Device Control Device and Device Control Method

• US 20070239443A1
• Filed: 12/06/2004
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kabushikikikaisha Kenwood
• Inventors: Koyama, Rika
• Granted Patent: US 7,505,909 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/231
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

A language analyzer (2) performs speech recognition on a speech input by a speech input unit (1), specifies a possible word which is represented by the speech, and the score thereof, and supplies word data representing them to an agent processing unit (6). The agent processing unit (6) stores process item data which defines a data acquisition process to acquire word data or the like, a discrimination process, and an input/output process, and wires or data defining transition from one process to another and giving a weighting factor to the transition, and executes a flow represented generally by the process item data and the wires to thereby control devices belonging to an input/output target device group (5). To which process in the flow the transition takes place is determined by the weighting factor of each wire, which is determined by the connection relationship between a point where the process has proceeded and the wire, and the score of word data. The wire and the process item data can be downloaded from an external server.

Claims

1. A device control device comprising:

speech recognition means that acquires speech data representing a speech, and performs speech recognition on said speech data, thereby specifying a candidate for a phrase represented by said speech; and

device control means that specifies a variable to be changed to obtain a result desired by an utterer of said speech, a direction in which said variable is to be changed, and a device which is to be controlled to change said variable, based on said candidate specified by said speech recognition means and data indicating statuses of a plurality of external devices to be controlled, and controls said specified device in such a way as to change said specified variable in said specified direction, wherein

said device control means

controls a device when a number of devices which are controllable in such a way as to change said specified variable in said specified direction is one, and

when there are a plurality of devices controllable in such a way as to change said specified variable in said specified direction, specifies which one of said controllable devices is desired to be operated based on a candidate specified by further acquisition of speech data by said speech recognition means, and controls said specified device.

2. The device control device according to claim 1, wherein when there are a plurality of devices controllable in such a way as to change said specified variable in said specified direction, said device control means outputs data prompting determination of which one of said controllable devices is desired to be operated.

3. The device control device according to claim 1, wherein

said candidate specified by said speech recognition means represents rise or lower,

one of said plurality of controllable devices is an audio device, and a variable to be changed is a volume, and

another device is a power window, and a variable to be changed is an opening/closing amount of a window.

4. The device control device according to claim 1, wherein

said candidate specified by said speech recognition means represents rise or lower,

one of said plurality of controllable devices is an air conditioner, and a variable to be changed is a temperature, and

another device is a power window, and a variable to be changed is an opening/closing amount of a window.

5. The device control device according to claim 1, wherein

said candidate specified by said speech recognition means represents rise or lower,

one of said plurality of controllable devices is an air conditioner, and a variable to be changed is a temperature, and

another device is an audio device, and a variable to be changed is a volume.

6. A device control method comprising:

a speech recognition step of acquiring speech data representing a speech, and performing speech recognition on said speech data, thereby specifying a candidate for a phrase represented by said speech; and

a device control step of specifying a variable to be changed to obtain a result desired by an utterer of said speech, a direction in which said variable is to be changed, and a device which is to be controlled to change said variable, based on said candidate specified by said speech recognition step and data indicating statuses of a plurality of external devices to be controlled, and controlling said specified device in such a way as to change said specified variable in said specified direction, wherein

in said device control step,

a device is controlled when a number of devices which are controllable in such a way as to change said specified variable in said specified direction is one, and

when there are a plurality of devices controllable in such a way as to change said specified variable in said specified direction, which one of said controllable devices is desired to be operated is specified based on a candidate specified by further acquisition of speech data by said speech recognition means, and said specified device is controlled.

7. A computer program which allows a computer to execute:

a speech recognition step of acquiring speech data representing a speech, and performing speech recognition on said speech data, thereby specifying a candidate for a phrase represented by said speech; and

a device control step of specifying a variable to be changed to obtain a result desired by an utterer of said speech, a direction in which said variable is to be changed, and a device which is to be controlled to change said variable, based on said candidate specified by said speech recognition step and data indicating statuses of a plurality of external devices to be controlled, and controlling said specified device in such a way as to change said specified variable in said specified direction, wherein

in said device control step,

a device is controlled when a number of devices which are controllable in such a way as to change said specified variable in said specified direction is one, and

when there are a plurality of devices controllable in such a way as to change said specified variable in said specified direction, which of said controllable devices is desired to be operated is specified based on a candidate specified by further acquisition of speech data by said speech recognition means, and said specified device is controlled.