System and Program

Abstract

To provide a system and a program that allows a user to enjoy operation and driving, prevents boredom, and encourages the user to actively use functions. [Solution] A function required by the user, who is a passenger in the vehicle, is executed in response to a dialogue based on recognition information based on the result of recognizing the voice of the user and the voice output of a predetermined character 100 indicating that the user's voice has been recognized. The recognition information based on the result of recognizing the user's voice is information that recognizes the voice uttered by the user as a phrase that establishes a dialogue with the character 100.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and a program for recognizing the voice of a vehicle occupant and executing a predetermined process. [Background technology]

[0002] At present, in-vehicle electronic devices equipped with functions such as navigation devices and radar detectors are widely used. Such in-vehicle electronic devices have the function of outputting various types of information required by the user, who is an occupant of the vehicle, while the vehicle is running.

[0003] For example, if the in-vehicle electronic device has a function as a navigation device, the display device can display a guide route to a searched destination and various facilities that have been searched for in response to a user's operation. Also, for example, if the in-vehicle electronic device has a function as a radar detector, targets such as speed cameras, police / checkpoint areas, and traffic monitoring devices can be displayed on the display device as appropriate.

[0004] Such in-vehicle electronic devices are basically operated by the user manually using switches on the device, a touch panel on the display screen, or a remote control that allows remote control by infrared rays. Furthermore, in-vehicle electronic devices equipped with a voice recognition function that recognizes the voice spoken by the user and performs processing accordingly are also in widespread use.

[0005] By utilizing this voice recognition function, even users who have difficulty operating the device manually while driving can execute various functions such as route search and facility search by speaking recognition phrases that correspond to pre-registered commands. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-115594 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the voice recognition function in conventional in-vehicle electronic devices is no different from manual operation in that the device performs a predetermined process in response to instructions given unilaterally by the user. Therefore, whether the user operates the device manually or by voice input, the user feels as if he or she is simply operating a boring device.

[0008] In addition, general in-vehicle electronic devices also have a function of providing route guidance, target notification, etc., by a preset voice. However, this function is no different from information provided by a screen display in that the information is provided unilaterally by the device. For this reason, the user only feels that he is receiving information from a dry device.

[0009] As described above, the conventional technology only gives the feeling of operating a device, which is uninteresting and very boring for people in the car, especially for drivers who drive alone for long periods of time. Therefore, after a certain amount of time has passed since the purchase, users lose the motivation to actively use the in-vehicle electronic devices, and the various functions are often left unused.

[0010] The present invention has been proposed to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and its purpose is to provide a system and program that makes operation and driving fun for the user, prevents boredom, and encourages the user to actively use the functions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] (1) The system of the present invention is characterized in that it executes functions required by a vehicle occupant in response to a dialogue based on recognition information based on the results of recognizing the voice of the user who is a vehicle occupant, and the output of a voice of a specified character indicating that the user's voice has been recognized. In this way, for example, the system does not execute functions in response to unilateral instructions from the user who is the occupant of the vehicle, but the user can execute functions required by the occupant of the vehicle by interacting with the character, which increases the convenience and enjoyment of operation and driving, and also provides a sense of communication with the character, preventing boredom. Also, for example, the user is motivated to operate the system in order to interact with the character, so the functions of the system are effectively utilized. The recognition information based on the result of recognizing the user's voice may be, for example, information that recognizes the voice uttered by the user as a phrase that establishes a dialogue with the character. In this way, for example, by outputting the voice of the character according to the recognized phrase, it is possible to indicate that the user's voice has been recognized and to establish a dialogue with the user. As for the recognition of the phrase, for example, in order to execute a function required by the passenger of the vehicle, a specific recognition phrase and a voice of a character that establishes a dialogue in relation to the specific recognition phrase are registered in advance, and the voice of the character is output according to whether or not it matches the result of recognizing the user's voice. In this way, for example, by preparing various combinations of recognition phrases for dialogue and voices of the character, it is possible to correspond to various processes that are executed according to the combinations. The predetermined character may be, for example, a speaker with a specific personality that is recognized by the voice output from the system. In this way, for example, the user can feel as if he or she is talking to a real person, which is favorable because it gives the user a sense of familiarity. As a dialogue, for example, at least one round trip of exchange including the start of an utterance, a response to the utterance, and a response to the response may be performed. In this way, for example, the system does not simply perform processing according to the user's command, but the character provides a sense of being between the user and the system and providing a service. In addition, as a dialogue, for example, the meaning of the user's utterance and the voice of the character may be established as an utterance and a response to the utterance. In this way, a sense of mutual understanding may be obtained. In addition, as a dialogue, for example, an utterance and a response to the utterance whose meaning is irrelevant may be used. In this way, the user may feel a sense of interest and surprise. In addition, as a dialogue, for example, a case where an utterance and a response to the utterance have a valid meaning and a case where a response to the utterance has a meaning that is irrelevant may be mixed. In this way, it is possible to produce an imperfection close to a real conversation, and it is possible to give the user a sense of humanity. The functions required by the vehicle passengers may be functions that increase the convenience of the vehicle passengers, such as changing settings and outputting information, and in particular may be predetermined processes for outputting information that the user wants to know. The information that the user wants to know may be information that can be output by the system more easily or quickly than by manual operation, for example, by using voice recognition. In this way, for example, the user will actively use voice recognition, and the system can provide the user with more opportunities to interact with characters. As an example of executing a function required by the vehicle occupant in response to the dialogue, a function required by the vehicle occupant may be executed as a result of the dialogue. In this way, the vehicle occupant may be motivated to dialogue with the character in order to execute the function required by the vehicle occupant. Furthermore, as an example of executing a function required by the vehicle occupant in response to the dialogue, a function required by the vehicle occupant may be executed during the dialogue. In this way, the vehicle occupant may be motivated to speak and advance the dialogue in order to execute the function required by the vehicle occupant. Furthermore, as an example of executing a function required by the vehicle occupant in response to the dialogue, a process of outputting the voice of the character that constitutes the dialogue may be executed. In this way, the user may engage in dialogue because he or she wants to hear the voice of the character, and thus the dialogue itself may be enjoyed.

[0012] The predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to a dialogue may be a process for outputting information that the driver needs while driving the vehicle. In this way, even if it is difficult for the driver to obtain desired information while driving, for example, due to difficulties in manual operation or limitations on manual operation, the driver can obtain the desired information while enjoying dialogue with a character by using voice recognition.

[0013] The predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to the dialogue may be a process for outputting information through a plurality of selections. In this way, for example, when multiple selections must be made to output information, voice input is easier for the user to operate than manual operation that is required for each selection. The information that is output through multiple selections may be, for example, information with a hierarchical structure, or information that cannot be output without multiple operations, since this reduces the burden on the user compared to multiple manual operations. In particular, the information output after multiple selections may be information obtained by sequentially narrowing down multiple candidates, such as a facility search, a search around the current location, etc. The process of outputting such information is difficult to directly execute manually, unlike operations for moving the vehicle itself, such as the brake or accelerator, or operations for notifying the outside world of something for safety while driving, such as a turn signal, and may be suitable for operation by voice recognition.

[0014] As part of the dialogue, if there is a next choice to be made, it is advisable to use the voice of a character guiding the choice. In this way, for example, the user can proceed sequentially with a predetermined process by making a selection prompted by the voice of the character. For example, when the character recognizes the user's voice "nearby" in a nearby search, the voice used to guide the user to the next selection can be a voice asking the user's destination, such as "Where are you going?" This is good because it allows the user to clearly know what to say next.

[0015] Part of the dialogue may include a character voice indicating when there is no next option. In this way, for example, the user can know that there is no need to proceed further with the process, and can then decide to end the instruction or perform another process. For example, when the nearby search recognizes the user's voice saying "family restaurant," the character's voice may say something like, "Are you going to a family restaurant alone?", indicating that there is no next choice. This allows the user to know that there is no need to proceed to the next step, and also allows the user to make a new decision.

[0016] The predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to the dialogue may be a process for displaying information about facilities in the vicinity of a desired location on a display means. In this way, for example, cumbersome manual operations to obtain information about nearby facilities are not required, and the user can obtain information about nearby facilities while enjoying dialogue with the character.

[0017] As a predetermined process for outputting the information that the user wants to know in response to the dialogue, it is preferable that an icon indicating the surrounding facility is displayed relatively highlighted compared to the map at the position of the surrounding facility on the map displayed on the display means. In this way, for example, information about facilities that are necessary for the user will stand out on the map, making it easier for the user to grasp the location of the facilities and providing a guide for selecting a desired facility by voice. The relative highlighting compared to the map may be, for example, a display that clarifies the location of the facility. For example, by changing at least one of the brightness, saturation, and hue of the icon and the map, the contrast between the two may be emphasized. In particular, by displaying the icon in color and the map in grayscale, the icon may be very clearly seen.

[0018] As a predetermined process for outputting the information the user wants to know in response to the dialogue, it is preferable to display icons indicating the surrounding facilities at the locations of the surrounding facilities on a map displayed on the display means, and to display on the icons a ranking according to a predetermined criterion that can be distinguished. In this way, for example, the display of the icon's ranking can be used as a guide for the user to select a facility. The predetermined criterion may be, for example, in order of proximity to a specific point. In this way, it is preferable that the user can intuitively know which facility is the closest, compared to the case where the facility name is displayed. Furthermore, the predetermined criterion may be, for example, in order of importance to the user. In this way, the facility that the user wants to know the most can be preferentially displayed. The importance to the user may be, for example, a facility that the user has visited in the past, a facility that the user has visited frequently in the past, a facility that matches the user's preferences, etc. In this way, it is preferable that the user can quickly know the facility that he or she wants to go to. In addition, facilities that are low in importance to the user, such as a facility that the user has visited in the past but does not want to visit again, may be excluded. In this way, it is preferable that only facilities that the user may visit can be displayed, for example. The display that allows the rank to be distinguished may be, for example, information that inherently indicates the rank, such as numbers or alphabets. In this way, for example, the meaning of the rank may be easily understood. Furthermore, the display that allows the rank to be distinguished may be information that visually indicates the rank, such as shapes such as ◎, ○, △, ×, or gradual changes in brightness, saturation, or hue. In this way, for example, the rank may be intuitively understood visually.

