Voice-controlled arrangement and method for voice data entry and voice recognition

• US 20030182132A1
• Filed: 02/28/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Niemoeller, Meinrad
• Application Number:
  US10/363,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20030182132A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/226 using non-speech characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

The invention relates to a voice-controlled arrangement (1) comprising a plurality of devices to be controlled (3 to 9) and a mobile voice data entry unit (11) which is connected to said devices by a wireless communication link. At least some of the devices each have a device vocabulary memory (3a to 9a) and a vocabulary transmission unit (3b to 9b), and the voice data entry unit has selection means for selecting the vocabularies to he loaded according to the route destination.

Claims

1. A voice-controlled arrangement (1) comprising a plurality of devices (3 to 9) to be controlled and a mobile voice input unit (11) which is connected to the devices via a wire-free telecommunications link, at least some of the devices each having a device vocabulary memory (3a to 9a) for storing a device-specific vocabulary and a vocabulary transmission unit (3b to 9b) for transmitting the stored vocabulary to the voice input unit, and the voice input unit having a vocabulary reception unit (11e) for receiving the vocabulary transmitted by the device or the vocabularies transmitted by the devices, voice inputting means (11a), a voice recognition stage (11c) connected to the voice inputting means and at least indirectly to the vocabulary reception unit, as well as at least one vocabulary buffer (11d) which is connected between the vocabulary reception unit (11e) and the voice recognition stage (11c) and in which loaded vocabularies are stored, characterized in that selection means (12, 13, 13a-13c) for selecting vocabularies to be loaded into the vocabulary buffer or buffers (11d), as a function of a direction information item of received signals transmitted by the devices, are provided in the voice input unit (11).

2. The voice-controlled arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the selection means comprise a detector, in particular an antenna (12), which has a directional characteristic and which detects a level of a signal as a function of its orientation with respect to a device transmitting the signal.

3. The voice-controlled arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the selection means comprise a level evaluation and control device (13) which determines the level of at least one received signal and controls the vocabulary reception unit (11e) and/or the vocabulary buffer or buffers (11d) and/or the voice recognition stage (11c) as a function thereof, in particular executes the loading and storage of a vocabulary.

4. The voice-controlled arrangement as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the level evaluation and control device (13) is designed in such a way that a vocabulary transmitted by a received signal is loaded when a specific level is exceeded.

5. The voice-controlled arrangement as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that a plurality of vocabularies of devices are loaded simultaneously and the level evaluation and control device (13) is designed in such a way that the vocabulary of a further device is loaded into the voice input unit and replaces a vocabulary loaded there as soon as the received signal of the further device exceeds a predefined level and/or the level of the signal which transmits the vocabulary to be replaced and/or is assigned thereto.

6. The voice-controlled arrangement as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that precisely one vocabulary of a device is loaded and the level evaluation and control device (13) is designed in such a way that the loaded vocabulary is replaced by the vocabulary of a further device as soon as a received signal of the further device exceeds the predefined level and/or the level of the signal which transmits the vocabulary to be replaced and/or is assigned thereto.

7. The voice-controlled arrangement as claimed in one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the level evaluation and control device (13) is designed to assign different priorities to the vocabularies loaded into the voice input unit (11), the assignment of priorities taking place as a function of the conditions of the levels of the signals which transmit the vocabularies and/or are assigned thereto in such a way that a relatively high level brings about a higher priority than a relatively low level.

8. The voice-controlled arrangement as claimed in one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that the level evaluation and control device (13) is designed to generate at least one control signal (14) which is formed as a function of the evaluated level of at least one received signal of a device and controls the recognition function of the voice recognition stage (11c) in such a way that probabilities of the occurrence of a word or a plurality of words and/or probabilities of a boundary between words of the vocabulary which is assigned to the device and loaded are raised or lowered, in particular in proportion to the level.

9. The voice-controlled arrangement as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vocabulary transmission unit or vocabulary transmission units (3b to 9b) and the vocabulary reception unit (11e) are embodied as a radio transceiver unit, in particular according to the Bluetooth standard.

10. The voice-controlled arrangement as claimed in one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the vocabulary transmission unit or vocabulary transmission units (3b to 9b) and the vocabulary reception unit (11e) are embodied as an infrared transceiver unit.

11. The voice-controlled arrangement as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that essentially control instructions for the respective device (3 to 9) and an accompanying vocabulary to the latter are stored in the device vocabulary memories (3a to 9a).

12. The voice-controlled arrangement as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least some of the devices (3 to 9) are embodied as fixed devices.

13. A method for inputting and recognizing a voice, in particular in an arrangement as claimed in one of the preceding claims, device-specific vocabularies being stored in a decentralized fashion and voice being input and recognized centrally, at least one vocabulary which is stored in a decentralized fashion being transferred in advance to the voice recognition location by means of a wire-free telecommunications link, characterized in that the transmitted vocabulary or vocabularies is/are stored and used at the voice recognition location as a function of the evaluation of the directional information of a signal transmitting the vocabulary or signals transmitting the vocabularies.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the transmitted vocabulary or vocabularies is/are stored and used at the voice recognition location as a function of the evaluation of the level of a signal transmitting the vocabulary or signals transmitting the vocabularies.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that a plurality of vocabularies are loaded simultaneously by devices, and the vocabulary of a further device is loaded into the voice input unit and replaces a vocabulary loaded there as soon as the received signal of the further device exceeds a predefined level and/or the level of the signal which transmits the vocabulary to be replaced or is assigned thereto.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that precisely one vocabulary of a device is loaded and the loaded vocabulary is replaced by the vocabulary of a further device as soon as a received signal of the further device exceeds the predefined level and/or the level of the signal which transmits the vocabulary to be replaced or is assigned thereto.

17. The method as claimed in one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that different priorities are assigned to the vocabularies loaded into the voice input unit (11), the assignment of priorities taking place as a function of the conditions of the levels of the signals transmitting the vocabularies in such a way that a relatively high level brings about a higher priority than a relatively low level.

18. The method as claimed in one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that at least one control signal (14) is formed as a function of the evaluated level of at least one received signal of a device and controls the recognition function of the voice recognition stage (11c) in such a way that probabilities of the occurrence of a word or a plurality of words and/or probabilities of a boundary between words of the vocabulary which is assigned to the device and loaded are raised or lowered, in particular in proportion to the level.