IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,922,631
Granted Patent B2
US 9,922,631 · App. 15/622,234 · Granted Mar 20, 2018

Car karaoke

Inventors: Shantha Kumari Rajendran (Farmington Hills, MI); Padmanaban Kanagaraj (Farmington Hills, MI)
Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
G10H1/361G10L25/48G10H2240/211
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,922,631
App. No.
15/622,234
Granted
Mar 20, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A motor vehicle includes a loudspeaker, a voice recognition module, and a microphone producing a microphone signal based upon words uttered by a human passenger within a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle. An electronic processor is communicatively coupled to the microphone, the loudspeaker, and the voice recognition module. The electronic processor receives the microphone signal and communicates with the voice recognition module to thereby ascertain the words uttered by the human passenger. The electronic processor retrieves Karaoke music corresponding to the ascertained words uttered by the human passenger, and plays the Karaoke music on the loudspeaker.

Claims (35)

1. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a loudspeaker;

a voice recognition module;

a microphone configured to produce a microphone signal based upon lyrics of a song uttered by a human passenger within a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle; and

an electronic processor communicatively coupled to the microphone, the loudspeaker, and the voice recognition module, the electronic processor being configured to:

receive the microphone signal and communicate with the voice recognition module to thereby ascertain the lyrics uttered by the human passenger;

retrieve Karaoke music corresponding to the ascertained lyrics uttered by the human passenger;

continue to ascertain the lyrics being uttered by the human passenger while the Karaoke music is being retrieved; and

begin playing the Karaoke music on the loudspeaker at a point in the music that corresponds to a point within the song at which the passenger is currently singing.

2. The motor vehicle of claim 1 wherein the Karaoke music is retrieved via the Internet.

3. The motor vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a memory storage device, the Karaoke music being retrieved from the memory storage device.

4. The motor vehicle of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to retrieve information specifying correspondences between individual words in the lyrics and points within accompanying music.

5. The motor vehicle of claim 1 wherein the Karaoke music includes only instrumental music without any human voice.

6. A method of providing music within a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

using a microphone to produce a microphone signal based upon lyrics of a song uttered by a human passenger within a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle;

using a voice recognition module to ascertain the lyrics uttered by the human passenger;

retrieving Karaoke music corresponding to the ascertained lyrics uttered by the human passenger;

playing the Karaoke music on a loudspeaker associated with the passenger compartment; and

continuing to ascertain the lyrics being uttered by the human passenger while the Karaoke music is being retrieved, wherein the playing step includes beginning to play the Karaoke music on the loudspeaker at a point in the music that corresponds to a point at which the passenger is currently singing within the song.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the Karaoke music is retrieved via the Internet.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the Karaoke music is retrieved from a memory storage device disposed within the motor vehicle.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising retrieving information specifying to which point within accompanying music that each individual word in the lyrics corresponds.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the Karaoke music includes only instrumental music without any human voice.

11. A method of providing music within a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

using a microphone to produce a microphone signal based upon utterances by a human passenger within a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, the utterances including lyrics of a song;

using a voice recognition module to determine a tonal pattern of the utterances by the human passenger;

creating music having a melody corresponding to the determined tonal pattern of the utterances by the human passenger;

playing the music on a loudspeaker associated with the passenger compartment; and

continuing to determine a tonal pattern of the utterances by the human passenger while the Karaoke music is being created, wherein the playing step includes beginning to play the music on the loudspeaker at a point in the music that corresponds to a point at which the passenger is currently singing within the song.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising retrieving information specifying to which point within accompanying music that each individual word in the lyrics corresponds.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

storing the music in a memory storage device in association with the lyrics;

retrieving the music from the memory storage device in response to determining that the user is again singing the lyrics; and

playing the retrieved music to accompany the user singing the lyrics.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the music includes only instrumental music without any human voice.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 14, 2017
From: RAJENDRAN, SHANTHA KUMARI; KANAGARAJ, PADMANABAN
To: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS COMPANY OF AMERICA, DIVISION OF PANASONIC CORPORATION OF NORTH AMERICA
Reel/Frame 042702/0927 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62354643 · Jun 24, 2016
Related Publication 20170372686A1 · Dec 28, 2017