EP1079352B1 - Système de commande vocale à distance - Google Patents

Système de commande vocale à distance Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1079352B1
EP1079352B1 EP19990116935 EP99116935A EP1079352B1 EP 1079352 B1 EP1079352 B1 EP 1079352B1 EP 19990116935 EP19990116935 EP 19990116935 EP 99116935 A EP99116935 A EP 99116935A EP 1079352 B1 EP1079352 B1 EP 1079352B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
remote control
transmission channel
wireless transmission
words
button
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19990116935
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP1079352A1 (fr
Inventor
David Vizer
Dan King
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
THOMSON LICENSING
Original Assignee
Thomson Licensing SAS
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Thomson Licensing SAS filed Critical Thomson Licensing SAS
Priority to EP19990116935 priority Critical patent/EP1079352B1/fr
Publication of EP1079352A1 publication Critical patent/EP1079352A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1079352B1 publication Critical patent/EP1079352B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08C—TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS
    • G08C17/00—Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
    • G08C17/02—Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link using a radio link
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08C—TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS
    • G08C23/00—Non-electrical signal transmission systems, e.g. optical systems
    • G08C23/04—Non-electrical signal transmission systems, e.g. optical systems using light waves, e.g. infrared
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08C—TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS
    • G08C2201/00—Transmission systems of control signals via wireless link
    • G08C2201/30—User interface
    • G08C2201/31—Voice input
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08C—TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS
    • G08C2201/00—Transmission systems of control signals via wireless link
    • G08C2201/90—Additional features
    • G08C2201/92—Universal remote control

