System and method for hazard mitigation in voice-driven control applications

• US 20080077408A1
• Filed: 09/26/2006
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Storz Endoskop Produktions GmbH (Karl Storz Se & Co. Kg)
• Original Assignee: Storz Endoskop Produktions GmbH (Karl Storz Se & Co. Kg)
• Inventors: Wang, Gang, Contolini, Matteo, Zheng, Chengyi, Stiller, Heinz-Werner
• Granted Patent: US 9,514,746 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• 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 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/51 for comparison or discrimination

Abstract

A speech recognition and control system including a receiver for receiving an audio input, an event detector for analyzing the audio input and identifying at least one event of the audio input, a recognizer for interpreting at least a portion of the audio input, a database including a plurality of rules, and a controller for generating a control command based on the at least one event and at least one rule.

Claims

1. A speech recognition and control system, comprising:

a receiver for receiving an audio input;

an event detector for analyzing the audio input and identifying at least one event of the audio input;

a recognizer for interpreting at least a portion of the audio input;

a database including a plurality of rules; and

a controller for generating a control command based on the at least one event and at least one rule.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said controller sends the control command to a device operable by the system.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the device is a medical device.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said controller determines a system status, said control command is further based on the system status.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control command directs a device to stop an action.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control command directs a device to perform an action.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one event includes at least one of an utterance start and an utterance end.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one event includes an audio input duration exceeding a predetermined duration.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one event includes an audio input duration less than a predetermined duration.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one event includes one of a receiver malfunction.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one event includes a functioning receiver.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one event is an audio input error.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one event includes at least one of a receiver connection and a receiver disconnection.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein said controller generates at least one speech command based on the interpretation of the at least a portion of the audio input.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the control command countermands the at least one speech command.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein said controller sends the at least one speech command to a device operable by the at least one speech command.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the device is a medical device.

18. A speech recognition and control system, comprising:

a receiver for receiving an audio input;

a processor in communication with said receiver;

software executing on said processor for analyzing the audio input and identifying at least one event of the audio input;

a database in communication with said processor, said database including a plurality of rules; and

software executing on said processor for implementing an action based on the at least one event, and at least one rule and a system status.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the action is a hazard mitigating action.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the at least one event is at least one of an utterance start and an utterance end.

21. The system according to claim 18, wherein the at least one event includes an utterance duration.

22. The system according to claim 18, further comprising:

recognition software executing on said processor for identifying at least one speech command from the audio input.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the action is to disregard the at least one speech command.

24. A method of mitigating hazards in a voice-driven control system, comprising the steps of:

receiving an audio input;

identifying at least one event of the audio input;

determining a system status;

determining whether a hazard mitigation action is necessary based on the at least one event, the system status, and at least one rule; and

generating a control command based on the at least one event, the system status, and the at least one rule.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising the step of:

sending the control command to a device operable by the voice-driven control system.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein the control command countermands a speech command to the device.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein the at least one event includes at least one of an utterance start and an utterance end.

28. The method according to claim 24, wherein the at least one event includes one of an audio input duration above a predetermined duration and the audio input duration below the predetermined duration.

29. The method according to claim 24, wherein the at least one event includes a receiver malfunction.

30. The method according to claim 24, wherein the event is an audio input error.

31. The method according to claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

sending the audio input to a recognizer;

identifying at least one speech command from the audio input; and

sending the speech command to a device operable by the speech command.

32. The method according to claim 24, wherein the at least one event in- cludes a disconnection of a device for receiving the audio input and converting the audio input into digital data.

33. The method according to claim 32, further comprising the step of generat- ing a warning in response to the event.

34. A speech recognition and control system, comprising:

one or more devices for receiving an audio input and converting the audio input into digital data;

an event detector for identifying at least one event of the device or the audio in- put;

a recognizer for interpreting at least a portion of the audio input;

a database including a plurality of rules; and

a controller for generating a control command based on the at least one event and at least one rule.

35. The system according to claim 34, wherein the at least one event includes a disconnection of said one or more devices.

36. The system according to claim 35, wherein said controller generates a warning based on the at least one event.

37. The system according to claim 34, wherein the at least one event includes a malfunction of said one or more devices.