Determining navigation destination target in a situation of repeated speech recognition errors

• US 9,087,515 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2011
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Tsuda, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): He, Jialong
• Application Number:
  US13/272,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20120101821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/275
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/06 Creation of reference templates; Training of speech recognition systems, e.g. adaptation to the characteristics of the speaker's voice G10L15/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A speech recognition apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus converts a speech signal into a digitalized speech data, and performs speech recognition based on the speech data. The apparatus makes a comparison between the speech data inputted the last time and the speech data inputted the time before the last time in response to a user'"'"'s indication that the speech recognition results in erroneous recognition multiple times in a row. When the speech data inputted the last time is determined to substantially match the speech data inputted the time before the last time, the apparatus outputs a guidance prompting the user to utter an input target by calling it by another name.

Claims

1. A speech recognition apparatus comprising:

a speech recognition section in a processor, the speech recognition section

performs digital conversion to repeatedly convert a speech signal, which is inputted via a microphone from a user, into a speech data, the speech data being digitalized, and

performs speech recognition based on the speech data;

a comparison section in the processor, the comparison section makes a comparison between the speech data from the speech signal inputted a last time and the speech data from the speech signal inputted a time before the last time to determine whether the speech data inputted the last time substantially matches the speech data inputted the time before the last time, in response to a user'"'"'s indication that the speech recognition for recognizing a name of a user-input-target facility by the speech recognition section results in erroneous recognition multiple times in a row, wherein the user-input-target facility is a specific facility that the user would like to input;

a guidance output section in the processor, the guidance output section outputs a guidance prompting the user to utter the user-input-target facility by calling the user-input-target facility by another name, when the comparison section determines that the speech data inputted the last time substantially matches the speech data inputted the time before the last time; and

a database including a dictionary in which facility names are registered,

wherein;

when the user inputs the user-input-target facility as a first speech input by uttering the name of the user-input-target facility, the speech recognition section recognizes the first speech input and refers to the dictionary of the database to determine whether a facility name coinciding with the first speech input exists in the dictionary;

when the speech recognition section determines that the facility name coinciding with the first speech input does not exist in the dictionary, the guidance output section

notifies the user that the facility name coinciding with the first speech input does not exist in the dictionary,

stores the first speech input, and

prompts the user to re-input the user-input-target facility as a second speech input;

when the speech recognition section determines that the facility name coinciding with the second speech input does not exist in the dictionary, the comparison section makes the comparison between a data of the first speech input and a data of the second speech input; and

when the comparison section determines that the data of the first speech input substantially matches the data of the second speech input, the guidance output section outputs the guidance prompting the user to utter the user-input-target facility by calling the user-input-target facility by the another name.

2. A speech recognition apparatus comprising:

a speech recognition section in a processor speech recognition section

performs digital conversion to repeatedly convert a speech signal, which is inputted via a microphone from a user, into a speech data, and

performs speech recognition based on the speech data;

a comparison section in a processor, the comparison section makes a comparison between the speech data from the speech signal inputted a last time and the speech data from the speech signal inputted a time before the last time to determine whether the speech data inputted the last time substantially matches the speech data inputted the time before the last time, in response to a user'"'"'s indication that the speech recognition for recognizing a name of a user-input-target facility by the speech recognition section results in erroneous recognition multiple times in a row, wherein the user-input-target facility is a specific facility that the user would like to input;

a guidance output section in a processor, the guidance output section makes a list of names of facilities existing in an area in the vicinity of a present position and displays the list with a display device when the comparison section determines that the speech data inputted the last time substantially matches the speech data inputted the time before the last time; and

a database including a dictionary in which facility names are registered,

wherein;

when the user inputs the user-input-target facility as a first speech input by uttering the name of the user-input-target facility, the speech recognition section recognizes the first speech input and refers to the dictionary of the database to determine whether a facility name coinciding with the first speech input exists in the dictionary;

when the speech recognition section determines that the facility name coinciding with the first speech input does not exist in the dictionary, the guidance output section

notifies the user that the facility name coinciding with the first speech input does not exist in the dictionary,

stores the first speech input, and

prompts the user to re-input the user-input-target facility as a second speech input;

when the speech recognition section determines that the facility name coinciding with the second speech input does not exist in the dictionary, the comparison section makes the comparison between a data of the first speech input and a data of the second speech input; and

when the comparison section determines that the data of the first speech input substantially matches the data of the second speech input, the guidance output section makes the list of names of facilities existing in the area in the vicinity of the present position and displays the list with the display device.

