Information processing device and travel information voice guidance method

• US 7,228,229 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2004
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Gayama, Shinichi, Odagawa, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli; Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US11/003,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20050143915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/211
• 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: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages

Abstract

An information processing device and travel information voice guidance method for moving objects, capable of reliably providing travel information through voice guidance while avoiding insofar as possible the interruption of the user'"'"'s enjoyment of music during music playback, comprising a song playback portion which outputs song audio signals representing song sounds; a travel information generation portion which generates travel information; a song playback judgment portion which judges whether, when travel information is generated, the song playback portion is outputting song audio signals; and voice guidance output portion which, when it is judged that song audio signals are being output, gives priority to output of voice guidance audio signals representing the above travel information over the above song audio signals, according to at least either one of the urgency of the above generated travel information, and the type of musical phrase in the song for which the above song audio signals are currently being output.

Claims

1. An information processing device which provides travel information for a moving object through voice guidance, comprising:

a song playback portion which outputs song audio signals representing song sounds;

a travel information generation portion which generates said travel information;

a song playback judgment portion which, when said travel information is generated by said travel information generation portion, judges whether said song playback portion is outputting said song audio signals; and

,

a voice guidance output portion which, when said song playback judgment portion judges that said song audio signals are being output, outputs voice guidance audio signals representing said travel information, giving priority over said song audio signals, according to at least either one of an urgency of said travel information generated, and a type of musical phrase in a song for which said song audio signals are currently being output,

wherein said voice guidance output portion comprises an urgency judgment portion which judges the urgency of said travel information and a musical phrase type judgment portion which judges the types of musical phrases in the song for which said song audio signals are currently being output.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein, when said song playback judgment portion judges that said song audio signals are being output, said voice guidance output portion outputs said voice guidance audio signals, giving priority over said song audio signals, when the urgency of said generated travel information is high.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein, when said song playback judgment portion judges that said song audio signals are being output, and when the type of musical phrase in the song for which said song audio signals are currently being output is other than a vocal portion, even though the urgency of said generated travel information is low, said voice guidance output portion outputs said voice guidance output signals, giving priority over said song audio signals.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1 or claim 3, wherein said voice guidance output portion returns to output of said song audio signals after the priority output of said voice guidance audio signals.

5. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein, when output is returned to said song audio signals, if the type of musical phrase in the song for which said song audio signals are currently being output is a vocal portion, said voice guidance output portion controls said song playback portion such that said song audio signals are output from a starting signal position of the vocal portion.

6. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein, when output is returned to said song audio signals, if the type of musical phrase in the song for which said song audio signals are currently being output is a chorus portion, said voice guidance output portion controls said song playback portion such that said song audio signals are output from a starting signal position of the chorus portion.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein, when said song playback judgment portion judges that said song audio signals are being output, and when the urgency of said generated travel information is low and moreover the type of musical phrase in the song for which said song audio signals are currently being output is a vocal portion, output of said voice guidance audio signals is suspended until the type of musical phrase in the song for which said song audio signals are currently being output changes to other than a vocal portion, and then said voice guidance audio signals are output, giving priority over said song audio signals.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1 or claim 7, wherein

said voice guidance output portion comprises a measurement portion, which measures the time or the travel distance of said moving object during an interval of suspension of the output of said voice guidance audio signals, and a correction portion, which after the end of said output suspension period corrects the contents of said travel information according to the measurement results of said measurement portion;

and,

voice guidance audio signals representing said travel information after correction by said correction portion, are output giving priority over said song audio signals.

9. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein

said voice guidance output portion comprises an excess suspension judgment portion which judges whether an allowable suspension time or an allowable suspension travel distance has been exceeded, according to measurement results of said measurement portion during suspension of the output of said voice guidance audio signals;

and,

when said excess suspension judgment portion judges that the allowable output suspension interval has been exceeded, said output suspension interval is ended, and voice guidance audio signals representing said travel information after correction by said correction portion are output, giving priority over said song audio signals.

10. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein, when said song playback judgment portion judges that said song audio signals are being output, if the urgency of said generated travel information is intermediate and moreover if the type of musical phrase in the song for which said song audio signals are currently being output is other than a chorus portion, said voice guidance output portion outputs said voice guidance audio signals, giving priority over said song audio signals.

11. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein, when said song playback judgment portion judges that said song audio signals are being output, if the urgency of said generated travel information is intermediate and moreover if the type of musical phrase in the song for which said song audio signals are currently being output is a chorus portion, said voice guidance output portion suspends output of said voice guidance audio signals until the type of musical phrase in the song for which said song audio signals are currently being output changes to other than a chorus portion, and then outputs voice guidance audio signals representing said travel information, giving priority over said song audio signals.

12. The information processing device according to claim 1 or claim 11, wherein

said voice guidance output portion comprises a measurement portion, which measures a time or a travel distance of said moving object during an interval of suspension of the output of said voice guidance audio signals, and a correction portion, which after the end of said output suspension period corrects the contents of said travel information according to the measurement results of said measurement portion;

and,

voice guidance audio signals representing said travel information after correction by said correction portion, are output giving priority over said song audio signals.

