Apparatus for determining appropriate series of words carrying information to be recognized

• US 6,556,970 B1
• Filed: 01/24/2000
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Sasaki, Mikio, Asami, Katsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Knepper, David D.
• Application Number:
  US09/490,442
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 704/231, 704/251, 704/255-257, 704/270, 704/3, 704/9, 706/50, 382/100
• US Class Current: 704/257
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/19 Grammatical context, e.g. disambiguation of the recognition hypotheses based on word sequence rules

Abstract

An apparatus includes a device for generating plural recognition candidates from a user'"'"'s utterance including a series of words and a device for screening the candidates to select a few appropriate series of words from the candidates. In selecting the appropriate series of words, various factors are taken into consideration. Those factors include evaluation of sentence structures, grammar, relation among words and dialogue topics, and situations surrounding the user. For example, a dialogue topic is first determined, and then a recognition dictionary that only includes words relating to the determined topic is dynamically restructured in the system. Words included in the series of words are recognized and determined with reference to the restructured dictionary. Thus, recognition errors are minimized and determination of a correct series of words is effectively performed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining appropriate series of words carrying information to be recognized, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating a plurality of candidate series of words with reference to a recognition dictionary contained in the apparatus, based on an original series of words inputted to the apparatus; and

means for selecting one or more appropriate series of words from among the plurality of candidate series of words based on a predetermined verification as to statistical appropriateness as a natural language.

2. The apparatus for determining appropriate series of words as in claim 1, wherein:

the verification includes standpoints of grammar, meaning and a common sense.

3. The apparatus for determining appropriate series of words as in claim 1, wherein:

the verification includes evaluation according to sentence structure evaluation tables which list all order-of-words combinations as to words included in the candidate series of words and respective evaluation scores corresponding to each order-of-words combination; and

the order-of-words combinations having the score higher than a predetermined level are selected as the appropriate series of words.

4. The apparatus for determining appropriate series of words as in claim 1, wherein:

the verification includes at least a standpoint selected from a group consisting of;

situations and environment of the information to be recognized;

when the information to be recognized is originated by a person, his/her request and situations; and

when the apparatus is used to recognize a dialogue, a context of the dialogue.

5. The apparatus for determining appropriate series of words as in claim 1, wherein:

the information to be recognized is human voice.

6. The apparatus for determining appropriate series of words as in claim 1, wherein:

the information to be recognized is hand-written words.

7. The apparatus for determining appropriate series of words as in claim 1, wherein:

the information to be recognized is a series of words formulated from picture images into a natural language.

8. The apparatus for determining appropriate series of words as in claim 7, wherein:

the picture images are images showing a finger language.

9. An apparatus for determining appropriate series of words carrying information to be recognized, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating a plurality of candidate series of words with reference to a recognition dictionary contained in the apparatus, based on an original series of words inputted to the apparatus; and

means for selecting one or more appropriate series of words from among the plurality of candidate series of words based on predetermined evaluation criteria that include an evaluation score given to each order-of-words combination formed from words contained in the candidate series of words, all the possible order-of-words combinations and the respective evaluation scores being listed in sentence structure evaluation tables contained in the apparatus.

10. An apparatus for determining appropriate series of words carrying information to be recognized, the apparatus comprising:

means for inputting an original series of words to the apparatus;

means for generating candidate words sequentially word by word with reference to a recognition dictionary, based on the inputted original series of words; and

progressive searching means for displaying candidate words expected to be next inputted by the user after a preceding word is determined and for progressively displaying following candidate words after a preceding word is determined until a whole series of word is finally determined.

11. The apparatus for determining appropriate series of words as in claim 10, wherein:

the progressive searching means displays the candidate words expected to be next inputted only when the next word is not actually inputted by the user within a predetermined period of time after the preceding word has been determined.

12. The apparatus for determining appropriate series of words as in claim 10, wherein:

the progressing searching means displays again the candidate words expected to be next inputted by the user if the actually inputted next word is not one of the candidate words.

