Menu-driven voice control of characters in a game environment

• US 20060190270A1
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Luisi, Seth C.H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,233,904 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1081 Input via voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• 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 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

In a gaming system, a user controls actions of characters in the game environment using speech commands. In a learning mode, available speech commands are displayed in a command menu on a display device. In a non-learning mode, the available speech commands are not displayed. A speaker-independent context-sensitive speech recognition module contains a vocabulary of available speech commands. Use of speech commands is combined with input from a controller device to control actions of a character or characters in the game environment.

Claims

1. A method for voice control of at least one character in a visually dynamic and interactive game environment, comprising:

receiving a complete and uninterrupted command from a user, the complete and uninterrupted command comprising a plurality of vocal utterances;

determining whether a first vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances corresponds to a first command item from a first-command level in a vocabulary of command items;

if the first vocal utterance corresponds to a first command item from the first command level in the vocabulary of command items, determining whether the first command item from the first command level is associated with a subsequent command item from a subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items; and

if the first command item from the first command level is associated with a subsequent command item from a subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items, determining whether a subsequent vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances corresponds to the associated subsequent command item from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the subsequent vocal utterance corresponds to the associated subsequent command item from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items, performing an action that corresponds to the complete and uninterrupted command.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances corresponds to a first command item from a first command level in a vocabulary of command items comprises evaluating a context of the utterance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the complete and uninterrupted command comprises an actor and an associated action.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the complete and uninterrupted command is a sentence-type command.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances comprises at least two words.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a command item from a command level in the vocabulary of command items is a single-word command.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a command item from a command level in the vocabulary of command items is a multiple-word command.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing an acknowledgment of the complete and uninterrupted command prior to performing the action that corresponds to the complete and uninterrupted command.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the complete and uninterrupted command is received in conjunction with at least one command from a controller device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one command from the controller device comprises actuation of voice control of the at least one character in the visually dynamic and interactive game environment.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the action that corresponds to the complete and uninterrupted command is performed in conjunction with an action that corresponds to the at least one command from the controller device.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a menu of available subsequent command items from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the menu of available command items is no longer displayed upon determining that a subsequent vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances corresponds to a subsequent command item from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the subsequent command item from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items that corresponds to the subsequent vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances continues to be displayed.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the menu is a branching menu.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein if the subsequent vocal utterance corresponds to the associated subsequent command item from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items, determining whether the subsequent command item from the subsequent command level is associated with another command item from another command level in the vocabulary of command items;

and

if the subsequent command item from the subsequent command level is associated with another command item from another command level in the vocabulary of command items, determining whether another vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances corresponds to the associated another command item from the another command level in the vocabulary of command items.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein if the another vocal utterance corresponds to the associated another command item from the another command level in the vocabulary of command items, performing an action that corresponds to the complete and uninterrupted command.

19. A machine-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a machine to perform a method for controlling at least one character in a visually dynamic and interactive game environment, the method comprising:

receiving a complete and uninterrupted command from a user, the complete and uninterrupted command comprising a plurality of vocal utterances;

determining whether a first vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances corresponds to a first command item from a first command level in a vocabulary of command items;

if the first vocal utterance corresponds to a first command item from the first command level in the vocabulary of command items, determining whether the first command item from the first command level is associated with a subsequent command item from a subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items; and

if the first command item from the first command level is associated with a subsequent command item from a subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items, determining whether a subsequent vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances corresponds to the associated subsequent command item from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein if the subsequent vocal utterance corresponds to the associated subsequent command item from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items, performing an action that corresponds to the complete and uninterrupted command.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising displaying a menu of available subsequent command items from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the menu of available command items is no longer displayed upon determining that a subsequent vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances corresponds to a subsequent command item from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the subsequent command item from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items that corresponds to the subsequent vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances continues to be displayed.

24. A system for controlling at least one character in a visually dynamic and interactive game environment, the system comprising:

a microphone configured to receive a complete and uninterrupted command from a user, the complete and uninterrupted command comprising a plurality of vocal utterances;

a speech recognition module coupled to the microphone, the speech recognition module the speech recognition module configured to;

determine whether a first vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances corresponds to a first command item from a first command level in a vocabulary of command items;

if the first vocal utterance corresponds to a first command item from the first command level in the vocabulary of command items, determine whether the first command item from the first command level is associated with a subsequent command item from a subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items;

if the first command item from the first command level is associated with a subsequent command item from a subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items, determine whether a subsequent vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances corresponds to the associated subsequent command item from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items; and

if the subsequent vocal utterance corresponds to the associated subsequent command item from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items, generate a notification for game software corresponding to the visually dynamic and interactive game environment to provide instructions causing the at least one character to perform an action that corresponds to the complete and uninterrupted command.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising a controller device configured to provide instructions for controlling an action of the at least one character, the action corresponding to the instruction.

26. The system of claim 24, further comprising a graphics processing unit configured to generate a menu of available subsequent command items from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the menu of available command items is no longer displayed upon determining that a subsequent vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances corresponds to a subsequent command item from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the subsequent command item from the subsequent command level in the vocabulary of command items that corresponds to the subsequent vocal utterance from the plurality of vocal utterances continues to be displayed.