Patent Application
20180096684
The present invention generally relates to a remote control system of a vehicle, and more particularly, to a vehicle-based remote control system for controlling one or more smart devices located remotely from the vehicle.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a remote control system of a vehicle is provided and includes a first in-vehicle device and a second in-vehicle device. The second in-vehicle device includes a user-input mechanism and a controller programmed to respond to input from the user-input mechanism. Upon actuation of the user-input mechanism, the controller prompts the first in-vehicle device to transmit an electronic communication resulting in a user voice command being supplied to a server. The server processes the user voice command and generates a command for executing an action specified by the user voice command.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a remote control system of a vehicle is provided. The remote control system is in communication with a first in-vehicle device and includes a second in-vehicle device. The second in-vehicle device includes a user-input mechanism having at least one actuatable member, and a controller programmed to respond to input from the user-input mechanism. Upon actuation of the at least one actuatable member, the controller prompts the first in-vehicle device to transmit a pre-recorded user voice command assigned to the at least one actuatable member. The pre-recorded user voice command is transmitted to a server in communication with one or more smart devices located remotely from the vehicle.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle-based remote control method is provided. The method includes the step of providing an in-vehicle device comprising a user-input mechanism coupled to a controller. The user-input mechanism includes at least one actuatable member having a pre-recorded user voice command assigned thereto. The method also includes the steps of supplying input from the user-input mechanism to the controller based on activation of the at least one actuatable member and using the controller to prompt another in-vehicle device to transmit the pre-recorded user voice command to a server in communication with one or more smart devices located remotely from a vehicle.
These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. In the drawings, the depicted structural elements are not to scale and certain components are enlarged relative to the other components for purposes of emphasis and understanding.
The terms “including,” “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.
As used herein, the term “and/or,” when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination.
In other instances, device 10 may be linked to one or more compatible smart devices 18 such as any of those produced by Samsung SmartThings, Wink, Insteon, Nest, Phillips Hue, Wemo, Ecobee, for example. Once devices 18 are linked to device 10, server 16 is able to generate commands for controlling one or more of the devices 18 in response to a complimentary user voice command recording(s). For example, when server 16 receives a user voice command related to the control of a linked device, such as one of devices 18, the server 16 may parse the user voice command before sending it to another server 19 in charge of the linked device. That server 19 would in turn generate a command in accordance with the user voice command. Alternatively, it is contemplated that server 16 may generate a command for directly controlling the linked device, if such functionality permits.
Accordingly, devices such as Echo and Echo Dot may enable a user to not only request information on demand, but also automate various home features in response to a user voice command. Such features may include lights, thermostats, speakers, sprinklers, fans, and televisions, for example. In addition, device 10 may be configured such that a user voice command results in server 16 generating a command that is transmitted over the internet 14 to a web-based service provider 20 for prompting the same to render a service. For example, current installments of the Echo and Echo Dot enable a user to order pizza from Domino's pizza or a shuttle vehicle from Uber.
At present, the interface to AVS has been made public, thereby enabling third parties to develop devices and/or services compatible with Echo or Echo Dot. Accordingly, the versatility of devices such as Echo or Echo Dot will likely increase as time goes on due to an increase in the number of third parties developing compatible uses for their products and/or services. While device 10 has been described herein as being an Echo or Echo dot, it is to be understood that device 10 is not necessarily limited to the same. For example, Google, Apple, and Microsoft also offer services capable of performing tasks based on user voice commands. Such services use a similar approach to Amazon in that user voice commands are processed in a cloud service. Accordingly, it is conceivable that device 10 may be based off of OK google, Siri, and Cortana, as offered by Google, Apple, and Microsoft, respectively, without materially departing from the teachings provided herein.
