Method and apparatus for speech recognition using device usage pattern of user

• US 20080167871A1
• Filed: 07/25/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Kyu-hong, Han, Ick-Sang, Kim, Jeong-su
• Granted Patent: US 9,824,686 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/246
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/227 of the speaker; Human-factor methodology

Abstract

A method and apparatus for improving the performance of voice recognition in a mobile device are provided. The method of recognizing a voice includes: monitoring the usage pattern of a user of a device for inputting a voice; selecting predetermined words from among words stored in the device based on the result of monitoring, and storing the selected words; and recognizing a voice based on an acoustic model and predetermined words. In this way, a voice can be recognized by using prediction of whom the user mainly makes a call to. Also, by automatically modeling the device usage pattern of the user and applying the pattern to vocabulary for voice recognition based on probabilities, the performance of voice recognition, as actually felt by the user, can be enhanced.

Claims

1. A method of voice recognition in which a voice is input, a feature of the voice is extracted, and based on a predetermined acoustic model, the voice is recognized by using the extracted feature, the method comprising:

monitoring the usage pattern of a user of a device for inputting the voice;

selecting second words from among first words stored in the device based on the result of monitoring, and storing the selected words; and

recognizing the voice based on the acoustic model and second words.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second words are selected according to the device usage pattern of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the second words based on the result of monitoring.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring of the device usage pattern of the user further comprises monitoring whether or not the user makes a call to a predetermined telephone number by using the device, and

in the selecting of the second words, if the telephone number to which the call is made matches a telephone number included in the first words stored in the device, a name corresponding to the called telephone number is selected from the second words and stored.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring of the device usage pattern of the user further comprises monitoring whether or not the user receives a call from a predetermined telephone number by using the device, and

in the selecting of the second words, if the telephone number from which the call is received matches a telephone number included in the first words stored in the device, a name corresponding to the telephone number is selected from the second words and stored.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring of the device usage pattern of the user further comprises monitoring whether or not the user searches for a predetermined telephone number by using the device, and

in the selecting of the second words, if the searched for telephone number matches a telephone number included in the first words stored in the device, a name corresponding to the called telephone number is selected from the second words and stored.

7. The method of claim 1, after the recognizing of the voice, further comprising determining whether or not the result of the voice recognition matches the second words,

wherein according to the determination result, the second words are updated.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring of the usage pattern comprises calculating the probability values of the second words that are to be input as voice, and

in the recognizing of the voice, the voice is recognized based on the probability value.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first word is information including a telephone number and a name stored in a predetermined memory corresponding to a phone book of the device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second word is a name stored in a predetermined memory of the device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the memory is a cache.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein in the selecting and storing of the second words, if a new telephone number is registered in the phone book of the device, the number of the first words is increased, and the second words are selected from the first words.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein in the selecting and storing of the second words, if a telephone number stored in the phone book of the device is deleted, the number of the first words is decreased, and the second words are selected from the first words.

14. A computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing the method of any one of claims 1 through 13.

15. An apparatus for voice recognition in which a voice is input, a feature of the voice is extracted, and based on a predetermined acoustic model, the voice is recognized by using the extracted feature, the apparatus comprising:

a monitoring unit monitoring the usage pattern of a user of a device for inputting the voice;

a user word model unit selecting second words from among first words stored in the device based on the result of monitoring, and storing the selected words; and

a voice recognition unit recognizing the voice based on the acoustic model and second words.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising an update unit updating the user word model unit based on the result of monitoring.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the monitoring unit comprises a call monitoring unit monitoring whether or not the user makes a call to or receives a call from a predetermined telephone number by using the device, and

if the telephone number to which the call is made or from which the call is received, matches a telephone number included in the first words stored in the device, the user word model unit selects a name corresponding to the calling telephone number from the second words and stores the name.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the monitoring unit comprises a call monitoring unit monitoring whether or not the user searches for a predetermined telephone number by using the device, and

if the searched for telephone number matches a telephone number included in the first words stored in the device, the user word model unit selects a name corresponding to the searched for telephone number from the second words and stores the name.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a calculation unit calculating the probability values of the second words to be input as voice, and providing the result to the voice recognition unit,

wherein the voice recognition unit recognizes the voice based on the probability values.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a result confirmation unit determining whether or not the result of the voice recognition matches the second words,

wherein the update unit updates the second words according to the determination result.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a word storage unit storing the first words; and

a number registration unit registering a new telephone number or deleting a registered telephone number.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the device is a mobile device.