NAVIGATION APPARATUS

• US 20140074473A1
• Filed: 09/13/2011
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Furumoto, Yuki, Takei, Takumi
• Granted Patent: US 9,514,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/246
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/005 Language recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/227 of the speaker; Human-factor methodology

Abstract

A navigation apparatus capable of providing a user not only with guidance, but also with all of the guidance, operational procedure, operation screen and recognition vocabulary, that is, with an operational transition that is defined by the guidance, operational procedure, operation screen and recognition vocabulary, while altering the operational transition in accordance with the recognition vocabulary comprehension level of the user. Thus, it can increase the possibility for a user with a low recognition vocabulary comprehension level to achieve a task, or for a user with a high recognition vocabulary comprehension level to improve the comfortableness of the operation, thereby being able to provide all the users with the optimum operational transition.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus including a voice input unit that receives an instruction by voice input, and a voice recognition unit that carries out voice recognition of the instruction received by the voice input unit, the navigation apparatus comprising:

a recognition vocabulary comprehension level deciding unit that decides a user comprehension level of a recognition vocabulary, which is an instruction recognizable by the voice recognition unit, from at least one of correction operation frequency and time-out frequency in an operation which is carried out during the voice recognition by the voice recognition unit and corresponds to the instruction;

an operational transition determining unit that determines an operational transition which is defined by guidance, an operational procedure, an operation screen and the recognition vocabulary in accordance with a decision result of the recognition vocabulary comprehension level deciding unit; and

an operational transition providing unit that provides the operational transition determined by the operational transition determining unit.

2. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the operational transition determining unit, when altering the operational transition in accordance with the decision result output from the recognition vocabulary comprehension level deciding unit, determines the operational transition by “

limiting an input content per step by increasing a number of input steps in a specific operational transition”

or by “

reducing a number of input steps by increasing an amount of information capable of being input per step in the specific operational transition”

.

3. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the operational transition determining unit, when altering the operational transition in accordance with the decision result output from the recognition vocabulary comprehension level deciding unit, alters the operational transition to an alternative transition capable of achieving the same purpose.

4. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the operational transition determining unit, when altering the operational transition in accordance with the decision result output from the recognition vocabulary comprehension level deciding unit, prepares transitions with a plurality of patterns in advance, and alters the operational transition stepwise in accordance with ease of understanding and a number of input steps.

5. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a keyword extracting unit that extracts a specific keyword from the content recognized by the voice recognition unit, wherein

the operational transition determining unit alters the operational transition in accordance with the keyword in past utterance in the transition and the recognition vocabulary comprehension level.

6. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the recognition vocabulary comprehension level deciding unit adjusts its standards for the decision in accordance with a past operation content history.

7. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the recognition vocabulary comprehension level deciding unit adjusts its standards for the decision in accordance with a vehicle running state.

8. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the recognition vocabulary comprehension level deciding unit prevents, for a prescribed period of time after an operational transition alteration, the recognition vocabulary comprehension level from being altered, or the operational transition from being altered even if the recognition vocabulary comprehension level is altered.

9. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the navigation apparatus makes, on a function-by-function basis, a decision of the recognition vocabulary comprehension level by the recognition vocabulary comprehension level deciding unit and the alteration of the operational transition based on the decision.

10. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the navigation apparatus, when altering the operational transition in accordance with a decision result by the recognition vocabulary comprehension level deciding unit, provides a user with a manner of the alteration before the alteration through voice output or screen output.

11. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the navigation apparatus enables a user to cancel the alteration of the operational transition at a time when the operational transition determining unit alters the operational transition.

12. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the navigation apparatus enables a user to return to the operational transition before the alteration at an arbitrary timing after the operational transition determining unit alters the operational transition.

13. The navigation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the navigation apparatus, when a user operation cancels the alteration of the operational transition not less than a prescribed number of times or returns the operational transition not less than a prescribed number of times after the alteration of the operational transition, excludes the operational transition with its alteration canceled or returned from a target of the operational transition alteration for a prescribed period of time or to eternity.

14. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the navigation apparatus, if the recognition vocabulary comprehension level is not raised even after a prescribed period of time has elapsed after the operational transition determining unit alters to an easiest-to-understand operational transition, provides a user with an alternative means of the operational transition.

15. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the navigation apparatus enables a user to select “

enabling/disabling”

the alteration of the operational transition by the operational transition determining unit.

16. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user identifying unit that identifies a user, wherein

the recognition vocabulary comprehension level deciding unit and the operational transition determining unit make a decision of the recognition vocabulary comprehension level and a determination of the operational transition on a user-by-user basis identified by the user identifying unit.

17. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user designating unit that designates any desired user from a user list that has already been registered, wherein

the recognition vocabulary comprehension level deciding unit and the operational transition determining unit make a decision of the recognition vocabulary comprehension level and a determination of the operational transition on a user-by-user basis designated by the user designating unit.