Household appliance, in particular an electrically operated household appliance

• US 6,230,137 B1
• Filed: 12/06/1999
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Ziegler, Felicitas, Has, Uwe
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABEBE, DANIEL DEMELASH
• Application Number:
  US09/455,602
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/275, 704/271, 704/251, 704/246, 704/272
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A household appliance, in particular an electrically operated household appliance, can be controlled using voice signals. In order to avoid malfunction, e.g. as a result of voice signals coming from a radio set and not from a user, a control program is configured in such a way that successive voice signals can only form a control command when the successive voice signals are input within a given time period.

Claims

1. A household appliance configuration, comprising:

a kitchen appliance having operating functions;

a first device, connected to said kitchen appliance, for inputting at least two speech signals designating the operating functions of said kitchen appliance;

a second device, operatively connected to said first device, for recognizing the operating functions designated by the speech signals; and

a third device, operatively connected to said second device, for converting the speech signals, after being recognized, into a given control command to operate said kitchen appliance, said third device producing the given control command only when the speech signals are input in a sequence defined by a menu tree; and

a controller having a control program and being assigned to at least one of said first, second, and third devices, said control program operating such that the speech signals, being input in a direct succession for selecting the operating functions, cause a formation of the given control command only when the speech signals are separated in time by not more than a respective given first time period, being a respective pause period, and are input within a respective given second time period.

2. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, wherein said controller is configured such that if the speech signals are input outside the respective given second time period, the given control command is formed only when all of the speech signals needed to form the given control command are input again in a defined sequence and within the respective given second time period.

3. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, wherein said controller is configured such that if an input of the speech signals is aborted, the given control command is formed only when all of the speech signals needed to form the given control command are input again in a defined sequence and within the respective given second time period.

4. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, wherein said controller is configured for carrying out a speaker-independent speech signal recognition.

5. The household appliance configuration according claim 1, including a mechanical operating element connected to said controller, said controller being configured such that at least one of said first, second, and third devices can be activated only after said mechanical operating element has been actuated.

6. The household appliance configuration according to claim 5, wherein said controller is configured such that, immediately after said kitchen appliance has been switched off, at least one of said first, second, and third devices can be activated only after said mechanical operating element has been actuated.

7. The household appliance configuration according to claim 5, wherein said first, second, and third devices can be activated in a given third time period after said mechanical operating element has been actuated.

8. The household appliance configuration according claim 1, wherein said first device is disposed on said kitchen appliance.

9. The household appliance configuration according claim 1, wherein said first device is disposed separated from said kitchen appliance.

10. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, wherein said first device is configured to be integrated into a portable telephone terminal.

11. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, including electrical load elements, said electrical load elements being controllable individually by the speech signals.

12. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, including a shielded cable for connecting said first device to said second device, said first device being disposed physically separated from said second device.

13. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, wherein said first device includes at least one microphone, said at least one microphone being disposed approximately at a level of a head of an operator.

14. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, including a holding element, said first device having least one microphone installed on said holding element, said holding element damping structure-borne sound.

15. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, wherein said first device includes an electric filter damping oscillations of frequencies below approximately 100 hertz.

16. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, wherein said first device includes an electric filter damping oscillations of frequencies above approximately 5 kilohertz.

17. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, including a measuring device for measuring an acoustic interference, said measuring device being assigned to said first device.

18. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, including a measuring device for measuring electrical signals representing an acoustic interference, said measuring device being assigned to said first device.

19. The household appliance configuration according to claim 18, including a comparison device for comparing the acoustic interference with electrical useful acoustic signals, said comparison device being assigned to said first device.

20. The household appliance configuration according to claim 18, including a comparison device for comparing electrical signals representing the acoustic interference, with electrical useful acoustic signals, said comparison device being assigned to said first device.

21. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, including a portable telephone terminal, said first device being integrated into said portable telephone terminal.

22. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, wherein said kitchen appliance includes at least one electrically operated component, said first device designates the operating functions and said at least one electrically operated component, said second device recognizes the operating functions and said at least one electrically operated component designated by the speech signals.

23. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, wherein said kitchen appliance includes mechanical operating elements for inputting control commands when being actuated.

24. The household appliance configuration according to claim 1, wherein said first, second, and third devices are a provided in place of mechanical operating elements for inputting control commands when actuated.

25. A household appliance system, comprising:

a kitchen appliance having operating functions;

a first device for inputting at least two speech signals designating the operating functions of said kitchen appliance;

a second device, operatively connected to said first device, for recognizing the operating functions designated by the speech signals;

a third device, operatively connected to said second device, for converting the speech signals, after being recognized, into a given control command to operate said kitchen appliance, said third device producing the given control command only when the speech signals are input in a sequence defined by a menu tree; and

a central computer connected to said kitchen appliance, at least one of said first, second, and third devices being assigned to said central computer, said first, second, and third devices being configured such that the speech signals, being input in a direct succession for selecting the operating functions of said kitchen appliance, cause a formation of the given control command only when the speech signals are separated in time by not more than a respective given first time period and are input within a respective given second time period, said central computer being connectable to further kitchen appliances.

26. The household appliance system according to claim 25, wherein said central computer is assigned a control program.

27. The household appliance system according to claim 25, wherein said kitchen appliance includes components, said first device designating the operating functions and said components, said second device recognizing the operating functions and said components designated by the speech signals.

28. In combination with a kitchen appliance having components and operating functions, a speech-activated device comprising:

a first device for inputting at least two speech signals designating at least one of the components and operating functions of the kitchen appliance;

a second device, operatively connected to said first device, for recognizing the at least one of the components and operating functions designated by the speech signals; and

a third device, operatively connected to said second device, for converting the speech signals, after being recognized, into a control command to operate the kitchen appliance, said third device producing the control command only when the speech signals are input in a sequence defined by a menu tree; and

a controller having a control program and being assigned to at least one of said first, second, and third devices, said control program operating such that the speech signals, being input in a direct succession for selecting the at least one of the components and operating functions of the kitchen appliance, cause a formation of the control command only when the speech signals are separated in time by not more than a respective given first time period, being a respective pause period, and are input within a respective given second time period.

29. A central computer system for at least one kitchen appliance, comprising:

a first device for inputting at least two speech signals designating operating functions of the at least one kitchen appliance;

a second device, operatively connected to said first device, for recognizing the operating functions designated by the speech signals;

a third device, operatively connected to said second device, for converting the speech signals, after being recognized, into a control command to operate the kitchen appliance, said third device producing the control command only when the speech signals are input in a sequence defined by a menu tree; and

a central computer to be connected to the least one kitchen appliance; and

a controller having a control program and being assigned to at least one of said central computer, said first device, said second device, and said third device, said control program operating such that the speech signals, being input in a direct succession for selecting operating functions of the at least one kitchen appliance, cause a formation of the control command only when the speech signals are separated in time by not more than a respective given first time period and are input within a respective given second time period.