Patent ID: 7698139

Claim:
A vehicle information system comprising: a plurality of systems, each of which outputs information to be transformed into audible speech, said plurality of systems including at least two systems selected from among a navigation system, a traffic information system, an email system and an onboard vehicle computer system; and a device for generating differentiated audible speech; wherein: the device is connectable for selective communication with at least first and second systems of said plurality of systems, for generating audible speech as a function of information output by each of said systems, said audible speech having voice characteristics that are a function of data contained in respective parameter blocks which are stored in a memory and are assigned to said systems; a first parameter block for producing a first voice characteristic is assigned to an output of the first system; a second parameter block for producing a second voice characteristic is assigned to an output of the second system; the second voice characteristic audibly differs from the first voice characteristic; the device for generating differentiated audible speech comprises a voice synthesis device coupled in data communication to a memory containing said parameter blocks, including dynamic parameters and static parameters; the dynamic parameters control articulation, corresponding to movement of a voice tract, and the static parameters control voice-characteristic features; the static parameters have a fundamental frequency of a generator and/or fixed characteristic frequencies which correspond to the different geometrical dimensions of the voice tract of different speakers; at least one of generator and characteristic frequency parameters for the voice output from a particular system can be dynamically changed; and dynamic change of said at least one of generator and characteristic frequency parameters causes audible differences in prosody, including at least one of duration and emphasis of syllable segments, and sentence melody in said audible speech; and said differences in prosody are implemented as a function of vehicle operating conditions.