JP2007327913A - Facility retrieval apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently retrieve facilities by voice. <P>SOLUTION: A facility retrieval apparatus includes: a fixed facility dictionary 121a storing recognition lexicon of facility names; a dynamic facility dictionary 121b dynamically storing part of the recognition lexicon of the facility names stored in the fixed facility dictionary; a destination history storage means 17 storing, as a destination history, a place set as the destination; a facility dictionary changing means 18 reading the recognition lexicon of the facility names belonging to a region including the place indicated by the stored destination history from the fixed facility dictionary to store it in the dynamic facility dictionary; a voice input means 11 for inputting a voice; a voice recognition means 13 recognizing the input voice with reference to the dynamic facility dictionary to output the facility name; a facility database 14 storing facility information; a facility retrieval means 15 retrieving the facility information corresponding to the facility name output from the voice recognition means from the facility database; and a retrieval result output means 16 outputting the retrieved facility information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a facility search apparatus that searches facilities by voice, and more particularly to a technique for specifying a search target range.

  Conventionally, a facility search apparatus that searches for a desired facility by speaking a prefecture name and a facility name is known. As such a facility search device, Patent Literature 1 discloses a map display device having a voice recognition function, which is suitable for application to an in-vehicle navigation device. This map display device recognizes a recognition target word in the voice recognition unit by limiting to place name information related only to a preset vehicle travel route or a vehicle travel region predicted from the current vehicle travel state. A determination unit is provided. As a result, the number of words to be recognized can be minimized, the processing speed can be prevented from being lowered, and the speech recognition rate can be increased, while map operations and information searches in areas not displayed on the screen are possible. .

  Patent Document 2 discloses an in-vehicle navigation device that inputs a destination of a vehicle by voice and searches for a route to the destination. This in-vehicle navigation device includes a hierarchical database having a genre-specific dictionary, a prefectural name-specific dictionary, and a name-specific dictionary of a facility that is a destination of a vehicle, and voice recognition means for recognizing voice uttered by an unspecified speaker And a current position detection means for detecting the current position of the vehicle. First, the voice recognition means recognizes the input genre name and then determines the position based on the current position detected by the current position detection means. Specify the prefectures that contain it, and input the names of the facilities that exist there. When searching for a target facility by voice recognition, it is possible to reduce misrecognition by reducing the number of voice inputs and the voice recognition processing time.

  Further, Patent Document 3 can finish the search in a short number of times and in a short time, and by restricting the search terms, the work for voice recognition is reduced, and as a result, the recognition accuracy for the user's utterance is improved. An in-vehicle navigation device that can increase and prevent a reduction in recognition rate is disclosed. This in-vehicle navigation system gives the facility name or city name stored in the original database DVD-ROM, etc. to multiple levels according to the name recognition, and areas far from the vehicle location are famous nationwide Only the place names and facilities are stored in the partial database, and not only famous place names and facilities in the area around the vehicle position but also words such as facilities, place names, intersection names, etc. that are not well known are stored in the partial database. Further, the data stored in the partial database is updated by the data updating means in accordance with the change in the vehicle position.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-42987 JP 11-325945 A JP 2000-74685 A

  In the map display device disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, a recognition vocabulary from which the prefecture name of the facility in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle in the same prefecture is removed is registered, and the facility search by voice recognition is performed. In, utterances of prefecture names can be omitted. However, limiting the recognition vocabulary of facility names to the place names ahead in the direction of travel is not necessarily in line with the user's wishes, for example, searching for facilities around a point previously set as a destination In this case, since the prefecture name and the facility name must be spoken, there is a problem that the facility search by voice is not efficient.

  In addition, in the in-vehicle navigation device disclosed in Patent Document 2, a facility search can be performed by specifying a prefecture that includes the current position, and omitting the specified prefecture name and reading it out. Similar to the map display disclosed in Patent Document 1, it cannot be said that it is always in accordance with the user's wishes. For example, when searching for facilities around a point set as a destination in the past, Since the prefecture name and facility name must be spoken, there is a problem that facility search by voice is not efficient.

  Moreover, in the vehicle-mounted navigation device disclosed in Patent Document 3, the partial database is updated according to the position of the vehicle, but the update target is limited to the vicinity of the current location. When searching for facilities around the point set as the ground, the prefecture name and the facility name must be spoken, which causes a problem that the facility search by voice is not efficient.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a facility search apparatus that can efficiently perform facility search by voice.

  In order to solve the above problems, the facility search apparatus according to the present invention is configured such that a fixed facility dictionary storing a facility name recognition vocabulary and a part of the facility name recognition vocabulary stored in the fixed facility dictionary are dynamically A dynamic facility dictionary that is stored, a destination history storage unit that stores a point set as a destination as a destination history, and a region that includes a point indicated by the destination history stored in the destination history storage unit The facility dictionary changing means for reading the recognition vocabulary of the facility name belonging to the fixed facility dictionary and storing it in the dynamic facility dictionary, the voice input means for inputting voice, and the voice input from the voice input means Recognizing by referring to the voice recognition means for outputting the facility name, the facility database for storing the facility information, and the facility information corresponding to the facility name output from the voice recognition means It includes a facility search means for al search, and a search result output means for outputting the facility information retrieved by the facility retrieval means.

