VEHICULAR DEVICE, SERVER, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20150095037A1
• Filed: 07/02/2014
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: SHIMIZU, Atsushi, DUAN, Qingzhu, SEKIGUCHI, Takaaki, NAGAI, Yasushi, SAWAJIRI, Haruhiko, YAMAGUCHI, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,218,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

The technique is implemented by a vehicular device for performing dialogs with the driver. This device has: a communication portion for communicating with a server; an output portion for outputting speech information to the driver; an input portion for inputting information based on speech uttered by the driver; and a controller for controlling the communication portion, the output portion, and the input portion. When trigger information for starting a dialog process in the vehicular device or in the server is generated, the controller receives information indicative of the type of a first dialog forming a starting point of the dialog process and information indicative of the type of a second dialog forming an ending point of the dialog process from the server and carries out the dialog process based on the received information. The second dialog is different in type from the first dialog.

Claims

1. A vehicular device for performing dialogs with a vehicular driver, comprising:

a communication portion which communicates with a server;

an output portion which outputs speech information to the driver;

an input portion which inputting information based on speech uttered by the driver; and

a controller which controls the communication portion, the output portion, and the input portion;

wherein, when trigger information for starting a dialog process is generated in the vehicular device or in the server, the controller receives information indicative of the type of a first dialog forming a starting point of the dialog process and information indicative of the type of a second dialog forming an ending point of the dialog process from the server and carries out the dialog process based on the received information, the type of the second dialog being different from the type of the first dialog.

2. The vehicular device according to claim 1, wherein the output portion can terminate the dialog process according to a variation in the driver'"'"'s state even if the dialog process does not reach the type of the second dialog.

3. The vehicular device according to claim 1, wherein the output portion does not initiate a dialog process responsive to new trigger information until the first-mentioned dialog process ends even if the new trigger information is generated in the vehicular device or in the server.

4. The vehicular device according to claim 1, wherein the communication portion receives information indicative of the type of the second dialog from the server, the type of the second dialog being different for different types of software application loaded on the vehicular device or on the server.

5. The vehicular device according to claim 1, wherein the communication portion receives information indicative of the type of the second dialog from the server, the type of the second dialog being different depending on whether or not there is a fellow passenger.

6. The vehicular device according to claim 1, wherein there is further provided a detection portion for detecting environmental information indicating at least any one type of vehicular circumstances, vehicle interior circumstances, and operative state of the vehicular device, and wherein the communication portion sends the environmental information detected by the detection portion to the server.

7. A server capable of communicating with a vehicular device that performs dialogs with a vehicular driver, comprising:

a communication portion which communicates with the vehicular device; and

a controller which controls the communication portion;

wherein the controller provides control such that, when trigger information initiating a dialog process is generated in the vehicular device or in the server, the controller sends information, indicative of the type of a first dialog forming a starting point of the dialog process and information indicative of the type of a second dialog forming an ending point of the dialog process to the vehicular device, the type of the second dialog being different from the type of the first dialog.

8. The server according to claim 7, wherein the communication portion can send information for terminating the dialog process according to a variation in the driver'"'"'s state even if the dialog process in the vehicular device does not reach the type of the second dialog.

9. The server according to claim 7, wherein the communication portion sends neither information indicative of the type of the first dialog based on new trigger information nor information indicative of the type of the second dialog to the vehicular device until the dialog process in the vehicular device ends, even if the new trigger information is generated in the vehicular device or in the server.

10. The server according to claim 7, wherein the communication portion sends information indicative of the type of the second dialog to the vehicular device, the type of the second dialog being different for different types of software application loaded on the vehicular device or on the server.

11. The server according to claim 7, wherein the communication portion sends information indicative of the type of the second dialog to the vehicular device, the type of the second dialog being different depending on whether or not there is a fellow passenger.

12. The server according to claim 7, wherein the communication portion receives environmental information indicating any one type of vehicular circumstances, circumstances of the vehicle interior, and operative state of the vehicular device from the vehicular device, and wherein the controller determines the type of the second dialog based on the environmental information received by the communication portion.

13. A method of information processing in a system including a vehicular device for performing dialogs with a vehicular driver and a server capable of communicating with the vehicular device, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting environmental information indicative of any one type of circumstances of a vehicle, circumstances of the vehicle interior, and operative state of the vehicular device by a detection portion of the vehicular device;

generating first information and second information by a generation portion of the server when trigger information initiating a dialog process in the vehicular device or in the server is generated, the first information indicating the type of a first dialog forming a starting point of the dialog process and corresponding to the trigger information, the second information indicating the type of a second dialog forming an ending point of the dialog process and corresponding to the environmental information, the type of the second dialog being different from the type of the first dialog; and

performing the dialog process with the driver by an output portion of the vehicular device based on the generated first and second information.