Voice command processing system and computer therefor, and voice command processing method

• US 20030154077A1
• Filed: 02/10/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Atake, Yoshinori, Mitsubo, Kikuo, Tahara, Yoshinori, Tomoda, Daisuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,299,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/239
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/10 using distance or distortion measures between unknown speech and reference templates

Abstract

When a user issued voice command does not match grammars registered in advance, the voice command is identified as a sentence (step S305). This sentence is compared with the registered grammars to calculate a similarity (step S307). When the similarity is higher than a first threshold value (TH1), the voice command is executed (step S315). When the similarity is equal to or lower than the first threshold value (TH1) and higher than a second threshold value (TH2), command choices are displayed for the user and the user is permitted to select a command to be executed (step S319). When the similarity is equal to or lower than the second threshold value (TH2), the command is not executed (step S321). Furthermore, once a command has been executed it is added as a grammar, so that it can be identified when next it is used.

Claims

1. A voice command processing system, for processing a user issued voice command, comprising:

registration means for the advance registration of multiple executable commands;

acquisition means for obtaining a user issued voice command;

determination means for determining which one of said commands registered in said registration means matches said voice command obtained by said acquisition means; and

calculation means for, when said determination means ascertains that said voice command does not match any of said registered commands, analyzing said voice command as a sentence, and for calculating for said registered commands and said sentence a similarity.

2. The voice command processing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

execution instruction means for instructing the execution of a registered command for which said similarity obtained by said calculation means falls within a predetermined range.

3. The voice command processing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

request means for, when there are multiple registered commands for which the similarities fall within a first range, notifying said user of said registered commands, and requesting that said user determine whether said registered commands should be executed.

4. The voice command processing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

request means for, when there is one or multiple registered commands for which similarities fall within a second range set lower than said first range, notifying said user of said registered commands, and for requesting that said user determine whether said registered commands should be executed.

5. A computer, for executing a user issued voice command, comprising:

a registration unit for registering a command executable by said computer;

a voice command processor for accepting a user issued voice command, and for performing a process to execute said voice command;

a speech recognition engine for analyzing, as a sentence, said voice command accepted by said voice command processor; and

a similarity calculator for comparing said sentence analyzed by said speech recognition engine with said command registered in said registration unit, and for calculating for said voice command a similarity.

6. The computer according to claim 5, further comprising:

a data score registration unit for registering phrases similar to the phrases in said registered command, and scores set based on said phrases and said similar phrases, wherein said similarity calculator employs said scores when calculating said similarity.

7. The computer according to claim 5, wherein said voice command processor executes said registered command when said similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

8. A voice command processing method that permits a computer to perform a user issued voice command comprising the steps of:

accepting a user issued voice command;

determining whether said voice command can be identified as a previously registered command;

analyzing said voice command as a sentence when it is impossible for said voice command to be identified as a registered command; and

comparing phrases in said analyzed sentence with phrases in said registered command in order to calculate a similarity.

9. The voice command processing method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

calculating scores based on matches obtained between phrases in said sentence and phrases in said registered command; and

employing said scores to calculate a similarity for said sentence and said registered command.

10. The voice command processing method according to claim 9, further comprising a step of:

registering, as a registered command and in correlation with said sentence, a voice command for which said similarity falls within a predetermined range.

11. The voice command processing method according to claim 9, further comprising a step of:

when said similarity falls within said predetermined range, executing said registered command for which said similarity has been calculated.

12. The voice command processing method according to claim 9, further comprising a step of:

at least either when there are multiple registered commands for which similarities fall within a first range, or when there is one or more registered commands for which said similarities fall within a second range, set lower than said first range, displaying for said user said registered commands for which similarities have been obtained, and requesting that said user select a registered command to be executed.

13. A voice command processing method that permits a computer to execute a user issued voice command comprising the steps of:

analyzing as a sentence a user issued voice command; and

comparing said voice command (W1), analyzed as a sentence, with a command (W2) registered in advance to calculate a similarity S(W1,W2),

whereby said similarity S(W1,W2) is represented by a value obtained by dividing, by the number (Vn) of applicable words for the calculation of said similarity S(W1,W2), the sum of scores (s) that is based on matching the i-th word (w1(i)) of said voice command and the j-th word (w2(j)) of said registered command.

14. A voice command processing method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

executing a registered command when said similarity S(W1,W2) is higher than a first threshold value (TH1); and

when said similarity S(W1,W2) is lower than said first threshold value (TH1) and is higher than a second threshold value (TH2) lower than said first threshold value (TH1), displaying said registered command for said user and requesting said user determine whether said registered command should be executed.

15. A machine readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

accepting a user issued voice command;

determining whether said voice command can be identified as a previously registered command;

analyzing said voice command as a sentence when it is impossible for said voice command to be identified as a registered command; and

comparing phrases in said analyzed sentence with phrases in said registered command in order to calculate a similarity.

16. The machine readable storage of claim 15, further causing the machine to perform the steps of:

calculating scores based on matches obtained between phrases in said sentence and phrases in said registered command; and

employing said scores to calculate a similarity for said sentence and said registered command.

17. The machine readable storage of claim 16, further causing the machine to perform the steps of:

registering, as a registered command and in correlation with said sentence, a voice command for which said similarity falls within a predetermined range.

18. The machine readable storage of claim 16, further causing the machine to perform the steps of:

when said similarity falls within said predetermined range, executing said registered command for which said similarity has been calculated.

19. The machine readable storage of claim 16, further causing the machine to perform the steps of:

at least either when there are multiple registered commands for which similarities fall within a first range, or when there is one or more registered commands for which said similarities fall within a second range, set lower than said first range, displaying for said user said registered commands for which similarities have been obtained, and requesting that said user select a registered command to be executed.

20. A machine readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

analyzing as a sentence a user issued voice command; and

comparing said voice command (W1), analyzed as a sentence, with a command (W2) registered in advance to calculate a similarity S(W1,W2),

whereby said similarity S(W1,W2) is represented by a value obtained by dividing, by the number (Vn) of applicable words for the calculation of said similarity S(W1,W2), the sum of scores (s) that is based on matching the i-th word (w1(i)) of said voice command and the j-th word (w2(j)) of said registered command.

21. The machine readable storage of claim 20, further causing the machine to perform the steps of:

executing a registered command when said similarity S(W1,W2) is higher than a first threshold value (TH1); and

when said similarity S(W1,W2) is lower than said first threshold value (TH1) and is higher than a second threshold value (TH2) lower than said first threshold value (TH1), displaying said registered command for said user and requesting said user determine whether said registered command should be executed.