  According to the facility search device according to the present invention, the point set as the destination is stored as the destination history, and the recognition vocabulary of the facility name belonging to the area including the point indicated by the stored destination history is stored. Is read from the fixed facility dictionary, stored in the dynamic facility dictionary, voice recognition is performed by referring to the dynamic facility dictionary, and facility search is performed using the facility name obtained by the voice recognition. The user can search for a desired facility only by speaking the facility name without speaking the name of the area. For example, in the past, a facility was searched for by saying “prefecture name + facility name”, such as “Osaka Prefecture ○○”, but the region to which the facility belongs (prefecture) based on the past destination history By making a prediction in advance and setting it as a search target range, efficient facility search by voice can be performed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a facility search apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. This facility search device is mounted on, for example, an in-vehicle navigation device, and searches for facilities by voice recognition. This facility search apparatus comprises a voice input unit 11, a recognition dictionary 12, a voice recognition unit 13, a facility database 14, a facility search unit 15, a search result output unit 16, a destination history storage unit 17, and a facility dictionary change unit 18. ing.

  The voice input means 11 is composed of, for example, a microphone. The voice input means 11 is inputted with a user's speech, converted into an electric signal, and sent to the voice recognition means 13 as a voice signal. The recognition dictionary 12 includes a facility dictionary 121, an address dictionary 122, and a command dictionary 123. The facility dictionary 121 further includes a fixed facility dictionary 121a and a dynamic facility dictionary 121b.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fixed facility dictionary 121a stores the recognition vocabulary of facility names assigned to facilities throughout the country divided by the prefectures to which the facilities belong. It is hierarchized by. Here, “prefecture” corresponds to “region” of the present invention. Therefore, when the facility name is recognized by voice using the fixed facility dictionary 121a, it is generally necessary to utter in the form of “prefecture name + facility name” (facility name is uttered following the prefecture name). The utterance of the name of the prefecture to which the facility belongs is mandatory.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a part of the recognition vocabulary of the facility name stored in the fixed facility dictionary 121a is dynamically stored in the dynamic facility dictionary 121b. The facility name recognition vocabulary stored in the dynamic facility dictionary 121b stores a destination history (a history of points set as destinations in the past) stored in the destination history storage means 17. By using this dynamic facility dictionary 121b, the facility name can be recognized by voice even when the facility name is spoken without speaking the prefecture name. With the configuration described above, for example, both “ΔΔ prefecture XX department store” (recognition vocabulary of the fixed facility dictionary 121a) and “XX department store” (recognition vocabulary of the dynamic facility dictionary 121b) can be recognized simultaneously.

  The address dictionary 122 stores a recognition vocabulary of an address to be recognized. This address dictionary 122 includes a prefecture name dictionary 122a in which the names of prefectures to be recognized are registered. The prefecture name dictionary 122a is referred to when speech recognition is performed using the fixed facility dictionary 121a as described above. The command dictionary 123 stores a recognition vocabulary of operation commands for operating the in-vehicle navigation device including the facility search device. By using this command dictionary 123, various commands can be given to the in-vehicle navigation device by voice.

  The voice recognition means 13 recognizes words (facility names, addresses, commands, etc.) corresponding to the voice signal sent from the voice input means 11 by referring to the recognition dictionary 12. The words recognized by the voice recognition unit 13 are sent to the facility search unit 15. The facility database 14 stores information on facilities throughout the country, such as facility names, facility IDs, facility genre IDs, area IDs, addresses, telephone numbers, homepage addresses, opening hours (hereinafter referred to as “facility information”). . The facility information stored in the facility database 14 is read by the facility search means 15.

  The facility search means 15 searches the facility database 14 using the facility name, which is a word sent from the speech recognition means 13 as a result of speech recognition, as a key. The facility information obtained by this search is sent to the search result output means 16. The search result output means 16 is composed of, for example, a display device and a speaker, and displays the facility information sent from the facility search means 15 on the screen of the display device and outputs the information from the speaker by voice. Thereby, the user can know the result of the facility search.

  The destination history storage unit 17 stores a history of points set as destinations in the past, that is, a destination history. The destination history stored in the destination history storage means 17 is read by the facility dictionary changing means 18. The facility dictionary changing means 18 changes the contents of the facility dictionary 12 based on the destination history stored in the destination history storage means 17. Specifically, the facility dictionary changing means 18 is a facility name (genre name, brand name, etc.) assigned to a facility belonging to a prefecture including a point indicated by the destination history stored in the destination history storage means 17. Are recognized from the fixed facility dictionary 121a and stored in the dynamic facility dictionary 121b.

  Next, the operation of the facility search apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention configured as described above will be described. First, the details of the “facility dictionary maintenance process” for creating the dynamic facility dictionary 121b from the contents of the fixed facility dictionary 121a based on the destination history stored in the destination history storage means 17 are shown in the flowchart of FIG. Will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the facility dictionary maintenance process, first, prefectures are extracted from the destination history (step ST11). That is, the facility dictionary changing unit 18 reads the destination history from the destination history storage unit 17 and extracts the prefecture to which the point indicated by the read destination history belongs. Next, the facility name belonging to the prefecture extracted in step ST11 is extracted (step ST12). That is, the facility dictionary changing unit 18 extracts the recognition vocabulary of the facility names attached to all the facilities belonging to the prefectures extracted in step ST11 from the fixed facility dictionary 121a.

  Next, the dynamic facility dictionary 121b is created (step ST13). That is, the facility dictionary changing means 18 creates a recognition vocabulary that enables speech recognition with only the “facility name” from the layered facility name recognition vocabulary consisting of “prefecture name + facility name”. Store in the dynamic facility dictionary 121b. At this time, the recognition vocabulary of the facility name is linked to the facility database 14 in advance, and when the same recognition vocabulary is stored in the fixed facility dictionary 121a and the dynamic facility dictionary 121b, any of the speech recognition is performed. The same facility information can be searched. Thus, the facility dictionary maintenance process ends.

