Device Control, Speech Recognition Device, Agent And Device Control Method

• US 20070276672A1
• Filed: 12/06/2004
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kabushikikaisha Kenwood
• Inventors: Koyama, Rika
• Granted Patent: US 7,822,614 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

A language analyzer performs speech recognition on a speech input by a speech input unit, 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. The agent processing unit 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. 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:

input information recognition and identification means (6, 61, S11) which identifies input information;

process-item data storing means (D4) which stores a plurality of process items for executing processes corresponding to recognized input information recognized and identified by the input information recognition and identification means;

transition-definition data storing means (D5) which stores plural pieces of transition definition data defining transition from one process item in the plurality of process items to another process item; and

acquisition means (6, 61, 64) which accesses an externally located source (100) of a new process item and/or transition definition data, acquires said new process item and/or transition definition data, and updates an old process item stored in said process-item data storing means or old transition definition data stored in said transition-definition data storing means to said new process item or transition definition data, wherein

each of said transition definition data includes a condition corresponding to input information, and

a piece of transition definition data is selected from at least said recognized information and the conditions of the individual transition definition data, based on comparison between said input information input and the conditions of the individual transition definition data, and a status is transitioned to a process item designated by said selected transition definition data.

2. The device control device according to claim 1, wherein said source compresses and supplies said new process item or said transition definition data, and said acquisition means has means which decompresses said new process item or said transition definition data acquired from said source.

3. A speech recognition device comprising:

speech signal recognition and identification means which recognizes and identifies a speech signal to be input;

process-item data storing means which stores a plurality of process items for executing processes corresponding to a speech signal recognized and identified by the speech signal recognition and identification means;

transition-definition data storing means which stores plural pieces of transition definition data defining transition from one process item in the plurality of process items to another process item; and

acquisition means which accesses an externally located source of a new process item and/or a transition definition data, acquires said new process item or transition definition data, and updates an old process item stored in said process-item data storing means or old transition definition data stored in said transition-definition data storing means to said new process item or transition definition data, wherein

each of said transition definition data includes a condition corresponding to input information, and

a piece of transition definition data is selected from at least said recognized information and the conditions of the individual transition definition data, based on comparison between said speech signal input and the conditions of the individual transition definition data, and a status is transitioned to a process item designated by said selected transition definition data.

4. The speech recognition device according to claim 3, wherein said source compresses and supplies said new process item or said transition definition data, and said acquisition means has means which decompresses said new process item or said transition definition data acquired from said source.

5. An agent device comprising:

input information recognition and identification means (6, 61, S11) which recognizes and identifies input information to be input;

process-item data storing means (D4) which stores a plurality of process items for executing processes corresponding to recognized input information recognized and identified by the input information recognition and identification means;

transition-definition data storing means (D5) which stores plural pieces of transition definition data each defining transition from one process item in the plurality of process items to another process item; and

acquisition means (6, 61, 64) which accesses an externally located source (100) of a new process item and/or a transition definition data, acquires said new process item or transition definition data, and updates an old process item stored in said process-item data storing means or old transition definition data stored in said transition-definition data storing means to said new process item or transition definition data, wherein

each of said transition definition data includes a condition corresponding to input information, and

a piece of transition definition data is selected from at least said recognized information and the conditions of the individual transition definition data, based on comparison between said input information input and the conditions of the individual transition definition data, and a status is transitioned to a process item designated by said selected transition definition data.

6. The agent device according to claim 5, wherein said source compresses and supplies said new process item or said transition definition data, and said update means has means which decompresses said new process item or said transition definition data acquired from said source.

7. A device control method comprising:

a process-item data storing step of storing a plurality of process items for executing processes corresponding to input information recognized and identified at an input information recognition and identification step;

a transition-definition data storing step of storing plural pieces of transition definition data each having a condition corresponding to input information, and defining transition from one process item in the plurality of process items to another process item;

an acquisition and update step of accessing an externally located source of a new process item or transition definition data, acquiring said new process item or transition definition data, and updating an old process item stored at said process-item data storing step or old transition definition data stored at said transition-definition data storing step to said new process item or transition definition data;

said input information recognition and identification step of recognizing and identifying input information to be input; and

a step of selecting a piece of transition definition data from at least said recognized information and the conditions of the individual transition definition data, based on comparison between said input information input and the conditions of the individual transition definition data, and transitioning a status to a process item designated by said selected transition definition data.

8. A computer program that allows a computer to function as:

input information recognition and identification means (6, 61, S1) which identifies input information;

process-item data storing means (D4) which stores a plurality of process items for executing processes corresponding to recognized input information recognized and identified by the input information recognition and identification means;

transition-definition data storing means (D5) which stores plural pieces of transition definition data defining transition from one process item in the plurality of process items to another process item; and

acquisition means (6, 61, 64) which accesses an externally located source (100) of a new process item and/or transition definition data, acquires said new process item and/or transition definition data, and updates an old process item stored in said process-item data storing means or old transition definition data stored in said transition-definition data storing means to said new process item or transition definition data, and

that is structured in such a way that each of said transition definition data includes a condition corresponding to input information, a piece of transition definition data is selected from at least said recognized information and the conditions of the individual transition definition data, based on comparison between said input information input and the conditions of the individual transition definition data, and a status is transitioned to a process item designated by said selected transition definition data.