APPLIANCE CONTROL METHOD, SPEECH-BASED APPLIANCE CONTROL SYSTEM, AND COOKING APPLIANCE

• US 20150066516A1
• Filed: 08/29/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: NISHIKAWA, YURI, YONEDA, AKI, YAMAGAMI, KATSUYOSHI
• Granted Patent: US 9,316,400 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/08 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

In a case of receiving, from an audio input device, instruction information including first audio information indicating operation instructions for a cooking appliance when first and second cooking units are executing first and second cooking programs, respectively, operation instructions are recognized from the first audio information. In a case where it is determined that the instruction information includes second audio information related to the first cooking menu information or the second cooking menu information, a control command is transmitted to the cooking appliance to cause the cooking appliance to execute a process corresponding to the operation instructions, without executing a process according to the first cooking program or the second cooking program corresponding to one of the first cooking menu information or the second cooking menu information to which the second audio information is related.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a cooking appliance using a user'"'"'s speech in a speech-based appliance control system including the cooking appliance and an audio input device configured to receive input of the user'"'"'s speech, the cooking appliance including a first cooking unit and a second cooking unit the method comprising:

Transmitting, to the cooking appliance via a first network, first cooking program information indicating a first cooking program, the first cooking program corresponding to a first cooking recipe, and second cooking program information indicating a second cooking program, the second cooking program corresponding to a second cooking recipe;

in a case of receiving, from the audio input device, instruction information including first audio information indicating operation instructions for the cooking appliance when the first cooking unit is operated based on the first cooking program and the second cooking unit is operated based on the second cooking program, recognizing the operation instructions from the first audio information;

determining, using a database configured to manage first cooking menu information indicating the name of a cooking menu item corresponding to the first cooking recipe and second cooking menu information indicating the name of a cooking menu item corresponding to the second cooking recipe, whether or not the received instruction information includes the first audio information and second audio information related to the first cooking menu information or the second cooking menu information; and

in a case where it is determined that the received instruction information includes the second audio information, transmitting to the cooking appliance via the first network a control command for causing the cooking appliance to execute a process corresponding to the operation instructions, without executing a process that is based on

the first cooking program or the second cooking program corresponding to one of the first cooking menu information or the second cooking menu information to which the second audio information is related.

2. The appliance control method according to claim 1, further comprising

in a case where it is determined that the instruction information does not include the second audio information, providing a user of the cooking appliance with an error message indicating that the process corresponding to the operation instructions is not executable at the cooking appliance.

3. The appliance control method according to claim 2, wherein

the speech-based appliance control system is configured to be further connected to a display device, and

the error message is displayed on the display device.

4. The appliance control method according to claim 2, wherein

the speech-based appliance control system is configured to be further connected to an audio output device configured to output audio, and

the error message is provided to the user of the cooking appliance using the audio output device.

5. The appliance control method according to claim 1, wherein

the operation instructions are used for interrupting the process that is based on the first cooking program or the second cooking program in the cooking appliance.

6. The appliance control method according to claim 1, wherein

the operation instructions are used for executing a process having a cooking parameter different from a process that is being executed in the cooking appliance in accordance with the first cooking program or the second cooking program.

7. The appliance control method according to claim 1, wherein

the speech-based appliance control system further includes a display device, and

the method further comprises

transmitting display screen information to the display device via a second network, the display screen information indicating a display screen that provides two or more cooking recipes including the first cooking recipe and the second cooking recipe, and

receiving, from the display device via the second network, first cooking recipe selection information and second cooking recipe selection information, the first cooking recipe selection information indicating that the first cooking recipe has been selected on the display device, the second cooking recipe selection information indicating that the second cooking recipe has been selected on the display device.

8. The appliance control method according to claim 7, wherein

the first cooking program information is transmitted to the cooking appliance via the display device in response to receipt of the first cooking recipe selection information from the display device, and

the second cooking program information is transmitted to the cooking appliance via the display device in response to receipt of the second cooking recipe selection information from the display device.

9. The appliance control method according to claim 1, wherein

the database includes correspondence relationship information indicating a first correspondence relationship between the first cooking unit and the first cooking program and a second correspondence relationship between the second cooking unit and the second cooking program,

the method further comprises specifying one of the first cooking unit or the second cooking unit that is to execute the process corresponding to the operation instructions from among the first cooking unit and the second cooking unit on the basis of the correspondence relationship information, and

the control command includes specific-cooking-unit information indicating the specified one of the first cooking unit and the second cooking unit.

10. The appliance control method according to claim 9, wherein

the cooking appliance is configured to manage the correspondence relationship information, and

the appliance control method further comprises

specifying a cooking unit that is to execute the process corresponding to the operation instructions from among the first cooking unit and the second cooking unit on the basis of the correspondence relationship information and the specific-cooking-unit information, and

causing the specified cooking unit to execute the process corresponding to the operation instructions.

11. The appliance control method according to claim 3, wherein

the display device is included in the cooking appliance.

12. The appliance control method according to claim 7, wherein

the display device is included in the cooking appliance.

13. The appliance control method according to claim 3, wherein

the display device is included in an appliance that is different from the cooking appliance.

