MACHINE, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USER-GUIDED TEACHING AND MODIFYING OF VOICE COMMANDS AND ACTIONS EXECUTED BY A CONVERSATIONAL LEARNING SYSTEM

• US 20130179174A1
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Comerford, Liam David, Viswanathan, Mahesh
• Granted Patent: US 8,903,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/06 Creation of reference templates; Training of speech recognition systems, e.g. adaptation to the characteristics of the speaker's voice G10L15/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/0631 Creating reference templates; Clustering
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command

Abstract

A machine, system and method for user-guided teaching and modifications of voice commands and actions to be executed by a conversational learning system. The machine includes a system bus for communicating data and control signals received from the conversational learning system to a computer system, a vehicle data and control bus for connecting devices and sensors in the machine, a bridge module for connecting the vehicle data and control bus to the system bus, machine subsystems coupled to the vehicle data and control bus having a respective user interface for receiving a voice command or input signal from a user, a memory coupled to the system bus for storing action command sequences learned for a new voice command and a processing unit coupled to the system bus for automatically executing the action command sequences learned when the new voice command is spoken.

Claims

1. A method for operating a machine including a conversational system and at least one device, comprising:

initiating, by the conversational system, a dialog between a user and a command modification tool in response to a request received from the user to learn a new voice command;

receiving, by the command modification tool, a new voice command during the dialog with the user;

establishing, by the command modification tool, at least one new action command that corresponds to the new voice command, wherein the new action command, when executed, controls the at least one device; and

adding the new voice command and the corresponding new action command to a vocabulary of the conversational system.

2. A method for operating a machine as defined in claim 1, wherein establishing at least one new action command comprises receiving a spoken command uttered by the user during the dialog and converting the spoken command to the new action command.

3. A method for operating a machine as defined in claim 1, wherein establishing at least one new action command comprises receiving a user action performed by the user on the at least one device during the dialog and converting the user action to the new action command.

4. A method for operating a machine as defined in claim 3, wherein receiving a user action comprises monitoring adjustments made by the user to the at least one device.

5. A method for operating a machine as defined in claim 1, wherein establishing at least one new action command comprises receiving a user action performed on an input device of the machine and converting the user action to the new action command.

6. A method for operating a machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the machine comprises a vehicle system and the at least one device comprises a vehicle subsystem.

7. A method for operating a machine as defined in claim 1, wherein establishing at least one new action command comprises establishing two or more new action commands that correspond to the new voice command.

8. A method for operating a machine as defined in claim 1, further comprising executing the new action command in response to receiving an utterance by the user of the new voice command.

9. A computer-readable storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computing device, perform the method of claim 1.

10. A machine comprising a processing unit, at least one device and a memory encoded with instructions of a conversational system, including instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the machine to:

initiate a dialog between a user and a command modification tool in response to a request by the user to learn a new voice command;

receive a new voice command during the dialog with the user;

establish at least one new action command that corresponds to the new voice command, wherein the new action command, when executed, controls the at least one device; and

add the new voice command and the corresponding new action command to a vocabulary of the conversational system.

11. A machine as defined in claim 10, wherein the instructions are configured to establish at least one new action command by receiving a spoken command uttered by the user during the dialog and converting the spoken command to the new action command.

12. A machine as defined in claim 10, wherein the instructions are configured to establish at least one new action command by receiving a user action performed by the user on the at least one device during the dialog and converting the user action to the new action command.

13. A machine as defined in claim 12, wherein receiving a user action comprises monitoring adjustments made by the user to the at least one device.

14. A machine as defined in claim 10, wherein the instructions are configured to establish at least one new action command by receiving a user action performed on an input device of the machine and converting the user action to the new action command.

15. A machine as defined in claim 10, wherein the machine comprises a vehicle system and the at least one device comprises a vehicle subsystem.

16. A machine as defined in claim 10, wherein the instructions are configured to establish at least one new action command by establishing two or more new action commands that correspond to the new voice command.

17. A machine as defined in claim 10, wherein the instructions are further configured to execute the new action command in response to receiving an utterance by the user of the new voice command.

18. A method for operating a vehicle system including a conversational system and at least one vehicle subsystem, comprising:

initiating, by the conversational system, a dialog between a user and a command modification tool in response to a request received from the user to learn a new voice command;

receiving, by the command modification tool, a new voice command during the dialog with the user;

establishing, by the command modification tool, at least one new action command that corresponds to the new voice command, by receiving a user action performed by the user on the at least one vehicle subsystem during the dialog and converting the user action to the new action command;

adding the new voice command and the corresponding new action command to a vocabulary of the conversational system; and

executing the new action command in response to receiving an utterance by the user of the new voice command.

19. A method for operating a vehicle system as defined in claim 18, wherein establishing at least one new action command comprises establishing two or more new action commands that correspond to the new voice command.

20. A computer-readable storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computing device, perform the method of claim 18.