[0019] It is advisable to output a voice of a character encouraging the user to select a searched facility in a manner that matches the displayed icon. In this way, for example, a voice message that matches the displayed icon can be used to prompt the user to select a facility, allowing the user to understand through audio what he or she has visually confirmed. The content to be matched to the displayed icon may be, for example, a voice inquiring which number is best if it is a number, a voice inquiring which alphabet is best if it is an alphabet, a voice inquiring which shape is best if it is a shape, or a voice inquiring which color is best if it is a color. In this way, the user can easily know, for example, what to say to select a facility. Also, for example, the content to be matched to the displayed icon may be a voice indicating a range of candidates to be selected. In this way, for example, by outputting a voice such as from which number to which number, the user can understand not only what to say but also the range to be selected.

[0020] When the user's voice selecting one of the facilities is recognized based on the content of the displayed icon, the display means may display a route searched for from a specific point to the selected facility. This is advantageous because, for example, the user can easily select a facility based on the content that matches the displayed icon, rather than selecting the facility by name. The content to be matched to the displayed icon may be, for example, the number of the icon of the desired facility if it is a number, the alphabet if it is an alphabet, the shape if it is a shape of the icon of the desired facility, or the color if it is a color. In this way, it is possible to select a facility by a word that is easier to remember than, for example, the facility name.

[0021] After the searched route is displayed on the display means, it is preferable to determine whether to start route guidance or to search for a new route in response to the dialogue. In this way, for example, if the user does not want the route that has been searched for, he or she can instruct the character to search again, thereby reducing the hassle and tediousness of having to start over.

[0022] As a predetermined process for outputting the information the user wants to know in response to the dialogue, it is preferable to display on the display means a table of items that allows the user to select which of the items corresponding to recognition phrases registered in advance for recognizing speech should function as the recognition phrase. In this way, for example, if the user selects only frequently used items from a displayed table of items, the recognition words and phrases are limited, which is advantageous in that it is possible to reduce erroneous recognition. The selected recognition phrases may be registered in a predetermined memory area, for example, by rewriting the default state, entering them in an empty area, rearranging what is already there, etc. In this way, the limited memory area can be effectively utilized.

[0023] A table of items that allows a user to select which of the items corresponding to recognition phrases preregistered for recognizing a user's voice should function as recognition phrases for dialogue is displayed on the display means, and the items selected from the table are set for each page to be displayed on the display means. In this way, even if the number of items that can be displayed on one page of the display screen of the display means is limited, the items that the user uses frequently can be brought to the top page, thereby eliminating the need to switch pages to display the items the user wants to use.

[0024] It is preferable that items of recognized phrases that may be recognized in a confused manner are set to be displayed on a separate page. In this way, for example, words containing similar sounds, words that are likely to be confused when actually recognized, etc. are not lined up on the same page and become candidates for recognition at the same time, so that misrecognition can be reduced. For example, words containing the same sounds of the Japanese syllabary, the same kanji characters, etc., such as "family restaurant" and "fast food," "hospital" and "beauty salon," and "Western food" and "Japanese food" can be used as words containing the same sounds of the Japanese syllabary, the same kanji characters, etc., such as "family restaurant" and "fast food," "hospital" and "beauty salon," and "Western food" and "Japanese food." In this way, recognized words with sounds that are confusing even in characters are not displayed on the same page, so that the user will input one of them, and misrecognition can be reduced. For example, words that are likely to be confused when actually recognized can be different words that have been recognized for the same utterance based on records of past recognition results. In this way, for example, combinations that actually cause misrecognition can be prevented from being displayed on the same page.

[0025] The items corresponding to the recognized phrases include major items corresponding to recognized phrases including a plurality of concepts, and medium items corresponding to recognized phrases equivalent to the plurality of concepts, and it is preferable that the major items and the medium items are displayed on the same page. In this way, for example, when a user wants to search for a medium-sized item, the user does not need to change the hierarchy or page, and can directly select the desired item. The major category may be a higher-level conceptual category that includes many candidates, such as "hospital." This is convenient for users who want to search from as many candidates as possible. The medium category may be a lower-level conceptual category that includes fewer candidates than the major category, such as "internal medicine" and "pediatrics," both of which are included in the concept of "hospital." This is convenient for users who want to quickly obtain information on a desired facility from a small number of candidates.

[0026] It is preferable that a word or phrase that is related to a word or phrase displayed as an item but is not displayed as an item is registered as a recognized word or phrase. In this way, for example, the user does not have to speak the recognition phrase displayed in the item itself, but can simply say a phrase related to the recognition phrase, so that search can be performed even if the user has a vague memory of the item name or is unfamiliar with the operation. A word that is related to a word that is displayed as an item but is not displayed as an item may be, for example, a medium-sized item that corresponds to a major item displayed on a particular page but is not displayed on that page. In this way, even if the intermediate items are not displayed, when the user mentions an intermediate item, that intermediate item is searched for, so that information on the required facility can be obtained quickly.

[0027] As a predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to the dialogue, the character may be displayed on a display means. In this way, for example, the user can see the appearance of the person with whom he or she is speaking on the display screen, which gives the user a sense of familiarity and makes the user more willing to actively use the system in order to be able to see that appearance.

[0028] As a predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to the dialogue, it is preferable to display the character in a position that does not obstruct the display of the searched route on the map. This is advantageous because, for example, it is possible to maintain the visibility of the searched route while still providing an enjoyable display of the characters. As a position that does not block the route display, for example, it is good to have the character and the display of the searched route on opposite sides of the display screen. In this way, the user can feel that the character is being considerate so as not to disturb the route search service, which is good and favorable.

[0029] The character may be moved while being displayed in a position that does not obstruct the display of the searched route on the map. In this way, for example, by continuing to display a moving character, it is possible to make the character's presence more noticeable by making the user feel annoyed, while at the same time allowing users who wish to continue watching the character to enjoy the character's movements as it moves.

[0030] The display area of ​​the item corresponding to the recognized phrase of the user's voice has a portion through which the image behind it is visible, the character displayed on the display means is larger than each item and does not have a portion through which the image behind it is visible, and the display area of ​​the item is preferably positioned on the opposite side of the character on the display screen. In this way, for example, if the character moves to the opposite side of the searched route, the display area of ​​the item may overlap with the searched route; however, since each item is smaller than the character and the display area of ​​the item has a portion through which the image behind it is visible, this is preferable because the image behind it is easier to see than if the searched route overlapped with the character. The portion through which the image behind can be seen may be, for example, a transparent portion or a portion with a gap, which allows the background image to be seen while maintaining the visibility of the item display.

[0031] It is advisable to insert a voice of the name of the user, which has been registered in advance, into the voice output by the character during dialogue. In this way, for example, the user can feel a greater sense of familiarity with the character by being called by his or her name in a conversation. It is advisable to insert a voice of the name of the user, which has been registered in advance, into the voice output by the character at the start of a conversation. In this way, for example, at the start of a conversation, the user may be called by his or her name, which may attract the user's attention.

[0032] When a voice including a name of a character is recognized, a voice of a name of a user registered in advance may be inserted into the voice output by the character. In this way, for example, users can call each other by their names, which can give them a sense of greater intimacy.

[0033] As the dialogue progresses, it is advisable to reduce the frequency with which the character refers to the user in the voice output. In this way, for example, the person may call each other by their names at first, but then the frequency of this decreasing, which is advantageous in that it creates the impression of a conversation in which the two people are becoming accustomed to each other.

[0034] Voice data corresponding to the Japanese syllabary is registered in advance, and the user can select a name from the Japanese syllabary and insert the voice of the name into the conversation. This arrangement advantageously saves memory capacity compared to the case where multiple names are registered in advance, for example.

[0035] It is preferable to insert a voice representing the character's situation as the voice of the character. In this way, the user can hear about the character's situation, so that, for example, if the character is in a negative situation, the user can feel concerned about the character, and if the character is in a positive situation, the user can feel empathy for the character. A statement that indicates the character's situation can be, for example, "I'm busy," which indicates whether the character is in a positive or negative state. In this way, the system does not blindly follow the user's instructions, but can induce feelings of consideration and empathy in the user, which is good because it gives the user a sense of conversation with a real person.

[0036] The voice of the character in the dialogue may be selected at random from a plurality of different phrases set in advance, excluding phrases that have already been output, and output. In this way, for example, it is possible to prevent the same phrases from being output over and over again, which is advantageous in preventing the user from becoming bored.

[0037] It is preferable that a list is prepared in which a plurality of different response phrases are registered for common recognition words. In this way, even if the user utters the same thing, the character will respond in a different way, so that even if the user executes the same process multiple times, the user can enjoy seeing what kind of response the character will give.

[0038] It is preferable that a plurality of such lists be set, and that even within the same list, there be a list in which phrases different from other phrases are registered. In this way, for example, an unusual phrase may be output in response to a similar comment from the user, which can give the user an unexpected impression and change their impression of the character, preventing them from becoming bored.

[0039] The character may be the same person but may have a plurality of display modes, and different phrases may be registered for each of the plurality of display modes as the voice to be output. In this way, for example, the same character may speak differently depending on the multiple display modes, so that users can enjoy a variety of dialogue even when conversing with the same person. The multiple display modes may be, for example, a standard one, one transformed with different clothes or hairstyle, or one with a different head and body. In this way, the user can be given a variety of impressions, such as adult-like, child-like, cute, beautiful, etc., and will not get bored.

[0040] It would be good to have phrases registered that are output in case voice recognition is incorrect. In this way, even if the recognition is incorrect, for example, the user can be made aware that the dialogue with the character is continuing by returning some phrase.

[0041] It's a good idea to register excuse phrases in case there are errors in the voice recognition. In this way, for example, although there is a possibility that an error may occur in the voice recognition, even if an error does occur, the user's irritation or anger can be alleviated by the character's excuse. An excuse might be, for example, "We'll try our best with voice recognition. We might not be able to recognize 100%," which shows the willingness to recognize accurately, but also shows that it is difficult to achieve perfect recognition. This is better than, for example, simply showing that recognition is not possible, because it can induce a psychology of tolerance in the user for misrecognition.