14. The appliance control method according to claim 7, wherein

the display device is included in an appliance that is different from the cooking appliance.

15. A method for controlling a cooking appliance using a user'"'"'s speech in a speech-based appliance control system, the speech-based appliance control system including the cooking appliance and an audio input device configured to receive input of user'"'"'s speech, the cooking appliance including a first cooking unit and a second cooking unit, the method comprising:

transmitting, to the cooking appliance via a first network, first cooking program information indicating the first cooking program, the first cooking program corresponding to a first cooking recipe, and second cooking program information indicating the second cooking program different from the first cooking program, the second cooking program corresponding to a second cooking recipe;

in a case of receiving, from the audio input device, instruction information including first audio information indicating operation instructions for the cooking appliance when the first cooking unit is operated based on the first cooking program and the second cooking unit is operated based on the second cooking program, recognizing the operation instructions from the first audio information;

determining, using a database configured to manage first cookware information indicating the name of a cookware item used in the first cooking recipe and second cookware information indicating the name of a cookware item used in the second cooking recipe, whether or not the instruction information includes the first audio information and second audio information related to the first cookware information or the second cookware information; and

in a case where it is determined that the instruction information includes the second audio information, transmitting to the cooking appliance via the first network a control command for causing the cooking appliance to execute a process corresponding to the operation instructions without executing a process that is based on the first cooking program or the second cooking program corresponding to one of the first cookware information or the second cookware information to which the second audio information is related.

16. The appliance control method according to claim 15, further comprising

in a case where it is determined that the instruction information does not include the second audio information, providing the user of the cooking appliance with an error message indicating that the process corresponding to the operation instructions is not executable at the cooking appliance.

17. The appliance control method according to claim 15, wherein

the operation instructions are used for interrupting a process that is being executed in the cooking appliance in accordance with the first cooking program or the second cooking program.

18. The appliance control method according to claim 15, wherein

the operation instructions are used for executing a process having a cooking parameter different from a process that is being executed in the cooking appliance in accordance with the first cooking program or the second cooking program.

19. The appliance control method according to claim 15, wherein

the speech-based appliance control system further includes a display device, and

the method further comprises

transmitting, to the display device via a second network, display screen information, the display screen information indicating a display screen that provides two or more cooking recipes including the first cooking recipe and the second cooking recipe, and

receiving, from the display device via the second network, first cooking recipe selection information and second cooking recipe selection information, the first cooking recipe selection information indicating that the first cooking recipe has been selected on the display device, the second cooking recipe selection information indicating that the second cooking recipe has been selected on the display device.

20. The appliance control method according to claim 15, wherein

the database includes correspondence relationship information indicating a first correspondence relationship between the first cooking unit and the first cooking program and a second correspondence relationship between the second cooking unit and the second cooking program,

the method further comprises specifying one of the first cooking unit or the second cooking unit that is to execute the process corresponding to the operation instructions from among the first cooking unit and the second cooking unit on the basis of the correspondence relationship information, and

the control command includes specific-cooking-unit information indicating the specified one of the first cooking unit and the second cooking unit.

21. The appliance control method according to claim 20, wherein

the process corresponding to the operation instructions are executed at the one of the first cooking unit or the second cooking unit specified on the basis of the specific-cooking-unit information.

22. A speech-based appliance control system comprising:

a cooking appliance having a first cooking unit and a second cooking unit;

an audio input device configured to receive input of a user'"'"'s speech; and

a server connectable to the cooking appliance and the audio input device,

the cooking appliance being controlled using the user'"'"'s speech,

the cooking appliance including

a first communication unit configured to receive from the server first cooking program information indicating the first cooking program, the first cooking program corresponding to a first cooking recipe, and second cooking program information indicating the second cooking program, the second cooking program corresponding to a second cooking recipe, and

a second control unit configured to cause the first cooking unit to operate based on a first cooking program, and configured to cause the second cooking unit to operate based on a second cooking program different from the first cooking program,

the audio input device including

an audio acquisition unit configured to acquire instruction information including first audio information indicating operation instructions for the cooking appliance, and

a second communication unit configured to transmit the acquired instruction information to the server,

the server including

a third communication unit configured to transmit the first cooking program information and the second cooking program information to the cooking appliance,

a database configured to manage first cooking menu information indicating the name of a cooking menu item corresponding to the first cooking recipe and second cooking menu information indicating the name of a cooking menu item corresponding to the second cooking recipe,

a determination unit configured to, in a case of receiving the instruction information from the audio input device when the first cooking unit is operated based on the first cooking program and the second cooking unit is operated based on the second cooking program, recognize the operation instructions from the first audio information included in the received instruction information and determine whether or not the instruction information includes second audio information related to the first cooking menu information or the second cooking menu information, and

a fourth communication unit configured to, in a case where it is determined that the instruction information includes the second audio information, transmit to the cooking appliance a control command for causing the cooking appliance to execute a process corresponding to the operation instructions, without executing a process that is executed in accordance with the first cooking program or the second cooking program corresponding to one of the first cooking menu information or the second cooking menu information to which the second audio information is related.

23. A cooking appliance used in the speech-based appliance control system according to claim 22.