Command prefix for voice commands
Methods, systems, and products describe hands-free operation of a communications device. A user defines a command prefix that is recognized as preceding one of several voice commands. When the user speaks the command prefix, a processor identifies the spoken command prefix and treats a next spoken word as one of the voice commands. The voice command may then be executed for control. The command prefix thus helps avoid control confusion when the voice command is inadvertently spoken.
1. A method, comprising:
receiving, at a processor in a vehicle, an audio signal generated by a microphone from speech spoken by a user;
recognizing, by the processor, a command prefix in the audio signal, the command prefix representing a spoken word that is recognized as preceding any voice command;
identifying, by the processor, a next spoken word after the command prefix in the audio signal;
querying a memory operatively coupled to the processor for data representing the next spoken word, the memory storing electronic database associations between different words and different device commands;
retrieving, by the processor, a device command of the different device commands that is associated with the data representing the next spoken word after the command prefix; and
executing, by the processor, the device command.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising answering a call in response to the device command.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a user interface that displays the device command.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying an event indicator.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising executing a voice recognition algorithm to recognize the command prefix.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing associations of different device commands with different next spoken words.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising retrieving a stored voice greeting associated with the next spoken word.
8. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
receiving an audio signal generated by a microphone from speech spoken by a user;
recognizing, by the processor, a command prefix in the audio signal, the command prefix representing a spoken word in the speech that is recognized by the processor as preceding any voice command;
identifying a next spoken word after the command prefix as the voice command;
storing associations between different next spoken words and different vehicular commands;
retrieving a vehicular command of the different vehicular commands that is associated with the next spoken word; and
executing the vehicular command in response to the next spoken word after the command prefix.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise answering a call in response to the next spoken word.
10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise generating a user interface that displays the vehicular command.
11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise displaying an event indicator.
12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise executing a voice recognition algorithm to recognize the command prefix.
13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a stored voice greeting associated with the next spoken word.
14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise receiving a communication.
15. A memory storing instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
receiving an audio signal generated by a microphone from speech spoken by a user to control a feature in a vehicle;
recognizing a command prefix in the audio signal, the command prefix representing a spoken word in the spoken speech that is recognized as preceding any voice command;
identifying a next spoken word after the command prefix as the voice command;
storing associations between different next spoken words and different vehicular commands;
retrieving a vehicular command of the different vehicular commands that is associated with the next spoken word; and
executing the vehicular command in response to the next spoken word after the command prefix.
16. The memory of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise answering a call in response to the next spoken word after the command prefix.
17. The memory of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise generating a user interface that displays the vehicular command.
18. The memory of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise displaying an event indicator.
19. The memory of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a stored voice greeting associated with the next spoken word.
20. The memory of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise receiving a communication.