41. The apparatus for determining appropriate series of words carrying information to be recognized, the apparatus comprising:

means for inputting an original series of words to the apparatus;

means for generating at least a candidate series of words with reference to a recognition dictionary contained in the apparatus, based on an original series of words inputted by a user of the apparatus; and

at least two means selected from a group consisting of the progressive searching means recited in claim 10, the multi-stage processing means recited in claim 13, the means for handling an unexpected situation recited in claim 21, the means for handling errors recited in claim 26, and the means for restructuring the recognition dictionary recited in claim 31.

44. The apparatus as in claim 10, 13, 21, 26 or 31, wherein:

the information to be recognized is human voice.

45. The apparatus as in claim 10, 13, 21, 26 or 31, wherein:

the information to be recognized is hand-written words.

13. An apparatus for determining a series of words carrying information to be recognized, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating at least a candidate series of words with reference to a recognition dictionary contained in the apparatus, based on an original series of words inputted by a user of the apparatus; and

multi-stage processing means for first determining a dialogue topic based on inputted words belonging to a predetermined word category, then reconstructing the recognition dictionary that only includes words relating to the determined dialogue topic and then recognizing other words included in the candidate series of words.

14. The apparatus for determining a series of words as in claim 13, wherein:

the predetermined word category is a word category to which words representing a request of the user belong.

15. The apparatus for determining a series of words as in claim 13, wherein:

one word, based on which the dialogue topic is determined, is selected from among the words belonging to the predetermined word category when there are a plurality of such words.

16. The apparatus for determining a series of words as in claim 13, wherein:

only the words having a likelihood value higher than a predetermined level are used to determine the dialogue topic.

17. The apparatus for determining a series of words as in claim 13, wherein:

the recognition dictionary reconstructed further includes words relating to other dialogue topics that relate to the determined dialogue topic.

18. The apparatus for determining a series of words as in claim 13, wherein:

a dialogue context is further taken into consideration in reconstructing the recognition dictionary.

19. The apparatus for determining a series of words as in claim 13, the apparatus further including means for presuming a request of the user, wherein:

words to be determined from a standpoint of the presumed request are also included in the reconstructed recognition dictionary.

20. The apparatus for determining a series of words as in claim 13, wherein:

words corresponding to unexpected emergency and warning are also included in the reconstructed recognition dictionary.

21. An apparatus for determining series of words carrying information to be recognized, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating at least a candidate series of words with reference to a recognition dictionary contained in the apparatus, based on an original series of words inputted by a user of the apparatus; and

means for handling an unexpected situation that judges whether the candidate series of words is in line with a previous dialogue context and performs, if it is judged that the candidate series of words is out of the previous dialogue context, at least one process selected from a group consisting of;

a process for making an inquiry to the user for confirming whether the dialogue topic has been changed to a new topic;

a process for declaring that the dialogue topic has been changed; and

a process for giving priority to the previous dialogue topic on a presumption that the previous dialogue context is still continuing.

22. The apparatus for determining series of words as in claim 21, wherein:

the generating means further outputs a likelihood value associated with the generated series of words; and

the handling means judges whether the series of words is in line with the dialogue context based on the likelihood value.

23. The apparatus for determining series of words as in claim 22, wherein:

the handling means performs the process for making an inquiry, if only one candidate series of words is newly outputted from the generating means and if the likelihood value associated with that series of words is higher than a predetermined levels.

24. The apparatus for determining series of words as in claim 21, wherein:

the handling means performs the process for declaring the dialogue topic has been changed to a new topic, if the series of words outputted from the generating means after performing the process for making an inquiry is in line with the new topic.

25. The apparatus for determining series of words as in claim 21, wherein:

the handling means performs the process for giving priority to the previous dialogue topic immediately after the dialogue topic is changed and performs the process for making an inquiry only when the new topic continues thereafter.

26. An apparatus for determining a series of words carrying information to be recognized, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating at least a candidate series of words with reference to a recognition dictionary contained in the apparatus, based on an original series of words inputted by a user of the apparatus; and

means for handling errors that determines whether a content of the candidate series of word accords with an intent of the user and performs a process for handling errors if it is determined that the content does not accord with the user'"'"'s intent.

