Information Processing Apparatus, Information Processing Method, and Computer Program

• US 20100312561A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Di Profio, Ugo
• Application Number:
  US12/745,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20100312561A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/256
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/14 using statistical models, e.g. Hidden Markov Models [HMMs] G10L15/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for performing a grounding process using the POMDP are provided. The configuration is designed so that, in order to understand a request from a user through the utterances from the user, a grounding process is performed using the POMDP (Partially Observable Markov Decision Process) in which analysis information acquired from a language analyzing unit that receives the utterances of the user and performs language analysis and pragmatic information including task feasibility information acquired from the task manager that performs a task are set as observation information. Accordingly, understanding can be efficiently achieved, and high-speed and accurate recognition of the user request and task execution based on the user request can be provided.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for receiving an utterance from a user and analyzing the utterance, characterized by comprising:

a user interface that receives an utterance from a user and performs language analysis;

a discourse manager that receives a recognition result of information regarding the user utterance input via the user interface and performs a grounding process for understanding a user request by using a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP); and

a task manager that executes a task on the basis of information regarding a result of the grounding process performed by the discourse manager.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

a display that displays a system action for the user during the grounding process performed by the discourse manager.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the discourse manager has a configuration so as to perform a grounding process using the POMDP in which semantic information generated from the utterance from the user and pragmatic information generated on the basis of information including feasibility of a task performed by the task manager are set as Observation space.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the discourse manager has a configuration so as to perform a grounding process using the POMDP in which a state value computed using the semantic information serving as an observation space and a state value computed using the pragmatic information serving as Observation space are set as State space.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the discourse manager has a configuration so as to perform a grounding process using the POMDP in which a state value computed using the semantic information serving as Observation space, a state value computed using the pragmatic information serving as Observation space, and a state value computed using another observation space are set as State space.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the discourse manager has a configuration so as to perform a grounding process using the POMDP having a configuration in which a cost is computed on the basis of State space including a state value computed using the semantic information serving as Observation space and a state value computed using the pragmatic information serving as Observation space.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the discourse manager has a configuration so as to perform a grounding process using the POMDP in which a user action including the utterance from the user is set as Observation space.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the discourse manager has a configuration so as to perform a grounding process using the POMDP in which a state value computed using the user action serving as Observation space is set as State space.

9. An information processing method for use in an information processing apparatus for receiving an utterance from a user and analyzing the utterance, characterized by comprising:

a language input and analysis step of receiving an utterance from a user and performing language analysis by using a user interface;

a discourse management step of receiving a recognition result of information regarding the user utterance input via the user interface and performing a grounding process for understanding a user request by using a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) by using a discourse manager; and

a task management step of executing a task on the basis of information regarding a result of the grounding process performed in the discourse management step by using a task manager.

10. The information processing method according to claim 9, characterized by further comprising:

a step of displaying a system action for the user during the grounding process performed in the discourse management step by using a display.

11. The information processing method according to claim 9, characterized in that the discourse management step is a step of performing a grounding process using the POMDP in which semantic information generated in response to the utterance from the user and pragmatic information generated on the basis of information including feasibility of a task performed by the task manager are set as Observation space.

12. The information processing method according to claim 11, characterized in that the discourse management step is a step of performing a grounding process using the POMDP in which a state value computed using the semantic information serving as an observation space and a state value computed using the pragmatic information serving as Observation space are set as State space.

13. The information processing method according to claim 11, characterized in that the discourse management step is a step of performing a grounding process using the POMDP in which a state value computed using the semantic information serving as Observation space, a state value computed using the pragmatic information serving as Observation space, and a state value computed using another observation space are set as State space.

14. The information processing method according to claim 11, characterized in that the discourse management step is a step of performing a grounding process using the POMDP having a configuration in which a cost is computed on the basis of State space including a state value computed using the semantic information serving as Observation space and a state value computed using the pragmatic information serving as Observation space.

15. The information processing method according to claim 9, characterized in that the discourse management step is a step of performing a grounding process using the POMDP in which a user action including the utterance from the user is set as Observation space.

16. The information processing method according to claim 15, characterized in that the discourse management step is a step of performing a grounding process using the POMDP in which a state value computed using the user action serving as Observation space is set as State space.

17. The information processing method according to claim 15, characterized in that the discourse management step is a step of performing a grounding process using the POMDP having a configuration in which a cost is computed on the basis of State space including a state value computed using the user action serving as Observation space.

18. The information processing method according to claim 9, characterized in that the discourse management step is a step of performing a process using a grounding model in which an Initiate process, a continue process, a repair process, a RegRepair process, an ack process, a Reqack process, and a cancel process are defined as executed actions of the grounding process.

19. The information processing method according to claim 9, characterized in that the discourse management step is a step of performing a process using a grounding model in which an Initiate process, an ack process, and a cancel process are defined as executed actions of the grounding process.

20. A computer program for causing an information processing apparatus to perform information processing for receiving an utterance from a user and analyzing the utterance, characterized by comprising:

a language input and analysis step of receiving an utterance from a user and performing language analysis by using a user interface;

a discourse management step of receiving a recognition result of information regarding the user utterance input via the user interface and performing a grounding process for understanding a user request by using a POMDP (Partially Observable Markov Decision Process) by using a discourse manager; and

a task management step of executing a task on the basis of information regarding a result of the grounding process performed in the discourse management step by using a task manager.