[0042] When a user makes a voice input pointing out that there is a discrepancy between the reply that the user desires and the voice output of the character, it is preferable that a reply phrase from the character in response thereto be registered. In this way, for example, when a user points out a mistake made by a character, the character will respond, which is advantageous because it allows users to enjoy natural human interaction when a misunderstanding occurs.

[0043] It would be good if phrases that could be used for advertising were registered. In this way, for example, it is possible to guide the user to affiliated facilities.

[0044] It is preferable that phrases regarding the cause of what the user is going to do at the facility that is the user's destination are registered as the voice of the character in the dialogue. In this way, for example, by speaking about the reason why a user has decided to go to a certain facility, it is easier for a user heading to the facility to listen. For example, it is advantageous because it can attract the user's attention whether the reason for going to the destination is favorable to the user or not. Facilities that are not desirable for the user as a reason for going to the destination may be facilities related to the user's illness, such as "hospitals," "dentists," and "pharmacies." Facilities that are favorable for the user as reasons for going to the destination may be facilities that are somewhat more difficult to access than facilities that the user frequently visits on a daily basis, such as "department stores," "sushi restaurants," and "eels." Phrases that make the character evoke various emotions in the user may be phrases that make the user feel attached to the character by showing concern for the user's condition, such as "Are you feeling unwell? Are you okay?" or "Don't push yourself too hard." Also, phrases that make the user feel regret, such as "Are you brushing your teeth properly?", may be used.

[0045] It is preferable that phrases that provide positive or negative advice about what to do at the facility that the user is going to be registered as the voice of the character in the dialogue. In this way, for example, the character's advice can help the user determine what they should and shouldn't do at their destination. Positive advice can be a phrase that recommends something, such as "You should get your teeth cleaned once in a while." Negative advice can be a phrase that prohibits something, such as "Don't look like you're in pain. It's manly to keep a cool head and endure."

[0046] As the voice of the character in the dialogue, it is preferable that phrases that represent the character's one-sided impressions about what the user will do at the facility that is the user's destination are registered. In this way, for example, the user can obtain the character's impressions, which can serve as a reference for what to do at the destination. The character's one-sided impressions may be positive impressions such as, for example, "The black pork char siu melts in your mouth. Wonderful." This is good because it makes the user want to take a similar action at the facility. Also, it may be negative impressions such as, for example, "You're going to a restaurant alone? Aren't you lonely? Leave me alone?" This is good because it makes the user want to change their destination. Furthermore, it may be a mixture of positive and negative impressions such as, for example, "It looks like it would be fun just to look around the shopping mall. But it seems tiring." This is good because it makes the user prepare in advance for the situation at the destination.

[0047] It is preferable that phrases that make the character seem as if it actually exists are registered as the voice of the character in dialogue. Doing so is advantageous because it gives the user the feeling that the character actually exists. Examples of phrases that suggest the character's actual presence include phrases that suggest the character is accompanying the user, such as "I'm so glad that you're taking me on your business trip," or "Where are we staying?" In this way, the user can get the feeling that the character is always with the user.

[0048] (2) It is preferable that recognition phrases that are registered in advance for recognizing the user's voice are displayed as items. In this way, for example, the user can see what to say in order to execute a specified process by looking at the displayed items.

[0049] (3) It is preferable that the recognition phrases that are pre-registered for recognizing the user's voice include recognition phrases that can be commonly recognized regardless of the display screen, and recognition phrases that are limited to those displayed on the display screen. In this way, for example, the convenience of functions required regardless of the display screen can be maintained by using commonly recognizable recognized words, while the possibility of erroneous recognition can be reduced by using recognized words with limited recognition.

[0050] The commonly recognizable recognition phrase may be, for example, a recognition phrase that is commonly used on a plurality of types of display screens. In this way, the possibility of functions being restricted depending on the display screen is reduced, and convenience can be maintained. For example, phrases that transition to another display screen, such as "back" and "cancel," may be used. Such phrases are good because they are phrases that need to be used on any screen. The recognition phrases to be limited in recognition may be, for example, phrases displayed on a display screen or phrases to be searched for. Such phrases are preferable because, for example, there is little need to recognize other phrases and there is a high need to reduce the number of recognition phrases to prevent erroneous recognition.

[0051] (4) It is preferable that the recognition phrases registered in advance for recognizing the user's voice include those displayed on the display screen and those not displayed on the display screen. In this way, for example, even if the user speaks a word that is not displayed on the display screen, if it is a pre-set recognized word, the character can give some kind of reaction, which can be a surprise for the user and give them the joy of discovery.

[0052] It is preferable that voice data to be output by the character when a voice other than a phrase set in advance as a recognition phrase is input is registered. In this way, the character will always respond even if the phrase is not a recognized phrase, so the dialogue will not be interrupted or an error will not be displayed, which will remind the user that they are interacting with the system, and the user can maintain the feeling that they are continuing to have a dialogue with the character.

[0053] (5) It is preferable that the quantitatively variable state of a function be directly adjusted to a desired quantitative level by voice recognition. In this way, for example, the quantitative level can be instantly set to a desired value compared to changing it stepwise between a small value and a large value, which saves the user time and reduces the time spent on operations. Quantitatively changing functions may be, for example, volume, brightness, scale, etc. This is advantageous because it saves the trouble of selecting a button such as volume, brightness, or scale to display +- or a scale, and then selecting +- or sliding on the scale to increase or decrease the value step by step.

[0054] (6) It is preferable that, as recognition phrases to be registered in advance for recognizing the user's voice, demonstrative words corresponding to functions that change quantitatively and numbers indicating quantitative levels are set. In this way, for example, when the user speaks a reference word and a number corresponding to a desired function, the quantitative level of the function can be directly increased or decreased to the level of that number. Demonstrative words corresponding to quantitatively changing functions may be, for example, "onryo", "kido", "sukeru", etc., and numbers may be "ichi", "ni", "nikiro", etc. In this way, for example, the name and number of the function that are intuitively easy for the user to understand can be used for input. In particular, the name and quantitative level may be combined into one recognition phrase, for example, "onryo-san", "kido-ni", "sukeru-nikiro". In this way, it is advantageous because only one utterance is required.

[0055] It is preferable to display, on the display screen of the display means, a button for selecting a function, on which a demonstrative term corresponding to the function is displayed. In this way, for example, the user only needs to say the instruction word displayed on the button, which may be easier for the user to understand.

[0056] It is preferable that a button for selecting a function, which button displays the current quantitative level value of the function, is displayed on the display screen of the display means. In this way, for example, a user may be able to see the current quantitative level by looking at the value displayed on the button and determine whether to increase or decrease the desired value. The value of the current quantitative level may be, for example, the scale of the map. In this way, for example, when a small scale value is displayed on the button, if the user speaks a larger value, the scale value displayed on the button may change directly to that value, allowing the user to instantly view a wide range of the map. Also, for example, when a large scale value is displayed on the button, if the user speaks a smaller value, the scale value displayed on the button may change directly to that value, allowing the user to instantly view a detailed map.

[0057] The button on which the instruction word corresponding to the function is displayed may preferably include a button for executing the function without transitioning to another display screen. In this way, for example, a function can be executed through dialogue without transitioning to another display screen to execute the function, so that the current screen display is not interrupted.

[0058] (7) It is preferable to display on a display means whether or not voice recognition is being accepted. In this way, for example, the user may visually recognize whether or not operation by voice is possible.

[0059] Whether or not voice recognition is being accepted may be indicated, for example, by changing the color of the display screen. In this way, for example, the state of voice recognition may be immediately sensed by the user's vision. In particular, for example, when voice recognition is being accepted, the display may be in a normal color, and when voice recognition is not being accepted, the display may be in grayscale. In this way, for example, the user may be able to intuitively know whether or not voice recognition is being accepted.

[0060] (8) It is advisable to display on the display means, together with the character, whether or not voice recognition is being accepted. This is advantageous because, for example, by looking at the character, the user can tell whether or not voice control is possible, making it easier for the user to notice. The manner of displaying the character may be, for example, a manner in which the character's appearance clearly changes. In this way, for example, the state of voice recognition can be immediately sensed. The manner of clearly changing the character's appearance may be, for example, adding an object to the character, changing the character's color or form, making the character perform a specific pose or gesture, or displaying a line in a speech bubble. In this way, for example, a user who knows the normal state of the character may immediately notice the change by comparing it with the normal state. The manner of adding an object to the character may be, for example, making the character wear accessories related to sound, such as a headset, headphones, earphones, or a microphone. In this way, for example, the user may associate the character with voice recognition, which is a function related to sound. The manner of changing the color or form of the character may be, for example, changing the hairstyle or hair color, or changing into a different costume. In this way, for example, the difference from the normal state may be easily understood. In particular, for example, making the character's ears larger may indicate that the character is trying to hear the sound well. Furthermore, as a pose or gesture, for example, placing a hand behind an ear may be used to indicate that the person is trying to listen carefully to the voice.

[0061] (9) While a character's voice is being output, it is a good idea to stop voice recognition until the voice output is finished. In this way, for example, when a voice input from the user occurs during the character's voice, it is possible to prevent other processes from being executed by voice recognition. The other processes may be processes with low urgency, such as volume, brightness, scale, and surrounding search. In this way, processes that do not necessarily need to be executed immediately are prevented from being executed by voice recognition.

[0062] It is advisable to accept voice recognition even while the character's voice is being output. In this way, for example, if the user inputs a voice in the middle of a character's voice, other processing than the voice recognition is not interrupted. The other processing may be, for example, a highly urgent processing such as a processing for transmitting location information on a police station to an information collection server. In this way, the processing that the user wants to execute immediately is not interrupted.

[0063] If there is voice input from the user while the character's voice is being output, the output of the character's voice may be stopped. In this way, for example, it is possible to give the impression that the character's speech has been interrupted by the user's voice. If the voice output of the stopped character is not output again, for example, the same speech is not repeated from the beginning, which gives an unnatural impression. Also, if the voice output of the stopped character is restarted from the point where it was stopped, it is possible to give the impression that the character was waiting while the user was speaking.

[0064] When a predetermined input operation is performed while the character's voice is being output, the character's voice may be stopped. In this way, for example, when a user does not want a third party to hear a conversation with a character, the character's voice can be stopped by a predetermined input operation. The predetermined input operation may be, for example, the operation of a physical key. In this way, the user can easily perform an operation on an instantaneous basis, since the operation is performed at a fixed location that is always present.

