Speech recognition support method and apparatus

• US 6,978,237 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2003
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanazawa, Hiroshi, Tachimori, Mitsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): LERNER, MARTIN
• Application Number:
  US10/687,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20040083108A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 704/231, 704/236, 704/238, 704/240, 704/270, 704/275, 701/200, 701/201, 701/207, 701/208, 701/210, 701/211, 701/212
• US Class Current: 704/238
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

A speech recognition support method in a system to retrieve a map in response to a user'"'"'s input speech. The user'"'"'s speech is recognized and a recognition result is obtained. If the recognition result represents a point on the map, a distance between the point and a base point on the map is calculated. The distance is decided to be above a threshold or not. If the distance is above the threshold, an inquiry to confirm whether the recognition result is correct is output to the user.

Claims

1. A speech recognition support method applied to a system to retrieve a map in response to a user'"'"'s input speech, comprising the steps of:

assigning a recognition result to the user'"'"'s input speech;

calculating, if the recognition result of the user'"'"'s input speech represents a point on the map, a distance between the point and a base point on the map;

deciding whether the distance is above a threshold; and

outputting, if the distance is above the threshold, an inquiry to confirm whether the recognition result is correct.

2. The speech recognition support method according to claim 1,

further comprising the step of:

if the distance is not above the threshold,

outputting the recognition result without the inquiry.

3. The speech recognition support method according to claim 1,

further comprising the step of:

if the recognition result is a vocabulary not including a position coordinate on the map,

outputting at least the recognition result.

4. A speech recognition support apparatus for retrieving a map in response to a user'"'"'s input speech, comprising:

a speech recognition unit configured to assign a recognition result to the user'"'"'s input speech;

a distance decision unit configured to calculate a distance between a point of the recognition result and a

base point on the map if the recognition result represents a point on the map, and to decide whether the distance is above a threshold; and

a response generation unit configured to generate an inquiry to confirm whether the recognition result is correct if the distance is above the threshold.

5. A computer readable memory containing computer readable instructions in a system to retrieve a map in response to a user'"'"'s input speech, comprising:

instruction means for causing a computer to assign a recognition result to the user'"'"'s input speech;

instruction means for causing a computer to calculate, if the recognition result of the user'"'"'s input speech represents a point on the map, a distance between the point and a base point on the map;

instruction means for causing a computer to decide whether the distance is above a threshold; and

instruction means for causing a computer to output, if the distance is above the threshold, an inquiry to confirm whether the recognition result is correct.