US 12,005,916 B2
Out-of-domain monitoring in parked vehicles
Navjot Singh, Montreal (CA); and Vasu Jain, Montreal (CA)
Assigned to Cerence Operating Company, Burlington, MA (US)
Filed by Cerence Operating Company, Burlington, MA (US)
Filed on Nov. 4, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/088,820.
Prior Publication US 2022/0135060 A1, May 5, 2022
Int. Cl. B60W 50/14 (2020.01); B60R 25/10 (2013.01); B60W 40/08 (2012.01)
CPC B60W 50/14 (2013.01) [B60R 25/10 (2013.01); B60W 40/08 (2013.01); B60R 2025/1013 (2013.01); B60W 2040/0881 (2013.01); B60W 2050/143 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method that is carried out using a head unit in a vehicle, said head unit comprising a monitor, wherein said method comprises said monitor:
transitioning into a monitoring mode thereof, wherein, in said monitoring mode, said monitor uses at least one microphone of said vehicle to listen for out-of-domain sounds indicative of a living being that has been left alone in a cabin of said vehicle after said vehicle has been parked and after said monitor has transitioned into said monitoring mode,
wherein, after said monitor has transitioned into said monitoring mode, said monitor executes the steps of:
using at least one microphone to monitor said cabin for out-of-domain sounds,
detecting a signal originating within said cabin, said signal being an acoustic signal that is representative of an out-of-domain sound,
determining that said out-of-domain sound comprises an acoustic signal,
classifying said acoustic signal as being indicative of a living being within said cabin of said vehicle, and
instructing said head unit to send an alert to a first person, said first person being said vehicle's last known operator,
wherein an in-domain sound is a sound directed to a speech interface and an out-of-domain sound is a sound that is not an in-domain sound, wherein said monitor comprises a multiplexer that selects a proper subset of microphones in said vehicle based on a selection signal provided by a microphone selector.