Speech dialogue system for dialogue interruption and continuation control

• US 20050267759A1
• Filed: 01/26/2005
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Reh, Frank, Jeschke, Baerbel
• Granted Patent: US 7,454,351 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A speech dialogue system (SDS) is provided for carrying out a speech dialogue with a user to control an electronic device. The SDS includes a speech dialogue interruption unit for interrupting the speech dialogue and a speech dialogue continuation unit for continuing the interrupted speech dialogue. The system provides a method of conducting the speech dialogue between the speech dialogue system and a user. The method provides the steps of interrupting the speech dialogue upon receipt of a predetermined pause command from the user or from an electronic device. The method continues the speech dialogue with the speech dialogue system when the user or the electronic device provides a predetermined continuation command to the SDS. The method further allows the canceling of the speech dialogue when the user provides a predetermined cancellation command to the SDS.

Claims

1. A speech dialogue system (“

SDS”

) for carrying out a speech dialogue with a user comprising;

a speech dialogue interruption unit for interrupting the speech dialogue with the SDS; and

a speech dialogue continuation unit for continuing the interrupted speech dialogue, where the SDS controls at least one electronic device.

2. The speech dialogue system of claim 1, where the speech dialogue continuing unit is configured to continue the speech dialogue at a position where the speech dialogue was interrupted.

3. The speech dialogue system of claim 1, where the speech dialogue continuation unit is configured to continue the speech dialogue by repeating a part of the speech dialogue.

4. The speech dialogue system of claim 1, where the speech dialogue interruption unit and the speech dialogue continuation unit further comprise a control key.

5. The speech dialogue system of claim 1, where the speech dialogue interruption unit is configured to receive an acoustic control command.

6. The speech dialogue system of claim 1, where the speech dialogue continuation unit is configured to receive an acoustic control command.

7. The speech dialogue system of claim 1, where the speech dialogue interruption unit is configured for receiving a pause command by an electronic device and the speech dialogue continuation device is configured for receiving a continuing command from the electronic device.

8. The speech dialogue system of claim 1, where the SDS is configured to carry out a second speech dialogue during an interruption of a first speech dialogue, the second speech dialogue controls a different electronic device.

9. The speech dialogue system of claim 1, further comprising a storage unit for storing speech inputs from the user, where the SDS is configured for outputting at least a part of the speech inputs when the speech dialogue continues.

10. The speech dialogue system of claim 1, where the SDS is configured to output a message when the speech dialogue continues informing the user that the interrupted speech dialogue is continuing.

11. The speech dialogue system of claim 1, where the SDS is configured to display an identifier of the interrupted speech dialogue and the electronic device associated with the interrupted speech dialogue.

12. The speech dialogue system of claim 1, further comprising an interrupted speech dialogue cancellation unit that includes a cancellation control key, where the cancellation unit is configured to cancel the speech dialogue upon receipt of an acoustic cancellation command.

13. An information and entertainment system comprising:

at least one electronic device; and

a speech dialogue system to control the at least one electronic device in accordance with a request from a user, the speech dialogue system including a speech dialogue interruption unit, a speech dialogue continuation unit, and an interrupted speech dialogue cancellation unit, where the speech dialogue interruption unit interrupts the speech dialogue upon receipt of a pause command, the speech dialogue continuation unit continues the interrupted speech dialogue upon reception of a continue command, and the interrupted speech dialogue cancellation unit cancels an interrupted speech dialogue upon reception of a cancellation command.

14. The information and entertainment system of claim 13, where a head unit connected to the information and entertainment system is configured to interrupt operation while the speech dialogue is interrupted.

15. The information and entertainment system of claim 13, where the at least one electronic device is configured to interrupt operation while the speech dialogue is interrupted.

16. The information and entertainment system of claim 13, where a head unit connected to the information and entertainment system is configured to continue to operate when the speech dialogue is interrupted.

17. The information and entertainment system of claim 13, where the at least one electronic device is configured to continue operating when the speech dialogue is interrupted.

18. A method of conducting a speech dialogue between a speech dialogue system (“

SDS”

) and a user, comprising;

interrupting the speech dialogue upon receipt of a predetermined pause command from the user or another electronic device;

continuing the speech dialogue with the SDS when the user or the another electronic device provides a predetermined continuation command to the SDS; and

canceling the speech dialogue when the user provides a predetermined cancellation command to the SDS, where the SDS controls at least one electronic device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

requesting the speech dialogue with the SDS for controlling the at least one electronic device; and

performing the speech dialogue with the SDS by supplying requested information when prompted by the SDS.

