TEXT-READING DEVICE AND TEXT-READING METHOD

• US 20150293745A1
• Filed: 10/02/2013
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kensuke, Shinkai, Yuji
• Granted Patent: US 9,886,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/148 Instrument input by voice
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/149 Instrument input by detecting viewing direction not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/161 Explanation of functions, e.g. instructions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/027 Concept to speech synthesisers; Generation of natural phrases from machine-based concepts generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text G10L13/08
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/04 Details of speech synthesis systems, e.g. synthesiser structure or memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use

Abstract

A text-reading device includes: a visual line direction detection device for a driver; a memory that stores the visual line direction when the driver looks at a display device; a gaze determination device that determines that the driver gazes the display device when a state that the detected visual line direction coincides with the stored visual line direction continues for predetermined time or longer; a voice conversion device that outputs text information of the display device as a voice signal based on an instruction; and a reading control device that inputs the instruction when the driver gazes the display device while the display device displays the text information, and the vehicle starts to move.

Claims

1. A text-reading device comprising:

a visual line direction detection device that detects a visual line direction of a driver of a vehicle;

a memory that stores the visual line direction of the driver when the driver looks at a display screen of a display device, which is arranged in a compartment of the vehicle;

a gaze determination device that determines that the driver gazes the display screen of the display device when a state that the visual line direction detected by the visual line direction detection device coincides with the visual line direction stored in the memory continues for predetermined gaze determination time or longer;

a voice conversion device that converts text information as a display object of the display device to a voice signal when a read-starting instruction is input; and

a reading control device that inputs the read-starting instruction into the voice conversion device when a read-starting condition is satisfied that the gaze determination device determines that the driver gazes the display screen of the display device while the display device displays the text information, and the vehicle starts to move.

2. The text-reading device according to claim 1,

wherein the gaze determination device determines that the driver does not gaze the display screen of the display device when a state that the visual line direction detected by the visual line direction detection device does not coincide with the visual line direction stored in the memory continues for predetermined release determination time or longer after the gaze determination device determines that the driver gazes the display screen of the display device.

3. The text-reading device according to claim 1,

wherein the display screen of the display device is divided into a plurality of regions,

wherein the memory stores the visual line direction of the driver in association with each region when the driver looks at each divided region, and

wherein the reading control device inputs the read-starting instruction into the voice conversion device when the read-starting condition is satisfied, the read-starting instruction being for reading the text information from a text part displayed in one of regions of the display screen of the display device, the one of regions at which the driver finally gazes.

4. The text-reading device according to claim 1,

wherein the reading control device inputs the read-starting instruction into the voice conversion device when the read-starting condition is satisfied, the read-starting instruction being for reading the text information from a beginning of a text sentence, which is initially displayed on the display screen of the display device.

5. The text-reading device according to claim 3,

wherein the reading control device inputs the read-starting instruction for reading the text information from a beginning of a text sentence initially displayed in one of regions of the display screen, the one of regions at which the driver finally gazes.

6. A text-reading method comprising:

detecting a visual line direction of a driver of a vehicle;

storing the visual line direction of the driver when the driver looks at a display screen of a display device, which is arranged in a compartment of the vehicle;

determining that the driver gazes the display screen of the display device when a state that a detected visual line direction coincides with a stored visual line direction continues for predetermined gaze determination time or longer;

inputting a read-starting instruction when it is determined that the driver gazes the display screen of the display device while the display device displays the text information, and the vehicle starts to move; and

converting the text information as a display object of the display device to a voice signal when the read-starting instruction is input, and outputting the voice signal.