Systems and methods for dynamic re-configurable speech recognition

• US 8,719,017 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2008
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rose, Richard C, Gajic, Bojana
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Paras D
• Application Number:
  US12/120,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20080221887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,182 Days
• Field of Search: 704243-244, 704/246, 704/251, 704/255
• US Class Current: 704/244
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/10 using distance or distortion measures between unknown speech and reference templates
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/142 Hidden Markov Models [HMMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/20 Speech recognition techniques specially adapted for robustness in adverse environments, e.g. in noise, of stress induced speech G10L21/02 takes precedence

Abstract

Speech recognition models are dynamically re-configurable based on user information, background information such as background noise and transducer information such as transducer response characteristics to provide users with alternate input modes to keyboard text entry. The techniques of dynamic re-configurable speech recognition provide for deployment of speech recognition on small devices such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants as well environments such as office, home or vehicle while maintaining the accuracy of the speech recognition.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a voice request from a user at a device;

generating, on the device, a user identifier using the voice request and time-based rules associated with the device;

comparing stored user identities to the user identifier, to yield a comparison;

estimating, via successive comparisons, a background noise parameter and a transducer noise parameter, wherein a delay between the successive comparisons is increased when successive changes do not exceed a threshold value; and

when, based on the comparison, the user is associated with the device;

retrieving a parameterizable speaker independent speech recognition model associated with the user identifier; and

adapting the parameterizable speaker independent speech recognition model based on the background noise parameter and the transducer noise parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the user identifier occurs after receiving a unique user code at a beginning of a usage session.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the parameterizable speaker independent speech recognition model to an automatic speech recognition server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameterizable speaker independent speech recognition model is generated based on a background model, a transducer model and the user identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing speech recognition for the user on speech received by the device.

6. A system comprising:

a processor;

a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a voice request from a user at a device;

generating, on the device, a user identifier using the voice request and time-based rules associated with the device;

comparing stored user identities to the user identifier, to yield a comparison;

estimating, via successive comparisons, a background noise parameter and a transducer noise parameter, wherein a delay between the successive comparisons is increased when successive changes do not exceed a threshold value; and

when, based on the comparison, the user is associated with the device;

retrieving a parameterizable speaker independent speech recognition model associated with the user identifier; and

adapting the parameterizable speaker independent speech recognition model based on the background noise parameter and the transducer noise parameter.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein generating the user identifier occurs after receiving a unique user code at a beginning of a usage session.

8. The system of claim 6, the computer-readable storage medium having additional instructions stored which result in the operations further comprising transmitting the parameterizable speaker independent speech recognition model to an automatic speech recognition server.

9. The system of claim 6, the computer-readable storage medium having additional instructions stored which result in the operations further comprising wherein the parameterizable speaker independent speech recognition model is generated based on a background model, a transducer model and the user identifier.

10. The system of claim 6, the computer-readable storage medium having additional instructions stored which result in the operations further comprising performing speech recognition for the user for speech received by the device.

11. A computer-readable storage device having instructions stored which, when executed by a computing device, result in the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a voice request from a user at a device;

generating, on the device, a user identifier using the voice request and time-based rules associated with the device;

comparing stored user identities to the user identifier, to yield a comparison;

estimating, via successive comparisons, a background noise parameter and a transducer noise parameter, wherein a delay between the successive comparisons is increased when successive changes do not exceed a threshold value; and

when, based on the comparison, the user is associated with the device;

retrieving a parameterizable speaker independent speech recognition model associated with the user identifier; and

adapting the parameterizable speaker independent speech recognition model based on the background noise parameter and the transducer noise parameter.

12. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein generating the user identifier occurs after receiving a unique user code at a beginning of a usage session.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, the computer-readable storage device having additional instructions stored which result in the operations further comprising:

transmitting the parameterizable speaker independent speech recognition model to an automatic speech recognition server.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, the computer-readable storage device having additional instructions stored which result in the operations further comprising:

wherein the parameterizable speaker independent speech recognition model is generated based on a background model, a transducer model and the user identifier.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, the computer-readable storage device having additional instructions stored which result in the operations further comprising performing the speech recognition for the user on speech received by the device.