Audio interactive navigation system, moving terminal device, and audio interactive server

• US 7,076,362 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2002
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Niie, Manabu, Amano, Akio, Okude, Mariko, Kamiwaki, Tadashi, Morioka, Michio, Kujirai, Toshihiro, Ohtsuji, Shinya, Shioya, Makoto, Kuzunuki, Soshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US10/082,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20020156570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/211, 701207-208, 340/989, 340/991, 340/993, 340/384.1, 731/78.R, 709/217, 709/203, 709/219, 707/10
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice

Abstract

The present invention is characterized in that the car navigation system for, at the time of desiring map information, traffic information, and other required information in a car, inquiring an information distribution service provider for distribution the information is composed of a moving terminal device which can be operated by inputting and outputting voice, a communication device, an audio interactive server which can input and output voice and data, is connected to an external device and the Internet on the basis of audio interactions by the voice recognition process and voice synthesis process, and executes information transfer, and one or a plurality of information distribution service providers connected to the Internet for distributing information such as map information and traffic information.

Claims

1. A moving terminal device for outputting information obtained from an information distribution service provider, including map information, traffic information, and other required information, comprising:

a voice input means for inputting voice commands of a driver;

a voice output device for outputting voice data;

a communication device for communicating with an audio interactive server, which audio interactive server performs voice recognition processing and voice synthesis processing, said communications device establishing a connection to a communication line outside a car to transmit voice data input through said voice input means to said corresponding audio interactive server so as to perform audio interactive communication over said communication line for receiving results of said audio interactive communication from said audio interactive server in a form of voice or data;

a voice synthesis processing unit for outputting a stylized voice announcement using voice data held therein; and

a voice recognition processing unit for recognizing audio interactive data communicated with said audio interactive server,

wherein said moving terminal device receives information, including map information or traffic information returned as a result of interpretations and executions of voice commands input through said voice input means, which interpretations and executions are performed by said information distribution service provider; and

switches voice output between voice output from said audio interactive server and voice output from said voice synthesis processing unit after said moving terminal device receives from said audio interactive server voice data having a specific meaning notifying of a termination of communication with said moving terminal device;

wherein when said communication device is installed in a predetermined place of said moving terminal device, said moving terminal device automatically establishes communication with said audio interactive server and receives effective information, including a history at the time of previous access from said audio interactive server.

2. An audio interactive server with navigation for, at the time of desiring map information, traffic information, and other required information in a car, inquiring an information distribution service provider for distribution said information and notifying a driver and a fellow passenger of said obtained information, comprising:

a command conversion processing unit for performing a voice recognition process on the basis of voice input to said audio interactive server, analyzing contents of said obtained recognition result data, and generating a command to be transferred to said information distribution service provider, wherein;

said audio interactive server has a processing unit for, when said moving terminal device cannot receive voice output data when said voice output data is to be transmitted to said moving terminal device, transmitting data of non-voice to said moving terminal device and notifying that there is voice output data to be received by said moving terminal device;

wherein said moving terminal device switches voice output between voice output from said audio interactive server and voice output from said voice synthesis processing unit after said moving terminal device receives from said audio interactive server voice data having a specific meaning notifying of a termination of communication with said moving terminal device.