3. The speech recognition apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the list lists up the facility names registered in the dictionary of the database.

4. A speech recognition apparatus comprising:

a speech recognition section in a processor, the speech recognition section

performs digital conversion to repeatedly convert a speech signal, which is inputted via a microphone from a user, into a speech data, and

performs speech recognition based on the speech data;

a comparison section in the processor, the comparison section makes a comparison between the speech data from the speech signal inputted a last time and the speech data from the speech signal inputted a time before the last time to determine whether the speech data inputted the last time substantially matches the speech data inputted the time before the last time, in response to a user'"'"'s indication that the speech recognition for recognizing a name of a user-input-target facility by the speech recognition section results in erroneous recognition multiple times in a row, wherein the user-input-target facility is a specific facility that the user would like to input; and

a guidance output section in the processor, the guidance output section is configured to connect with an external server via the Internet,

wherein;

when the comparison section determines that the speech data inputted the last time substantially matches the speech data inputted the time before the last time, the guidance output section

connects to the external server via the Internet makes a search by using a feature of the speech data as a search key to retrieve content, and

displays the retrieve content with a display device, and

the speech recognition apparatus uses a speech search solution enabling a search of a word with a raw speech when the search using the feature of the speech data is performed via the Internet.

5. A speech recognition apparatus for a vehicle, wherein:

a speech recognition section in a processor, the speech recognition section

performs digital conversion to repeatedly convert a speech signal, which is inputted via a microphone from a user, into a speech data, and

performs speech recognition based on the speech data;

a comparison section in the processor, the comparison section makes a comparison between the speech data from the speech signal inputted a last time and the speech data from the speech signal inputted a time before the last time to determine whether the speech data inputted the last time substantially matches the speech data inputted the time before the last time, in response to a user'"'"'s indication that the speech recognition for recognizing a name of a user-input-target facility by the speech recognition section results in erroneous recognition multiple times in a row, wherein the user-input-target facility is a specific facility that the user would like to input;

an external-byname providing section in the processor, the external-byname providing section is configured to connect with an external information center; and

a second database including a dictionary in which facility names are registered,

wherein;

when the comparison section determines that the speech data inputted the last time substantially matches the speech data inputted the time before the last time, the external-byname providing section

transmits information on a present position of the vehicle to the external information center,

causes the external information center to search a first database, which is a database of facilities having bynames, to acquire a list of bynames of facilities that exists around the present position of the vehicle,

receives the list of bynames from the external information center, and

displays the received list of bynames with a display device,

when the user inputs the user-input-target facility as a first speech input by uttering the name of the user-input-target facility, the speech recognition section recognizes the first speech input and refers to the dictionary of the second database to determine whether a facility name coinciding with the first speech input exists in the dictionary;

when the speech recognition section determines that the facility name coinciding with the first speech input does not exist in the dictionary, the external-byname providing section

notifies the user that the facility name coinciding with the first speech input does not exist in the dictionary,

stores the first speech input, and

prompts the user to re-input the user-input-target facility as a second speech input;

when the speech recognition section determines that the facility name coinciding with the second speech input does not exist in the dictionary, the comparison section makes the comparison between a data of the first speech input and a data of the second speech input; and

when the comparison section determines that the data of the first speech input substantially matches the data of the second speech input, the external-byname providing section

transmits the information on the present position of the vehicle to the external information center,

causes the external information center to search the first database of the external information center to acquire a list of bynames of facilities existing around the present position of the vehicle,

receives the list of bynames from the external information center, and

displays the received list of bynames with the display device.

6. The speech recognition apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the external-byname providing section displays a first name set and a second name set in pairs with the display device;

the first name set is a set of names registered in the dictionary of the second database; and

the second name set is a set of bynames not registered in the dictionary of the second database.

7. The speech recognition apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the external-byname providing section causes the display device to display the first name set and the second name set distinguishably from each other.

8. The speech recognition apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the first database, which the external information center searches in acquiring the list of bynames of facilities existing around the present position of the vehicle, includes popular names and nicknames by which other users call the facilities.

9. The speech recognition apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the other users are local people in an area around the present position of the vehicle.

