INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20100121527A1
• Filed: 05/07/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Namba, Toshiyuki
• Application Number:
  US12/531,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20100121527A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096894 where input is assisted by the navigation device, i.e. the user does not type the complete name of the destination, e.g. using zip codes, telephone numbers, progressively selecting from initial letters
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

An onboard information retrieval apparatus 100 for retrieving information based on a word inputted via manual or voice input by an operator includes a travel environment condition detecting unit 4 for detecting a travel environment condition; an ambiguity tolerance determination unit 10 for determining a tolerance level for ambiguity in the inputted word based on the travel environment condition detected by the travel environment detecting unit 4; and an information retrieval unit 11 for retrieving the information in accordance with the tolerance level determined by the ambiguity tolerance determination unit 10.

Claims

1. An onboard information retrieval apparatus for retrieving information based on a manual input or a voice input made by an operator, comprising:

a travel environment condition detecting unit configured to detect a travel environment condition;

an ambiguity tolerance determination unit configured to determine a tolerance level for ambiguity in the manual input or the voice input, based on the travel environment condition detected by the travel environment detecting unit; and

an information retrieval unit configured to retrieve the information in accordance with the tolerance level determined by the ambiguity tolerance determination unit.

2. The onboard information retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ambiguity tolerance determination unit changes the amount of input that can be accepted via the manual input in accordance with the tolerance level determined by the ambiguity tolerance determination unit.

3. The onboard information retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display control unit configured to control the number of letters in a displayed message by modifying the expression of the message.

4. The onboard information retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a voice output control unit configured to control the degree of detail or the rate of output of a voice guidance based on the travel environment condition detected by the travel environment condition detecting unit.

5. The onboard information retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the travel environment condition detecting unit detects the travel environment condition based on a vehicle speed, the time of day, an inter-vehicle distance, weather, or driver'"'"'s biological information.

6. The onboard information retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ambiguity tolerance determination unit determines the tolerance level for ambiguity in the manual input and the tolerance level for ambiguity in the voice input separately.