TRANSLATION DEVICE AND TRANSLATION SYSTEM

• US 20170116186A1
• Filed: 10/20/2016
• Published: 04/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: USAMI, Hikaru
• Granted Patent: US 10,013,418 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/263 Language identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/02 Methods for producing synthetic speech; Speech synthesisers

Abstract

There are included an input unit for inputting an input sentence, and an output unit for outputting an output sentence obtained by translating the input sentence into a translation language. The translation language is set based on located language information and position information of a translation device. The located language information includes a predetermined location of each of a plurality of speakers and a used language of each of the plurality of speakers. Accordingly, the translation language, which is a translation target, may be set from a plurality of languages while reducing the operation burden on a user.

Claims

1. A translation device for performing translation into a set translation language, the translation device comprising:

an input unit for inputting an input sentence; and

an output unit for outputting an output sentence obtained by translating the input sentence into the translation language,

wherein the translation language is set based on located language information and position information of the translation device, the located language information including a predetermined location of each of a plurality of speakers and a used language of the each of the plurality of speakers.

2. The translation device according to claim 1, comprising:

a communication unit for receiving the position information and the located language information;

a recorder for recording the located language information; and

a translation language setting unit for setting the translation language based on the located language information and the position information.

3. The translation device according to claim 2,

wherein the translation language setting unit selects a candidate language group including only used languages of speakers near the translation device from a translation language group including a plurality of languages, based on the located language information and the position information, and

wherein the translation device includes

a display unit for displaying languages included in the candidate language group, and

a selector for selecting the translation language from the candidate language group.

4. The translation device according to claim 3,

wherein the translation language setting unit sets the languages included in the candidate language group in an order according to the position information, and

wherein the display unit displays the languages based on the order of the languages included in the candidate language group.

5. The translation device according to claim 2,

wherein the communication unit transmits the input sentence and the translation language to a control device that is connected to the translation device through the communication unit, and receives the output sentence that has been translated into the translation language by the translation device, and

wherein the output unit outputs the output sentence received by the communication unit.

6. The translation device according to claim 1, wherein the located language information includes a sub-area including speakers who use a same used language, among the plurality of speakers, and the used language of the speakers in the sub-area.

7. A translation system comprising a translation device for performing translation into a set translation language and a control device,

wherein the translation device includes

an input unit for inputting an input sentence, and

an output unit for outputting an output sentence obtained by translating the input sentence into the translation language,

wherein the control device detects position information of the translation device, and transmits information identifying the translation language to the translation device, and

wherein the translation language is set based on located language information and the position information of the translation device, the located language information including a predetermined location of each of a plurality of speakers and a used language of the each of the plurality of speakers.

8. The translation system according to claim 7,

wherein the control device further includes

a position detector for detecting a position of the translation device,

a collector for collecting the located language information including the predetermined location of the each of the plurality of speakers and the used language of the each of the plurality of speakers, and

a first communication unit for transmitting the position information of the translation device and the located language information to the translation device, and

wherein the translation device further includes

a second communication unit for receiving the position information and the located language information,

a recorder for recording the located language information, and

a translation language setting unit for setting the translation language based on the located language information and the position information.

9. The translation system according to claim 8,

wherein the translation language setting unit selects a candidate language group including only used languages of speakers near the translation device from a translation language group including a plurality of languages, based on the located language information and the position information, and

wherein the translation device includes

a display unit for displaying languages included in the candidate language group, and

a selector for selecting the translation language from the candidate language group.

10. The translation system according to claim 9,

wherein the translation language setting unit sets the languages included in the candidate language group in an order according to the position information, and

wherein the display unit displays the languages based on the order of the languages included in the candidate language group.

11. The translation system according to claim 8,

wherein the second communication unit transmits the input sentence and the translation language to the control device, and receives the output sentence that has been translated into the translation language by the translation device, and

wherein the output unit outputs the output sentence received by the second communication unit.

12. The translation system according to claim 7, wherein the located language information includes a sub-area including speakers who use a same used language, among the plurality of speakers, and the used language of the speakers in the sub-area.

13. The translation system according to claim 7,

wherein the control device further includes

a position detector for detecting a position of the translation device,

a collector for collecting the located language information including the predetermined location of the each of the plurality of speakers and the used language of the each of the plurality of speakers,

a recorder for recording the located language information,

a translation language setting unit for setting the translation language based on the located language information and the position information, and

a first communication unit for transmitting the translation language to the translation device, and

wherein the translation device further includes a second communication unit for receiving the translation language.

14. The translation system according to claim 7,

wherein the control device further includes

a position detector for detecting a position of the translation device,

a collector for collecting the located language information including the predetermined location of the each of the plurality of speakers and the used language of the each of the plurality of speakers,

a recorder for recording the located language information,

a translation language setting unit for setting the translation language based on the located language information and the position information,

a translator for translating the input sentence into the translation language to obtain the output sentence, and

a first communication unit for receiving the input sentence, and for transmitting the output sentence, and

wherein the translation device further includes a second communication unit for receiving the output sentence.

15. The translation system according to claim 7, further comprising:

a plurality of communication relay devices for relaying communication between the translation device and the control device; and

a position detector for detecting the position information of the translation device,

wherein the position detector detects the position information of the translation device based on a reception state, at the translation device, of a radio wave transmitted by each of the plurality of communication relay devices.

16. A translation system comprising:

an input unit for inputting an input sentence;

a translator for translating the input sentence into a set translation language to obtain an output sentence; and

a translation device including an output unit for outputting the output sentence,

wherein the translation system further includes

a recorder for recording located language information including a location of each of a plurality of speakers and a used language of the each of the plurality of speakers, and

a position detector for detecting position information of the translation device,

wherein the translation system sets the translation language for the translation device based on the located language information and the position information of the translation device,

wherein the translator translates the input sentence for the translation device into the output sentence for the translation device based on the translation language for the translation device, and

wherein the output unit of the translation device outputs the output sentence for the translation device.

17. The translation system according to claim 16, comprising a plurality of communication relay devices,

wherein the translation device is capable of performing communication with each of the plurality of communication relay devices, and

wherein the position detector detects the position information of the translation device based on a reception state, at the translation device, of a radio wave transmitted by each of the plurality of communication relay devices.