While devices like Echo and Echo Dot have proven to be quite capable in the realm of home automation, they suffer from several drawbacks. Notably, the Echo and Echo Dot require internet connectivity and are limited to a hearing range, typically requiring a user to be in the same room in order for the device to hear the wake word. Furthermore, in loud environments, it may be difficult to differentiate a user voice command from ambient noise. As such, the user may be required to repeat the user voice command multiple times. Thus, usage of these devices may be generally restricted to a relatively quiet home or office setting. Accordingly, there is a need for a means to control these devices and/or devices linked thereto when the user is on the move and not in hearing range, such as when driving a vehicle.
With reference to
In-vehicle device 30 includes a user-input mechanism 32, an interface 34 configured to communicate with the mobile electronic device 24, and a controller 36 coupled to the user-input mechanism 32 and the interface 34. The user-input mechanism 32 may include one or more actuatable members, exemplarily shown as buttons A, B, and C. While three buttons are shown, it is to be understood that more or less buttons may be provided, if desired. Alternatively, the actuatable members may be embodied as toggle switches, capacitive sensors, optical sensors, or any other component capable of registering user actuation. The user-input mechanism 32 may be associated with a user interface 38 that also includes one or more visual indicators 40 for providing feedback in response to actuation of the user-input mechanism 32.
The interface 34 may include a wireless communication transceiver 42 for enabling the controller 36 to wirelessly communicate with the mobile electronic device 24. For example, the wireless communication transceiver 42 may be configured such that communication between the controller 36 and the mobile electronic device 24 occurs via Bluetooth®, Bluetooth® Low Energy, Wi-Fi, or any other known wireless communication protocol. Additionally or alternatively, the interface 34 may include a vehicle bus interface 44 connected to a vehicle bus 46 for enabling the controller 36 to communicate with the mobile electronic device 24 via a USB connection or other known wired connection. The vehicle bus 46 may also connect to various vehicle equipment including, for example, a vehicle navigation system 48, a light sensor 49, and a vehicle sound system 50.
With respect to the embodiments described herein, the controller 36 may be a microprocessor programmed to transmit and receive, via interface 34, electronic communications to and from the mobile electronic device 24 in response to actuation of the user-input mechanism 32. Upon actuation of the user-input mechanism 32 (e.g., the user pressing buttons A, B, C, or a combination thereof), the controller 36 prompts the mobile electronic device 24 to transmit an electronic communication over the internet 14 to server 16 for processing. Based on the electronic communication, the server 16 generates a command that is transmitted over the internet 14 for executing an action specified by the electronic communication.
The electronic communication includes a pre-recorded user voice command that is stored on the mobile electronic device 24 and is assigned to one or more buttons A, B, C using an application 52 stored on the mobile electronic device 24. Application 52 exchanges communication with both in-vehicle device 30 and server 16, and enables the user to assign a pre-recorded user voice command to each of the buttons A, B, C of the user-input mechanism 32. Additionally, a pre-recorded user voice command may be assigned to two or more buttons A, B, C pressed simultaneously and/or a single button A, B, C pressed multiple times within a period of time, thereby increasing the number of unique assignments that can be made.
It is conceived that a given pre-recorded user voice command may be an actual voice command spoken by the user and recorded using a microphone 54 of the mobile electronic device 24, a generic voice command recording included in application 52, or a semi-generic voice command recording included in application 52. Using the Echo or Echo Dot for purposes of understanding, a setup process is described below in which the user desires to assign a pre-recorded user voice command for turning on the front lights of the user's home 12 to one of the buttons A, B, C. With respect to the following implementations of the setup process, the front lights may correspond to one of the smart devices 18 linked to smart device 10 and may be controlled directly by server 16 or may be controlled by device 10 or server 19 through instruction from server 16.
According to a first implementation, the user supplies a pre-recorded user voice command by simply speaking and recording, through the microphone 54, the following user voice command: “Alexa, turn ON the front lights”. In such a scenario, the user need only assign the pre-recorded user voice command to one of the buttons A, B, C in order to complete the setup process. The assigned pre-recorded user voice command is stored on the mobile electronic device 24 such that any subsequent actuation of the assigned button A, B, C will result in the pre-recorded user voice command being transmitted from the mobile electronic device 24 to server 16 for processing. In turn, server 16 transmits a command to the corresponding device 18 for turning ON the front lights. Alternatively, the command may be transmitted to device 10 for accomplishing the same.
