Instant translation system

• US 9,507,772 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2013
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kopin Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kopin Corporation
• Inventors: Parkinson, Christopher, Jacobsen, Jeffrey J., Ferguson, David Bruce, Pombo, Stephen A.
• Primary Examiner(s): COLUCCI, MICHAEL C
• Application Number:
  US13/869,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20130289971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,315 Days
• Field of Search: 704/2, 704/9, 704/8, 704/3, 704/275, 704/270.1, 704/258, 704/235, 704/231, 455/574, 455/413, 370/352, 235/472.03, 235/462.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A method of, and corresponding headset computer for, performing instant speech translation including, establishing a local network including a link between a first and a second headset computer in which preferred language settings of each headset computer are exchanged, transmitting captured speech in a first language from a first headset computer to a network-based speech recognition service to recognize and transcribe the captured speech as text, receiving the text at the first headset computer, broadcasting the text over the local network to at least the second headset computer, receiving the text at the second headset computer, transmitting the received text from the second headset computer to a network-based text translation service to translate the text to a text in a second language, receiving the text in the second language at the second headset computer from the network-based text translation service, and displaying the translated text at the second headset computer.

Claims

1. A method of performing instant speech translation, the method comprising:

establishing a local communications network including a link between at least a first and a second headset computer;

capturing speech in a first language at the first headset computer;

transmitting the captured speech in the first language from the first headset computer directly to a network-based speech recognition service to recognize and transcribe the captured speech as text in the first language;

receiving the text in the first language at the first headset computer from the network-based speech recognition service;

broadcasting the text in the first language from the first headset computer over the local network to at least the second headset computer;

receiving the broadcast text in the first language at the second headset computer;

transmitting the received broadcast text in the first language from the second headset computer directly to a network-based text translation service to translate the text in the first language to a text in a second language;

receiving the text in the second language at the second headset computer from the network-based text translation service;

synthesizing speech from the text in the second language to speech in the second language at the second headset computer;

presenting the synthesized speech in the second language through an audio speaker of the second headset computer; and

providing noise cancellation of the captured speech in the first language at the second headset computer.

2. The method of claim 1, further including displaying the text in the second language on a display of the second headset computer.

3. The method of claim 1, further including setting the first and second languages as a preferred operating language of the first and second headset computers, respectively, prior to establishing the local communications network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the establishing the local network further includes broadcasting interrogatories including the preferred operating language of each headset computer.

5. The method of claim 1, further including selecting an on-screen option using at least a voice command, a head-motion command, a hand-gesture command, or a combination thereof, to start the method of instant speech translation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the local communications network uses a Bluetooth Personal Area Networking (PAN) Profile.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second headset computers further include a micro-display to present the text in the first or second language.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second headset computers further include at least a short-range radio and a long-range radio, the first and second headset computers using the short-range radio for the local communications network and using the long-range radio to access the network-based speech recognition service and the network-based text translation service.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the long-range radio is a Global System for Mobile (GSM), a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), or a 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio.

10. A headset computing device to perform instant speech translation, the device comprising:

a speech capture module to capture speech in a first language;

a communications module to establish a local communications network including a link with at least a second headset computer, transmit the captured speech in the first language directly to a network-based speech recognition service to recognize and transcribe the captured speech as text in the first language, receive the text in the first language from the network-based speech recognition service, and broadcast the text in the first language over the local network to the at least second headset computer, receive text in a second language from the at least second headset computer, transmit the received text in the second language directly to a network-based text translation service to translate the text in the second language to a text in the first language, and receive the text in the first language from the network-based text translation service;

a noise canceling module to cancel speech in the second language at the device; and

a micro-display to display the translated text in the first language.

11. The headset computing device of claim 10, further comprising a speech synthesizer to synthesize the text in the first language, and an audio speaker to play the synthesized speech.

12. The headset computing device of claim 10, further including a preferred operating language, the preferred operating language being set during an initial set-up of the headset computer and at least prior to establishing the local communications network.

13. The headset computing device of claim 12, wherein the communications module broadcasts interrogatories including the preferred operating language of the headset computer as part of establishing the local communications network including the link with the at least second headset computer.

14. The headset computing device of claim 10, further including an on-screen option to start the method of instant speech translation, the on-screen option being selected by at least a voice command, a head-motion command, a hand-gesture command, or a combination thereof.

15. The headset computing device of claim 10, wherein the communications module uses a Bluetooth Personal Area Networking (PAN) Profile to establish the local communications network.

16. The headset computing device of claim 10, wherein the communications module further includes at least a short-range radio and a long-range radio, the headset computing device using the short-range radio for the local communications network including the communications link with the at least second headset computer and using the long-range radio to access the network-based speech recognition service and the network-based text translation service.

17. The headset computing device of claim 10, wherein the long-range radio is a Global System for Mobile (GSM), a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), or 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio.

18. A non-transitory computer program product for controlling operation of a headset computer, the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon, which, when loaded and executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

establish a local communications network including a link between at least a first and a second headset computer;

capture speech in a first language at the first headset computer;

transmit the captured speech in the first language from the first headset computer directly to a network-based speech recognition service to recognize and transcribe the captured speech as text in the first language;

receive the text in the first language at the first headset computer from the network-based speech recognition service;

broadcast the text in the first language over the local network to at least the second headset computer;

receive text in a second language from the second headset computer at the first headset computer;

transmit the received text in the second language directly to a network-based text translation service to translate the text in the second language to text in the first language;

receive the text in the first language from the network-based text translation service at the first headset computer; and

cancel speech in the second language at the first headset computer.