Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
  • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
  • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
  • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
  • G01C21/36—Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
  • G01C21/3605—Destination input or retrieval
  • G01C21/3608—Destination input or retrieval using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
  • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
  • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
  • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
  • G01C21/36—Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
  • G01C21/3626—Details of the output of route guidance instructions
  • G01C21/3629—Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
  • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
  • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
  • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
  • G01C21/36—Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
  • G01C21/3697—Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
  • H04L67/50—Network services
  • H04L67/52—Network services specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L69/00—Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass
  • H04L69/30—Definitions, standards or architectural aspects of layered protocol stacks
  • H04L69/32—Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
  • H04L69/322—Intralayer communication protocols among peer entities or protocol data unit [PDU] definitions
  • H04L69/329—Intralayer communication protocols among peer entities or protocol data unit [PDU] definitions in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a system for voice-/ speech-controlled telephone services, and especially such a system which integrates positioning/position finding information with object information for different geographical objects.
• a voice-controlled service or voice service, and an insert earphone or the like connected to the mobile telephone
• advanced services can be transferred/transmitted to and from the user without any need for him/her to touch the mobile telephone at all.
• This is of specific advantage when the visual attention is more needed elsewhere, for instance while driving a car.
• a service which is obviously of advantage just while driving a car, is provision of position information.
• EP935123 in the name of Hatano and others, a device to get information in a voice-controlled navigation system which utilizes GPS for position finding is shown.
• the navigation system does not include a mobile telephone system, but information exchange is made within the vehicle in which the system is arranged.
• EP1024476 in the name of Minamino and others, an arrangement similar to the one in the above mentioned document is shown. In this, there is describing text on a voice- control procedure for mobile telephones, however not related to the navigation problem.
• US5,956,684 in the name of Ishii and others shows a system similar to that in EP1024476, in which the system also is arranged to manage mispronounced names of places.
• the present invention relates to a system and a procedure for a telephone service, in order to provide a user with description of route to, and information about, a geographical object, for instance a company, a type of company, an address or the like.
• the procedure includes the steps that the user establishes connection via a communication system, preferably a mobile telephone system, with a speech-/voice service device including a speech-/ voice service server.
• the user gives/states a voice/spoken command to the speech service device, which command includes an inquiry regarding a type of geographical object.
• the speech service device at that derives, from one to the communication system connected object database, position related information belonging to said object, and presents, by synthesized speech, said position related information to the user.
• Characteristic of the system according to the present invention is that all data and all intelligence to manage the speech service is arranged centrally in a communication network. By combining position information with object information and map information the possibilities for a reliable speech service is created, which does not require that the user procures expensive and advanced equipment.
• Figure 2-4 show flow charts for some different embodiments of procedures according to the present invention.
• Speech service device answers user.
• Speech service device presents services.
• User states object type and inquiry.
• Figure 4 l.User calls speech service device. 2. Speech service device answers user. 3. Speech service device presents services. 22. User states object and inquiry.
• the present invention relates, in a voice-controlled telephone service, to integrate positioning/position finding, map information and data bases with object content for different types of objects, such as drugstores, hotels, companies etc.
• the positioning can be done by different technologies, for instance can finding of the position of the user' s terminal be done via satellite systems, such as GPS, or the positioning can be done directly by means of near located base stations for mobile telephony by which the terminal is registered. Another possibility is that the user himself/ herself provides the position information. If the person in question is in a first town and wants to know how to reach a second town, it may be necessary to know the name of these towns to make it possible to provide essential information about, for instance, routing. To find out the position in a town or a district, one further can specify street name, alternatively in combination with the name of the town or the district, and the object name or place name of the destination.
• the aim of the present invention consequently is, in a voice-controlled telephone service, to integrate three different parameters, position information, map information and object information for different types of objects.
• the positioning can be achieved by means of, for instance, a GPS-receiver arranged in a mobile telephone or a vehicle.
• Map information can be obtained as an internet service, at which the map information can be saved in one in the system arranged database which includes addresses, distances, suitable routes etc.
• the information about different objects can be obtained from various internet and telephone services, at which this information is stored in a separate database included in the system according to the invention.
• This information can, for instance, include street address, telephone number and opening hours for different object types, for instance drugstores, hotels, companies etc.
• an object can consist of an address only.
• FIG. 1 is schematically shown an embodiment of the present invention.
• a user 1 can by his/her mobile telephone 10 establish a connection to a mobile telephone system 20, via a base station 21, according to known technology.
• the mobile telephone further is equipped with so called hands free equipment, including an insert earphone 11.