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a remote control with a wireless transmission channel for controlling a device.
  • Remote controls for controlling a television set or other consumer electronics equipment are widely used and well known. They comprise a more or less large number of buttons to provide special commands for controlling the associated equipment. Buttons providing multiple functions or providing commands in connection with a display on the remote control or with an on-screen-display of the respective television set are also known.
  • the commands of the remote control are transmitted via infra-red signals to a receiving unit of the corresponding device. Transmission of control signals via ultra-sonic waves is also known but rarely used.
  • buttons it is necessary to have an associated label for the respective command, mostly an abbreviation or a number, which need also a large amount of space.on the top of the remote control.
  • a remote control with a wireless transmission channel according to the preamble of the new claim 1 is described in US 5,802,467 .
  • WO 95/06309 describes a remote control having a transmission channel with a radio frequency transmitter for indicating to a device that speech is in progress, the remote control comprising a button for activation of the radio frequency transmitter.
  • EP-A-0867860 discloses a voice-operated remote control with a wireless transmission channel, which comprises speech recognition for controlling of an appliance.
  • the transmission channel uses an RF transmission channel for transmitting command words to a receiving unit, which includes a speech compensation system for providing improved immunity to acoustic interference during operation.
  • the remote control of the invention comprises a first wireless transmission channel for controlling a device, especially for a consumer electronics equipment, and a microphone and a transmitter for transmitting words spoken by a user via a second wireless transmission channel.
  • the remote control therefore allows a user to control the respective device only via special command words.
  • the remote control can be used in the traditional way via buttons on the remote control with the first transmission channel.
  • the voice button Via a special button on the remote control, the voice button, the second transmission channel can be activated. For example it might be more convenient for users which use a remote control only rarely or for older persons, to use the remote control only with words or for other persons to use the remote control as known with the buttons via the infra-red transmission channel.
  • the second transmission channel uses a radio frequency for the transmission and the command words are modulated in the remote control advantageously via a modulator onto the carrier frequency of the second transmission channel.
  • Advantageously FM-modulation can be used for transmitting the words analogue to a receiving unit, with a radio frequency lying in the 70 cm wavelength band, or with a respective frequency depending on the country.
  • the remote control comprises especially a difference microphone which allows a high suppression of background noises for example from other persons in the room or from the television set or the respective hi-fi system. Only words spoken directly into the remote control are recognised as command words.
  • the microphone is located at the front on top of the remote control for easy handling. With the radio frequency transmission the remote control is not sensitive to the direction of the transmitter and the remote control can be held close to the mouth not pointing to the device to be controlled.
  • the circuit effort in the remote control itself is comparatively low because all of the decoding means are arranged in the receiving unit. Additional power required in the remote control is especially necessary for the radio frequency transmitter. This can be handled easily by small rechargeable accumulators in the remote control.
  • the carrier frequency of the second transmission channel is activated which indicates the receiving unit that a spoken command will come.
  • the button has to be pressed as long as the one or a few command words are spoken which is a handling to which a user will be accustomed to very quickly.
  • the second transmission channel is equipped with a delayed switching off of the second transmission channel with a delay for example of about one second because a user may release the button too early, before he has ended the command word.
  • DSP digital signal processor
  • HMM Hidden Markov Model
  • the remote control can be used with different appliances and of multi-brand equipment.
  • the receiving unit can be arranged especially as a separate docking station, which can be hooked up via a cable to a socket, for example of a television set, which most television sets are provided with for adjustment and repair service.
  • a remote control RC for controlling a television set TV via a wireless infrared transmission channel 1.
  • the commands for this transmission channel 1 are selected on the remote control RC via buttons BX as known.
  • the television set TV comprises a respective infrared receiver and control means for decoding the infrared commands.
  • Via the remote control RC also other appliances as a video recorder VCR or a digital video player DVD can be controlled.
  • the remote control RC comprises further a special button B for activating a second wireless transmission channel 2.
  • the button B may be located at the side, or at the top, of the remote control for easy handling.
  • Via the remote control RC words spoken by a user are transmitted via the second transmission channel 2 to a receiving unit DS in which these words are decoded and interpreted as commands for controlling the television set TV.
  • the remote control comprises a microphone M and a transmitter 3 via which the command words are transmitted in an analogue manner to the receiving unit DS.
  • the transmitter 3 is advantageously a radio frequency transmitter working in the frequency range of 400 - 500 MHz.
  • the transmission channel 2 is active and a vocal link is enabled starting the RF-transmission of a pilot tone.
  • the vocal link is active as long as the button B is pressed.
  • the vocal link remains active for a short time-out, approximately one second in order to catch the end of the words spoken by the user. This time-out should not be too long because it could otherwise interpret words as commands, which the user did not intend.
  • the words received by the microphone M are modulated analogue via FM frequency modulation onto the carrier frequency in a known manner and then transmitted via the transmitter 3, in this example with a frequency of 433 MHz, or other depending on the country, to the receiving unit DS which decodes the voice and communicates with the television set TV through a connecting cable 5.
  • the microphone M a difference microphone with acoustic chamber is used to get best rejection of ambient noise and strongest signal from the user's voice. It has to be capable to identify words being whispered as well as words being very loud.
  • the microphone therefore uses a membrane, which is open on both sides. The membrane is not elongated by sound waves which are further away because of their uniform distribution. Only when the remote control is hold close to the mouth of the user, with a distance below 20 cm, the spoken words give a defined command signal.
  • the pilot tone with the FM signals of the transmitter 3 is received in the receiving unit DS which comprises a receiving element 9 for the second transmission channel 2 and a circuit 10 for decoding the command words into control signals for the television set TV.
  • the FM signals are downconverted and demodulated and then digitised, for example via an analogue digital converter.
  • a bandwidth of 6 kHz and 12 kHz sample rate is sufficient.
  • the digitised command words are compared with control words stored in a memory and when correspondence between command word and control word is found the respective control signal is sent to the microprocessor of the television set TV.
  • the decoding circuit 10 uses a reduced word set for a better speech recognition. With a reduced word set the words spoken by the user do not have to match perfectly with the stored words in the decoding circuit 10. The circuit can tolerate therefore different pronunciations and frequency signatures of different users. A learning system for adapting to the pronunciation of a certain user is not necessary, with the reduced word set a high probability for word recognition is obtained. Decoding circuits of this kind work already in cars in which a driver for example controls a mobile radio only with spoken words.
  • the receiving unit DS is arranged as a separate docking station with own power supply, provided by mains power via a power line 11. It is provided with a port 6 for accommodating the remote control RC and comprises terminals for recharging the batteries 7 of the remote control RC via respective terminals 8 at the remote control. Via the cable 5 the control signals are transmitted to the television set TV being hooked up for example on a socket at the TV which is already available for maintenance and repair service. Via the cable connection AV the remote control RC can control also a respective video recorder VCR via the second transmission channel 2, or other appliances.
  • the remote control With the remote control switching to a wanted television channel, embedding pictures with picture-in-picture features, or setting the record function for a VCR by simply saying the completely intuitive keywords is very easy.
  • the remote control with the respective receiving unit is capable, by means of its integrated voice recognition system, of understanding, interpreting and executing commands independent of any background noise, without any special learning being necessary.
  • the remote control With its own microphone M, the remote control also has all the standard buttons BX which ensures that it is compatible for DVD, LD and Cable/SAT receivers as well as for the television set and the video recorder.
  • a special intelligent interface is incorporated which enables an on-screen display of messages for the voice command as programming screens, confirmation screens, etc. on the television set TV.
  • the programming of the record function of the video recorder VCR is as easy as speaking.
  • the remote control RC switches to voice mode when the button B is pressed and for controlling the respective appliance, only speaking within about 5 to 10 cm from the built-in microphone M of the remote control is necessary.
  • the request is immediately executed and a confirmation is displayed on the screen of the television set TV.
  • the executed signal can be highlighted or underlined in the on-screen menue for confirmation.
  • the voice help the system then displays a menu, on the right of the television screen, which lists the control functions available and, as a reminder, the corresponding command words.
  • the signal processor of the decoding circuit 10 checks only the control words as displayed on this screen with the spoken command words of the user. This feature improves the correct recognition of the command word further.
  • Recording with the videorecorder VCR then becomes a very simple operation: if a record is wanted now, saying just "record” and then "OK" is sufficient.
  • a delayed recording can be set for up to seven days ahead by saying the day, the channel and the times for the start and the end of the recording.
  • he topside of the remote control is designed very simple, only a few buttons are visible: voice button B, standby, volume, mute, program scroll and mode selection. Indicator lights for voice mode and for all other modes are further provided. All other buttons necessary for the variety of functions are hidden in the remote control with a flap. To operate the television manually or to operate the other appliances, the remote control, in its open position, has all the buttons needed for normal operation.
  • the system has been designed to ensure flexibility and simplicity, but still allowing immediately all available control functions for the respective televison set and videorecorder with pressing the button B and saying the command word, without searching for the respective button on the remote control.
  • Teen can use the system directly without any prior learning phase, most voices in the same language are recognised.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Selective Calling Equipment (AREA)

