Apparatus and method for speech recognition, and television equipped with apparatus for speech recognition

• US 8,421,932 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2011
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ouchi, Kazushige, Doi, Miwako
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Trang U
• Application Number:
  US13/332,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20120162540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 348/734, 348705-706, 348/552, 348/725, 348/736, 348/738, 704/825.22, 704/825.25, 704/825.24, 704/825.72, 340/275, 340/251
• US Class Current: 348/734
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone

Abstract

An embodiment of an apparatus for speech recognition includes a speech input unit configured to acquire acoustic signal, a first recognition unit configured to recognize the acoustic signal, a communication unit configured to communicate with an external server, a second recognition unit configured to recognize the acoustic signal by utilizing the external server via the communication unit, and a remote signal input unit configured to acquire a control signal from a remote controller. The switching unit is configured to switch between the first recognition unit and the second recognition unit for recognizing the acoustic signal in response to a start trigger. The switching unit selects the second recognition unit when the start trigger is detected from the control signal, and the switching unit selects the first recognition unit when the start trigger is detected from the acoustic signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for speech recognition, comprising:

a speech input unit configured to acquire acoustic signal;

a first recognition unit configured to recognize the acoustic signal;

a communication unit configured to communicate with an external server;

a second recognition unit configured to recognize the acoustic signal utilizing the external server via the communication unit;

a remote signal input unit configured to acquire a control signal from a remote controller;

a switching unit configured to switch between the first recognition unit and the second recognition unit for recognizing the acoustic signal in response to a start trigger;

wherein, the switching unit selects the second recognition unit when the start trigger is detected from the control signal, and the switching unit selects the first recognition unit when the start trigger is detected from the acoustic signal.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second recognition unit outputs more than one recognition result.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first recognition unit recognizes the acoustic signal by correlating the recognition result to a recognition vocabulary of the first recognition unit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second recognition unit updates a recognition vocabulary of the second recognition unit regularly.

5. A television equipped with the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a recognition vocabulary of the first recognition unit consists of vocabulary for television control, and a recognition vocabulary of the second recognition unit consists of vocabulary for information search.

6. An apparatus for speech recognition, comprising:

a speech input unit configured to acquire acoustic signal;

a first recognition unit configured to recognize the acoustic signal;

a communication unit configured to communicate with an external server;

a second recognition unit configured to recognize the acoustic signal utilizing the external server via the communication unit;

a remote signal input unit configured to acquire a control signal from a remote controller;

a image input unit configured to acquire an image,

a switching unit configured to switch between the first recognition unit and the second recognition unit for recognizing the acoustic signal in response to a start trigger;

wherein, the switching unit selects the second recognition unit when the start trigger is detected from the control signal, and the switching unit selects the first recognition unit when the start trigger is detected from the image.

7. A method for recognizing speech, comprising;

acquiring an acoustic signal;

recognizing the acoustic signal with a first recognition unit;

communicating with an external server;

recognizing the acoustic signal with a second recognition unit by utilizing the external server via the communication unit;

acquiring a control signal from a remote controller;

switching the first recognition unit and second recognition unit for recognizing the acoustic signal in response to a start trigger, including selecting the second recognition unit when the start trigger is detected from the control signal, and selecting the first recognition unit when the start trigger is detected from the acoustic signal.