[0065] (10) In response to a user's voice input corresponding to a recognition phrase that is pre-registered for recognizing the user's voice, a post may be made to transmit location information regarding the enforcement location to an information collection server. In this way, for example, a post informing people of a police crackdown location can be made easily and quickly by voice rather than manually. For example, enforcement locations may be check locations whose implementation locations and times change, such as enforcement and checkpoint areas. In this way, it is possible to collect information about enforcement locations, whose locations are difficult to register in advance, through posts. The location information may be, for example, the current location or the coordinates of the center location. In this way, for example, the enforcement location can be specified by information that can be obtained reliably and easily, and since voice recognition is used, there is little deviation from the actual enforcement location.

[0066] (11) It is preferable that a phrase that activates voice recognition and a phrase that starts accepting posts are registered as the predetermined recognition phrases. In this way, for example, a user can easily execute the multi-step operation of voice recognition and accepting a post by speaking a phrase that activates voice recognition and a phrase that starts accepting posts.

[0067] The phrase that activates voice recognition and the phrase that starts accepting posts may be registered as separate phrases, for example. In this way, for example, it is possible to prevent erroneous recognition caused by the start of acceptance of posts at the same time as the start of voice recognition. Also, the phrase that activates voice recognition and the phrase that starts acceptance of posts may be set as a series of phrases, for example. In this way, it is possible to start acceptance of posts at the same time as the start of voice recognition, so that it is possible to immediately make a state in which posting is possible.

[0068] (12) As the predetermined recognition phrases, it is preferable that phrases that activate voice recognition and phrases that cause posting are registered. In this way, for example, a user may be able to easily perform the multi-step operation of voice recognition and posting by speaking a phrase that activates voice recognition and a phrase that causes posting.

[0069] The phrase that activates voice recognition and the phrase that is to be posted may be registered as separate phrases, for example. In this way, for example, posting may be made at the start of voice recognition, and erroneous posting may be prevented. Also, the phrase that starts voice recognition and the phrase to be posted may be set as a series of phrases, for example. In this way, for example, posting can be made in one shot at the start of voice recognition, so posting can be made immediately and the gap between the enforcement location and the posting location can be minimized.

[0070] The predetermined recognition phrase for a post may be shorter than other recognition phrases. In this way, for example, posts with high urgency can be indicated in a short time.

[0071] Certain recognition phrases for posts may be more redundant than other recognition phrases. In this way, for example, when normal voice recognition is used, the possibility of saying a different recognized phrase is reduced, which is advantageous in preventing erroneous posting. The word "redundant" may be, for example, a large number of characters or a word that is divided into multiple parts. In this way, for example, the possibility that a user who does not intend to post may erroneously speak may be reduced.

[0072] The predetermined recognition phrases for posts may be phrases that the user is unlikely to normally say. In this way, for example, frequent misrecognition due to words that the user frequently uses in the car can be prevented, and unintended posts by the user can be prevented.

[0073] The character's voice in the dialogue for posting should be shorter than the voice in other dialogues. This is advantageous because, for example, the conversation time can be shortened, allowing for quick posting.

[0074] (13) The dialogue may be initiated by speech input from the user corresponding to a predetermined recognition phrase. In this way, for example, a predetermined process is started in response to voice input from the user, so that the system does not start and execute the process on its own.

[0075] (14) The dialogue may be initiated by a user's voice input corresponding to a predetermined recognition phrase in response to a voice output of a predetermined character. In this way, for example, the output of the character's voice can serve as a trigger for the user to decide whether or not to start a specified process, which is advantageous in that it can increase opportunities for using the system. The voice output of the character may be, for example, an inquiry as to whether or not a specific process should be started, which may prompt the user to use the process. The timing of outputting the voice of the character may be, for example, periodically to increase the frequency with which the process is used, or may be when a predetermined condition is satisfied to prompt the user to use the process at a suitable time.

[0076] (15) It is preferable that the processing be terminated if a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of execution of a function required by a vehicle occupant without any voice input from the user. This is advantageous in that it is possible to prevent operational errors that may occur due to voice recognition continuing for a long period of time, for example.

[0077] (16) It is preferable that a character outputs a voice prompting the user to input voice input from the time when the vehicle occupant starts to execute a required function until a predetermined time has elapsed. This is advantageous because, for example, if the user forgets to start a process, the user can be prompted to input voice information.

[0078] (17) The functions of the system of (1) to (16) may be configured as a program for causing a computer to realize the functions. Effect of the Invention

[0079] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a system and a program that allows a user to enjoy operation and driving, prevents boredom, and encourages the user to actively use the functions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0080] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall perspective view showing one embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the device main body. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a warning screen displayed on a display unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a route display screen displayed on a display unit. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the first half of an example list of recognition words. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the second half of an example list of recognition words. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a part of an example list of response phrases. [Figure 8]13A to 13C are diagrams showing response phrases according to the character's behavior. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing examples of various response phrases. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen waiting for voice recognition to start. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen for starting voice recognition when displaying a current location. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen for starting voice recognition during route guidance. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the first page of genre selection in a nearby search. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the second page of genre selection in a nearby search. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen on which search results in a nearby search are displayed as icons. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when the map scale in FIG. 15 is changed. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the first page displaying a list of search results in a nearby search. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen on a second page that displays a list of search results in a nearby search. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displaying a search route. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when the scale is changed in FIG. 19. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen for changing a route condition. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when the map scale is changed. [Diagram 23] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when changing the volume. [Figure 24] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when the luminance is changed. [Diagram 25] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a response phrase in a timeout process. [Figure 26]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen for changing a genre. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0081] [Basic configuration] FIG. 1 shows an external view of an embodiment of a navigation device suitable as an electronic device constituting the system of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram thereof, and FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show an example of a display form. As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device includes a portable device main body 2 and a cradle 3 as an attachment member for holding the device main body 2. By mounting the device main body 2 on the cradle 3, the device functions as an in-vehicle navigation device, and by removing the device main body 2 from the cradle 3, the device functions as a portable navigation device (PND). In this embodiment, the device main body 2 is detachable from the cradle 3, and can be installed together with the cradle 3 on the dashboard of a vehicle for use, or can be removed from the cradle 3 for use as a portable navigation device (PND). However, the device main body 2 cannot be easily attached to or detached from the cradle 3, and may be a fixed type mounted on a vehicle, or may be a type dedicated to portable navigation. Furthermore, the device may be realized by installing (including pre-installation) a predetermined application program on a portable terminal such as a mobile phone. The application program may be the system itself for performing navigation, or may be a program for accessing a server in which the system for performing navigation is implemented and using the system. The present invention is applicable to various types of such navigation systems.

[0082] The device body 2 is detachably attached to the cradle 3. The device body 2 includes a flat rectangular case body 4. A display unit 5 is disposed on the front of the case body 4, and a touch panel 8 is provided on the display unit 5 to detect which part of the display unit 5 is touched, and warning lamps 9 are provided on both sides of the front. The cradle 3 includes a cradle body 6 that holds the device body 2, and a base 7 that supports the cradle body 6 in an arbitrary position at a predetermined position (dashboard, etc.) in the vehicle cabin. The base 7 is fixed to the dashboard or the like by a suction cup provided on the bottom surface. The base 7 and the cradle body 6 are connected to each other rotatably within a predetermined angle range via a connecting mechanism such as a ball joint. Because of the ball joint, the base 7 and the cradle body 6 can rotate and move relatively within an arbitrary angle range in three-dimensional directions, and the position is maintained at an arbitrary angular position due to frictional resistance at the joint portion. Therefore, the device body 2 attached to the cradle body 6 can also be placed in an arbitrary position on the dashboard.

[0083] Furthermore, one side of the case body 4 is provided with an SD memory card slot 21, into which an SD memory card 22 on which map data and the like are recorded can be inserted. This SD memory card slot 21 includes a memory card reader / writer that reads and writes information from and to the inserted SD memory card 22. Also, a DC jack 10 is provided on the side of the case body 4 on which the SD memory card slot 21 is provided. The DC jack 10 is for connecting a cigarette lighter plug cord (not shown), and is connected to a cigarette lighter socket of a vehicle via the cigarette lighter plug cord to receive power supply.

[0084] On the other hand, a power switch and a USB terminal 23 are provided on the side opposite to the SD memory card slot 21. The USB terminal 23 can be used to connect to a personal computer and perform software application updates, etc.

[0085] The following devices and components are disposed inside the case body 4. That is, a microwave receiver 11 is disposed inside the rear side of the case body 4. The microwave receiver 11 receives microwaves of a predetermined frequency band, and when it receives microwaves of the set frequency band, it detects the signal level of the received microwaves. Specifically, it utilizes the RSSI voltage, which is the signal level and corresponds to the field strength. The above-mentioned predetermined frequency band is, for example, a frequency band that includes the frequency of microwaves emitted from a vehicle speed measuring device.

[0086] Furthermore, a GPS receiver 12 that receives GPS signals and determines the current position is disposed inside the top surface of the case body 4. An infrared communication device 14 is disposed inside the front surface of the case body 4. The infrared communication device 14 transmits and receives data to and from a communication device having a built-in infrared communication device, such as a mobile phone 15. Furthermore, a speaker 20 is also disposed inside the case body 4.

[0087] Furthermore, the device of this embodiment includes a wireless receiver 13 and a remote control receiver 16. The wireless receiver 13 receives incoming wireless signals of a predetermined frequency. The remote control receiver 16 performs data communication with a remote control (portable device: child device) 17 and performs various settings for the device. The wireless receiver 13 receives incoming wireless signals of a predetermined frequency band. This predetermined frequency can be, for example, a wireless frequency band used when an emergency vehicle notifies a base station of its own vehicle position.

[0088] The navigation device of this embodiment has, in addition to a navigation function, a target notification function as a target notification device that notifies the driver of surrounding targets such as vehicle speed measuring devices and other traffic monitoring points. These navigation and target notification functions are stored in the EEPROM of the control unit 18 as programs executed by the computer in the control unit 18, and are realized by the computer in the control unit 18 executing these programs.

