermined component of a vehicle audio system, where the predetermined component spatially corresponds to a direction of an upcoming maneuver of the navigation route.

Abstract: A method of customizing speech recognition in a mobile vehicle communication system is provided. A speech input is received at a telematics unit in communication with a call center, the speech input associated with a failure mode notification. The speech input is recorded at the telematics unit then forwarded to the call center via a wireless network based on the failure mode notification. At least one user-specific voice-recognition set is then received from the call center in response to the failure mode notification, wherein the user-specific voice-recognition set has been updated with the speech input. Systems and programs of customizing speech recognition in a mobile vehicle communication system are also provided.

Abstract: A speech recognition method comprising the steps of: storing multiple recognition models for a vocabulary set, each model distinguished from the other models in response to a Lombard characteristic, detecting at least one speaker utterance in a motor vehicle, selecting one of the multiple recognition models in response to a Lombard characteristic of the at least one speaker utterance, utilizing the selected recognition model to recognize the at least one speaker utterance; and providing a signal in response to the recognition.

Abstract: A microphone expander attenuates background noise in a digitized microphone signal from a wireless telephone by using a loss function that exhibits hysteresis when the signal is passing through a transition range. This allows the microphone expander to apply loss more effectively because it allows for decreases in speech levels without attenuation. An attenuation level is determined using a first loss function when an averaged signal, derived from the digitized microphone signal using an algorithm that causes the averaged signal to clearly exhibit speech components in the digitized microphone signal, increases from below a lower noise threshold. However, if the averaged signal increases to above an upper speech threshold and then decreases to below that threshold, the attenuation level is determined using a different loss function, which delays introducing loss into the microphone signal as compared to the first loss function.