Audio system with automatic setting of user-dependent system parameters

The invention relates to an audio system of a motor vehicle with a control unit to set system parameters through a user.

Audio systems are among the most spread information and convenience systems in Motor vehicles. They have an operating unit for setting various system parameters. To this end, Examples include the setting of the desired Radio station, the volume or the sound. Furthermore, for example, the automatic Display of traffic announcements is running CD or cassette mode be selectable.

Navigation systems are among the more modern Information systems in motor vehicles. After Entering a destination calculate the systems a Driving Directions and enter while driving the necessary Instructions to the driver. For a dynamic Route selection, that is a route selection taking into account the changing traffic conditions, can the Navigation Systems be connected audio system. This can Radio broadcast traffic reports on the Audio system directly supplied to the navigation system be and taken into account in determining the route.

Also, the navigation system has a control unit on. can via the control unit, for example, Destinations can be selected from an address book. Further, the preferred by the driver information display to get voted. For example, the representation of map sections or presentation by arrows, for example, at a turn in point out possible. An audio and a navigation system may also be in a common Unit available with a single control unit be.

If the vehicle is of different drivers used, so these various system settings the Audio system preference. This has the result that each user before driving his personally preferred system settings will make. This operation is for a time-consuming, and secondly the setting must the system parameters while the audio system occur. In many cases The settings therefore with the engine running made. This is for environmental reasons, however, not desirable.

From JP-A-10088878 it is known a Drivers using the vehicle key used and to identify a device in a motor vehicle with stored values ​​for the identified driver to operate, for example, the volume of adjust radios.

From "Journal of the Electronic Industry" (JEI), Vol. 39, No. 3, March 1992, pp 22-24 and "Journal of the Electronic Industry" (JEI), Vol. 40, No. 9, September 1993, pp 40-41 is a Known benutasabhängiges language identification system, which mittles an audio system of a motor vehicle can be operated.

This is where the present invention, which has set itself the task of an audio system with simplified operation, in particular, in use of the vehicle by multiple users, so further develop that greater security is achieved in the driver detection.

The object is achieved by an audio System dissolved Claim 1.

The embodiment according to the invention an audio system eliminates the regular, time-consuming, manual entry of Systernparametern before driving by the user. This is for vehicles that regularly by various People are used, a significant achieved gain in comfort. Each user of the vehicle has only once his desired system parameters on the setting members of the Audio making system and subsequently in a Storage element save. The storage element Both a part of the audio his system or located externally be. If the user has his preferred system parameters once stored in the memory element, so set this each again once by the means for identifying the user identifies this has been. carried out the identification of the user while speech recognition. This requires the audio system with a speech recognition system interact. The driver speaks one or a few words to go from the speech recognition system to be identified. If the user identified by the speech recognition system, the information of its identity to the audio system passed so that the associated system parameters selected and set can be.

An inventive method for adjusting user-related system parameters of a Audio system of a motor vehicle is characterized in that the user is identified on the basis of speech recognition, depending the identified user system parameters are read out from a memory element and the audio system with the read System parameters are set.

The invention will be explained below with reference Embodiments and the drawing explained. Show it:<dl tsize="7"><dt>figure 1</dt><dd>a schematic representation of an inventive Systems,</dd><dt>figure 2</dt><dd>an inventive audio system with user identification by speech recognition.</dd></dl>

According to Figure 1 is the audio system 1 as well as with a memory element 2 Means 3 for identifying the user interacts. In the storage element 2 are for various Users A, B, C, ..., the preferred system parameters stored. The means 3 for identifying the User is a voice recognition system. The identification of a user based on a key recognition system, a Sitzverstellspeichers or other sensors is not part of the claimed invention. By the audio system then the in Storage element 2 stored user-related accessed system parameters for the user B and adjusted. Manual adjustment of the preferred System parameters by the user can thus . omitted

In Figure 2 is an inventive audio system shown 1, with a speech recognition system 4 interacts. The audio system 1 includes a microprocessor 5 equipped with an operating unit 6 is connected. The control unit has 6 different setting elements 7 for setting specific System parameters of the audio system. Here, it is, for example, adjusting the volume the transmitter, the sound, the reception of Traffic news, playing a CD or Music cassette and the like. With the help of Adjustment elements 7, the user's preferred System parameters and stores them by pressing the memory button 8 in the storage element 2, which is also connected to the microcomputer 5, from. Then still must assign a user identification done to the stored data. For this purpose, the user speaks a few words, the from the microphone 9 of the speech recognition system 4 added and to an evaluation unit 10 Speech recognition system 4 are forwarded. The speech recognition system 4 notifies the registered Voice patterns a user code and passes this 5 to the microcomputer of the audio system first Therefore, by pressing the lock button 8 the user code previously stored in the storage element 2 user-specific system parameters be assigned. In memory element 2 is thus a data pair consisting of user code and user-specific System parameters stored. The described Operation must only once by each Users are made. The mentioned Speech recognition system is not part of this Invention and therefore need not be explained in detail to become.

the user uses the vehicle again, then he must first only by speaking one or less words picked up by the microphone 9 and are evaluated by the evaluation unit 10, identify. Can the user by the voice recognition system associated with a stored code , so this code by the speech recognition system 4 passed to the microprocessor. 5 The microprocessor 5 begins dialing to the User code in the memory element 2 saved user-specific system parameters and sets according to the audio system. For this purpose, the microcomputer 5, for example, corresponding signals to actuators 11 to adjust the volume, the balance or the sound. Microprocessor 5 can user system parameters to other not shown in detail components 12 of the audio system are output, for example, for setting a preferred radio station. The audio signal is the user-specific system settings a via an audio amplifier 13 to or more Speaker 14 output.

In particular, for reasons of cost, the Means for identifying the user in the rule not only with an audio system work together. Just a voice recognition system is in particular substantially for reasons of driving authorization control on the vehicle to be available. However, this may for setting the user-specific system parameters Audio systemes be shared.