CONNECTED CAR
The automotive industry has accelerated, adopting app-based technology to offer a better driver experience for in-car operation and entertainment. Drivers prefer a safe and efficient way to interact with these progressively more capable app interfaces. While touch screens have invigorated many other corners of the mobile app market, the best form of in-car operation remains voice interaction.
The challenge becomes in controlling many apps in the car. Drivers often access their map app, music and radio apps, and the call/messaging apps—all during a single driving session. So how can a driver safely navigate multiple apps while still remaining hands-free?
IpLContent’s patented in-car system uses multiple pre-stored voice recognition dictionaries to address this potentially frustrating issue. Each app uses a number of key words associated with its operation and services it provides. The in-car system can direct the voice command to the right app by matching the voice command to the app specific key words.
For example, a driver wants to listen to her favorite song previously downloaded for her in-car music app, say Spotify. She says, “Play ‘Climb’ by Lady Em.” Spotify provides a voice dictionary for the song titled “Climb” and the artist Lady Em to the in-car system. The in-car system matches the recognized words play, Climb, and Lady Em to the music app. The music app then plays “Climb.” This allows the song to be played offline in case she is driving inside an underground parking lot or in an area without fast mobile internet access.
Suppose the driver then decides to pick up lunch before heading home. She says, “Take me to the closest McDonald’s.” The in-car system recognizes these words as a navigation command for the navigation app she downloaded to the car, say Google Maps. The navigation app, with a preloaded city-map, finds a nearby McDonald’s and displays a route from the car’s location to the McDonald’s location.
Another example is a smart driving app. For example, the driver spots a good area between two cars in a parking lot inside a building. She drives the car to the first car and says, “Park the car.” The in-car system recognizes the words and runs the smart driving app. The smart driving app turns on the external sensors, including cameras, to identify the parking space. With a pre-stored image dictionary of curbs, roads, and cars, the smart driving app directs the car into the parking space.
