method

Abstract

Improve the vehicle's voice recognition capabilities. [Solution] When an operation is performed to stop a function that has been activated by voice, the information processing device 10 stores vehicle status information, including location information. When the function is activated by voice, the information processing device 10 determines whether the activation of the function was a malfunction or not, based on the vehicle status information and the current location.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method executed by an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, functions based on voice recognition in vehicles are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for determining whether there has been an emergency utterance by a passenger during operation control of in-vehicle equipment, and when it is determined that there has been an emergency utterance, executing a safe operation of the in-vehicle equipment.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Improvements are desired for functions based on voice recognition in vehicles.

[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve functions based on voice recognition in vehicles.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a method executed by an information processing apparatus, including storing vehicle state information including position information when an operation associated with stopping the function is performed on a function activated by voice, and determining whether the activation of the function is a malfunction based on the vehicle state information and the current location when the function is activated by voice.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, functions based on voice recognition in vehicles are improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the information processing device related to this disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing device related to this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below.

[0010] (Summary of the embodiment) Referring to Figure 1, the configuration of the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment will be described. The information processing device 10 is, for example, an in-vehicle device mounted in a vehicle, or a server device that communicates with the vehicle, a PC (Personal Computer), a computer such as a smartphone, or a general-purpose or dedicated electronic device. The information processing device 10 may also be composed of, for example, an in-vehicle device and a server device, or it may be composed of multiple devices including a terminal device carried by the user, such as a smartphone.

[0011] First, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and details will be described later. When an operation is performed to stop a function that has been activated by voice, the information processing device 10 stores vehicle status information, including location information. When the function is activated by voice, the information processing device 10 determines whether the activation of the function was a malfunction or not, based on the vehicle status information and the current location.

[0012] Activating a function via voice recognition may result in malfunctions due to misdetection of voice, such as when ambient noise, like sounds from outside the vehicle, is mistakenly identified as the registered user's voice. In contrast, according to this embodiment, when a function is activated by voice, it is possible to determine whether the activation of the function is a malfunction based on whether or not the function has been stopped in the vicinity of the current location in the past. Therefore, if the information processing device 10 determines that it is a malfunction, it can perform a process such as stopping the function, thus eliminating the need for the user to perform an operation such as stopping the function, and thus improving the convenience for users of voice recognition functions. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the voice recognition function of the vehicle is improved in that it can improve the convenience for users of voice recognition functions.

[0013] Next, the configuration of the information processing device 10 will be described in detail.

[0014] (Configuration of information processing device) The information processing device 10 comprises a communication unit 11, an output unit 12, an input unit 13, a storage unit 14, a control unit 15, and a sensor unit 16.

[0015] The communication unit 11 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to a network. These communication interfaces are compatible with, but are not limited to, mobile communication standards such as 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation). The communication unit 11 receives information used in the operation of the information processing device 10 and transmits information obtained through the operation of the information processing device 10. The communication unit 11 enables the information processing device 10 to communicate with servers and other devices constituting this embodiment via the network.

[0016] The output unit 12 includes one or more output devices that output information. These output devices are, for example, a display that outputs information as images, or a speaker that outputs information as sound, but are not limited to these. Alternatively, the output unit 12 may include an interface for connecting an external output device.

[0017] The input unit 13 includes one or more input devices for detecting user input operations. These input devices are, but are not limited to, physical keys, capacitive keys, mice, touch panels, touchscreens integrated with the display of the output unit 12, or microphones. Alternatively, the input unit 13 may include an interface for connecting external input devices.

[0018] The storage unit 14 includes one or more memories. The memories are, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, or optical memories, but are not limited to these. Each memory included in the storage unit 14 may function as, for example, a main memory, an auxiliary memory, or a cache memory. The storage unit 14 stores any information used in the operation of the information processing device 10. In addition, for example, the storage unit 14 may store system programs, application programs, and embedded software. For example, the information stored in the storage unit 14 may be updateable with information obtained from a network via, for example, the communication unit 11. In this embodiment, the storage unit 14 stores vehicle state information when an operation associated with stopping a function that has been activated by voice is performed.

[0019] The control unit 15 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), at least one dedicated circuit such as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), or any combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (central processing unit) or GPU (graphics processing unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The control unit 15 controls each part of the information processing device 10 and executes processes related to the operation of the information processing device 10.

[0020] The sensor unit 16 includes any sensors for acquiring driving information, such as, for example, a steering angle sensor, an acceleration sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a position sensor, and a gyro sensor. The sensor unit 16 may include, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver or the like. Further, the sensor unit 16 may include, for example, a camera capable of capturing information inside the vehicle used to determine the number of passengers.

