METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ADAPTING A MODEL FOR A SPEECH RECOGNITION SYSTEM

• US 20110029313A1
• Filed: 10/11/2010
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vocollect, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vocollect, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Pike, Jeffrey P., Pike, Lori A., Braho, Keith P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,202,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/251
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/01 Assessment or evaluation of speech recognition systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/065 Adaptation

Abstract

Methods are disclosed for identifying possible errors made by a speech recognition system without using a transcript of words input to the system. A method for model adaptation for a speech recognition system includes determining an error rate, corresponding to either recognition of instances of a word or recognition of instances of various words, without using a transcript of words input to the system. The method may further include adjusting an adaptation, of the model for the word or various models for the various words, based on the error rate. Apparatus are disclosed for identifying possible errors made by a speech recognition system without using a transcript of words input to the system. An apparatus for model adaptation for a speech recognition system includes a processor adapted to estimate an error rate, corresponding to either recognition of instances of a word or recognition of instances of various words, without using a transcript of words input to the system. The apparatus may further include a controller adapted to adjust an adaptation of the model for the word or various models for the various words, based on the error rate.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a possible error made by a speech recognition system, comprising:

identifying an instance of a word that was recognized by the system within a certain confidence factor range.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a count of occurrences of the possible error is used in adjusting an adaptation a model for the word associated with the possible error.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the word is from a hypothesis generated by the system that matches an expected response.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the range comprises values corresponding to low confidence that the system recognized the instances of the word correctly for an application in which the system is used.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the range is a predetermined set of values in between a low confidence threshold and a high confidence threshold.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the low confidence threshold is an adjusted acceptance threshold, which is a value lower than the acceptance threshold.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the high confidence threshold is a value equal to or higher than an acceptance threshold for accepting a hypothesis generated by the system, in which a confidence value associated with the hypothesis must exceed the acceptance threshold in order for the hypothesis to be accepted.

8. An apparatus for identifying a possible error made by a speech recognition system, comprising:

a. a processor adapted to identify an instance of a word that was recognized by the system within a certain confidence factor range.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a count of occurrences of the possible error is used in adjusting adaptation of a model for the word associated with the possible error.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the word is from a hypothesis generated by the system that matches an expected response.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the range comprises values corresponding to low confidence that the system recognized the instances of the word correctly for an application in which the system is used.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the range is a predetermined set of values in between a low confidence threshold and a high confidence threshold.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the high confidence threshold is an acceptance threshold for accepting a hypothesis generated by the system, in which a confidence threshold associated with the hypothesis must exceed the acceptance threshold in order for the hypothesis to be accepted.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the low confidence threshold is an adjusted acceptance threshold, which is a value lower than the acceptance threshold.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the high confidence threshold is a value equal to or higher than an acceptance threshold for accepting a hypothesis generated by the system, in which a confidence value associated with the hypothesis must exceed the acceptance threshold in order for the hypothesis to be accepted.