[0089] That is, the control unit 18 executes a predetermined process based on information input from the various input devices (GPS receiver 12, microwave receiver 11, wireless receiver 13, touch panel 8, infrared communication device 14, remote control receiver 16, SD memory card slot unit 21, USB terminal 23, etc.) and outputs predetermined information, warnings, and messages using output devices (display unit 5, warning lamp 9, speaker 20, infrared communication device 14, SD memory card slot unit 21, USB terminal 23, etc.). This predetermined process is for executing each of the above functions, and accesses the database 19 and the SD memory card 22 as necessary.

[0090] Here, the database 19 can be realized by a non-volatile memory (for example, an EEPROM) inside the microcomputer of the control unit 18 or externally attached to the microcomputer. Note that information necessary for implementing certain landmarks, maps, and other functions is registered in the database 19 at the time of shipment, and data on landmarks added thereafter can be updated through a predetermined process. This updating process can be performed, for example, by inserting an SD memory card 22 storing the additional data into the SD memory card slot unit 21 and transferring the data from the SD memory card 22 to the database 19. This data updating can also be performed by using the infrared communication device 7 or a personal computer or other external device connected via the USB terminal 23.

[0091] The control unit 18 for realizing the target notification function operates as follows. That is, when the microwave receiver 11 receives a desired microwave, the control unit 18 outputs a predetermined alarm. This alarm can be a buzzer using the speaker 20, a voice output to notify reception of microwaves (detection by a vehicle speed measuring device, etc.), or a message output in the form of text or an image using the display unit 5.

[0092] Furthermore, the control unit 18 outputs a predetermined alarm when the wireless receiver 13 receives a desired radio signal. This alarm can be a buzzer using the speaker 20, a voice output to notify the reception of microwave signals (approaching emergency vehicles, etc.), or a message output in the form of text or images using the display unit 5. It is preferable that the alarm associated with this radio signal reception and the alarm associated with the microwave signal reception be in different forms.

[0093] Furthermore, the control unit 18 outputs a predetermined warning when the current position detected by the GPS receiver 12 and the position of a target such as a traffic monitoring point stored in the database 19 are in a predetermined positional relationship. Therefore, the database 19 contains information on the target to be detected (target position information including longitude and latitude, target type information, etc.), traffic safety information such as accident-prone areas and traffic crackdown information for driving more carefully and safely, and landmarks and various information useful for driving. Each piece of information is registered in association with the specific type of information (target type, traffic crackdown type, accident-prone areas, landmark name, etc.) and the position information.

[0094] The distance to the target when issuing the warning can be changed for each type of target. As for the manner of warning, there are warnings by voice using the speaker 20 and warnings by the display unit 5, as described above. FIG. 3 shows an example of a warning by the display unit 5. In this embodiment, since the device is a navigation device and has map data as described later, the control unit 18 has a function of reading out road network information around the current position and displaying a map around the current position on the display unit 5 as a basic screen. Then, the display unit 5 displays a warning screen 70 superimposed on the currently displayed screen (here, the map around the current position). FIG. 3 shows an example of the display of the warning screen 70 when the distance between the current position and the LH system, which is a type of speed measuring device that is one of the traffic monitoring points, becomes 500 m while the map 50 is displayed. Furthermore, a process is performed to output a warning voice indicating the type of warning and the distance, such as "LH system 500 m ahead", from the speaker 20.

[0095] On the other hand, the control unit 18 for realizing the navigation function operates as follows. First, the database 19 stores road network information for navigation. The information for navigation stored in this database 19 may store all information for the entire country at the time of shipment, or map data, etc. stored in an SD memory card 22 for each region may be provided, and the user may prepare an SD memory card 22 storing the necessary map data, etc., and insert it into the SD memory card slot unit 21 for use. The map data, etc. stored in the SD memory card 22 may be transferred to and stored in the database 19, or the control unit 18 may access the SD memory card 22 and read it out from there for use.

[0096] The control unit 18 has a function of reading out road network information around the current position from the database 19 and displaying a map around the current position on the display unit 5. The control unit 18 can use this road network information to search for a route from one position to another. The database 19 also includes a telephone number database that stores telephone numbers in association with location information and names of homes, businesses, facilities, etc., and an address database that stores addresses in association with location information of those addresses. The database 19 also stores location information of traffic monitoring points, such as speed measuring devices, together with their types.

[0097] The control unit 18 also has a function of performing general navigation device processing. That is, the control unit 18 displays a map of the current position and displays a destination setting button on the display unit 5 at all times. When the control unit 18 detects a touch on a position corresponding to the display position of the destination setting button by the touch panel 8, the control unit 18 performs a destination setting process. In the destination setting process, a destination setting menu is displayed on the display unit 5, and the user is prompted to select a destination setting method. The destination setting menu has a phone number search button and an address search button that prompt the user to select a destination setting method. When the control unit 18 detects that the phone number search button has been touched, the control unit 18 displays a phone number input screen, and acquires location information corresponding to the input phone number from the database 19. When the control unit 18 detects that the address search button has been touched, the control unit 18 displays an address selection input screen, and acquires location information corresponding to the input address from the database 19. Then, the control unit 18 sets the acquired location information as the location information of the destination, and obtains a recommended route from the current position to the destination based on the road network information stored in the database 19. A known method such as the Dijkstra algorithm can be used as a calculation method for this recommended route.

[0098] Then, the control unit 18 displays the calculated recommended route together with a map of the surrounding area. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a route 53 from a current position 51 to a destination 52 is displayed as a recommended route in a predetermined color (e.g., red). This is similar to a general navigation system. In this embodiment, the control unit 18 compares position information on the route 53 with position information of landmarks such as traffic monitoring points stored in the database 19, and displays the positions of the traffic monitoring points, etc. located on the route 53. Note that the provision of information for driving safely along the route 53 may be limited to traffic monitoring points among various landmarks stored in the database 19.

[0099] As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, a speech bubble is displayed from a position on the road, and the type of the traffic monitoring point at that position stored in the database 19 is displayed in the speech bubble. For example, FIG. 4(a) is a display example of a warning point search screen, showing an example in which traffic monitoring points 55a to 55f are displayed. The traffic monitoring point 55a displays the character "N" indicating an N system in the speech bubble. The traffic monitoring points 55b, 55c, and 55e display the character "LH" indicating an LH system in the speech bubble. The traffic monitoring point 55d displays the character "loop" indicating a loop coil in the speech bubble. The traffic monitoring point 55f displays the character "H" indicating an H system in the speech bubble. In this way, when the touch panel 8 detects a touch at a speech bubble position in a simplified display state where characters are displayed in the speech bubble, the simplified display is switched to a detailed display as shown in FIG. 4(b). The detailed display displays the warning screen shown in FIG. 3 in the speech bubble.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 4(a), a traffic monitoring point type designation section 56 is displayed on the lower right side of the display section 5. The traffic monitoring point type designation section 56 is a section that displays buttons listing the types of traffic monitoring points present on the route 53. In the example of FIG. 4(a), a type button 57a ​​labeled "N" indicating the N system of the traffic monitoring point 55a, a type button 57b labeled "LH" indicating the LH system of the traffic monitoring points 55b, 55c, and 55e, a type button 57c labeled "loop" indicating the loop coil of the traffic monitoring point 55d, and a type button 57d labeled "H" indicating the H system of the traffic monitoring point 55f are displayed. When the control section 18 detects a touch on the display section of the type button from the touch panel 8, the control section 18 inverts the display of the touched type button and switches the display mode of the traffic monitoring point corresponding to the touched type button from simple display to detailed display, or from detailed display to simple display.

[0101] The car navigation device of this embodiment has a surrounding search function as a method for setting a destination (hereinafter including a stopover). When this surrounding search function is selected and activated, the control unit 18 extracts facilities that meet the specified conditions and are close to the current location, and displays the extraction results on the display unit 5. The user can then select one of the candidates displayed on the display unit 5 and confirm it to specify it as the destination (including a stopover).

[0102] That is, in order to realize such a function, the database 19 of this embodiment stores information about each facility in association with information about the classification of the facility together with its location information. The information about the classification of the facility is a plurality of items that are organized by the name of the genre to which each facility corresponds.

[0103] In this embodiment, when any of the items is specified, the control unit 18 extracts facilities that match the specified items and are close to the current location, and displays the extracted results as destination candidates on the display unit 5. The user can select one of the candidates displayed on the display unit 5 to specify it as a destination.

[0104] When any of the items is selected, the control unit 18 accesses the database 19 and extracts facilities that exist within a reference distance (e.g., 10 km) from the current position and that match the classification of the specified item. Then, a predetermined number (e.g., 10) of the closest facilities are drawn by superimposing icons (marks) representing the facilities on the corresponding locations on the map drawn on the display unit 5. As facility information stored in the database 19, an icon is registered in association with each facility, and when drawing, the associated icon is read out and drawn at a predetermined location on the display unit 5.

[0105] If the current position is present on the map drawn on the display unit 5, a vehicle icon representing the vehicle is drawn superimposed on the position corresponding to the current position. Furthermore, when drawing such facility icons, numbers are added to the facility icons in order of proximity to the vehicle. The numbers are updated as the vehicle moves.

[0106] When the user selects a desired facility, the control unit 18 recognizes this and calculates a recommended route with the selected facility as the destination, and draws the result on the map on the display unit 5 by overlaying it.

[0107] Furthermore, the control unit 18 has a function of performing route guidance to the set destination. That is, in response to a user's selection to start guidance, the control unit 18 performs route guidance to the destination using images and audio while successively detecting the vehicle position using GPS or autonomous navigation and drawing map information showing roads and the like on the display unit 5.

[0108] The user's input of instructions such as specification and selection can be triggered by the control unit 18 detecting that a button showing the name of an item or function on the display unit 5, a facility icon, selection by operating the remote control, or input of a specified voice.

[0109] [Interactive character function] 《Basics of interactive features》 The interactive function with the character, which is a feature of this embodiment, will be described below. This interactive function is realized by the control unit 18 executing a program, and is realized by recognition information based on the result of recognizing the voice of the user who is a passenger of the vehicle, and outputting the voice of a predetermined character indicating that the user's voice has been recognized.