In a second implementation, the pre-recorded user voice command is supplied by application 52 and includes the following generic voice command recording: “Alexa, turn ON device one”. In such a scenario, the setup process is completed once the user assigns the generic audio file to one of the buttons A, B, C, and also assigns “device one” as being the front lights, which may be managed using application 52. The assigned generic voice command recording is stored on the mobile electronic device 24 such that any subsequent actuation of the assigned button A, B, C will result in the generic voice command recording being transmitted from the mobile electronic device 24 to server 16 for processing under the directive that “device one” corresponds to the front lights. In turn, the server 16 transmits a command to the corresponding device 18 for turning ON the front lights. Alternatively, the command may be transmitted to device 10 for accomplishing the same.
In a third implementation, the pre-recorded user voice command is supplied by application 52 and includes the following semi-generic voice command recording: “Alexa, turn ON______,” where the user is required to fill out the blank by speaking and recording “the front lights”, after which, application 52 updates the semi-generic voice command recording to include the user-supplied recording, which may include one or more spoken words. The user may then assign the updated semi-generic voice command recording to one of the buttons A, B, C, thereby completing the setup process. The assigned updated semi-generic voice command recording is stored on the mobile electronic device 24 such that any subsequent actuation of the assigned button A, B, C will result in the updated semi-generic voice command recording being transmitted from the mobile electronic device 24 to server 16 for processing. In turn, the server 16 transmits a command over the internet 14 to the corresponding device 18 for turning ON the front lights. Alternatively, the command may be transmitted to device 10 for accomplishing the same.
While the first, second, and third implementations described above contemplate storing the pre-recorded user voice command on the mobile electronic device 24, it is also contemplated that the pre-recorded user voice command may alternatively be transmitted from the mobile electronic device 24 over the internet 14 and stored on a host server 56 once assigned to one of the buttons A, B, C. In this manner, when the assigned button A, B, C is actuated, the controller 36 would instead prompt the mobile electronic device 24 to transmit an electronic communication in the form of a simple instruction over the internet 14 to the host server 56 prompting the same to transmit the pre-recorded voice command to server 16 for processing. Server 16 would then transmit a command for controlling device 18 in order to turn ON the front lights in a similar fashion to that described above with respect to the first, second, and third implementations. By using the mobile electronic device 24 to transmit an instruction instead of a pre-recorded user voice command, the user may benefit from a savings in data and bandwidth usage as the size of a pre-recorded user voice command is typically larger than the corresponding instruction. Host server 56 may be a cloud service that manages the API (application program interface) connection to server 16 and/or any other servers associated with device 10 and/or device(s) 18 linked thereto. While host server 56 is shown as being separate from server 16, it is conceived herein that host server 56 and server 16 may be otherwise integrated in some embodiments.
With respect to any of the embodiments described herein, it is contemplated that the controller 36 may be programmed to automatically prompt the mobile electronic device 24 to transmit an instruction or a pre-recorded user voice command in response to input provided by vehicle equipment, for example. According to one embodiment, the controller 36 may respond to input provided over the vehicle bus 46 from the vehicle navigation system 48 and the light sensor 49 to automatically prompt the mobile electronic device 24 to transmit an assigned pre-recorded user voice command to server 16. The assigned pre-recorded user voice command transmitted to server 16 may be for turning ON the front lights in instances where the input indicates that the vehicle 26 is approaching the user's home 12 at nighttime. This is but one example of how automatic communication between remote control system 22 and server 16 may be implemented. However, those skilled in the art will surely recognize other implementations in view of the teachings provided herein.