  By creating the dynamic facility dictionary 121b as described above, when a user wants to search for a facility name existing in a prefecture set as a destination in the past, the user can speak by omitting the prefecture name. , You can search for the desired facility.

  In the first embodiment described above, a unit called prefecture is used as an area including the point indicated by the destination history, and the dynamic facility dictionary 121b is created at the prefecture level. If the lower layer information of the address such as city, ward, town, village, and large letters is stored in the recognition database and the facility database 14 linked thereto, at the lower layer level of the destination history address The dynamic facility dictionary 121b can be configured to be created. For example, when the address stored as the destination history is “ΔΔ prefecture XX city”, the dynamic facility dictionary 121b generated with reference to the destination history contains “ΔΔ prefecture XX city”. If the name of the facility belonging to is registered and the name of the prefecture is omitted and “XX department store” is uttered, the department store belonging to “ΔΔ prefecture XX city” can be searched.

  Next, details of the “facility search process” for searching for facilities by voice recognition will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In this facility search process, voice input is first performed when the user speaks (step ST21). That is, the voice input means 11 converts the user's utterance into a voice signal and sends it to the voice recognition means 13. Next, it is checked whether or not the prefecture name is omitted (step ST22). It is assumed that whether or not to perform voice input with the prefecture name omitted is set in advance by the user. The voice recognition unit 13 refers to the set content and determines whether the prefecture name is omitted.

  If it is determined in step ST22 that the prefecture name is omitted, the facility name is recognized using the dynamic facility dictionary (step ST23). That is, the voice recognition unit 13 recognizes the facility name corresponding to the voice signal sent from the voice input unit 11 by referring to the dynamic facility dictionary 121 b and sends the facility name to the facility search unit 15. Thereafter, the sequence proceeds to step ST24.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step ST22 that the name of the prefecture is not omitted, then the name of the prefecture is recognized (step ST27). That is, the voice recognition unit 13 recognizes the prefecture name corresponding to the voice signal sent from the voice input unit 11 by referring to the prefecture name dictionary 122 a in the address dictionary 122. Next, the facility name is recognized using the fixed facility dictionary (step ST28). That is, the speech recognition means 13 refers to the part corresponding to the prefecture name recognized in step ST27 in the fixed facility dictionary 121a, so that the facility corresponding to the speech signal sent from the speech input means 11 is used. The name is recognized and sent to the facility search means 15. Thereafter, the sequence proceeds to step ST24.

  In step ST24, the facility database 14 is searched (step ST24). That is, the facility search means 15 searches the facility database 14 using the facility name sent from the voice recognition means 13 as a key, and sends the facility information obtained by this search to the search result output means 16. Next, the search result is presented to the user (step ST25). That is, the search result output means 16 displays the facility information sent from the facility search means 15 on the screen of the display device, and outputs it with sound from the speaker.

  Next, the destination is set by the user (step ST26). That is, the user sets the facility indicated by the facility information output from the search result output unit 16 as a destination using an operation unit (not shown). At this time, the facility set as the destination is stored in the destination history storage means 17 as the destination history. Thus, the facility search process ends.

  As described above, the facility search device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is configured to predict in advance the prefecture to which the facility belongs based on the past destination history and set the search target range. Therefore, the utterance of the prefecture name becomes unnecessary, and efficient facility search using voice recognition becomes possible.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
The facility search device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is the facility search device according to Embodiment 1, wherein the facility name assigned to the facility existing in front of the host vehicle among the facilities indicated by the destination history is shown. The recognized vocabulary is stored in the dynamic facility dictionary 121b.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the facility search apparatus according to the second embodiment. This facility search apparatus is configured by adding a destination history direction detection means 19 and a destination history determination means 20 to the facility search apparatus according to the first embodiment. Below, it demonstrates focusing on the part which is different from Embodiment 1. FIG.

  The destination history direction detection means 19 is a direction from the own vehicle position indicated by the own vehicle position information sent from the position detection unit (not shown) to the point indicated by the destination history read from the destination history storage means 17. And the traveling direction of the host vehicle are detected, and the detected intersection angle is added to the destination history and sent to the destination history discriminating means 20. The destination history discriminating means 20 uses the destination history sent from the destination history direction detecting means 19 to obtain the destination history whose intersection angle is less than 90 °, for example, at the destination ahead of the vehicle position. The history is determined and sent to the facility dictionary changing means 18.

  Next, the operation of the facility search apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention configured as described above will be described. Since the facility search process executed in this facility search apparatus is the same as that in the first embodiment, only the facility dictionary maintenance process will be described below.

  The facility dictionary maintenance process is different from the first embodiment only in the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 in which the prefecture is extracted from the destination history performed in step ST11. That is, the destination history direction detecting means 19 detects an intersection angle between the direction from the own vehicle position to the point indicated by the destination history and the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and attaches the detected intersection angle to the destination history. And sent to the destination history discriminating means 20. The destination history discriminating means 20 uses the destination history sent from the destination history direction detecting means 19 as the destination history of the point ahead of the vehicle position, with the destination history having an intersection angle less than a predetermined value. And send it to the facility dictionary changing means 18. The facility dictionary changing unit 18 extracts the prefecture to which the point indicated by the destination history sent from the destination history discriminating unit 20 belongs.

  Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the name of the facility belonging to the prefecture extracted in step ST11 is extracted (step ST12), and the dynamic facility dictionary 121b is created (step ST13). As a result, in addition to the existing “prefecture name + facility name”, a dynamic facility dictionary 121b is created in which a recognized vocabulary that can be recognized only by “facility name” is created. When it is desired to search for a facility name that is set as a place and is located in a prefecture in the direction of travel, the utterance can be made with the prefecture name omitted.