10. A speech recognition apparatus for a vehicle, wherein:

a speech recognition section in a processor, the speech recognition section

performs digital conversion to repeatedly convert a speech signal, which is inputted via a microphone from a user, into a speech data, and

performs speech recognition based on the speech data;

a comparison section in the processor, the comparison section makes a comparison between the speech data from the speech signal inputted a last time and the speech data from the speech signal inputted the time before the last time to determine whether the speech data inputted the last time substantially matches the speech data inputted the time before the last time, in response to a user'"'"'s indication that the speech recognition for recognizing a name of a user-input-target facility by the speech recognition section results in erroneous recognition multiple times in a row, wherein the user-input-target facility is a specific facility that the user would like to input; and

a database of facilities having bynames; and

an internal-byname providing section in the processor, the internal-byname providing section

acquires a list of bynames of facilities existing around a present position of the vehicle by searching the database of bynames and provides the user with the acquired list when the comparison section determines that the speech data inputted the last time substantially matches the speech data inputted the time before the last time; and

the internal-byname providing section includes a speech read-aloud section that receives of bynames of facilities and outputs the list as a speech output in order of increasing distance from the present position of the vehicle.

11. A speech recognition apparatus, comprising:

a speech recognition section in a processor, the speech recognition section

performs digital conversion to repeatedly convert a speech signal, which is inputted via a microphone from a user, into a speech data, and

performs speech recognition based on the speech data;

a comparison section in the processor, the comparison section makes a comparison between the speech data from the speech signal inputted a last time and the speech data from the speech signal inputted a time before the last time to determine whether the speech data inputted the last time substantially matches the speech data inputted the time before the last time, in response to a user'"'"'s indication that the speech recognition for recognizing a name of a user-input-target facility by the speech recognition section results in erroneous recognition multiple times in a row, wherein the user-input-target facility is a specific facility that the user would like to input; and

a position information providing section in the processor, the position information providing section is configured to communicate with an external information center,

wherein;

when the comparison section determines that the speech data inputted the last time substantially matches the speech data inputted the time before the last time, the position information providing section

transmits the speech data to the external information center,

causes the external information center to perform the speech recognition based on the transmitted speech data,

causes the external information center to acquire positional information of the user-input-target facility as a result of the speech recognition,

receives the positional information of the user-input-target facility from the external information center, and

provides the user with the acquired positional information of the user-input-target facility,

the position information of the result of the speech recognition corresponds to information on latitude and longitude and/or map code,

the position information providing section includes a speech read-aloud section, and

the speech read-aloud section provides the user with the result of the speech recognition as a speech output.

12. A speech recognition apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a speech recognition section in a processor, the speech recognition section

performs digital conversion to repeatedly convert a speech signal, which is inputted via a microphone from a user, into a speech data, and

performs speech recognition based on the speech data;

a comparison section in the processor, the comparison section makes a comparison between the speech data from the speech signal inputted a last time and the speech data from the speech signal inputted a time before the last time to determine whether the speech data inputted the last time substantially matches the speech data inputted the time before the last time, in response to a user'"'"'s indication that the speech recognition for recognizing a name of a user-input-target facility by the speech recognition section results in erroneous recognition multiple times in a row, wherein the user-input-target facility is a specific facility that the user would like to input;

a position information providing section in the processor, the position information providing section is configured to communicate with an external information center; and

a second database including a dictionary in which facility names are registered,

wherein;

when the comparison section determines that the speech data inputted the last time substantially matches the speech data inputted the time before the last time, the position information providing section

transmits a character string, into which the speech data is converted, and a present position of the vehicle to the external information center,

causes the external information center to search a first database, which is a database of facilities having bynames, by using the character string and the present poison of the vehicle to acquire a list of similar bynames of facilities existing around the vehicle,

receives the list of similar bynames of facilities existing around the vehicle from the external information center, and

provides the user with the received list,

when the user inputs the user-input-target facility as a first speech input by uttering the name of the user-input-target facility, the speech recognition section recognizes the first speech input and refers to the dictionary of the second database to determine whether a facility name coinciding with the first speech input exists in the dictionary;

when the speech recognition section determines that the facility name coinciding with the first speech input does not exist in the dictionary, the position information providing section

notifies the user that the facility name coinciding with the first speech input does not exist in the dictionary,

stores the first speech input, and prompts the user to re-input the user-input-target facility as a second speech input;

when the speech recognition section determines that the facility name coinciding with the second speech input does not exist in the dictionary, the comparison section makes the comparison between a data of the first speech input and a data of the second speech input; and

when the comparison section determines that the data of the first speech input substantially matches the data of the second speech input, the position information providing section

transmits the character string and the present poison of the vehicle to the external information center,

causes the external information center to search the first database, which is the database of facilities having bynames, by using the character string and the present poison of the vehicle to acquire the list of similar bynames of facility names existing around the vehicle,

receives the list of similar bynames of facilities existing around the vehicle, and

provides the user with the received list.