Electrical household appliance and methods for testing and for initializing a voice operating unit therein

• US 20030163325A1
• Filed: 02/27/2003
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Maase, Jens
• Application Number:
  US10/375,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20030163325A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/2021 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/06 Creation of reference templates; Training of speech recognition systems, e.g. adaptation to the characteristics of the speaker's voice G10L15/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

An electrical household appliance, in particular, a ventilator hood, includes a voice operating unit having a microphone and a voice recognition unit disposed downstream of the latter. The voice operating unit is characterized by a data memory in which voice reference data stored as electronic data are present. The voice operating unit can be calibrated using the evaluation result based upon a comparison between voice data picked up by the microphone and the voice reference data. Also provided are methods for testing a voice operating unit and for initializing a voice operating unit in the appliance.

Claims

1. In an electrical household appliance, a voice-activation unit comprising:

a voice operating unit having;

a microphone for picking up voice data and outputting a voice data signal in a voice signal data direction;

a voice recognition unit connected to said microphone and disposed downstream of said microphone in said voice signal data direction; and

a data memory connected to said voice recognition unit and storing voice reference data therein as electronic data;

said voice operating unit being programmed to;

compare the voice data picked up by said microphone with said voice reference data and provide a comparison evaluation result; and

self-calibrate based upon said comparison evaluation result.

2. The voice-activation unit according to claim 1, further comprising a loudspeaker connected to said voice operating unit, said loudspeaker generating said voice reference data as test signals from electronic data evaluated in said voice operating unit.

3. The voice-activation unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a loudspeaker connected to said voice operating unit; and

said voice operating unit being programmed;

to supply test signals to said loudspeaker and, thereby, cause said loudspeaker to emit output test signals; and

to generate said voice reference data based upon signals received by said microphone from said output test signals.

4. The voice-activation unit according to claim 1, wherein said voice operating unit is a self-learning system by which said voice reference data is learned during a learning phase.

5. The voice-activation unit according to claim 1, wherein said voice operating unit has a microcontroller for controlling said microphone and said voice recognition unit.

6. The voice-activation unit according to claim 5, wherein:

said microcontroller has a comparator comparing the voice data picked up by said microphone or said voice recognition unit with said voice reference data and generating an output signal; and

said microcontroller is programmed to adjust at least one of said voice recognition unit and said microphone based upon said output signal generated by said comparator.

7. The voice-activation unit according to claim 5, wherein said microcontroller is programmed to:

compare the voice data picked up by said microphone or said voice recognition unit with said voice reference data and generate an output signal; and

adjust at least one of said voice recognition unit and said microphone based upon said output signal generated by said comparator.

8. The voice-activation unit according to claim 7, wherein:

said voice operating unit has at least one functional state; and

a display indicates to a user said at least one functional state of said voice operating unit.

9. The voice-activation unit according to claim 7, further comprising a means for displaying a functional state of said voice operating unit.

11. A method for testing a voice operating unit in a household appliance, which comprises:

providing the voice-activation unit according to claim 1;

and

comparing the voice reference data of the data memory with the voice data picked up by the microphone.

12. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises:

generating the voice reference data as acoustic signals with the loudspeaker;

obtaining electronic signals from the loudspeaker with the microphone and the voice recognition unit; and

comparing the electronic signals with the voice reference data.

13. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises producing displays reproducing, on the household appliance, a state of the voice operating unit by comparing the voice data with the voice reference data.

14. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises producing displays reproducing, on the household appliance, a state of the voice operating unit based upon the comparison of the voice data with the voice reference data.

15. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises:

defining first limit parameters corresponding to a no longer acceptable quality of a voice detection; and

recalibrating the voice operating unit upon overshooting of the first limit parameters.

16. The method according to claim 15, which further comprises:

defining second limit parameters corresponding to a defect or servicing condition in which proper functioning of the voice operating unit cannot be restored even by recalibration; and

displaying the defect or servicing condition upon overshooting the second limit parameters.

17. The method according to claim 12, which further comprises:

defining first limit parameters corresponding to a no longer acceptable quality of a voice detection;

storing the first limit parameters in the memory;

after comparing the electronic signals with the voice reference data, self-recalibrating the voice operating unit upon overshooting of the first limit parameters.

18. The method according to claim 17, which further comprises:

defining second limit parameters corresponding to a defect or servicing condition in which proper functioning of the voice operating unit cannot be restored even by recalibration; and

after comparing the electronic signals with the voice reference data, displaying the defect or servicing condition upon overshooting the second limit parameters.

20. A method for testing a voice operating unit in a ventilator hood, which comprises:

providing a voice-activation unit according to claim 1;

and

comparing voice reference data of the data memory with voice data picked up by the microphone.

22. A method for initializing a voice operating unit, which comprises:

providing a voice-activation unit according to claim 2;

generating with the loudspeaker acoustic signals from the voice reference data of the data memory;

obtaining electronic signals therefrom with the microphone and the voice recognition unit;

comparing the electronic signals with the voice reference data; and

adjusting at least one of the microphone and the voice recognition unit based upon the comparison.

23. The method according to claim 22, which further comprises displaying an initialization operation to a user at least one of optically and acoustically with a display unit.

10. In a ventilator hood, a voice-activation unit comprising:

a voice operating unit having;

a microphone for picking up voice data and outputting a voice data signal in a voice signal data direction;

a voice recognition unit connected to said microphone and disposed downstream of said microphone in said voice signal data direction; and

a data memory connected to said voice recognition unit and storing voice reference data therein as electronic data;

said voice operating unit being programmed to;

compare the voice data picked up by said microphone with said voice reference data and provide a comparison evaluation result; and

self-calibrate based upon said comparison evaluation result.

19. A method for testing a voice operating unit in a household appliance, which comprises:

providing a voice operating unit having;

a microphone for picking up voice data and outputting a voice data signal in a voice signal data direction;

a voice recognition unit connected to the microphone and disposed downstream of the microphone in the voice signal data direction; and

a data memory connected to the voice recognition unit and storing voice reference data therein as electronic data;

comparing, with the voice operating unit, the voice data picked up by the microphone with the voice reference data and providing a comparison evaluation result; and

self-calibrating based upon the comparison evaluation result.

21. A method for testing a voice operating unit in a ventilator hood, which comprises:

providing a voice operating unit having;

a microphone for picking up voice data and outputting a voice data signal in a voice signal data direction;

a voice recognition unit connected to the microphone and disposed downstream of the microphone in the voice signal data direction; and

a data memory connected to the voice recognition unit and storing voice reference data therein as electronic data;

comparing, with the voice operating unit, the voice data picked up by the microphone with the voice reference data and providing a comparison evaluation result; and

self-calibrating based upon the comparison evaluation result.