[0021] (First operation flow of information processing device) Referring to FIG. 2(a), the first operation of the information processing device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0022] S100: The control unit 15 of the information processing device 10 detects that an operation associated with stopping the function activated by voice has been performed.

[0023] Specifically, the control unit 15 detects that a function that can be activated by voice recognition has been activated. Then, the control unit 15 monitors whether an operation associated with stopping the function is performed by the user. When it is detected that the operation has been performed, the process proceeds to S101. Note that the control unit 15 may cause the process to proceed to S101 only when an operation associated with stopping the function is performed within the first predetermined period. The first predetermined period may be different for each function and may be changeable.

[0024] The "operation associated with stopping the function" may include any operation for stopping the function, such as, for example, pressing a stop button of the function, an operation for shifting the function to the background, or instructing cancellation of the function by voice. Further, the operation associated with stopping the function may be different for each function.

[0025] S101: The control unit 15 stores vehicle state information including position information.

[0026] Specifically, if it is determined in S100 to proceed to S101, the control unit 15 uses the sensor unit 16 to acquire vehicle location information. Next, the control unit 15 stores vehicle status information, including a function ID that uniquely identifies the function and the location information, in the storage unit 14.

[0027] The "vehicle status information" includes, in addition to the function ID and location information described above, information regarding the vehicle's status at the time S101 is executed. This "vehicle status information" may include, for example, the vehicle's status (e.g., whether the vehicle is moving or stopped) and the number of passengers obtained using the sensor unit 16. If the storage unit 14 resides on a server managing multiple vehicles, the vehicle status information may include a vehicle ID to uniquely identify the vehicle. Furthermore, the vehicle status information may include date and time information indicating the date and time the operation was performed. It may also include passenger count information indicating the number of passengers.

[0028] The "Function ID" may be any combination of alphanumeric characters that is unique, or it may be a function name expressed in a way that is unique using hiragana, katakana, Chinese numerals, etc. Similarly, the "Vehicle ID" may be any combination of alphanumeric characters that is unique, or it may be a function name expressed in a way that is unique using hiragana, katakana, Chinese numerals, etc.

[0029] (Second operation flow of the information processing device) Referring to Figure 2(b), the second operation of the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0030] S200: The control unit 15 detects that the function has been activated by voice.

[0031] Specifically, when a function is activated by voice, the control unit 15 searches the storage unit 14 to see if the function ID of that function matches any of the function IDs among the multiple vehicle status information stored in the storage unit 14. If the search finds status information that matches the function ID of that function, the process proceeds to S201. If no matching information is found, the process terminates. If the storage unit 14 is located on a server, the control unit 15 may or may not determine whether any of the vehicle IDs among the multiple vehicle status information matches the vehicle ID of its own vehicle. Furthermore, the control unit 15 may terminate the process if the function activated by voice is a specific function. For example, if the function is an emergency safety function, the control unit 15 may terminate the process. In this case, it is considered better to prioritize safety over the inconvenience of user intervention in case of malfunction.

[0032] S201: The control unit 15 determines whether the activation of the function is a malfunction or not, based on the vehicle status information and the current location.

[0033] Specifically, the control unit 15 determines whether the location information of the vehicle status information retrieved in S200 matches the current location information obtained using the sensor unit 16, or whether they are within a predetermined distance. If they match or are within a predetermined distance, the control unit 15 determines that activating the function is an error. The predetermined distance may vary depending on the function and may be changeable.

[0034] Furthermore, if the vehicle status information includes date and time information, the control unit 15 may determine whether the activation of the function is a malfunction based on the current date and time. Specifically, the control unit 15 acquires the current date and time at the same time as acquiring the location information. If the location information of the vehicle status information matches the current location information or is within a predetermined distance, the control unit 15 determines whether the month, day, or time of the date and time information of the vehicle status information retrieved in S200 matches the current date and time or is within a second predetermined period. If they match or are within the second predetermined period, the control unit 15 determines that the activation of the function is a malfunction. Note that the second predetermined period may differ for each function and may be changeable. Alternatively, the control unit 15 may determine whether the day of the week matches the date and time information of the vehicle status information or the current date and time. Alternatively, the control unit 15 may determine whether both the date and time information of the vehicle status information and the current date and time are weekends or holidays, or weekdays or not. In any case, if they match or are applicable, the control unit 15 may determine that the activation of the function is a malfunction.