  As described above, according to the facility search apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the prefecture to which the facility belongs is predicted in advance based on the destination history of the facility existing in the traveling direction, Therefore, efficient facility search using voice recognition becomes possible.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
The facility search apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention is the facility search apparatus according to Embodiment 1, wherein a dynamic vocabulary is used to identify a recognition vocabulary of facility names attached to facilities existing within a predetermined distance from the vehicle position. 121b is registered.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the facility search apparatus according to the third embodiment. This facility search apparatus is configured by adding a destination history sorting means 21 and a destination history determination means 22 to the facility search apparatus according to the first embodiment. Below, it demonstrates focusing on the part which is different from Embodiment 1. FIG.

  The destination history sorting means 21 indicates the destination history read from the destination history storage means 17 by the destination history from the own vehicle position indicated by the own vehicle position information sent from the position detector not shown. Sort by distance to point. The destination history sorted by the destination history sorting means 21 is sent to the destination history discrimination means 22. The destination history discriminating means 22 discriminates only the destination history in which the point indicated by the destination history exists within a predetermined distance from the vehicle position among the destination histories sent from the destination history sorting means 21. And sent to the facility dictionary changing means 18.

  Next, the operation of the facility search device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention configured as described above will be described. Since the facility search process executed in this facility search apparatus is the same as that in the first embodiment, only the facility dictionary maintenance process will be described below.

  The facility dictionary maintenance process is different from the first embodiment only in the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 in which the prefecture is extracted from the destination history performed in step ST11. That is, the destination history sorting means 21 calculates the distance from the vehicle position to the point indicated by the destination history, sorts the destination history read from the destination history storage means 17 based on the calculated distance, This is sent to the land history discrimination means 20.

  The destination history discriminating means 20 discriminates only the destination history sent from the destination history direction detecting means 19 at a point existing within a predetermined distance, for example, 50 km from the own vehicle position, and the facility dictionary changing means 18 Send to. The facility dictionary changing unit 18 extracts a point indicated by the destination history sent from the destination history discriminating unit 20, that is, a prefecture to which a point existing within a predetermined distance from the vehicle position belongs.

  Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the name of the facility belonging to the prefecture extracted in step ST11 is extracted (step ST12), and the dynamic facility dictionary 121b is created (step ST13). As a result, in addition to the existing “prefecture name + facility name”, a dynamic facility dictionary 121b is created in which a recognized vocabulary that can be recognized only by “facility name” is created. When it is desired to search for a facility name that is set as a place and is located in a prefecture within a predetermined distance from the vehicle position, the utterance can be made with the prefecture name omitted.

  As described above, according to the facility search device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, the facility belongs based on the destination history of the facility that is in the vicinity of the own vehicle position, that is, within the predetermined distance from the own vehicle position. Since the prefecture is predicted in advance and the search target range is set, efficient facility search using voice recognition becomes possible.

  The destination history stored in the destination history storage means 17 is configured to include the arrival date and time when the vehicle arrived at the destination, and the destination history sorting means 21 determines the destination history according to the arrival date and time at the destination. The destination history discriminating means 22 discriminates the destination history in which the arrival date and time at the destination is within a predetermined period from the current date and time among the sorted destination histories. Can be configured to send. With this configuration, when searching for a facility name in a prefecture where a recently set destination is included among destinations set in the past, the user can speak by omitting the prefecture name.

  The destination history sorting means 21 sorts the destination history according to the number of times the destination has been reached, and the destination history discrimination means 22 determines that the number of times the destination has been reached among the sorted destination histories is a predetermined value. The destination history as described above can be determined and sent to the facility dictionary changing means 18. With this configuration, when a user wants to search for a facility name in a prefecture that includes a destination that has been set as a destination among the destinations set in the past, that is, a destination that is frequently used, the name of the prefecture You can speak without the.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In the facility search device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, in the facility search device according to Embodiment 1, the recognition vocabulary of the facility name assigned to the facility is stored in the dynamic facility dictionary 121b for each speaker. It is a thing.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the facility search apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. In this facility search device, a speaker determination unit 23 and a destination history determination unit 25 are added to the facility search device according to the first embodiment, and a destination history storage unit 17 of the facility search device according to the first embodiment. Is replaced with the destination history storage means 24 for each speaker. Below, it demonstrates focusing on the part which is different from Embodiment 1. FIG.

  The speaker discriminating means 23 discriminates a speaker based on the acoustic dictionary 23a registered at the start of voice operation. The speaker determined by the speaker determination unit 23 is sent to the destination history storage unit 24 for each speaker. The destination history storage unit 24 for each speaker stores the destination history for each speaker. That is, in the destination history storage unit 24 for each speaker, information on the speaker is stored in association with the destination history when the destination is set by voice recognition or the like. The contents stored in the destination history storage unit 24 for each speaker are read by the destination history determination unit 25. The destination history discriminating means 25 extracts only the destination history corresponding to the current speaker sent from the speaker discriminating means 23 from the destination history read from the destination history storage means 24 by the speaker. To the facility dictionary changing means 18.

  Next, the operation of the facility retrieval apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention configured as described above will be described. Since the facility search process executed in this facility search apparatus is the same as that in the first embodiment, only the facility dictionary maintenance process will be described below.

  The facility dictionary maintenance process is different from the first embodiment only in the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 in which the prefecture is extracted from the destination history performed in step ST11. That is, the destination history discriminating means 25 reads the destination history from the speaker-specific destination history storing means 24, selects the destination history corresponding to the current speaker sent from the speaker discriminating means 23, and This is sent to the facility dictionary changing means 18. The facility dictionary changing unit 18 extracts the prefecture to which the point indicated by the destination history sent from the destination history discriminating unit 20 belongs.

  Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the name of the facility belonging to the prefecture extracted in step ST11 is extracted (step ST12), and the dynamic facility dictionary 121b is created (step ST13). As a result, in addition to the existing “prefecture name + facility name”, the dynamic facility dictionary 121b in which the recognition vocabulary that can be recognized only by the “facility name” is created, so that each user has his own When searching for a facility name in a prefecture set as a destination in the past, it is possible to utter by omitting the prefecture name.

  As described above, according to the facility search apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, the prefecture to which the facility belongs is predicted in advance based on the destination history for each user, and the search target range is set. Since it comprised, each user can perform the efficient facility search using speech recognition in the state suitable for self.

  The speaker discriminating means 23 does not discriminate the speaker based on the acoustic dictionary 23a registered at the start of the voice operation, but dynamically discriminates the speaker using the acoustic dictionary 23a for each speaker. The destination history discriminating unit 25 automatically switches the destination history for each speaker sent from the destination history storing unit for each speaker 24 based on the discrimination result sent from the speaker discriminating unit 23. It can also be configured.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
The facility search apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention is the facility search apparatus according to Embodiment 1, wherein the dynamic vocabulary dictionary 121b uses the recognition vocabulary of the facility name assigned to the facility according to the vehicle position and the running state. It is intended to be stored in

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the facility search apparatus according to the fifth embodiment. In this facility search apparatus, the own vehicle position determination means 26 and the traveling state determination means 27 are added to the facility search apparatus according to the first embodiment, and the facility dictionary change means 18 of the facility search apparatus according to the first embodiment. Is replaced with the facility dictionary dynamic changing means 28. Below, it demonstrates focusing on the part which is different from Embodiment 1. FIG.

  The own vehicle position discriminating means 26 discriminates the own vehicle position based on the own vehicle position information sent from a position detector (not shown). The vehicle position determined by the vehicle position determination unit 26 is sent to the facility dictionary dynamic change unit 28. The traveling state determination unit 27 determines whether the host vehicle is traveling or stopped based on vehicle speed information sent from a vehicle speed detection unit (not shown). The determination result by the traveling state determination unit 27 is sent to the facility dictionary dynamic change unit 28.

  The facility dictionary dynamic changing unit 28 determines the point indicated by the destination history sent from the destination history storage unit 17 when the discrimination result sent from the traveling state discrimination unit 27 indicates that the vehicle is stopped. The recognition vocabulary of the facility name given to the facility belonging to the prefecture that includes the prefecture and the own vehicle position included in the prefecture and the own vehicle position discriminating means 26 is read out from the fixed facility dictionary 121a and stored in the dynamic facility dictionary 121b. Store. On the other hand, the facility dictionary dynamic changing means 28 includes the own vehicle position sent from the own vehicle position judging means 26 when the judgment result sent from the traveling state judging means 27 indicates that the vehicle is running. The recognition vocabulary of the facility name attached to the facility belonging to the prefecture is read from the fixed facility dictionary 121a and stored in the dynamic facility dictionary 121b.

  Next, the operation of the facility retrieval apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention configured as described above will be described. Since the facility search process executed in this facility search apparatus is the same as that in the first embodiment, only the facility dictionary maintenance process will be described below.

  The facility dictionary maintenance process is different from the first embodiment only in the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 in which the prefecture is extracted from the destination history performed in step ST11. That is, the facility dictionary dynamic changing means 28 is indicated by the destination history sent from the destination history storage means 17 when the judgment result sent from the traveling state judgment means 27 indicates that it is stopped. The prefecture where the point is included and the prefecture where the vehicle position sent from the vehicle position determination means 26 is included are extracted. On the other hand, when the determination result sent from the traveling state determination unit 27 indicates that the vehicle is stopped, the prefecture where the vehicle position sent from the vehicle position determination unit 26 is included is extracted.

  Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the name of the facility belonging to the prefecture extracted in step ST11 is extracted (step ST12), and the dynamic facility dictionary 121b is created (step ST13). As a result, in addition to the existing “prefecture name + facility name”, the dynamic facility dictionary 121b storing the recognized vocabulary that can be recognized only by “facility name” is created, so that the user can identify himself / herself in the past. When searching for a facility name in the prefecture set as the destination in the prefecture or the prefecture where the own vehicle position is included, the utterance can be made by omitting the name of the prefecture.

  As described above, according to the facility search device according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention, the prefecture to which the facility belongs is based on the own vehicle position or the past destination history according to the traveling or stopped state of the own vehicle. Since the system is configured so that the search target range is set in advance, efficient facility search using voice recognition becomes possible.

Embodiment 6 FIG.
The facility search device according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention stores the recognized vocabulary of the facility name assigned to the facility according to the driving skill in the dynamic facility dictionary 121b in the facility search device according to Embodiment 5. It is a thing.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the facility search apparatus according to the sixth embodiment. This facility search apparatus is configured by adding a travel history storage means 29 and a driving skill determination means 30 to the facility search apparatus according to the fifth embodiment. Below, it demonstrates focusing on the part which is different from Embodiment 5. FIG.

  The traveling state discriminating means 27 discriminates whether the host vehicle is running or stopped based on vehicle speed information sent from a vehicle speed detecting unit (not shown), and the result of the discrimination along with the vehicle speed information is a facility dictionary dynamic changing means. 28 and the travel history storage means 29. The travel history storage unit 29 stores the travel distance of the host vehicle calculated based on the vehicle speed information sent from the travel state determination unit 27 and the destination history sent from the destination history storage unit 17 as a travel history. To do. The travel history stored in the travel history storage unit 29 is sent to the driving skill determination unit 30.

