Device and method for language model switching and adaptation

• US 8,078,467 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2007
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Company Limited
• Original Assignee: NEC Company Limited
• Inventors: Wu, Genqing, Xu, Liqin
• Primary Examiner(s): RIDER, JUSTIN W
• Application Number:
  US11/683,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,741 Days
• Field of Search: 704/255, 704/270
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/263 Language identification
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/183 using context dependencies, e.g. language models
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

This invention provides a device and method for language model switching and adaptation, wherein the device comprises a notification manager which notifies a language model switching section of the current status information or the request for the language model of an destination application when the status of the destination application is changed; a language model switching section which selects one or more language models to be switched from a language model set according to the received current status information or the request; a LMB engine decodes a user input using the one or more selected language models; and a language model adaptation section which receives the decoded result and modifies the one or more selected language models based on the decoded result. Therefore, the user input is more accurate even if the language model switching section performs different switches among different language models and the performance of the language models are improved by the language model adaptation section.

Claims

1. A device for language model switching and adaptation, comprising:

a notification manager which notifies a language model switching section of the current status information or the request for the language model of an destination application when the status of the destination application is changed;

a language model switching section which selects one or more language models to be switched from a language model set according to the received current status information or the request;

a Language Model (LMB) engine which decodes a user input using the one or more selected language models; and

a language model adaptation section which receives the decoded result and modifies the one or more selected language models based on the decoded result,

wherein the current status information indicates if a new destination application among a plurality of destination applications is activated, and

wherein the plurality of destination applications are software applications that receives language model-related service.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the LMB engine is a voice recognizing engine.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the LMB engine is a text input engine.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the language model switching section comprises:

a receiving and translating unit which receives the current status information or the request for the language model from the notification manager and translates the status information into a request for language model by searching a mapping table when the current status information is received; and

a language model selection unit which selects one or more language models to be switched from the language model set based on the request for the language model or the translated request for language model.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the language model switching section comprises:

a receiving and translating unit which receives the current status information or the request for the language model from the notification manager and translates the status information into a request for language model by searching a mapping table when the current status information is received; and

a language model selection unit which selects one or more language models to be switched from the language model set based on the request for the language model or the translated request for language model.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the notification manager comprises:

a Graphics, Windows and Events Subsystem (GWES) graphics user interface which detects the change of the status of the destination application; and

a software keyboard input panel which notifies the language model switching section of the current status information or the request for the language model of the destination application.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the notification manager comprises:

a GWES graphics user interface which detects the change of the status of the destination application; and

a software keyboard input panel which notifies the language model switching section of the current status information or the request for the language model of the destination application.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein the notification manager comprises:

a GWES graphics user interface which detects the change of the status of the destination application; and

a software keyboard input panel which notifies the language model switching section of the current status information or the request for the language model of the destination application.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein one language model of the Language model set overlaps another language model within one language domain.

10. The device of claim 1, the device further comprising:

a global language model mapping section which maps the status of the destination application to the corresponding one or more language models,

wherein the destination application knows the request for language model by a request flag and the global language model mapping section, and sends the request for language model to the notification manager.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the language model switching section comprises:

a receiving module which receives the request for language model of the destination application from the notification manager; and

a language model selection module which selects one or more language models to be switched from the language model set according to the received request.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein the current status information indicates if a new field among a plurality of fields in the destination application is activated.

12. A method of language model switching and adaptation, comprising:

a notification step of notifying the current status information or the request for the language model of a destination application when the status of the destination application is changed;

a language model switching step of selecting one or more language models to be switched from a language model set according to the notified current status information or the request;

a decode step of decoding a user input using the one or more selected language models; and

a language model adaptation step of receiving the decoded result and modifying the one or more selected language models based on the decoded result,

wherein the current status information indicates if a new destination application among a plurality of destination applications is activated, and

wherein the plurality of destination applications are software applications that receive language model-related service.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the user input is a voice recognizing input

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the user input is a text input.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the language model switching step comprises:

a receiving and translating step of receiving the current status information or the request for the language model and translating the status information into a request for language model by searching a mapping table when the current status information is received; and

a language model selection step of selecting one or more language models to be switched from the language model set based on the request for the language model or the translated request for language model.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the language model switching step comprises:

a receiving and translating step of receiving the current status information or the request for the language model and translating the status information into a request for language model by searching a mapping table when the current status information is received; and

a language model selection step of selecting one or more language models to be switched from the language model set based on the request for the language model or the translated request for language model.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the notification step comprises:

a detection step of detecting the change of the status of the destination application; and

a communication step of notifying the current status information or the request for the language model of the destination application.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the notification step comprises:

a detection step of detecting the change of the status of the destination application; and

a communication step of notifying the current status information or the request for the language model of the destination application.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the notification step comprises:

a detection step of detecting the change of the status of the destination application; and

a communication step of notifying the current status information or the request for the language model of the destination application.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein one language model of the Language model set overlaps another language model within one language domain.

21. The method of claim 12, the method further comprising:

a global language model mapping step which maps the status of the destination application to the corresponding one or more language models,

wherein the destination application knows the request for language model by a request flag and the global language model mapping step, and providing the request for language model to the notification step.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the language model switching step comprises:

a step of receiving the request for language model from the destination application; and

a language model selection step of selecting one or more language models to be switched from the language model set according to the received request.