Speech processing unit with priority assigning function to output voices

• US 7,254,544 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2003
• Issued: 08/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Ota, Masako, Yokouchi, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Knepper; David D.
• Application Number:
  US10/358,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20030154079A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A speech processing unit assigns priority either to voice guidance processing or to speech recognition processing to be carried out previously, when a speech input requesting for the speech recognition processing is accepted while the voice guidance processing is being carried out. It can solve a problem of a conventional speech processing unit in that when a user operates a speech input button requesting for the speech recognition processing, the currently output voice guidance is interrupted, or the voice guidance scheduled to be output is not produced, thereby hindering the user from obtaining truly necessary information.

Claims

1. A speech processing unit comprising:

voice guidance device for carrying out voice guidance processing in response to conditions associated with a vehicle navigation;

speech recognition device for carrying out speech recognition processing by accepting a speech input; and

processing control device for assigning priority to one of processing of said voice guidance device and processing of said speech recognition device to be carried out previously, when said speech recognition device accepts the speech input while said voice guidance device is carrying out or scheduling the voice guidance processing, where priority is given to the processing of the voice guidance device if the conditions have been designated as important where priority is otherwise given to the speech recognition processing.

2. The speech processing unit according to claim 1, wherein said processing control device decides the processing to be carried out previously considering a type of the voice guidance.

3. The speech processing unit according to claim 2, wherein if the voice guidance is associated with safety precautions when said speech recognition device accepts the speech input while said voice guidance device is carrying out the voice guidance processing, said processing control device has the voice guidance processing continued and the speech recognition processing canceled.

4. The speech processing unit according to claim 2, wherein if the voice guidance is associated with one of traffic information and toll information when said speech recognition device accepts the speech input while said voice guidance device is carrying out the voice guidance processing, said processing control device has the voice guidance processing suspended for a time and the speech recognition processing carried out.

5. The speech processing unit according to claim 2, wherein if the voice guidance is associated with route guidance when said speech recognition device accepts the speech input while said voice guidance device is carrying out the voice guidance processing, said processing control device has the voice guidance processing halted and the speech recognition processing carried out.

6. The speech processing unit according to claim 2, wherein if the voice said voice guidance device outputs is reproduced audio output when said speech recognition device accepts the speech input while said voice guidance device is carrying out the voice guidance processing, said processing control device has an audio speaker muted and the speech recognition processing carried out.

7. The speech processing unit according to claim 2, wherein if the voice guidance is associated with safety precautions when said speech recognition device accepts the speech input while said voice guidance device is scheduling to carry out the voice guidance processing, said processing control device has the speech recognition processing canceled.

8. The speech processing unit according to claim 2, wherein if the voice guidance is associated with one of traffic information and toll information when said speech recognition device accepts the speech input while said voice guidance device is scheduling to carry out the voice guidance processing, said processing control device has the voice guidance processing postponed and the speech recognition processing carried out.

9. The speech processing unit according to claim 2, wherein if the voice guidance is associated with route guidance when said speech recognition device accepts the speech input while said voice guidance device is scheduling to carry out the voice guidance processing, said processing control device has the voice guidance processing halted and the speech recognition processing carried out.

10. The speech processing unit according to claim 2, wherein if the voice said voice guidance means outputs is reproduced audio output when said speech recognition device accepts the speech input while said voice guidance device is scheduling to carry out the voice guidance processing, said processing control device has an audio speaker muted and the speech recognition processing carried out.

11. A method of information processing, comprising:

processing and outputting verbal information via at least one speaker to a user;

recognizing inputted speech of a user and processing the speech; and

controlling the processing and outputting of the verbal information and the inputted speech of a user by determining, based on the predetermined importance of the outputted verbal information, whether processing of the outputted information is performed until completion or is stopped when inputted speech is recognized.