• This equipment makes it possible for the user to talk on the telephone without the need to hold or even touch the handset 10.
• a network connected voice-/ speech service device 40 is, according to the present invention, connected to the mobile telephone system 20.
• the speech-/voice service device preferably includes a server 40 and a database 41, and is arranged, on the one hand, to recognize and act depending on pronounced/spoken commands, and on the other to, by speech, preferably synthesized, transmit/transfer information or options to a user so that he/she need not watch a possible display on the handset.
• word data for speech intelligibility are stored, for instance meaning of words, but also data already stored for play back of, for instance, files with recorded words or phrases.
• the speech service device 40 is further connected to a second communication network 50, for instance Internet, to make it possible to transmit/transfer information which is stored in to that connected databases 60, 70, to the user 1 via speech.
• a second communication network 50 for instance Internet
• Different companies can have different speech service devices 40, but in one embodiment services for specific companies can be arranged to utilize the same speech service device 40.
• the present invention also can be associated with the procuring of position data from a positioning/position finding system.
• said positioning system is the satellite based Global
• GPS Positioning System
• a GPS-receiver (not shown) is arranged to, via suitable antenna 12,31 receive signals from one or more GPS-satellites 80, which signals comprise position information.
• the GPS-receiver can, for instance, be arranged in the mobile telephone 10, or in the vehicle 30.
• the mobile telephone system 20,21 constitutes/creates the positioning system.
• Different technologies have been shown/presented to utilize information about which base station the mobile station is registered in to find the position of the mobile telephone, for instance by examining the so called timing advance in GSM.
• the position can be presented with a degree of accuracy of about 10 m, and by means of base stations 100- 300 m, depending on the density of base stations in the area.
• the present invention consequently combines position information, map information and object information in a voice-/speech-controlled telephone service.
• a voice-/speech-controlled telephone service For example, some different embodiments of the invention are described, where it is evident how the user 1 by means of position information benefits from both map information and object information in a speech service. Different scenarios will occur, depending on which aid the user 1 needs, and how much the user knows. All scenarios below are preceded by the steps l)-3), and are suitably followed by the speech service being finished, alternatively that a new question/inquiry, or a new command, is given by the user 1. It should also be noted that the speech service device 40 and other included elements in the system according to Figure 1 include means to perform the indicated steps of procedure .
• the user 1 calls the speech service device 40, preferably by calling a predetermined telephone number, or enter a predetermined WAP-address. If also the mobile telephone 10 is arranged for voice control, the initial number to the speech service device 40 also can be given by a voice command.
• the speech service device 40 answers the user's 1 call by a message of welcome. 3) If the speech service device 40 can offer different types of services, these are preferably read aloud as one in advance in the database 41 stored voice message. For all scenarios below is of course presupposed that the speech service device 40 in this step has indicated that the service in question is offered, i.e. that current question can be asked from the user 1.
• A. POSITION INFORMATION ABOUT UNKNOWN OBJECT OF KNOWN TYPE This service can, for instance, be useful for objects such as gas stations or banks.
• a company or the like has a telephone number of its own, or equivalent, which its customers can use.
• the object type consists of the gas station company Petrol Ltd's gas stations, where each station is an object.
• the object type can comprise all competing gas stations.
• the user 1 has a gas credit card for the gas stations of "Petrol Ltd”. The user 1, however, is in unfamiliar surroundings and need to fill up the car 30.
• the procedure is also exemplified by the flow chart according to Figure 2. The user 1 then establishes a connection to the speech service device 40 of Petrol Ltd according to the steps l)-3), whereupon
• the user 1 transmits/transfers position information of a type of object to the speech service device 40, and inquires if there is any object of the type in question, associated with said position information. Concretely it may be about that the user 1 knows that he/she is the town of Alpha. Since the town of Alpha is in a virtual place, the name of the town alone can constitute the position information. This town name then can be transmitted/transferred to the speech service device 40 via speech from user. Alternatively, the position information can be transmitted/transferred automatically to the speech service device 40 from a position sensor arranged at the user's 1.
• the speech service device 40 senses if the inquiry from the user 1 is followed by position information from a position sensor.
• the speech service device 40 receives position information in form of coordinate data, relating to map information.
• the speech service device 40 is at that arranged to use said coordinate data as input parameter to a map database 60, and to from the map database 60 derive address data, depending on said coordinate data, which address data relate to address related position information.
• Said address related position data can, for instance, be the town of Alpha, or a specific street in the town of Alpha, depending on accuracy of the positioning system.
