CANDIDATE SELECTION APPARATUS AND CANDIDATE SELECTION METHOD UTILIZING VOICE RECOGNITION

• US 20140358542A1
• Filed: 03/28/2014
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Otani, Michiaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,355,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/246
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A candidate selection apparatus utilizing voice recognition includes an association unit that associates target candidates with candidate numbers so that numerals of the target candidates coincide with numerals of the candidate numbers when the target candidates to be displayed in list form are character strings representing the numerals of the candidate numbers, and a display control unit that displays the target candidates and the candidate numbers in list form in accordance with the associations made between the target candidates and the candidate numbers.

Claims

1. A candidate selection apparatus utilizing voice recognition that enables selection of a target candidate by performing voice recognition of either the target candidate or a candidate number assigned to the target candidate, spoken by a user from among target candidates and candidate numbers that are displayed in list form, the candidate selection apparatus comprising:

a character string determination unit that determines whether or not target candidates to be displayed in list form are character strings representing numerals of the candidate numbers;

an association unit that associates target candidates with the candidate numbers so that numerals of the target candidates coincide with the numerals of the candidate numbers when the character string determination unit determines that target candidates to be displayed in list form are character strings representing the numerals of the candidate numbers;

a display control unit that displays the target candidates and the candidate numbers associated with each other by the association unit in list form in accordance with associations made between the target candidates and the candidate numbers; and

a voice recognition unit that performs voice recognition of the target candidate or the candidate number spoken by the user from among the target candidates and the candidate numbers that are displayed in list form by the display control unit.

2. The candidate selection apparatus utilizing voice recognition according to claim 1, wherein, when there is no target candidate corresponding to a character string representing a numeral of a candidate number, the association unit does not associate the candidate number corresponding to the numeral with any target candidate, and associates only a target candidate corresponding to a character string representing a numeral coinciding with a numeral of a candidate number with the candidate number whose numeral coincides with the numeral.

3. The candidate selection apparatus utilizing voice recognition according to claim 1, wherein, when there is no target candidate corresponding to a character string representing a numeral of a candidate number, the association unit associates the candidate number corresponding to the numeral with a target candidate corresponding to a character string representing a numeral other than the numeral of the candidate number.

4. The candidate selection apparatus utilizing voice recognition according to claim 1, wherein the target candidates corresponding to the character strings representing the numerals of the candidate numbers include a street number, block number, or house number.

5. A candidate selection method utilizing voice recognition that enables selection of a target candidate by performing voice recognition of either the target candidate or a candidate number assigned to the target candidate, spoken by a user from among target candidates and candidate numbers that are displayed in list form, the candidate selection method comprising:

a first step of, with a character string determination unit comprising a computer, determining whether or not target candidates to be displayed in list form are character strings representing numerals of the candidate numbers;

a second step of, with an association unit comprising a computer, associating target candidates with the candidate numbers so that numerals of the target candidates coincide with the numerals of the candidate numbers when the character string determination unit determines that target candidates to be displayed in list form are character strings representing the numerals of the candidate numbers;

a third step of, with a display control unit comprising a computer, displaying the target candidates and the candidate numbers associated with each other by the association unit in list form in accordance with associations made between the target candidates and the candidate numbers; and

a fourth step of, with a voice recognition unit comprising a computer, performing voice recognition of the target candidate or the candidate number spoken by the user from among the target candidates and the candidate numbers that are displayed in list form by the display control unit.

6. A candidate selection method utilizing voice recognition according to claim 5, wherein, when there is no target candidate corresponding to a character string representing a numeral of a candidate number, the association unit does not associate the candidate number corresponding to the numeral with any target candidate, and associates only a target candidate corresponding to a character string representing a numeral coinciding with a numeral of a candidate number with the candidate number whose numeral coincides with the numeral.

7. A candidate selection method utilizing voice recognition according to claim 5, wherein, when there is no target candidate corresponding to a character string representing a numeral of a candidate number, the association unit associates the candidate number corresponding to the numeral with a target candidate corresponding to a character string representing a numeral other than the numeral of the candidate number.

8. A candidate selection method utilizing voice recognition according to claim 5, wherein the target candidates corresponding to the character strings representing the numerals of the candidate numbers include a street number, block number, or house number.