[0110] To execute this dialogue function, the database 19 stores recognition words (recognition phrases) and corresponding response phrases, which are voice data of the characters. The control unit 18 recognizes the user's voice input via the microphone 20 based on the recognition words. That is, the control unit 18 recognizes the voice uttered by the user as a phrase based on the user's voice signal, and determines whether the recognized phrase matches the recognition word. The control unit 18 then causes the speaker 20 to output a response phrase corresponding to the recognition word determined to match the recognized phrase. By preparing various combinations of recognition words for dialogue and response phrases, which are the voices of the characters, it is possible to accommodate various processes executed in response to the dialogue, as described below.

[0111] This allows the user to have a simple conversation with the character using the electronic device that is the system. The character in this embodiment is set as a girl named "Rei", for example. Various functions such as the above-mentioned surrounding search can also be performed by conversation with the character. The database 19 stores "Re-tan" as a recognition word for the name of the character.

[0112] Furthermore, database 19 stores image data (including still images and moving images) of the characters. Based on this image data, control unit 18 can display still images and moving images of the characters on display unit 5. For some response phrases, control unit 18 can make the user feel the situation in which the character is speaking more realistically by using lip linking to move the mouth and body of the character displayed on display unit 5 so that the response phrase matches the output response phrase.

[0113] Furthermore, the voice and image of the character stored in the database 19 are set for the same person in multiple modes. For example, the database 19 stores the response phrases and image data for the single person "Rei" divided into three modes, "Standard Rei," "Transformed Rei," and "Chibi Rei." "Standard Rei" is the basic mode of the character. "Transformed Rei" is a mode in which the clothes and hairstyle of "Standard Rei" are changed. "Chibi Rei" is a mode in which the head and body are changed to make the character look more childlike. The control unit 18 outputs the voice and image of the character according to the user's selection of one of the modes.

[0114] Recognition Words 5 and 6 are examples of a list of recognition words stored in the database 19. A list number is assigned to each column of this list of recognition words. As will be described later, each column contains recognition words that can be recognized on each of the display screens M1, V1, V1a, S1, S1a, S2, S2a, S2_list, S2a_list, R1, R1a, R1b, A1, A2, and A3 displayed on the display unit 5.

[0115] In list number 1, the activation word "re-tan, voice control" that activates the voice recognition is registered. When the control unit 18 recognizes the activation word, it activates the voice recognition function to execute various functions such as a surrounding search. Therefore, in the initial state, the control unit 19 is in a standby state in which it can only voice recognize the activation word. This list number 1 corresponds to the display screen M1 described later.

[0116] In list number 2, a recognition word for starting one of a surrounding search, a scale change, a volume change, and a brightness change after starting voice recognition is registered. For example, "shuhen" is registered as a recognition word for starting a surrounding search. "sukeru" is registered as a recognition word for starting a scale change. "Onryo" is registered as a recognition word for starting a volume change. "Kido" is registered as a recognition word for starting a brightness change. This list number 2 corresponds to a display screen V1 described later. Furthermore, in list number 2, a recognition word "jitaku" is registered, which searches for a route to one's home with one utterance when returning home. In this way, since the recognition word corresponding to a function that is frequently used by the user is registered as a recognition word when voice recognition is started, voice recognition can be started and executed immediately.

[0117] In list number 3, recognition words corresponding to functions to be executed after starting route guidance are registered. For example, in addition to the recognition words in list number 2, recognition words for stopping route guidance, such as "guidance in progress", "guidance stop", and "guidance stop", are registered. In this way, by preparing multiple types of recognition words for executing the same function of stopping route guidance, the possibility that the user's speech will not be recognized even if it differs slightly can be reduced. This list number 3 corresponds to the display screen V1a described later. In particular, "shuhen", "onryo", and "kido" are instruction words displayed on the buttons of the display screens V1 and V1a, as described later. Therefore, the user can input instructions by speaking the displayed instruction words.

[0118] In list numbers 4 and 5, recognition words for specifying a genre in a nearby search are registered. The recognition words for this genre are displayed in hiragana characters on the buttons for the items for specifying the genre. In a screen display in which the buttons for the recognition words belonging to list number 4 are displayed, the recognizable genres are limited to the recognition words belonging to list number 4. This list number 4 corresponds to a display screen S1, which will be described later. By preparing multiple types of recognition words for specifying the same genre, such as "Famiresu" and "Famiri-resu-toran" for family restaurants and "ka-den" and "denki-ya" for electrical appliance stores, the possibility of not being able to recognize the contents of the user's speech even if they differ slightly can be reduced.

[0119] In a screen display in which buttons of recognition words belonging to list number 5 are displayed, recognizable genres are limited to recognition words belonging to list number 5. This list number 5 corresponds to a display screen S1a described later. In this way, since the recognizable genres on each display screen are limited to the recognition words corresponding to the buttons of the items displayed on the respective display screens, the possibility of erroneous recognition is reduced.

[0120] Furthermore, in list number 4, the recognition words "page 2" and "next" are registered for transitioning to the display screen S1a of list number 5. In addition, in list number 5, the recognition words "page 1" and "previous" are registered for transitioning to the display screen S1 of list number 4. In this way, by preparing multiple types of recognition words that execute the same function of transitioning the genre display screen, the possibility of not being able to recognize the user's utterance even if it differs slightly can be reduced.

[0121] In list numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9, recognition words for selecting facilities found in the vicinity search are registered. In the display screens corresponding to list numbers 6 and 7, the facilities found in the vicinity search are displayed as icons with numbers in order of proximity to the current location at the locations on the map. As the recognition words, names of numbers for selecting facilities are registered. For example, recognition words indicating numbers, such as "ichi", "ichiban", "ni", and "niban", are registered. In this way, by preparing multiple types of recognition words for selecting the same target as a destination, the possibility of not being able to recognize the user's speech even if the contents of the user's speech are slightly different can be reduced. In addition, in the display screens corresponding to list numbers 6 and 7, the searched facilities (10 places in this example) can all be selected by voice, regardless of whether they are displayed on the screen or not.

[0122] Furthermore, recognition words for changing the scale of the displayed map are registered in list numbers 6 and 7. That is, the recognition word "scale" for accepting the start of a scale change is registered in list number 6. This list number 6 corresponds to the display screen S2 described later. In list number 7, in addition to the recognition word "scale" for accepting the start of a scale change, recognition words for changing the scale are registered. This list number 7 corresponds to the display screen S2a described later.

[0123] The recognition words for changing the scale include recognition words for enlarging the scale of the map to display in detail, recognition words for reducing the scale of the map to display in a wide area, and recognition words indicating the number and unit of the scale. The recognition words for enlarging the scale of the map include "kadai" and "shosai", and the recognition words for reducing the scale of the map include recognition words for changing the scale of the map in stages. "Stepwise" means that a plurality of levels of the scale are set in advance, and the levels are raised and lowered one by one. In this way, by preparing a plurality of types of recognition words for executing the same function of changing the scale in stages, the possibility of not being able to recognize the user's speech even if the contents of the user's speech differ slightly can be reduced. In particular, since everyday words are used as the recognition words when raising and lowering the scale, the user does not have to be confused about the words to instruct the volume change.

[0124] Furthermore, the recognition words for changing the scale include recognition words that can specify the scale numbers and units, such as "10 meters," "205 meters," and "50 meters." In this way, when the user speaks and specifies the recognition word for the desired scale, the control unit 18, which recognizes this, directly changes the scale to the specified map scale. Furthermore, in list numbers 6 and 7, recognition words "list" and "list display" that transition to the display screen of list number 8, which will be described later, are registered. In this way, by preparing multiple types of recognition words that execute the same function of transitioning to a list display screen, the possibility of not being able to recognize the contents of the user's utterance can be reduced even if they differ slightly.

[0125] On the display screens corresponding to list numbers 8 and 9, facilities found in the surrounding area search are displayed in a list using buttons with numbers displayed on them. The names of the numbers for selecting the facilities displayed in this list are registered as recognition words. List number 8 corresponds to the display screen S2_list described later, and list number 9 corresponds to the display screen S2a_list described later. The names of the registered numbers are the same as those of list numbers 8 and 9 above. However, on list numbers 8 and 9, the facilities that can be selected are limited to those displayed on the display screen. In this example, on the display screen S2_list corresponding to list number 8, the first to fifth facilities can be selected, and on list number S2_list, the sixth to tenth facilities can be selected.

[0126] Furthermore, in list numbers 8 and 9, the recognition words "list" and "cancel list" for canceling the list display are registered. In this way, by preparing multiple types of recognition words for executing the same function of canceling the list display, the possibility that the user's speech will not be recognized even if it differs slightly is reduced. Furthermore, like list numbers 4 and 5, in list number 8, the recognition words "page 2" and "next" for transitioning to the display screen S1a of list number 9 are registered. In addition, in list number 9, the recognition words "page 1" and "previous" for transitioning to the display screen S1 of list number 8 are registered.

[0127] In list numbers 10, 11, and 12, the recognition words "Guide me", "Please guide me", and "Please guide me" that instruct the start of the searched route guidance are registered. In this way, by preparing multiple types of recognition words that instruct the same function of route guidance, the possibility that the user's speech will not be recognized even if it differs slightly can be reduced. In particular, by preparing the command tone of "Guide me", as well as the friendly request tone of "Please guide me" and "Please guide me", users can enjoy changing the tone of speech depending on the level of intimacy with the character.

[0128] List number 10 corresponds to a display screen that displays the searched route after a route search. This display screen corresponds to display screen R1, which will be described later. List number 11 corresponds to a display screen that changes the scale of the map while displaying the searched route. This display screen corresponds to display screen R1a, which will be described later. List number 12 corresponds to a display screen that changes the route conditions while displaying the searched route. This display screen corresponds to display screen R1b, which will be described later.

[0129] In addition, the recognition word "scale" for starting a scale change, the recognition word "shuuhen" for re-searching surrounding facilities, and the recognition words "jouken" and "routejouken" for starting a change in route conditions are registered in list numbers 10, 11, and 12. In this way, by preparing multiple types of recognition words for the same function of changing route conditions, the possibility of not being able to recognize the contents of the user's speech being slightly different can be reduced.

[0130] Furthermore, in list number 11, recognition words that change the scale are registered, similar to list number 7. In addition, in list number 12, recognition words that change the route conditions are registered. Route conditions are search conditions that determine what is given priority when searching for a route. In this embodiment, the route conditions are set to give priority to expressways, general roads, and recommended routes. The recommended route is set to give priority to conditions set by default, such as the time required to reach the destination, or the distance to the destination. Correspondingly, in list number 12, "water", "road", and "highway" are registered.

