Methods and apparatus for adapting output speech in accordance with context of communication

• US 20060229873A1
• Filed: 03/29/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Picheny, Michael Alan, Eide, Ellen Marie, Hamza, Wael Mohamed
• Granted Patent: US 7,490,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/027 Concept to speech synthesisers; Generation of natural phrases from machine-based concepts generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text G10L13/08
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A technique for producing speech output in an automatic dialog system is provided. Communication is received from a user at the automatic dialog system. A context of the communication from the user is detected in a context detector of the automatic dialog system. A message is provided to the user from a text-to-speech system of the automatic dialog system in communication with the context detector, wherein the message is provided in accordance with the detected context of the communication.

Claims

1. A method of producing speech output in an automatic dialog system comprising the steps of:

receiving a communication from a user at the automatic dialog system;

detecting a context of the communication from the user in a context detector of the automatic dialog system; and

providing a message to the user from a text-to-speech system of the automatic dialog system in communication with the context detector, wherein the message is provided in accordance with the detected context of the communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a message comprises the steps of:

creating the message in a natural language generator of the text-to-speech system in communication with the context detector; and

conveying the message to the user through a speech synthesis system of the text-to-speech system, in communication with the natural language generator and the context detector;

wherein at least one of the natural language generator and the speech synthesis system are capable of adapting the message in accordance with the detected context of the communication.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the natural language generator and the speech synthesis system adapt the message in accordance with the detected context of the communication.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the natural language generator or the speech synthesis system adapts the message in accordance with the detected context of the communication.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of creating the message comprises the step of annotating the message in the natural language generator through at least one command in a markup language from the context detector to adapt the message in accordance with the detected context of the communication.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of annotating the message comprises the step of adapting word selection techniques of the natural language generator to adapt the message in accordance with the detected context of the communication.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of conveying the message to the user comprises the step of modifying at least one of the volume, articulation and pronunciation of the message to adapt the message in accordance with the detected context of the communication.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a communication comprises the steps of:

transcribing words in the communication from the user in a speech recognition engine of the automatic dialog system;

determining the meaning of the words through a natural language understanding unit in communication with the speech recognition engine and the context detector in the automatic dialog system;

retrieving requested information in accordance with the meaning of the words, from a database in communication with the natural language understanding unit in the automatic dialog system; and

sending the requested information from the database to the text-to-speech system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the context of the communication comprises at least one of an ambient noise level, an age of the user, a gender of the user, a location of user, a time of the communication, a date of the communication, and an emotional state of the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting a context of the communication comprises the steps of:

analyzing sound, words and meaning in the communication; and

determining the context of the communication based on the analysis.

11. An automatic dialog system for producing speech output, comprising:

a context detector for detecting the context of a communication received from a user of the automatic dialog system; and

a text-to-speech system in communication with the context detector that provides a message to the user, wherein the message is provided in accordance with the detected context of the communication.

12. The automatic dialog system of claim 11, wherein the text-to-speech system comprises

a natural language generator in communication with the context detector that creates the message;

and

a speech synthesis system in communication with the natural language generator and the context detector, that conveys the message to the user;

wherein at least one of the natural language generator and the speech synthesis system are capable of adapting the message in accordance with the detected context of the communication.

13. The automatic dialog system of claim 12, wherein the natural language generator and the speech synthesis system adapt the message in accordance with the detected context of the communication.

14. The automatic dialog system of claim 12, wherein the message is annotated in the natural language generator through at least one command in a markup language from the context detector to adapt the message in accordance with the detected context of the communication.

15. The automatic dialog system of claim 14, wherein the word selection techniques of the natural language generator are adapted to adapt the message in accordance with the detected context of the communication.

16. The automatic dialog system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the volume, articulation and pronunciation of the message is modified to adapt the message in accordance with the detected context of the communication.

17. The automatic dialog system of claim 11, further comprising:

a speech recognition engine that transcribes words in the communication from the user;

a natural language understanding unit in communication with the speech recognition engine and the context detector that determines the meaning of the words; and

a dialog manager in communication with the natural language understanding unit and the text-to-speech system that retrieves requested information from a database in accordance with the meaning of the words.

18. The automatic dialog system of claim 11, wherein the context of the communication comprises at least one of an ambient noise level, an age of the user, a gender of the user, a location of user, a time of the communication, a date of the communication, and an emotional state of the user.

19. The automatic dialog system of claim 11, wherein the context detector analyzes noise, words and meaning in the communication and determines the context of the communication based on the analysis.

20. An article of manufacture for producing speech output in an automatic dialog system, comprising a machine readable medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:

receiving a communication from a user at the automatic dialog system;

detecting a context of the communication from the user in a context detector of the automatic dialog system; and

providing a message to the user from a text-to-speech system of the automatic dialog system in communication with the context detector, wherein the message is provided in accordance with the detected context of the communication.