Process and device for the speech-controlled remote control of electrical consumers

• US 5,878,394 A
• Filed: 10/16/1996
• Issued: 03/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Info BYTE AG
• Original Assignee: Info BYTE AG
• Inventors: Muhling, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDOUARD, PATRICK NESTOR
• Application Number:
  US08/722,181
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/274, 455/151.4, 455/151.1, 455/151.2, 455/352, 455/353, 348/734
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 9/06 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. light

Abstract

The invention pertains to a process and a device for the speech-controlled remote control of electrical consumers by means of speech commands entered via a standard, commercially available PC (1). The PC (1) stores the control sequences for the sequencing control of the individual electrical consumers (21, 22, 23, 24, . . . , 2n). The control sequences are infrared-encoded signals enabling any electrical consumers featuring an infrared remote control unit to be controlled. Units which do not feature a remote control unit can be at least switched on and off via an upstream infrared receiver. A graphical user interface which is capable of being displayed on a monitor of the PC (1) forms an image display which is assigned to each individual electrical consumer, said image display being capable of being assigned the respective speech commands entered and infrared-encoded signals (FIG. 1).

Claims

1. A method for remote controlling electrical consumer devices in accordance with speech commands, wherein a personal computer (PC) and said consumer devices are connected to a remote control network, comprising the steps of:

receiving speech commands from at least one speech channel having an electro-acoustic transducer, said transducer being connected to the PC via a speech channel interface;

transforming the speech commands into a corresponding control commands for controlling consumer devices using a speech recognition program;

encoding every control command generated by the speech recognition program to provide infrared codes, each infrared code being enterable, modifiable and assignable to a respective consumer device by an operator using the PC;

generating an image display on the PC in the form of a graphic user interface corresponding to each of said consumer devices to be controlled, said interface being assignable to a respective speech command and a codeset;

transmitting said infrared codes to said respective consumer device via the remote control network; and

transforming said infrared codes into electrical control signals for controlling the respective consumer device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said infrared codes comprises codesets which are assignable to any of said consumer devices.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transforming said infrared codes into infrared signals and transmitting said infrared signals to said respective consumer device via the remote control network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing a sequence of times to transmit each of said infrared codes to said respective consumer device, such that said respective consumer device may be remote controlled in a time-delay manner.

5. A system for remote controlling electrical consumer devices in accordance with speech commands, comprising:

a processor having a speech recognition program for recognizing and transforming the speech commands received by a speech channel into corresponding control command for controlling said consumer devices, said processor having a speech channel interface;

at least one speech channel being connected to said processor via an electro-acoustic transducer and the speech channel interface;

a remote control network connecting said consumer devices to said processor;

an encoder for encoding every speech command generated by said speech recognition program to provide infrared codes;

a transformer for transforming said infrared codes into encoded signals;

a storage device for storing said infrared codes;

an input device for inputting and modifying an infrared code and assigning the modified infrared code to a respective consumer device;

a monitor connected to the processor for displaying an image in the form of a graphic user interface, said graphic user interface being assignable to said respective consumer device;

a transmitter for transmitting the encoded signals to said respective consumer device via the remote control network; and

an infrared received associated with said respective consumer device for receiving the encoded signals.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said processor is a personal computer (PC).

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said infrared code comprises codesets of remote control units of all consumer devices connectable to the remote network.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein speech channels are distributed over several rooms and each speech channel is connected to said processor via an electro-acoustic transducer associated with said each speech channel and said speech channel interface.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein said consumer devices are connected to the remote control network in a star topology.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein said consumer devices are connected to the remote control network in a bus topology.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein said consumer devices are connected to the remote control network by a fiber-optic cable.