[0131] Recognition words for changing various functions of the present embodiment are registered in list numbers 13, 14, and 15. Recognition words for changing the map scale in the same manner as above are registered in list number 13. List number 13 corresponds to a display screen A1, which will be described later.

[0132] Recognition words for changing the volume are registered in list number 14. List number 14 corresponds to a display screen A2 described later. The recognition words for changing the volume include a recognition word for increasing the volume, a recognition word for decreasing the volume, and a recognition word indicating the volume level.

[0133] The recognition words for increasing the volume include "up" and "bigger", and the recognition words for decreasing the volume include "down" and "quiet", which are recognition words that change the volume in stages. "Stepwise" means that multiple levels of volume are set in advance and the levels are increased or decreased one by one. In this way, by preparing multiple types of recognition words that execute the same function of gradually changing the volume, the possibility of not being able to recognize the user's speech can be reduced even if the user's speech content differs slightly. In particular, since the recognition words are everyday words used when increasing or decreasing the volume, the user does not have to worry about which words to use to change the volume.

[0134] Furthermore, the recognition words for changing the volume include recognition words that can specify numbers indicating the volume level, such as "zero," "one," and "two." As a result, when the user speaks and specifies the desired volume level, the control unit 18, upon recognizing this, changes the volume directly to the specified level. Note that "zero" is a recognition word that realizes the function of setting the volume to zero, that is, the function of muting the sound output from the speaker 20. As a result, when the user does not want others to hear the character's voice, the user can instantly stop the character's voice from being heard by simply speaking the recognition word that sets the volume to zero.

[0135] Recognition words for changing the brightness are registered in list number 15. List number 15 corresponds to a display screen A3 described later. The recognition words for changing the brightness include recognition words for increasing the brightness, recognition words for decreasing the brightness, and recognition words indicating the level of the brightness.

[0136] The recognition words for increasing the brightness include "up" and "bright", and the recognition words for decreasing the brightness include "down" and "dark", which are recognition words that change the brightness in stages. "Stepwise" means that multiple levels of brightness are set in advance and the levels are increased or decreased one by one. In this way, by preparing multiple types of recognition words that execute the same function of changing the brightness in stages, the possibility that the user's speech will not be recognized even if the content of the user's speech differs slightly can be reduced. In particular, since everyday words are used as the recognition words when increasing or decreasing the brightness, the user does not have to be confused about the words to instruct the brightness change.

[0137] Furthermore, the recognition words for changing the brightness include recognition words that can specify a number indicating a brightness level, such as "zero," "one," and "two." As a result, when the user speaks the desired brightness level, the control unit 18, upon recognizing this, changes the brightness directly to the specified level. Note that "zero" is a recognition word that realizes the function of setting the brightness to zero and the function of darkening the screen of the display unit 5 to make the displayed contents invisible. As a result, when the user does not want others to see the character image, the user can instantly make the character image invisible by simply speaking the recognition word that sets the brightness to zero.

[0138] The above-mentioned list numbers 13, 14, and 15 have registered therein recognition words for executing various functions. That is, "scale" for scale change, "surrounding search" for surrounding search, "volume" for volume change, and "brightness" for brightness change are registered.

[0139] When the user utters "scale" on the display screen of list number 13, the control unit 18 recognizes this and completes the setting of the changed scale. On the other hand, when the user utters "scale" on the display screen of list numbers 14 and 15, the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to the display screen for the scale change, that is, the display screen corresponding to list number 13.

[0140] When the user speaks "Onryo" on the display screen of list number 14, the control unit 18 recognizes this and completes the setting of the changed volume. On the other hand, when the user speaks "Onryo" on the display screen of list numbers 13 and 15, the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to the display screen for volume change, that is, the display screen corresponding to list number 14.

[0141] When the user speaks "Kido" on the display screen of list number 15, the control unit 18 recognizes this and completes the changed brightness setting. On the other hand, when the user speaks "Kido" on the display screen of list numbers 13 and 14, the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to the display screen for brightness change, that is, the display screen corresponding to list number 15.

[0142] In this way, by changing the function depending on the display screen even for the same recognition word, a user does not have to memorize different recognition words to perform related but different functions.

[0143] Furthermore, the recognition word "jitaku" (preparation) that allows the user to search for a route to his / her home with a single utterance when returning home is registered in list numbers 13, 14, and 15. In this way, the recognition words corresponding to functions that the user uses frequently are registered as the recognition words when voice recognition is started, so that voice recognition can be started and executed immediately.

[0144] In addition, in each of list numbers 1 to 15, recognition words that can be commonly recognized on a plurality of display screens and execute various functions are registered. First, recognition words "Back", "Cancel", and "Redo" are registered as phrases for returning to the previous process. Also, recognition words "Reset", "Clear", and "Current state" are registered as release phrases for canceling functions and processes. "Reset" is a recognition word that cancels voice recognition. "Clear" is a recognition word that ends the current process. "Current state" is a recognition word that transitions to a current position display. These are recognition words that can be commonly recognized on all display screens after voice recognition is started. By uttering this common recognition word, the user can redo a process or return to the initial state at any time.

[0145] Furthermore, in list number 16, recognition words for recognizing the user's utterance of Yes (affirmative) and No (negative) are registered. These recognition words are used to recognize the user's simple utterance of Yes or No in response to a question from a character. Such recognition words can also be recognized commonly across all screens. As recognition words for Yes, "Okay," "Nice to meet you," "Yes," "Yes," and "Uh-huh" are registered. As recognition words for No, "I don't need it," "Stop," "No," "No," "No," "No," "I don't like it," and "Shut up" are registered. In this way, by preparing multiple types of recognition words for recognizing the user's Yes and No, the possibility of not being able to recognize the user's utterance even if the content of the user's utterance differs slightly can be reduced. In particular, the expression of Yes and No changes depending on the person with whom the user is talking, but the user can reply with Yes or No in a way that matches the character's tone of voice.

[0146] The recognition words as described above may be either displayed as text on the display screen or not, as will be described later. The text display is useful because it allows the user to visually confirm what to say to cause the control unit 18 to execute the function.

[0147] Response phrase 7 to 21 show excerpts of a list of response phrases that the control unit 18 causes to be output as the voice of a character in response to the recognition result of the above-mentioned recognition words. The database 19 stores such a list of response phrases and voice data. The top columns of the greyed-out columns in the list indicate the response phrase numbers. The bottom columns indicate the content of the processing that the control unit 18 executes in response to the recognition words spoken by the user. "Re-tan voice control" in the outer margin is the activation word registered in list number 1 of the above-mentioned recognition words.

[0148] One or more response phrases are registered for each process executed by the control unit 18. FIG. 7 is an excerpt from a list of response phrases for "Standard Ray." The first column from the left in FIG. 7 shows multiple response phrases when the user utters the activation word "Retan, voice control" and the control unit 18 starts voice recognition. The second column shows response phrases when the control unit 18 turns down the volume. The third column shows response phrases when the user selects facility number 8 and the control unit 18 changes the destination to number 8. The fourth column shows response phrases when the control unit 18 stops guidance. The fifth column shows response phrases when the control unit 18 changes the volume or brightness level to 3.

[0149] The list of such response phrases is set separately for the three aspects of the character, namely, "Standard Rei", "Transformed Rei", and "Chibi Rei". The response phrases in the list are different according to the three aspects. FIG. 8(a) shows response phrases excerpted from the list when voice recognition of "Transformed Rei" starts. The response phrases of "Transformed Rei" are set to a more polite tone compared to the response phrases of "Standard Rei", such as "Is there something I can help you with?" and "Starting voice recognition. Please speak slowly and clearly". FIG. 8(b) shows response phrases excerpted from the list when voice recognition of "Chibi Rei" starts. The response phrases of "Chibi Rei" are set to a more casual tone compared to the response phrases of "Standard Rei", such as "Rei-tan, start voice control" and "We've been waiting for you". FIG. 9(a) to (i) show excerpts of response phrases in response to the user's utterance. These specific response phrases will be explained in the processing example described later. In addition, as for a user's dialogue, for example, if the meaning of the user's utterance and the character's voice are established as an utterance and a reply to it, the user can feel that they are communicating with each other. Even if the utterance and the reply to it are irrelevant, the user can feel that it is interesting and unexpected. Even if the utterance and the reply to it are established as a meaning and the reply to the utterance are mixed with each other, it is possible to produce an incompleteness close to a real conversation, and to make the user feel a sense of humanity.

[0150] In such a list, one or more response phrases are registered in the column for the same process. The control unit 18 randomly outputs a response phrase from among those registered in each column as a response phrase corresponding to the same process. However, to prevent the same phrase from being output repeatedly, the control unit 18 randomly selects a response phrase from among those excluding previously output response phrases. In particular, for processes that are frequently used, such as starting voice recognition, a large number of response phrases are prepared as shown in FIG. 7, and the control unit 18 randomly outputs a response phrase from among them.

[0151] An example of the operation of the control unit 18 is as follows. 1. If there are five phrases, A, B, C, D, and E, first choose one at random from the five. 2. If you choose B the first time, next time you will have to choose from A, C, D, or E. 3. If you choose E next time, you will have to choose from A, C, or D. 4. Once you have finished selecting all of them, go back to the beginning and randomly select from the five options A, B, C, D, and E. In this embodiment, processing is performed to execute various functions as listed below as predetermined processing for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to the dialogue. If the processing in response to the dialogue is processing to output information as a result of the dialogue, the user will be motivated to dialogue with the character in order to execute the function. If the processing in response to the dialogue is processing to output information during the dialogue, the user will be motivated to speak sequentially to advance the dialogue in order to execute the function. If the processing in response to the dialogue is processing to output response phrases that constitute the dialogue, the user will interact with the character because they want to hear its voice, and so the interaction itself can be enjoyed.

[0152] <<Nearby search processing>> The control unit 18 executes various processes in response to the dialogue, which includes voice recognition for recognizing the voice spoken by the user based on the recognition words described above, and outputting the voice of the character based on the response phrase. First, the surrounding search process in response to such a dialogue will be described.

