SPEECH INTERACTION APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20170103757A1
• Filed: 12/22/2016
• Published: 04/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Ayana, Fujii, Hiroko
• Application Number:
  US15/388,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20170103757A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1807 using prosody or stress
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1815 Semantic context, e.g. disambiguation of the recognition hypotheses based on word meaning
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1822 Parsing for meaning understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/87 Detection of discrete points within a voice signal

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a speech interaction apparatus for performing an interaction with a user based on a scenario includes a speech recognition unit, a determination unit, a selection unit and an execution unit. The speech recognition unit recognizes a speech of the user and generates a recognition result text. The determination unit determines whether or not the speech includes an interrogative intention based on the recognition result text. The selection unit selects, when the speech includes the interrogative intention, a term of inquiry from a response sentence in the interaction in accordance with timing of the speech, the term of inquiry being a subject of the interrogative intention. The execution unit executes an explanation scenario including an explanation of the term of inquiry.

Claims

1. A speech interact ion apparatus for performing an interaction with a user based on a scenario, the apparatus comprising:

a speech recognition unit that recognizes a speech of the user and generates a recognition result text;

a determination unit that determines whether or not the speech includes an interrogative intention based on the recognition result text;

a selection unit that, when the speech includes the interrogative intention, selects a term of inquiry from a response sentence in the interaction in accordance with timing of the speech, the term of inquiry being a subject of the interrogative intention; and

an execution unit that executes an explanation scenario including an explanation. of the term of inquiry.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the speech recognition unit further obtains a prosody of the speech, and

the determination unit determines whether or not the speech includes the interrogative intention in reference to the recognition result text and the prosody.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the speech recognition. unit further obtains a speech start time of the speech, and

the selection unit selects a term in the response sentence as the term of inquiry when the speech start time is later than a response start time of the term and is within a first period of a response end time of the term.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a change unit that confirms whether or not to provide an explanation of the term of inquiry, and changes a scenario being executed to the explanation scenario when the user makes speech requiring the explanation of the term of inquiry.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the explanation scenario is generated after the user makes the speech requiring the explanation of the term of inquiry, and inserted in the scenario being executed.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the explanation scenario is an interaction scenario generated in advance.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the explanation scenario is different from the scenario.

8. A speech interaction method for performing an interaction with a user based on a scenario, the method comprising:

recognizing a speech of the user and generates a recognition result text;

determining whether or not the speech includes an interrogative intention based on the recognition result text;

selecting a term of inquiry from a response sentence in the interaction in accordance with timing of the speech when the speech includes the interrogative intention, the term of inquiry being a subject of the interrogative intention; and

executing an explanation scenario including an explanation of the term of inquiry.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising obtaining a prosody of the speech, and

the determining determines whether or not the speech includes the interrogative intention in reference to the recognition result text and the prosody.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising obtaining a speech start time of the speech, and

the selecting the term of inquiry selects a term in the response sentence as the term of inquiry when the speech start time is later than a response start time of the term and is within a first period of a response end time of the term.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising confirming whether or not to provide an explanation of the term of inquiry, and changing a scenario being executed to the explanation scenario when the user makes a speech requiring the explanation of the term of inquiry.

12. The method, according to claim 11, wherein the explanation scenario is generated after the user makes the speech requiring the explanation of the term of inquiry, and inserted in the scenario being executed.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the explanation scenario is a scenario generated in advance.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the explanation scenario is different from the scenario.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium. including computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

recognizing a speech of the user and generates a recognition result text;

determining whether or not the speech includes an interrogative intention based on the recognition result text;

selecting a term of inquiry from a response sentence in the interaction in accordance with timing of the speech when the speech includes the interrogative intention, the term of inquiry being a subject of the interrogative intention; and

executing an explanation scenario including an explanation of the term of inquiry.

16. The medium according to claim 15, further comprising obtaining a prosody of the speech, and

the determining determines whether or not the speech includes the interrogative intention in reference to the recognition result text and the prosody.

17. The medium according to claim 15, further comprising obtaining a speech start time of the speech, and

the selecting the term of inquiry selects a term in the response sentence as the term of inquiry when the speech start time is later than a response start time of the term and is within a first period of a response end time of the term.

18. The medium according to claim 15, further comprising confirming whether or not to provide an explanation of the term of inquiry, and changing a scenario being executed to the explanation scenario when the user makes a speech requiring the explanation of the term of inquiry.

19. The medium according to claim 18, wherein the explanation scenario is generated after the user makes the speech requiring the explanation of the term of inquiry, and inserted in the scenario being executed.

20. The medium according to claim 15, wherein the explanation scenario is a scenario generated in advance.