Method and apparatus for controlling devices connected to home network

• US 20030187659A1
• Filed: 03/17/2003
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Jay-woo, Park, Jun-ho, Cho, Jeong-mi, Hong, Young-jin
• Granted Patent: US 7,957,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1815 Semantic context, e.g. disambiguation of the recognition hypotheses based on word meaning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling home electronic devices connected to a home network are provided. The method for controlling home electronic devices connected to a home network includes receiving a user voice command and converting the user voice command into a character command; extracting actions and objects from the character command and converting the character command into a logical command; extracting an action list containing a series of actions from the logical command by referring to an action library storing action data for controlling home electronic devices connected to the home network; and converting the series of actions included in the action list into a control signal and controlling the home electronic devices connected to the home network. According to the method and apparatus, user commands to home electronic devices connected to a complicated home network can be simplified such that home electronic devices are controlled conveniently and efficiently.

Claims

1. A method for controlling home electronic devices connected to a home network comprising:

(a) receiving a user voice command and converting the user voice command into a character command;

(b) converting the character command into a logical command by extracting actions and objects from the character command;

(c) extracting an action list containing a series of actions from the logical command by referring to an action library storing action data for controlling home electronic devices connected to the home network; and

(d) converting the series of actions included in the action list into a control signal and controlling the home electronic devices connected to the home network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (b) comprises:

extracting actions and objects from the character command;

storing semantic information of the extracted actions and objects into the memory; and

removing the semantic ambiguity of the actions and objects by using the loaded semantic information of the actions and objects.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure of action data stored in the action library includes at least one of an action header which indicates the action, a prerequisite which is needed to perform the action, sub-actions which are needed to complete execution of the action, and an action effect which is the result of execution of the action.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step (c) comprises:

(c1) determining whether or not a prerequisite included in the action data corresponding to the logical command is satisfied;

(c2) if the determination result indicates that the prerequisite is not satisfied and an action capable of satisfying the prerequisite is in the action library, searching for the action;

(c3) if the determination result indicates that the prerequisite is not satisfied and an action capable of satisfying the prerequisite is not in the action library, outputting an error message;

(c4) if the prerequisite included in action data corresponding to the logical command is satisfied and there are sub-actions, searching for the sub-actions from the action library; and

(c5) if the prerequisite included in action data corresponding to the logical command is satisfied and there are no more sub-actions, writing the action in the action list.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein in the step (c1), whether or not the prerequisite is satisfied is determined by referring to a device state library which stores state information of home electronic devices connected to the home network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the device state library stores at least a device ID, an action, and a device state.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(e) reporting the result of execution of an action by controlling the home electronic devices connected to the home network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step (e) comprises:

receiving the result of execution of an action from a home electronic device connected to the home network; and

outputting a result message containing the received result of execution of the action.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the result message includes an execution result success message or an execution result failure message and the execution result failure message includes information on the home electronic device in which an error occurred.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) monitoring the states of home electronic devices which change according to the control of the home electronic devices connected to the home network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step (f) comprises:

receiving changed home electronic device state information from the home electronic devices connected to the home network; and

updating a device state library which stores the state information of home electronic devices connected to the home network, by using the received home electronic device state information.

29. A recording medium on which a method of controlling home electronic devices connected to a home network of claim 1 is recorded using program codes which can be read out and operated by a computer.

30. A recording medium on which a method of controlling home electronic devices connected to a home network of claim 7 is recorded using program codes which can be read out and operated by a computer.

31. A recording medium on which a method of controlling home electronic devices connected to a home network of claim 10 is recorded using program codes which can be read out and operated by a computer.

12. An apparatus for controlling home electronic devices connected to a home network comprising:

an action library which stores action data for controlling the home electronic devices connected to the home network;

a voice recognition unit which receives a user voice command and recognizes the user voice command as a character command;

a command interpretation unit which converts the character command into a logical command by extracting actions and objects from the character command;

an action planning unit which extracts an action list containing a series of actions from the logical command by referring to the action library; and

a home electronic device control unit which converts the series of actions contained in the action list into a control signal and controls the home electronic devices connected to the home network.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the command interpretation unit comprises:

a command surface analysis unit which extracts actions and objects of the command from the character command and stores semantic information of the extracted actions and objects; and

a command deep analysis unit which removes the semantic ambiguity of the actions and objects by using the stored semantic information of the actions and objects.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the data structure of the action data stored in the action library includes at least one of an action header which indicates the action, a prerequisite which is needed to perform the action, sub-actions which are needed to complete execution of the action, and an action effect which is the result of execution of the action.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein if the result of determining whether or not a prerequisite included in the action data corresponding to the logical command is satisfied indicates that the prerequisite is not satisfied and an action capable of satisfying the prerequisite is not in the action library, the action planning unit outputs an error message.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein whether or not the prerequisite included in the action data corresponding to the logical command is determined by referring to a device state library which stores state information of the home electronic devices connected to the home network.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the device state library stores at least a device ID, an action, and a device state.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein if the result of determining whether or not a prerequisite included in the action data corresponding to the logical command is satisfied indicates that the prerequisite is not satisfied and an action capable of satisfying the prerequisite is in the action library, the action is searched.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein whether or not the prerequisite included in the action data corresponding to the logical command is determined by referring to a device state library which stores state information of the home electronic devices connected to the home network.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the device state library stores at least a device ID, an action, and a device state.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the sub-action is searched from the action library in case that the prerequisite included in the action data corresponding to the logical command is satisfied and sub-action is in the action library.

22. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the action is written in the action list in case that the prerequisite included in the action data corresponding to the logical command is satisfied and further sub-action is not in the action library.

23. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a response management unit which reports the result of execution of an action by controlling the home electronic devices connected to the home network.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the response management unit receives the result of execution of an action through the device control unit from a home electronic device connected to the home network and outputs a result message containing the received result of execution of the action.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the result message is output in the form of voice or characters.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the result message includes an execution result success message or an execution result failure message and the execution result failure message includes information on the home electronic device in which an error occurred.

27. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a device monitoring unit which monitors the states of home electronic devices which change according to the control of the home electronic devices connected to the home network.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the device monitoring unit receives changed home electronic device state information from the home electronic devices connected to the home network and updates the device state library which stores the state information of home electronic devices connected to the home network, by using the received home electronic device state information.