Context Based Voice Activity Detection Sensitivity

• US 20120271634A1
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lenke, Nils
• Granted Patent: US 9,026,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/251
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/222 Barge in, i.e. overridable guidance for interrupting prompts
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2025/786 Adaptive threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/78 Detection of presence or absence of voice signals switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10

Abstract

A speech dialog system is described that adjusts a voice activity detection threshold during a speech dialog prompt C to reflect a context-based probability of user barge in speech occurring. For example, the context-based probability may be based on the location of one or more transition relevance places in the speech dialog prompt.

Claims

1. A method for a speech dialog system implemented as a plurality of computer processes functioning in a computer processor, the method comprising:

in one or more computer processes;

adjusting a voice activity detection threshold of the speech dialog system during a speech dialog prompt to reflect a context-based probability of user barge in speech occurring.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the voice activity detection threshold is for a limited sub-set recognition vocabulary.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the context-based probability is based on one or more transition relevance places (TRPs) in the speech dialog prompt.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the context-based probability is based on syntax of the speech dialog prompt.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the context-based probability is based on pragmatics of the speech dialog prompt.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the context-based probability is a built-in design value.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the context-based probability is a variable function responsive to operating history of the speech dialog system.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the speech dialog system is a call routing system.

9. A speech recognition engine implemented as a plurality of computer processes functioning in a computer processor and using a method according to any of claims 1-8.

10. A computer program product implemented in a computer readable storage medium for speech recognition, the product comprising program code for performing a method according to any of claims 1-8.