  The driving skill determination means 30 determines the driving skill from the travel history sent from the travel history storage means 29. The determination of the driving skill is performed, for example, by performing linear prediction from the travel distance and the number of cases registered in the destination history. The determination result in the driving skill determining means 30 is sent to the facility dictionary dynamic changing means 28 as the driving skill.

  The facility dictionary dynamic changing unit 28 determines the point indicated by the destination history sent from the destination history storage unit 17 when the discrimination result sent from the traveling state discrimination unit 27 indicates that the vehicle is stopped. The recognition vocabulary of the facility name given to the facility belonging to the prefecture that includes the prefecture and the own vehicle position included in the prefecture and the own vehicle position discriminating means 26 is read out from the fixed facility dictionary 121a and stored in the dynamic facility dictionary 121b. Store.

  On the other hand, the facility dictionary dynamic changing means 28, based on the vehicle position sent from the vehicle position determining means 26, travels when the determination result sent from the traveling state determining means 27 indicates that the vehicle is traveling. A travelable point is calculated based on the running state sent from the state discriminating means 27 and the driving skill sent from the driving skill discriminating means 30. Then, the fixed vocabulary 121a is used to identify the recognition vocabulary of the facility name given to the prefecture belonging to the prefecture where the own vehicle position sent from the own vehicle position determination means 26 and the calculated travelable point are included. And stored in the dynamic facility dictionary 121b.

  Next, the operation of the facility search apparatus according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention configured as described above will be described. Since the facility search process executed in this facility search apparatus is the same as that in the first embodiment, only the facility dictionary maintenance process will be described below.

  The facility dictionary maintenance process is different from the first embodiment only in the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 in which the prefecture is extracted from the destination history performed in step ST11. That is, the facility dictionary dynamic changing means 28 extracts the prefecture where the point indicated by the destination history is included and the prefecture where the own vehicle position is included if the own vehicle is stopped. On the other hand, if the vehicle is traveling, a point where the vehicle can be driven is calculated from the vehicle position based on the driving state and the driving skill. Extract the prefectures that contain prefectures.

  Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the name of the facility belonging to the prefecture extracted in step ST11 is extracted (step ST12), and the dynamic facility dictionary 121b is created (step ST13). As a result, in addition to the existing “prefecture name + facility name”, the dynamic facility dictionary 121b storing the recognized vocabulary that can be recognized only by “facility name” is created, so that the user can identify himself / herself in the past. When searching for a facility name in the prefecture set as the destination in the prefecture or the prefecture where the own vehicle position is included, the utterance can be made by omitting the name of the prefecture.

  As described above, according to the facility search apparatus according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention, based on the driver's driving skill and the traveling or stopping state of the own vehicle, based on the own vehicle position or the past destination history. Since the configuration is such that the prefecture to which the facility belongs is predicted in advance and the search target range is set, efficient facility search using voice recognition becomes possible.

Embodiment 7 FIG.
In the facility search device according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention, if the searched facility is more than a predetermined distance from the own vehicle position in the facility search device according to Embodiment 5, it is presented as a destination compensation The user is inquired about whether or not to do so.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the facility search apparatus according to the seventh embodiment. This facility search apparatus is configured by adding a user confirmation unit 31 to the facility search apparatus according to the fifth embodiment and changing the function of the facility search unit 15. Below, it demonstrates focusing on the part which is different from Embodiment 5. FIG.

  The user confirmation means 31 confirms that the user responds to an inquiry as to whether or not the facility searched by voice recognition may be presented as a destination candidate when it is more than a predetermined distance from the own vehicle position. Used to make input. The confirmation input input from the user confirmation unit 31 is sent to the facility retrieval unit 15.

  The facility search means 15 searches the facility database 14 using the facility name sent from the voice recognition means 13 as a key, and also searches the facility database 14 from the own vehicle position sent from the own vehicle position determination means 26. Based on the distance to the facility indicated by the facility information and the confirmation input sent from the user confirmation means 31, it is determined whether the retrieved facility information is presented to the user, and the retrieved facility is determined according to the determination result. Controls whether information is sent to the search result output means 16.

  Next, the operation of the facility search apparatus according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention configured as described above will be described. Since the facility dictionary maintenance process executed in this facility search apparatus is the same as that in the fifth embodiment, only the facility search process will be described below.

  The facility search processing is different from Embodiment 5 only in the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 that presents the search result performed in step ST25 to the user. That is, the facility search means 15 searches the facility database 14 for facility information corresponding to the facility name that has been voice-recognized, and is sent from the location of the facility indicated by the searched facility information and the vehicle position determination means 26. Calculate the distance to your vehicle position. When it is determined that all of the searched facility candidates are within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle position (for example, 200 km from the own vehicle position), all searched facility information is sent to the search result output means 16. Thereby, all search results are presented to the user.

  On the other hand, if the facility search means 15 determines that the searched facility candidates include a facility that is more than a predetermined distance from the vehicle position, the facility search means 15 outputs a message to the search result output means 16 so that it is within the predetermined distance. Request confirmation of the availability of the facility candidate and the facility candidate of a predetermined distance or more. At this time, the search result output means 16 presents the first to nth items in order to the user when n of the searched facilities are within a predetermined distance, and n Immediately after presenting the facility compensation to the user, a message such as "You are more than XX km away but there are still <Nn> candidates. Can you confirm?" And prompting the user for confirmation. Also, if all N of the searched facilities are not within the specified distance, a message such as “All the facilities you are looking for are more than ○ km away. Prompt user for confirmation.