27. The apparatus for determining series of words as in claim 26, wherein:

the error handling means performs a process for making inquiry to the user for confirming a correct dialogue topic.

28. The apparatus for determining series of words as in claim 26, wherein:

the error handling means performs a help mode under which keywords for confirming the user'"'"'s intent are given to the user either visually or audibly.

29. The apparatus for determining series of words as in claim 26, wherein:

the error handling means performs a process for initializing the apparatus.

30. The apparatus for determining series of words as in claim 27, wherein:

the error handling means performs either a help mode for assisting the user or a process for initializing the apparatus, when the process for making inquiry is repeated in excess of a predetermined number of times.

31. An apparatus for determining a series of words carrying information to be recognized, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating at least a candidate series of words with reference to a recognition dictionary contained in the apparatus, based on an original series of words inputted by a user of the apparatus; and

means for restructuring the recognition dictionary that includes words relating to a present dialogue topic.

32. The apparatus for determining a series of words as in claim 31, wherein:

the recognition dictionary that includes words relating to the present dialogue topic is restructured based on plural cluster dictionaries each including words belonging to a word category.

33. The apparatus for determining a series of words as in claim 31, wherein:

the recognition dictionary that includes words relating to the present dialogue topic is restructured considering meaning relation among words.

34. The apparatus for determining a series of words as in claim 33, wherein:

the meaning relation includes a generic-specific-relation among words.

35. The apparatus for determining a series of words as in claim 33, wherein:

the meaning relation includes a suggestive relation among words.

36. An apparatus for determining a series of words carrying information to be recognized, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating at least a candidate series of words with reference to a recognition dictionary contained in the apparatus, based on an original series of words inputted by a user of the apparatus; and

means for restructuring the recognition dictionary that includes words in line with continuity of a context of a present dialogue.

37. The apparatus for determining a series of words as in claim 36, wherein:

the recognition dictionary is restructured considering adequacy of a response to an utterance.

38. The apparatus for determining a series of words as in claim 36, wherein:

the recognition dictionary is restructured considering adequacy of relation among dialogue units.

39. An apparatus for determining a series of words carrying information to be recognized, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating at least a candidate series of words with reference to a recognition dictionary contained in the apparatus, based on an original series of words inputted by a user of the apparatus;

means for presuming a request of the user; and

means for restructuring the recognition dictionary that includes a vocabulary relating to the presumed request.

40. An apparatus for determining a series of words carrying information to be recognized, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating at least a candidate series of words with reference to a recognition dictionary contained in the apparatus, based on an original series of words inputted by a user of the apparatus; and

means for restructuring the recognition dictionary that includes predetermined words relating to unexpected emergencies and warnings.

42. A method of determining a series of words uttered by a user through a voice recognition system, the method comprising steps of:

the user inputting his/her first word into the system;

the system recognizing the inputted user'"'"'s voice with reference to a recognition dictionary containing a certain number of words frequently used;

the system outputting a plurality of candidate words corresponding to a first word inputted;

the user selecting a proper word from among the plurality of candidate words by uttering that word;

the system showing the user a plurality of candidates words that are expected to be spoken as a second word;

the user selecting a proper word from among the shown candidate words by uttering that word; and

the system and the user repeating the above steps until a series of words is all properly recognized and determined.

43. A method of determining a series of words uttered by a user through a voice recognition system, the method comprising steps of:

the user inputting a series of words into the system;

the system determining a dialogue topic from the series of words inputted with reference to a recognition dictionary containing a certain number of words relating to popular topics;

the system reconstructing the recognition dictionary so that the dictionary only includes words relating to the determined dialogue topic;

the system selecting a few candidate words relating to the dialogue topic from the restructured recognition dictionary and showing those to the user;

the user selecting a proper word from among the candidate words; and

the system and the user repeating the steps of showing candidate words and selecting a proper word until a whole series of words uttered by the user is properly recognized and determined.