20. The method of claim 18, where the step of continuing the speech dialogue comprises repeating a part of the speech dialogue.

21. The method of claim 18, where the step of continuing the speech dialogue comprises displaying a part of the speech dialogue.

22. The method of claim 18, where the step of continuing the speech dialogue comprises indicating at least a last output from the SDS prior to interrupting the speech dialogue.

23. The method of claim 18, where the step of continuing the speech dialogue comprises indicating at least the last speech input received from the user prior to interrupting the speech dialogue upon receipt of a corresponding command from the user.

24. The method of claim 18, where the step of continuing the speech dialogue comprises waiting for a speech input from the user.

25. The method of claim 18, where the step of continuing the speech dialogue comprises notifying the user that the interrupted speech dialogue is continuing.

26. The method of claim 18, where the steps of interrupting the speech dialogue and/or continuing the speech dialogue are initiated by the user through acoustic commands.

27. The method of claim 18, where the steps of interrupting the speech dialogue and/or continuing the speech dialogue are initiated by the user through haptic commands.

28. The method of claim 18, further comprising requesting a speech dialogue for controlling another electronic device after interrupting the speech dialogue with the at least one electronic device.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of interrupting the speech dialogue for controlling the another electronic device.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of continuing the speech dialogue for controlling the another electronic device.

31. The method of claim 30, where continuing the speech dialogue further comprises identifying the electronic device associated with the continued speech dialogue to the user.

32. The method of claim 31, where identifying the electronic device further comprises displaying a name of the electronic device on a multimedia screen.

33. The method of claim 18, further comprising interrupting the operation of the electronic device during the interrupting of the speech dialogue.

34. The method of claim 18, further comprising transmitting a control command to the electronic device during the interrupting of the speech dialogue.

35. The method of claim 18, where the step of canceling further comprises notifying the user that the interrupted speech dialogue is canceled.

36. The method of claim 18, where the predetermined cancellation command is an acoustic command or a haptic command.

37. The method of claim 18, where the step of interrupting further comprises interrupting the speech dialogue upon receipt of the predetermined pause command from a second electronic device.

38. A speech dialogue system (SDS) for carrying out a speech dialogue with a user comprising:

a means for interrupting the speech dialogue upon receipt of a pause command; and

a means for continuing the interrupted speech dialogue upon receipt of a continuation command, where the SDS controls at least one electronic device.

39. The speech dialogue system of claim 38, where the means for continuing the speech dialogue is configured to continue the speech dialogue at a position where the speech dialogue was interrupted.

40. The speech dialogue system of claim 38, where the means for continuing the speech dialogue is configured to continue the speech dialogue by repeating a part of the speech dialogue.

41. The speech dialogue system of claim 38, where the means for interrupting the speech dialogue and/or the means for continuing the speech dialogue includes a control key.

42. The speech dialogue system of claim 38, where the means for interrupting the speech dialogue is configured to interrupt the speech dialogue upon receipt of an acoustic pause command, and the means for continuing the interrupted speech dialogue is configured to continue the interrupted speech dialogue upon receipt of an acoustic continuation command.

43. The speech dialogue system of claim 38, where the means for interrupting the speech dialogue is configured to interrupt the speech dialogue upon receipt of a pause command from an electronic device, and the means for continuing the speech dialogue is configured to continue the interrupted speech dialogue upon receipt of a continuation command from an electronic device.

44. The speech dialogue system of claim 38, further comprising a means for conducting a second speech dialogue for a different electronic device after the means for interrupting the speech dialogue interrupts the speech dialogue for the at least one electronic device and before the means for continuing the speech dialogue receives a continuation command.

45. The speech dialogue system of claim 38, further comprising a means for storing speech inputs from a user, where the SDS is configured to output at least a part of the stored speech inputs when an interrupted speech dialogue is continued.

46. The speech dialogue system of claim 38, further comprising a means for displaying an identification of the interrupted speech dialogue and the electronic device associated with the interrupted speech dialogue.

47. The speech dialogue system claim 38, further comprising a means for canceling the interrupted speech dialogue where the means for canceling further comprises a control key and the means for canceling the interrupted speech dialogue is configured to cancel the speech dialogue upon receipt of an acoustic cancellation command.

48. A computer program product, comprising one or more computer readable media having computer-executable instructions for performing steps of a method for conducting a speech dialogue between a user and a speech dialogue system, wherein the computer program product provides instructions to the speech dialogue system for interrupting a speech dialogue between the user and the system and continuing the interrupted speech dialogue at the point where the speech dialogue was interrupted and the speech dialogue system controls at least one electronic device.