  The confirmation input from the user using the user confirmation unit 31 can be configured to be performed by utterance representing the content of “Yes” or “No”, or by manually operating a key or a touch panel (not shown). The user confirmation unit 31 sends a confirmation input from the user to the facility retrieval unit 15. The facility search means 15 does not present any further facility candidates when the confirmation input from the user is “No”. On the other hand, when the confirmation input from the user is “Yes”, the facility candidate is presented using the search result output means 16 continuously from the (n + 1) th candidate. At this time, the facility search means 15 can be configured to hold a plurality of predetermined distances and to present candidates to the user in stages. Moreover, the facility search means 15 can also be configured to store the confirmation contents from the user and use the confirmation contents when presenting the next search result.

  The confirmation to the user can be performed every time, or can be performed only once immediately after the start of the in-vehicle navigation device, and thereafter, the facility search means 15 can automatically determine. In addition, the distance from the vehicle position for determining whether or not the user can be confirmed can be configured so that the user can freely set and change the distance. Further, the setting can be changed by using voice operation.

  As described above, according to the facility search device according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle position is obtained while having a framework for inquiring whether or not a point considerably distant from the vehicle position is to be recognized. Alternatively, it is possible to efficiently search for a facility using voice recognition by predicting in advance the prefecture to which the facility belongs based on the past destination history and setting the search target range.

Embodiment 8 FIG.
In the facility search apparatus according to Embodiment 8 of the present invention, the recognition vocabulary of the facility name given to the facility according to the route search result is stored in the dynamic facility dictionary 121b.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the facility search apparatus according to the eighth embodiment. This facility search apparatus is configured by replacing the destination history storage means 17 and the facility dictionary change means 18 of the facility search apparatus according to the first embodiment with a route calculation means 32 and a route peripheral facility dictionary dynamic change means 33, respectively. Has been. Below, it demonstrates focusing on the part which is different from Embodiment 1. FIG.

  The route calculation means 32 calculates the route from the position indicated by the vehicle position information sent from the outside to the facility set as the destination by the destination setting means (not shown), and dynamically changes the route peripheral facility dictionary Send to means 33. The route surrounding facility dictionary dynamic changing unit 33 extracts facilities existing around the route sent from the route calculating unit 32, and extracts the name of the prefecture in which the extracted facility exists. Then, the recognized vocabulary of the facility name attached to the extracted facility belonging to the prefecture is read from the fixed facility dictionary 121a and stored in the dynamic facility dictionary 121b.

  Next, the operation of the facility retrieval apparatus according to Embodiment 8 of the present invention configured as described above will be explained. Since the facility search process executed in this facility search apparatus is the same as that in the first embodiment, only the facility dictionary maintenance process will be described below.

  The facility dictionary maintenance process is different from the first embodiment only in the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 in which the prefecture is extracted from the destination history performed in step ST11. That is, the route surrounding facility dictionary dynamic changing unit 33 extracts facilities existing around the route sent from the route calculating unit 32, and extracts the name of the prefecture where the extracted facility exists.

  Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the name of the facility belonging to the prefecture extracted in step ST11 is extracted (step ST12), and the dynamic facility dictionary 121b is created (step ST13). As a result, in addition to the existing “prefecture name + facility name”, the dynamic facility dictionary 121b storing the recognized vocabulary that can be recognized only by “facility name” is created. When you want to search for an existing facility name, you can omit the prefecture name and speak.

  As described above, according to the facility search apparatus according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention, the speech recognition is used by predicting in advance the prefecture to which the facility along the route belongs and setting the search target range. An efficient facility search becomes possible.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the facility search apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the facility dictionary used in the facility search apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the facility dictionary maintenance process performed in the facility search apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the facility search process performed in the facility search apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the facility search apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the facility search apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the facility search apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the facility search apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the facility search apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the facility search apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 7 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the facility search apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 8 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  11 voice input means, 12 recognition dictionary, 13 voice recognition means, 14 facility database, 15 facility search means, 16 search result output means, 17 destination history storage means, 18 facility dictionary change means, 19 destination history direction detection means, 20, 22, 25 Destination history discriminating means, 21 Destination history sorting means, 23 Speaker determining means, 24 Speaker-specific destination history storing means, 26 Vehicle position determining means, 27 Driving state determining means, 28 Facility dictionary Dynamic change means 29 Travel history storage means 30 Driving skill determination means 31 User confirmation means 32 Route calculation means 33 Route peripheral facility dictionary dynamic change means 121 Facility dictionary 121a Fixed facility dictionary 121b Dynamic facility Dictionary, 122 Address dictionary, 122a Prefecture name dictionary.

Claims (11)

