Voice processing method and electronic device supporting the same

• US 10,839,806 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2018
• Issued: 11/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jeon, Joo Hyuk, Kwon, Woo Up, Park, Jin Woo, Woo, Kyoung Gu, Lim, Eun Taek, Hyun, Kyung Hak, Jang, Dong Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Huyen X
• Application Number:
  US16/029,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20190013024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/35 Discourse or dialogue representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/16 using artificial neural networks
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

An electronic device and method are disclosed herein. The electronic device includes a network interface and processor. The processor implements the method, including receiving a voice input through a network interface as transmitted from a first external device, including a request to execute a function using at least one application which is not indicated in the voice input, extracting a first text from the voice input by executing automatic speech recognition (ASR), when the at least one application is identified based on the first text, transmitting, through the network interface to the first external device, second data associated with the identified at least one application for display by the first external device, and when the at least one application is not identified based at least in part on the first text, reattempting identification of the at least one application by executing natural language understanding (NLU) on the first text.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a network interface;

at least one processor operatively connected with the network interface; and

at least one memory storing instructions and operatively connected with the at least one processor, the instructions executable by the at least one processor to;

receive a voice input through the network interface as transmitted from a first external device, the voice input including a request to execute a function using at least one application which is not indicated in the voice input,

extract a first text from the voice input by executing automatic speech recognition (ASR) on the voice input,

when the at least one application is identified based at least in part on the first text, transmit, through the network interface to the first external device, second data associated with the identified at least one application for display by the first external device, and

when the at least one application is not identified based at least in part on the first text, reattempt identification of the at least one application by executing natural language understanding (NLU) on the first text to determine the at least one application capable of executing the function.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to:

identify the at least one application program by comparing the first text with at least one of a plurality of prestored sentences, a plurality of prestored phrases, and a plurality of prestored words.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to:

perform the NLU on the first text to identify a domain indicating a set of prestored user intents indicated by the first text.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the identified at least one application program comprises at least one of an application program downloadable from an app store, a web application program, and an interactive agent program.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to:

when the at least one application is not identified by executing NLU, execute an Internet search on the first text.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to:

after the second data is transmitted to the first external device for display, receive a user selection as transmitted from the first external device.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to:

transmit to the first external device an indication allowing performance of the function based on the user selection.

8. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to:

transmit to the first external device a second indication allowing display of a result of performance of the function by an external server, based on the user selection.

9. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to:

execute the function according to selection of a function available to the identified at least one application, the function derived from at least one of a downloadable application program, a web application program, and an interactive agent program.

10. A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving a voice input through a network interface as transmitted from a first external device, the voice input including a request to execute a function using at least one application which is not indicated in the voice input,

extracting, by at least one processor, a first text from the voice input by executing automatic speech recognition (ASR) on the voice input,

when the at least one application is identified based at least in part on the first text, transmitting, through the network interface to the first external device, second data associated with the identified at least one application for display by the first external device, and

when the at least one application is not identified based at least in part on the first text, reattempting identification of the at least one application by executing natural language understanding (NLU) on the first text to determine the at least one application capable of executing the function.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying the at least one application program by comparing the first text with at least one of a plurality of prestored sentences, a plurality of prestored phrases, and a plurality of prestored words.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

performing the NLU on the first text to identify a domain indicating a set of prestored user intents indicated by the first text.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the identified at least one application program comprises at least one of an application program downloadable from an app store, a web application program, and an interactive agent program.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

when the at least one application is not identified by executing NLU, executing an Internet search on the first text.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

after the second data is transmitted to the first external device for display, receiving a user selection as transmitted from the first external device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting to the first external device an indication allowing performance of the function based on the user selection.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting to the first external device a second indication allowing display of a result of performance of the function by an external server, based on the user selection.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

executing the function according to selection of a function available to the identified at least one application, the function derived from at least one of a downloadable application program, a web application program, and an interactive agent program.