Device control, speech recognition device, agent device, control method

• US 7,822,614 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2004
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kenwood (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Koyama, Rika
• Primary Examiner(s): Chawan; Vijay B
• Application Number:
  US10/581,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20070276672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,150 Days
• Field of Search: 704/275, 704/237, 704/240, 704/245, 704/270, 704/246, 704/277, 340/5.1, 340/5.72, 340/825.72
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

A language analyzer performs speech recognition on a speech input by a speech input unit, specifies a possible word which is represented by the speech, and the score thereof, and supplies word data representing them to an agent processing unit. The agent processing unit stores process item data which defines a data acquisition process to acquire word data or the like, a discrimination process, and an input/output process, and wires or data defining transition from one process to another and giving a weighting factor to the transition, and executes a flow represented generally by the process item data and the wires to thereby control devices belonging to an input/output target device group. To which process in the flow the transition takes place is determined by the weighting factor of each wire, which is determined by the connection relationship between a point where the process has proceeded and the wire, and the score of word data. The wire and the process item data can be downloaded from an external server.

Claims

1. A device control device for controlling equipment, comprising:

speech signal recognition and identification means which recognizes input speech signal, specifies a candidate for a phrase contained in the speech signal, and computes a likelihood of each specified phrase;

process-item data storing means which stores a plurality of process items indicated by the candidate for the phrase specified by said speech signal recognition means;

transition-definition data storing means (D5) which stores plural pieces of transition definition data defining transition from one process item in the plurality of process items to another process item, in such a way that a process item indicated by the candidate for the phrase is associated with a constant;

device control means which determines a process item to be executed subsequent to a currently executed item based on the candidate for the phrase, the likelihood of the specified phase computed by said speech signal recognition and identification means, and the constant indicated by the transition-definition data, the device control means controlling said equipment in accordance with the determined process item; and

acquisition means which, when the process item for controlling said equipment, the process item being determined by said device controlling means, and/or the transition-definition data is not stored in said process item data storage means and/or said transition-data storage means, accesses an externally located source of a new process item and/or transition definition data, acquires said new process item and/or transition definition data, and updates an old process item stored in said process-item data storing means or old transition definition data stored in said transition-definition data storing means to said new process item or transition definition data.

2. The device control device according to claim 1, wherein said source compresses and supplies said new process item or said transition definition data, and said acquisition means has means which decompresses said new process item or said transition definition data acquired from said source.

3. The device control device according to claim 1, wherein said device controlling means:

computes a value represented by a product of the constant associated with the transition from the currently executed item to each of other process items that includes the candidate for the phrase and the likelihood of the specified phrase computed by said speech signal recognition identification means; and

determines, as a next process target, a process item indicated by the candidate for the phrase that corresponds to largest of the values computed.

4. A device control method for controlling equipment, comprising:

a speech signal recognition and identification step of which recognizing input speech signal, specifying a candidate for a phrase contained in the speech signal, and computing a likelihood of each specified phrase;

a process-item data storing step of storing, in a first memory, a plurality of process items indicated by the candidate specified in said speech signal recognition and identification step;

a transition-definition data storing step of storing, in a second memory, plural pieces of transition definition data each having a condition corresponding to input information, and defining transition from one process item in the plurality of process items to another process item, in such a way that a process item specified by the candidate for the phrase is associated with a constant;

device control step of;

determining a process item to be executed subsequent to a currently executed item based on the candidate for the phrase, the likelihood of the specified phase computed by said speech signal recognition and identification means, and the constant indicated by the transition-definition data; and

controlling said equipment in accordance with the determined process item; and

an acquisition and update step of, when the process item for controlling said equipment, the process item being determined by said device controlling means, and/or the transition-definition data is not stored in said first memory and/or said second memory, accessing an externally located source of a new process item or transition definition data, acquiring said new process item or transition definition data, and updating an old process item stored at said process-item data storing step or old transition definition data stored at said transition-definition data storing step to said new process item or transition definition data.

5. A computer readable storage medium having recorded thereon a computer program that allows a computer to function as:

speech signal recognition and identification means which recognizes input speech signal, specifies a candidate for a phrase contained in the speech signal, and computes a likelihood of each specified phrase;

process-item data storing means which stores a plurality of process items specified by the candidate for the phrase specified by said speech signal recognition means;

transition-definition data storing means which stores plural pieces of transition definition data defining transition from one process item in the plurality of process items to another process item, in such a way that a process item indicated by the candidate for the phrase is associated with a constant;

device control means which determines a process item to be executed subsequent to a currently executed item based on the candidate for the phrase, the likelihood of the specified phase computed by said speech signal recognition and identification means, and the constant indicated by the transition-definition data, the device control means controlling said equipment in accordance with the determined process item; and

acquisition means which, when the process item for controlling said equipment, the process item being determined by said device controlling means, and/or the transition-definition data is not stored in said process item data storage means and/or said transition-data storage means, accesses an externally located source of a new process item and/or transition definition data, acquires said new process item and/or transition definition data, and updates an old process item stored in said process-item data storing means or old transition definition data stored in said transition-definition data storing means to said new process item or transition definition data.