PORTABLE TERMINAL AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20100198591A1
• Filed: 02/02/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phillips 66 Company
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Ozawa, Tetsuo, Yoshizawa, Junichi, Koseki, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,221 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

A portable terminal having an audio pickup means that acquires sound, an absolute position detection unit that detects the absolute position of the portable terminal, a relative position detection unit that detects the relative position of the portable terminal, and a speech recognition and synthesis unit that recognizes the audio acquired by the audio pickup means as speech, is achieved with a simple configuration. A portable terminal (1) that exchanges data with a server (2) has disposed to the portable terminal an audio pickup means that acquires sound, an absolute position detection unit (1-1) that detects the absolute position of the portable terminal, a relative position detection unit (1-2) that detects the relative position of the portable terminal, and a speech recognition and synthesis unit (1-3) that recognizes the audio acquired by the audio pickup means as speech.

Claims

1. A portable terminal comprising:

an audio pickup means that acquires sound;

an absolute position detection unit that detects the absolute position of the portable terminal;

a relative position detection unit that detects the relative position of the portable terminal; and

a speech recognition and synthesis unit that recognizes the audio acquired by the audio pickup means as speech.

2. The portable terminal described in claim 1, wherein:

the detection result of the absolute position detection unit is complemented using the detection result from the relative position detection unit.

3. The portable terminal described in claim 1, wherein:

the portable terminal can communicate with a server;

the speech recognition and synthesis unit of the portable terminal includes an audio to digital data conversion means that compares the acquired sound with predetermined speech data and recognizes the acquired sound as digital data; and

the portable terminal the absolute position data detected by the absolute position detection unit and the relative position data detected by the relative position detection unit with the recognized digital data to the server.

4. The portable terminal described in claim 3, wherein:

the predetermined speech data can be changed based on the absolute position detected by the absolute position detection unit.

5. The portable terminal described in claim 1, further comprising:

a digital data to speech conversion means that converts digital data received from the server to speech.

6. The portable terminal described in claim 1, wherein:

the portable terminal can receive signals transmitted from a short-range communication device; and

the absolute position detection unit calculates the absolute position based on said signals.

7. The portable terminal described in claim 1, wherein:

the relative position detection unit is at least one sensor selected from a group including a 3-axis gyroscopic sensor, a 3-axis acceleration sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, and a geomagnetic sensor.

8. A management system comprising:

at least one portable terminal described in claim 1, and

a server that manages the portable terminal.