A fixed facility dictionary that stores the recognition vocabulary of facility names,
A dynamic facility dictionary in which a part of the recognition vocabulary of facility names stored in the fixed facility dictionary is dynamically stored;
Destination history storage means for storing a point set as a destination as a destination history;
Facility dictionary changing means for reading a recognition vocabulary of a facility name belonging to an area including a point indicated by the destination history stored in the destination history storage means from the fixed facility dictionary and storing it in the dynamic facility dictionary;
Voice input means for inputting voice;
Voice recognition means for recognizing the voice input from the voice input means by referring to the dynamic facility dictionary and outputting the facility name;
A facility database for storing facility information;
Facility search means for searching facility information corresponding to the facility name output from the voice recognition means from the facility database;
A facility search apparatus comprising search result output means for outputting facility information searched by the facility search means. Destination history detected by detecting the intersection angle between the direction from the vehicle position of the point indicated by the destination history stored in the destination history storage means and the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and outputting the detected result to the destination history Direction detection means;
A destination history discriminating unit for discriminating a destination history whose intersection angle is less than a predetermined value from the destination history output from the destination history direction detecting unit;
The facility dictionary changing means reads out the recognition vocabulary of the facility name belonging to the area including the point indicated by the destination history determined by the destination history determining means from the fixed facility dictionary and stores it in the dynamic facility dictionary. The facility search device according to claim 1. Destination history sorting means for sorting the destination history stored in the destination history storage means according to the distance from the vehicle position to the point indicated by the destination history;
A destination history discriminating means for discriminating a destination history where the point indicated by the destination history sorted by the destination history sorting means is within a predetermined distance from the vehicle position;
The facility dictionary changing means reads out the recognition vocabulary of the facility name belonging to the area including the point indicated by the destination history determined by the destination history determining means from the fixed facility dictionary and stores it in the dynamic facility dictionary. The facility search device according to claim 1. Destination history sorting means for sorting the destination history stored in the destination history storage means according to the arrival date and time at the destination indicated by the destination history;
Among the destination histories sorted by the destination history sorting means, destination history change for determining destination histories whose arrival date and time indicated by the destination history is within a predetermined period from the current date and time Means and
The facility dictionary changing means reads out the recognition vocabulary of the facility name belonging to the area including the point indicated by the destination history determined by the destination history determining means from the fixed facility dictionary and stores it in the dynamic facility dictionary. The facility search device according to claim 1. Destination history sorting means for sorting the destination history stored in the destination history storage means according to the number of times the destination history indicated by the destination history is reached;
A destination history change means for discriminating a destination history in which the number of times reaching the destination indicated by the destination history is a predetermined value or more among the destination histories sorted by the destination history sorting means; ,
The facility dictionary changing means reads out the recognition vocabulary of the facility name belonging to the area including the point indicated by the destination history determined by the destination history determining means from the fixed facility dictionary and stores it in the dynamic facility dictionary. The facility search device according to claim 1. A speaker discriminating means for discriminating a speaker;
A destination history storage unit for each speaker that stores a point set as a destination as a destination history for each speaker;
A destination history discriminating unit for discriminating a destination history for each speaker determined by the speaker discriminating unit from a destination history transmitted from the destination history storing unit for each speaker;
The facility dictionary changing means reads out the recognition vocabulary of the facility name belonging to the area including the point indicated by the destination history determined by the destination history determining means from the fixed facility dictionary and stores it in the dynamic facility dictionary. The facility search device according to claim 1. It has an acoustic dictionary for each speaker.
The speaker discriminating means dynamically discriminates a speaker using the acoustic dictionary,
The destination history discriminating means automatically switches the destination history sent from the destination history storage means for each speaker based on the discrimination result sent from the speaker discriminating means. 6. Facility search device according to 6 Vehicle position determination means for determining the vehicle position based on the vehicle position information sent from outside;
Traveling state determining means for determining a traveling state based on vehicle speed information sent from outside;
When the determination result sent from the travel state determination means indicates that the vehicle is stopped, the area including the point indicated by the destination history sent from the destination history storage means and the own vehicle position determination means The recognition vocabulary of the facility name attached to the facility belonging to the area including the own vehicle position sent from the vehicle is read from the fixed facility dictionary, and the discrimination result sent from the running state discrimination means indicates that the vehicle is running In this case, the facility that reads the recognition vocabulary of the facility name attached to the facility belonging to the area including the vehicle position sent from the vehicle position determination means from the fixed facility dictionary and stores it in the dynamic facility dictionary The facility retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a dictionary dynamic change unit. Travel history storage means for storing a travel history based on the travel state sent from the travel state determination means;
Driving skill determination means for determining the driving skill based on the travel history stored in the travel history storage means,
The facility dictionary dynamic change means includes a point indicated by the destination history sent from the destination history storage means when the judgment result sent from the travel state judgment means indicates that the vehicle is stopped. The recognition vocabulary of the facility name given to the facility belonging to the area and the region including the own vehicle position sent from the own vehicle position discriminating means is read from the fixed facility dictionary, and the discrimination sent from the traveling state judging means If the result indicates that the vehicle is traveling, an area including a travelable point determined according to the driving skill determined by the driving skill determination means from the own vehicle position determined by the own vehicle position determination means and The recognition vocabulary of the facility name attached to the facility belonging to the area including the own vehicle position sent from the own vehicle position determining means is read from the fixed facility dictionary and stored in the dynamic facility dictionary. Facility searching device according to claim 8 wherein the symptoms. User confirmation means for entering confirmation,
The facility search means searches the facility database for facility information corresponding to the facility name output from the speech recognition means, and the facility indicated by the facility information obtained by the search is sent from the own vehicle position determination means. If the vehicle position is more than a predetermined distance away, whether or not the facility may be presented as a destination candidate is output to the search result output means, and according to the confirmation input sent from the user confirmation means, The facility search apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the facility information obtained by the search is controlled to be output to a search result output means. A fixed facility dictionary that stores the recognition vocabulary of facility names,
A dynamic facility dictionary in which a part of the recognition vocabulary of facility names stored in the fixed facility dictionary is dynamically stored;
Route calculation means for calculating the route to the point set as the destination,
A facility dictionary changing unit that reads a recognition vocabulary of a facility name attached to a facility existing around a route calculated by the route calculating unit from the fixed facility dictionary and stores the recognition vocabulary in the dynamic facility dictionary;
Voice input means for inputting voice;
Voice recognition means for recognizing the voice input from the voice input means by referring to the dynamic facility dictionary, and outputting the recognized facility name;
A facility database for storing facility information;
Facility search means for searching facility information corresponding to the facility name output from the voice recognition means from the facility database;
A facility search apparatus comprising search result output means for outputting facility information searched by the facility search means.

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