[0035] Furthermore, if the vehicle status information includes passenger count information, the control unit 15 may determine whether the activation of the function is a malfunction based on the current passenger count date and time. Specifically, the control unit 15 acquires the number of passengers using the sensor unit 16 at the same time as acquiring the location information. If the location information of the vehicle status information matches the current location information or is within a predetermined distance, the control unit 15 determines whether the passenger count information of the vehicle status information retrieved in S200 matches the current passenger count. If they match, the control unit 15 determines that the activation of the function is a malfunction. Alternatively, the control unit 15 may determine whether both the passenger count information of the vehicle status information and the current passenger count are at, above, or below a predetermined number. If they are at, above, or below the predetermined number, the control unit 15 may determine that the activation of the function is a malfunction. The predetermined number may vary depending on the function and may be changeable.

[0036] Furthermore, the control unit 15 may determine whether the activation of the function is a malfunction based on whether there are a specified number or more of vehicle state information items that meet the above conditions. For example, if there are three or more vehicle state information items that match the current location information or are within a specified distance, the control unit 15 may determine that the activation of the function is a malfunction. The specified number may vary depending on the function and may be changeable.

[0037] While this disclosure has been described based on the drawings and embodiments, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions, etc., included in each component or step can be rearranged in a logically consistent manner, and multiple components or steps can be combined into one or divided into two.

[0038] For example, in the embodiment described above, it is also possible to distribute the configuration and operation of the information processing device 10 to multiple computers that can communicate with each other. For example, if the information processing device 10 is composed of an in-vehicle device and a server, the in-vehicle device may perform some operations, and the server may perform operations that the in-vehicle device does not perform.

[0039] Furthermore, for example, in the embodiment described above, if it is determined in S201 that the activation of the function is a malfunction, the control unit 15 may stop the function.

[0040] Alternatively, if the activation of the function is determined to be a malfunction in S201, the control unit 15 may suggest to the user that the function be stopped. If the user agrees to the suggestion, the control unit 15 may stop the function.

[0041] Specifically, the control unit 15 uses the speaker of the output unit 12 to output an arbitrary voice message to the user to stop the function, such as, "Is the activation of this function due to a malfunction? If so, please answer 'yes'; otherwise, please answer 'no'." If the user answers "yes," the control unit 15 activates the function. If the user answers "no," the control unit 15 does not stop the function.

[0042] Furthermore, in the modified example described above, if the user does not accept the proposal, the control unit 15 may store the proposal cancellation information in the storage unit 14. The proposal cancellation information may include the same information as the vehicle status information. In this case, the control unit 15 may determine in S201 whether the activation of the function is a malfunction or not based on the difference between the number of vehicle status information and the number of proposal cancellation information entries. Specifically, in S201, the control unit 15 obtains the number of vehicle status information and proposal cancellation information entries that correspond to each condition. If the difference between the number of vehicle status information entries and the number of proposal cancellation information entries is greater than or equal to a predetermined number, the control unit 15 determines that the activation of the function is a malfunction.

[0043] Furthermore, it is also possible to implement an embodiment in which a general-purpose computer functions as the information processing device 10 according to the above embodiment. Specifically, a program describing the processing content that realizes each function of the information processing device 10 according to the above embodiment is stored in the memory of the general-purpose computer, and the processor reads and executes the program. Therefore, this disclosure can also be implemented as a program that can be executed by a processor, or as a non-temporary computer-readable medium that stores the program. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0044] 10 Information processing unit, 11 Communication unit, 12 Output unit, 13 Input unit, 14 Storage unit, 15 Control unit, 16 Sensor unit

Claims

1. A method executed by an information processing device, If an operation is performed to stop a function that was activated by voice, the vehicle status information, including location information, will be stored, and When the aforementioned function is activated by voice, the system determines whether the activation of the aforementioned function was a malfunction based on the vehicle status information and the current location. Methods that include...

2. The method according to claim 1, If the aforementioned malfunction is detected, the aforementioned function shall be stopped. Methods that further include the above.

3. The method according to claim 1, The aforementioned vehicle status information further includes date and time information, The information processing device, when the function is activated by voice, determines whether the activation of the function is a malfunction or not, based on the current date and time.

4. The method according to claim 1, The aforementioned vehicle status information further includes passenger count information, The information processing device, when the function is activated by voice, determines whether the activation of the function is a malfunction or not, based on the current number of passengers.

5. The method according to claim 1, A method for storing the vehicle status information, including the location information, if, within a first predetermined period, an operation is performed on the function activated by voice that is associated with stopping the function.

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