• the speech service device 40 receives the position information as address related information, thus, for instance, the town of Alpha, directly as a spoken information from the user, the speech service device 40 is arranged to interpret the pronounced/spoken position information into corresponding address data.
• the speech service device 40 further uses said address data as an input parameter to an object database 70, on which object database 70 object information which belongs to the specific objects is stored. Schematically can be said that one combines the search criteria "the town of Alpha" and "gas station belonging to Petrol Ltd". The object database 70 at that selects the objects which match the search criteria. 9) The speech service device 40 receives from the object database 70 object information about the selected objects. In one embodiment, the speech service device 40 informs, via speech, the user 1 that x objects have been found which match the search criteria. For instance: "There are three gas stations in the town of Alpha, belonging to Petrol Ltd”. The speech service device 40 further inquires the user 1 if the addresses of the found objects shall be read aloud. 10) The speech service device 40 detects if the user
• the speech service device 40 senses if the inquiry from the user 1 is followed by position information from a position sensor, in form of coordinate data.
• the speech service device 40 uses said coordinate data as input parameter to the map database 60 to from there receive address data.
• the speech service device 40 If the speech service device 40 does not detect that coordinate data have been received, the speech service device 40 gives a spoken order to the user 1 to inform about his/her position, if that has not already been done in connection with step 12.
• step 15 the user 1 informs about his/her position by pronouncing address related position information, for instance town or a street.
• the speech service device 40 uses pronounced, and interpreted, object type, in this case gas station, as an input parameter to the object database 70, and derives from the object database 70 address data for different objects.
• object type in this case gas station
• the speech service device 40 at that applies the from the object database 70 derived address data, relating to the object address, and the for the user current address data, that is the user address, to said map database 60, which map database 60 includes a database manager, to calculate the distances between the address data of the objects and the user's 1 current position, and select nearest object.
• the map database further derives/produces route description data to selected object and informs the speech service device 40 about said route description data.
• the speech service device 40 provides, via speech, the user 1 with route description information, based on said route description data. If the user' s position has been stated/indicated as "dalvagen", the route description information can, for instance, be presented as:" Go to "dalvagen", westward at "skogsstigen”, northward at "sveagatan", 250 m ahead is the gas station".
• the user 1 transmits/transfers position information to the speech service device 40 and inquires about/asks for route description to a specific goal position.
• a concrete question then consequently can be: "How do I reach the Swedish Patent and Registration Office”? Alternatively, the question might concern a street address, for instance "Valhallavagen 136".
• the speech service device 40 senses if the inquiry from the user 1 is followed by position information for the user 1 from a position sensor, in form of coordination data.
• the speech service device 40 uses said coordinate data as input parameter to the map database 60 in order to from there receive address data.
• the speech service device 40 If the speech service device 40 does not detect that coordinate data have been received, the speech service device 40 gives a spoken order to the user 1 to inform about his/her position.
• step 14 the user 1 informs about his/her position by pronouncing address related position information, for instance town or a street.
• the speech service device 40 uses pronounced goal position, in this case "the Swedish Patent and
• the speech service device 4 at that derives, from the object database 70, address data for the selected object which correspond to the stated/indicated goal position.
• the speech service device 40 at that applies the from the object database 70 derived address data, and the for the user current address data, to said map database 60, which map database 60 includes a database manager, and at that produce/derive route description data to selected object. Said route description data is informed about to the speech service device 40. 30) The speech service device 40 gives/states, via speech, to the user 1, route description information, based on said route description data.
• a user can, by means of his/her mobile telephone or his/her fixed telephone, get, for instance, a route description to reach optional place, provided that position information about the place exists in the object database.
• route description information also can be given without aid from a positioning system, for instance GPS.
• the present information has been described with reference to figures, exemplified in various embodiments. The expert, however, realizes that more variants of the embodiments are conceivable within the scope of the enclosed patent claims. So far the telephone service of course also can be applied to a fixed telephone system, as well as the indicated databases 60, 70 can be arranged in direct connection to the telephone system 20.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
• Remote Sensing (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Audiology, Speech & Language Pathology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
• Artificial Intelligence (AREA)
• Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
• Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
• Navigation (AREA)

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• 2000
  • 2000-12-14 SE SE0004636A patent/SE518173C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2001
  • 2001-11-27 EP EP01270746A patent/EP1342052A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2001-11-27 WO PCT/SE2001/002621 patent/WO2002048650A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2001-11-27 EE EEP200300285A patent/EE200300285A/xx unknown
• 2003
  • 2003-06-03 NO NO20032493A patent/NO20032493L/no not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (3)

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