In-vehicle apparatus

• US 20080059199A1
• Filed: 07/12/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xanavi Informatics Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Xanavi Informatics Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Homma, Takeshi, Hataoka, Nobuo, Takahashi, Hisashi, Kokubo, Hiroaki, Sagawa, Hirohiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,694,323 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention provides a technique, by speech input, to specify a location, even when a name or the like of the location is not accurately known, while driving. An in-vehicle apparatus mounted in a vehicle has a speech recognition function, and stores information shown on a signboard and a noun substitute in storage. If speech inputted from a speech input device includes a noun substitute and further includes at least a part of the information shown on the signboard, a response is decided according to the information shown on the signboard, and the decided response is outputted from an output device.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle apparatus mounted in a vehicle, and provided with a speech recognition function, comprising,

a signboard information storing means to store information shown on a signboard,

a noun substitute storing means to store a noun substitute,

a speech input means by which speech is inputted,

a response processing means to decide a response according to the information shown on the signboard, when speech inputted by the speech input means includes the noun substitute and at least a part of the information shown on the signboard, and

an output means to output, from an output device, the response decided.

2. An in-vehicle apparatus mounted in a vehicle, and provided with a speech recognition function, comprising,

a signboard information storing means to store a plurality of signboard information items each including a signboard position, the signboard being located at a position so as to be visible from a road on which the vehicle is driving, and a character string shown on the signboard,

a noun substitute storing means to store a noun substitute,

a speech input means by which speech is inputted,

a response processing means to select, from each of the signboard information items stored in the signboard information storing means, a signboard information item for which the signboard position is within a predetermined range from a current position of the vehicle, and for which at least a part of the character string matches a part of the speech inputted, and to decides a response to confirm the character string included in the signboard information item selected, and

an output means to output the response decided, from an output device.

3. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 2, comprising,

a camera, and

a first obtaining means to extract, from an image taken by the camera, the character string shown on the signboard located at a position so as to be visible from the road on which the vehicle is driving, and to store, as signboard information, the character string and a position where the image is taken, in the signboard information storing means.

4. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 2, the in-vehicle apparatus being connected to a communication device, the apparatus further comprising,

a second obtaining means to obtain a signboard information item including a signboard position, the signboard being located at a position so as to be visible from the road where the vehicle is driving, and a character string shown on the signboard.

5. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 4, wherein,

the communication device is a beacon transmitter.

6. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 4, wherein,

the communication device is an RFID installed on the signboard, and

the second obtaining means uses a reader to obtain the signboard information including the signboard position, the signboard being located at a position so as to be visible from the road on which the vehicle is driving, and the character string shown on the signboard.

7. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 2, wherein,

the noun substitute storing means associates and stores the noun substitute, and a relative azimuth for a traveling direction of the vehicle, when the noun substitute is included, and

when the noun substitute is included in the speech inputted by the speech input means, the response processing means reads the relative azimuth associated with the noun substitute from the noun substitute storing means, selects, from each of the signboard information items stored in the signboard information storing means, a signboard information item for which the signboard position is within a predetermined range from the current position of the vehicle in the relative azimuth read, and for which at least a part of the character string matches a part of the speech inputted, and decides a response to confirm the character string included in the signboard information item selected.