13. The information processing device according to claim 12, wherein

said voice guidance output portion comprises an excess suspension judgment portion which judges whether an allowable suspension time or an allowable suspension travel distance has been exceeded, according to measurement results of said measurement portion during suspension of the output of said voice guidance audio signals;

and,

when said excess suspension judgment portion judges that an allowable output suspension interval has been exceeded, said output suspension interval is ended, and voice guidance audio signals representing said travel information after correction by said correction portion are output, giving priority over said song audio signals.

14. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein said voice guidance output portion sets an output priority order of each said travel information type and of each said song musical phrase according to the urgency of said travel information and the type of said song musical phrase, and, when said song playback judgment portion judges that said song audio signals are being output, if the priority order of said generated travel information is higher than that of the type of musical phrase in the song for which said song audio signals are currently being output, gives priority to output of said voice guidance audio signals before said song audio signals.

15. The information processing device according to claim 14, wherein said priority order can be altered.

16. The information processing device according to claim 15, wherein said priority order can be altered by an operation to select one pattern from among a plurality of priority order patterns set in advance.

17. The information processing device according to claim 15, wherein said priority order can be altered by automatic selection, according to a user preference for a song being played back, of one pattern from among a plurality of priority order patterns set in advance.

18. The information processing device according to claim 1 or claim 15, wherein a priority order can be altered by automatic selection, according to an action state of said moving object, of one pattern from among a plurality of priority order patterns set in advance.

19. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein said voice guidance output portion has a display portion which displays the contents of said travel information on a display portion when said song playback judgment portion judges that said song audio signals are being output, until the voice guidance output portion switches to said song audio signals and said voice guidance audio signals are output.

20. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein, when said song playback judgment portion judges that said song audio signals are being output, said voice guidance output portion switches to said song audio signals, and until said voice guidance audio signals are output, and outputs said voice guidance audio signals whose signal level has been reduced, together with said song audio signals.

21. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein said travel information comprises the action state of said moving object, guidance over the route of said moving object to a destination, and external information necessary for the travel of said moving object.

22. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein said travel information generation portion computes said travel information according to the action state of said moving object to generate said travel information.

23. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein said travel information generation portion generates said travel information by receiving wireless signals from an external source.

24. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a music source storage portion in which are stored song audio signals representing the song sounds of each of a plurality of songs, and wherein said song playback portion selectively outputs song audio signals for one song among said plurality of songs stored in said music source storage portion.

25. The information processing device according to claim 1 or claim 24, further comprising a song information storage portion in which is stored song information indicating intervals of musical phrases in each song of said plurality of songs, and wherein said musical phrase type judgment portion judges the type of musical phrase in the song for which said song audio signals are currently being output according to song information stored in said song information storage portion.

26. The information processing device according to claim 25, having a song information detection portion which automatically detects said song information based on said song audio signals.

27. The information processing device according to claim 26, wherein said song information detection portion comprises a vocal portion detection portion which detects only vocal portions based on said song audio signals;

a song structure detection portion which detects chord progressions in a song according to said song audio signals, and detects the song structure according to the pattern of chord progressions; and

a song information creation portion which creates said song information according to the vocal portions detected by said vocal portion detection portion and the song structure detected by said song structure detection portion.

28. A travel information voice guidance method, which provides travel information for a moving object by voice guidance, comprising:

a song playback step of outputting song audio signals representing song sounds;

a travel information generation step of generating said travel information;

a song playback judgment step of judging whether, when said travel information is generated in said travel information generation step, said song audio signals are being output in said song playback step; and

,

a voice guidance output step of outputting, when in said song playback judgment step it is judged that said song audio signals are being output, voice guidance audio signals representing said travel information, giving priority over said song audio signals, according to at least either one of an urgency of said travel information generated, and a type of musical phrase in a song for which said song audio signals are currently being output,

wherein said voice guidance output step comprises an urgency judgment step for judging the urgency of said travel information and a musical phrase type judgment step for judging the types of musical phrases in the song for which said song audio signals are currently being output.

29. A computer-readable medium having a computer program product for execution of a travel information voice guidance method, which provides travel information for a moving object by voice guidance, comprising:

a song playback step of outputting song audio signals representing song sounds;

a travel information generation step of generating said travel information;

a song playback judgment step of judging whether, when said travel information is generated in said travel information generation step, said song audio signals are being output in said song playback step; and

,

a voice guidance output step of outputting, when in said song playback judgment step it is judged that said song audio signals are being output, voice guidance audio signals representing said travel information, giving priority over said song audio signals, according to at least either one of an urgency of said travel information generated, and a type of musical phrase in a song for which said song audio signals are currently being output,

wherein said voice guidance output step comprises an urgency judgment step for judging the urgency of said travel information and a musical phrase type judgment step for judging the types of musical phrases in the song for which said song audio signals are currently being output.