Regardless of where the pre-recorded user voice command is stored, the result is generally the same. Thus, whenever an assigned button A, B, C is actuated or in instances where the remote control system 22 automatically communicates with server 16 and/or host server 56, the corresponding pre-recorded voice command is ultimately transmitted to server 16, where it's processed and converted to a command such as turning ON the front lights. It is to be understood that various pre-recorded user voice commands may be assigned to the buttons A, B, C, and depending on the contents of the pre-recorded user voice commands, the corresponding command generated by server 16 may be for controlling device 10, one or more device(s) 18 linked to device 10, or a combination thereof. Thus, it is to be understood that a given pre-recorded user voice command may be related to the control of a single smart device or a number of smart devices. It is contemplated that number and/or types of smart devices associated with a given pre-recorded user voice command may be managed using application 52. Alternatively, the commands may be for requesting a service from service provider 20 or information from device 10 and any device(s) 18 linked thereto.
Auditory feedback in response to an executed command may be transmitted over the internet 14 to the mobile electronic device 24 and may be played through a speaker 58 of the mobile electronic device 24. Alternatively, the mobile electronic device 24 may transmit the feedback to the controller 36 via interface 34 such that the feedback may be played over the vehicle sound system 50. In one embodiment, application 52 may parse or convert the auditory feedback into visual feedback prior to transmitting it to the controller 36. As a result, the feedback may be expressed to the user via visual effects generated by the visual indicator(s) 40. With respect to the embodiments herein, feedback may correspond to a status, a requested information, or other information, and may be transmitted over the internet 14 (e.g., from device 10, device(s) 18, or service provider 20) to the mobile electronic device 24 via server 16 or host server 56.
Additionally or alternatively, a visual indicator 40b may be located on, in, or behind the rearview device 64 and include an illuminable icon or symbol such as a checkmark and an X. In other embodiments, the visual indicator 40b may include a display integrated in the rearview mirror assembly 60 and configured to generate a graphical icon or image. The checkmark and X work in conjunction to provide visual feedback in response to an executed command and may be exemplarily located proximate a bottom corner portion of the rearview device 64. In operation, the checkmark may be illuminated in green to indicate that an executed command was successful and the X may be illuminated in red to indicate that the executed command failed, among other things. The checkmark, X, or any other illuminable symbols or icons may be located behind a transflective element so as to be hidden from view until activated as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,643,481 filed Oct. 5, 2010, entitled “Interior rearview mirror assembly with integrated indicator symbol,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The remaining components of the in-vehicle device 30 may be housed within housing 62 and are not shown in
With respect to embodiments where the rearview device 64 is an electro-optic mirror element, the controller 36 may be configured to read outputs of light sensors (e.g. light sensor 49) and control the reflectivity of the electro-optic mirror element. Further, the controller 36 may be programmed to control any other components within the rearview mirror assembly 60 such as a display, map lights, a compass, an imager, and/or a headlamp control system. The controller 36 may further be programmed to control other vehicle accessories via vehicle bus 46.
Referring to
The method 66 may be a subroutine executed by any processor, and thus the method 66 may be embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon software instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute the steps of the method 66 described below. In other words, aspects of the method 66 may be achieved by software stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium or software modifications or updates to existing software residing in a non-transitory computer readable medium.
As shown in
Modifications of the disclosure will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the disclosure. Therefore, it is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the following claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law, including the doctrine of equivalents.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of its forms: couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining of two components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical or mechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two components. Such joining may be permanent in nature, or may be removable or releasable in nature, unless otherwise stated.
It will be understood that any described processes, or steps within described processes, may be combined with other disclosed processes or steps to produce systems and methods within the scope of the present disclosure. The exemplary system and method disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting.
It is also to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned system and method without departing from the concepts of the present disclosure, and further, it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims, unless these claims, by their language, expressly state otherwise. Further, the claims, as set forth below, are incorporated into and constitute part of this Detailed Description.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/404,374 filed Oct. 5, 2016, entitled “VEHICLE-BASED REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62404374 | Oct 2016 | US |