Claims (5)

  1. Commande à distance (RC) avec un premier canal de transmission sans fil (1) permettant de contrôler un dispositif (TV), la commande à distance (RC) comprenant un microphone (M) et un transmetteur (3) permettant de transmettre des mots prononcés par un utilisateur via un second canal de transmission sans fil (2) audit dispositif (TV) permettant de contrôler ledit dispositif via la reconnaissance vocale,
    caractérisée en ce que
    le transmetteur (3) du second canal de transmission sans fil (2) est un transmetteur de fréquence radio avec une porteuse témoin permettant d'indiquer audit dispositif (TV) que le discours est en cours, et
    en ce que la commande à distance (RC) comprend un bouton (B) pour l'activation de la porteuse témoin et du second canal de transmission sans fil (2), le second canal de transmission sans fil (2) étant actif tant que ledit bouton (B) est actionné, mais avec une déconnexion différée par rapport au relâchement dudit bouton (B).
  2. Commande à distance selon la revendication 1, caractérisée en ce que ledit transmetteur de fréquence radio fonctionne dans la plage de fréquence de 400-500 MHz, et en ce qu'il comprend un modutateur (4) permettant de transmettre lesdits mots analogiques via modulation FM.
  3. Commande à distance selon la revendication 1 ou 2, caractérisée en ce que ledit microphone (M) est un différence microphone direction sensible antibruit.
  4. Commande à distance selon l'une des revendications précédentes, caractérisée en ce que le retardement de la déconnexion du second canal de transmission sans fil (2) est d'une seconde, par rapport au relâchement dudit bouton (B).
  5. Commande à distance selon l'une des revendications précédentes, caractérisée en ce que ledit premier canal de transmission sans fil (1) est un canal de transmission infra-rouge, et ladite commande à distance (RC) comprend deux transmetteurs infra-rouge, un en haut et un en bas de la commande à distance, et des boutons supplémentaires (BX) pour permettre à un utilisateur de contrôler ledit dispositif (TV) via ledit premier canal de transmission sans fil (1) en plus dudit second canal de transmission sans fil (2).
EP19990116935 1999-08-27 1999-08-27 Système de commande vocale à distance Expired - Lifetime EP1079352B1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP19990116935 EP1079352B1 (fr) 1999-08-27 1999-08-27 Système de commande vocale à distance

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP19990116935 EP1079352B1 (fr) 1999-08-27 1999-08-27 Système de commande vocale à distance

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1079352A1 EP1079352A1 (fr) 2001-02-28
EP1079352B1 true EP1079352B1 (fr) 2012-10-10

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EP19990116935 Expired - Lifetime EP1079352B1 (fr) 1999-08-27 1999-08-27 Système de commande vocale à distance

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Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2838278B1 (fr) * 2002-04-08 2004-08-13 France Telecom Terminal mobile multimedia et procede de telecommande d'une passerelle domestique au moyen d'un tel terminal
EP1794731A1 (fr) * 2004-09-22 2007-06-13 Philips Intellectual Property & Standards GmbH Dispositif servant d'interface entre l'utilisateur et des dispositifs cibles
US8886541B2 (en) 2010-02-04 2014-11-11 Sony Corporation Remote controller with position actuatated voice transmission
CN105825659A (zh) * 2015-01-04 2016-08-03 中兴通讯股份有限公司 一种终端及其红外遥控方法

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1995006309A1 (fr) * 1993-08-27 1995-03-02 Voice Powered Technology International, Inc. Systeme de commande a distance a fonctionnement vocal
US5802467A (en) * 1995-09-28 1998-09-01 Innovative Intelcom Industries Wireless and wired communications, command, control and sensing system for sound and/or data transmission and reception
DE19712632A1 (de) * 1997-03-26 1998-10-01 Thomson Brandt Gmbh Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Sprachfernsteuerung von Geräten

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Publication number Publication date
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