[0153] The surrounding area search is a process in which the desired information can be obtained by sequentially narrowing down the candidates through multiple selections, and includes the phases of category selection, facility selection, and route selection. Such information is information that the passengers of the vehicle, especially the driver of the vehicle, want to know.

[0154] An example of the surrounding search process will be described below with reference to Fig. 10 to Fig. 21. Fig. 10 to Fig. 21 are explanatory diagrams showing examples of display screens in each phase on the left and examples of corresponding recognition words and response phrases on the right. Each display screen M1 (including M1a), V1, V1a, S1, S1a, S2, S2a, S2_list, S2a_list, R1, R1a, R1b, A1 (including A1a), A2 (including A2a), and A3 (including A3a) correspond to list numbers 1 to 15 of recognition words (Figs. 5 and 6) as described above.

[0155] The descriptions shown to the left of the display screen examples in these Figs. 10 to 21 indicate "a recognition word recognized as the user's voice → a response phrase by a character output in response to this → a display screen to which the transition occurs as a result."

[0156] The control unit 18 displays these display screens on the display unit 5 by drawing in memory screen configuration data such as buttons, icons, text, and maps stored in the database 19. As described above, the control unit 18 can also perform surrounding search, route search, and route guidance.

[0157] (Waiting for voice recognition to start) First, when the control unit 18 is waiting for voice recognition to be activated for a predetermined process such as a surrounding search, it is in a state in which it can only recognize the activation word. The display screen M1 in FIG. 10 is an example of a screen waiting for voice recognition to be activated. On this display screen M1, an icon indicating the current position 51 is displayed together with a map of the surroundings of the current position 51. The current time (10:00) is displayed in the upper left of the display screen M1, and below that, a scale button B1 indicating the number and unit (100m) that are the current quantitative level of the map scale, and a voice recognition button B2 indicating a command word (voice recognition) for activating voice recognition are displayed. The upper half of the character 100 is displayed in the lower right of the display screen M1. The character 100 is a standard ray, and its display position is a position that does not block the display of various buttons, the current position, the current time, etc.

[0158] In this state of waiting for voice recognition to start, predetermined processes such as surrounding area search cannot be performed by voice recognition. Therefore, a user who wants to change the map scale selects it by touching the scale button B1. When the scale button B1 is selected in this way, the control unit 18 displays a + button B1a and a - button B1b to the right of the scale button B1, as shown on the display screen M1a in FIG. 10. The user selects by touching the + button B1a to increase the scale, or by touching the - button B1b to decrease the scale. In response to this, the control unit 18 changes the scale of the displayed map in stages.

[0159] In this state of waiting for voice recognition to start, when the user utters "Re-tan, voice control," the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase corresponding to this and starts voice recognition. As a result, for example, the speaker 20 outputs a voice saying "What can I do?" Then, the control unit 18 transitions the display screen M1 to the display screen V1 shown in FIG.

[0160] In addition, even when the user touches and selects the voice recognition button B2, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase as described above to start the voice recognition. The control unit 18 causes the buttons corresponding to the functions that can be selected by manual operation or voice input to be displayed on the display unit 5 in a different color from the other buttons. For example, in the display screen of this embodiment, the buttons that can be selected by voice input are displayed in blue, and the other buttons are displayed in black. This allows the user to visually recognize the functions that can be input by voice. Note that even for the same function, whether or not it can be selected by voice input differs depending on the display screen. For example, in the display screens M1 and M1a of FIG. 10, since the voice recognition function has not started, the scale button B1 is in a state that cannot be selected by voice input and is displayed in black. Then, after the voice recognition function starts as described later, the scale button B1 becomes in a state that can be selected by voice input and is displayed in blue.

[0161] (Voice recognition begins) The display screen V1 in FIG. 11 is an example of a screen when voice recognition is started while the navigation system is on standby. The display screen V1a in FIG. 12 is an example of a screen when voice recognition is started after the navigation guidance described later is started. When the control unit 18 activates the voice recognition, the control unit 18 displays a map scale button on the display screen V1 in blue, which indicates that voice input is possible. The control unit 18 also displays buttons of other functions for which voice input is possible on the display screen V1 in blue, which indicates that voice input is possible. Of these buttons, the voice cancel button B2x is a button on which the instruction word "voice cancel" for terminating the voice recognition is displayed. The surrounding area button B3 is a button on which the instruction word "surrounding area" for starting a surrounding area search is displayed. Since the surrounding area search cannot function during navigation guidance, the control unit 18 does not display the surrounding area button B3 on the display screen V1a in FIG. 12. The control unit 18 displays a guidance cancel button B4x on which the instruction word "guide cancel" for canceling guidance is displayed, in the same position as the surrounding area button B3 of V1 on the display screen V1a.

[0162] In addition, on the display screens V1 and V1a, a volume button B5 and a brightness button B6 are displayed in the same row as the scale button B1, the voice cancel button B2x, and the guidance stop button B4x. The volume button B5 is a button on which the instruction word "volume" for starting a volume change and the number "5" indicating the current quantitative level of the sound are displayed. The brightness button B6 is a button on which the instruction word "brightness" for starting a brightness change and the number "5" indicating the current quantitative level of the brightness are displayed. Furthermore, a home button B7 is displayed in the upper right corner of the display screen V1. The home button B7 is a button on which the instruction word "home" for performing route guidance with the home as the destination is displayed. These instruction words and the numbers indicating the quantitative levels are words and phrases registered as recognition words, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 above.

[0163] In this way, the display area of ​​an item made up of multiple buttons has a portion where the map, which is an image behind, is visible. In other words, there is a gap between each button, and the map behind is visible. On the other hand, the display area of ​​the character 100 is larger than one button, and in the portion overlapping with the map, there is no portion where the back is visible. Note that in the gaps between the hair and the body, or between the limbs and the torso, etc., there may be portions where the map behind is visible, but such portions are excluded from the display area of ​​the character 100.

[0164] The position of the character 100 that the control unit 18 causes the display unit 5 to display is a position that does not obstruct the view of the current position or the guide route. In the display screen V1 in Fig. 11 and the display screen V1a in Fig. 12, the character 100 is displayed in a position toward the bottom right of the screen, and the above-mentioned buttons are displayed in a position toward the opposite side in a left-right or up-down relationship, that is, in the top left or top right.

[0165] (Select genre) When the user utters "shuuhen" on the display screen V1 during navigation standby, the control unit 18 transitions the display screen V1 to the display screen S1 of the surroundings 1 shown in FIG. 13 and outputs the voice of the response phrase "Hey, where are you going?" In this way, in the surrounding search in which the process is progressed by making multiple selections, the character 100 utters a speech to prompt the user to make the next selection, which is to select a genre, so that the user can immediately know what to do next. On the other hand, the surrounding search function does not work on the display screen V1a during navigation guidance. Therefore, even if the user utters "shuuhen," the control unit 18, upon recognizing this, outputs the voice of the character saying "What did you say? I don't know," and does not transition to the screen of the surroundings 1. In this way, when a process that cannot proceed to the next step is selected, the character 100 utters a response phrase corresponding to this, so that the user can know that the process cannot be performed on the display screen.

[0166] As described above, the control unit 18 advances the process based on a dialogue that includes at least one round trip of exchange, such as: voice input from the user that activates voice recognition → output of a response phrase from the character asking about the purpose → voice input from the user that starts the function. The output of a response phrase in this dialogue serves to indicate that the character has recognized the user's voice, along with the meaning of the response phrase.

[0167] As described above, the control unit 18 displays genre buttons B8 on which genre names are displayed as recognition words on the display screen S1 of FIG. 13, which has been transitioned to by the user's speech. The genre names displayed on these genre buttons B8 correspond to the recognition words of list number 4 in FIG. 5. The user can also select these genre buttons B8 by touching them. The genre names do not include kanji, but are written in hiragana or katakana, which is advantageous because it is easy for the driver or the like to visually know what to utter.

[0168] When the user utters the recognition word "family" displayed on the button on this display screen S1, the control unit 18 causes the character to output a voice response phrase "Are you going to a family restaurant alone?". The control unit 18 then transitions to a process of searching for family restaurant candidates. For this reason, the user does not need to make any further selection in the genre selection phase. In other words, the voice "Are you going to a family restaurant alone?" is good because it lets the user know that no further genre selection is necessary. In addition, this response phrase is good because it makes the user aware that he or she is alone except for the character 100 with whom he or she is talking, thereby increasing intimacy with the character 100.

[0169] In addition, in case the user wishes to select from a genre other than the genre displayed on the display screen S1, the control unit 18 displays a page button B9 on the display screen S1, which displays a recognition word "page 2" for transitioning to the next page. When the user utters "page 2" or "next" on this display screen S1, the control unit 18 transitions the screen displayed on the display unit 5 to the display screen S1a of the periphery 2 in FIG. 14.

[0170] This display screen S1a displays a genre button B8 displaying a genre name corresponding to the recognition word of list number 5 in FIG. 5. When the user speaks the recognition word of the genre name displayed on the genre button B8, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase in response to this. The control unit 18 also displays a page button B9 displaying the recognition word "page 1" for transitioning to the previous page on the display screen S1a. When the user speaks "page 1" or "mae" on this display screen S1a, the control unit 18 transitions the screen displayed on the display unit 5 to the peripheral 1 display screen S1 in FIG. 13.

[0171] (Select facility) When a genre is selected in this way, the control unit 18 searches for facilities in the vicinity of the current location that belong to the genre, and transitions the screen displayed on the display unit 5 to the display screen S2 for facility selection 1, as shown in FIG. 15. This display screen S2 displays the results of the facility search. That is, on the display screen S2, the facilities hit in the search are displayed at their locations on the map as icons C1 numbered in order of proximity to the current location. In FIG. 15, icons C1 displaying numbers 1 to 5 in circles are displayed at their locations on the map. In this way, the results of the surrounding search only display facilities that are the target (genre) necessary for the user. At this time, the map display is made grayscale and the icon C1 is displayed in color, making it easier to understand the location and number of the facility. In addition, when transitioning from another screen to the screen S2, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase such as "Where shall we go?" to prompt the user to select a destination.

[0172] The user selects a facility on the display screen S2 according to the content displayed on the icon C1. That is, when the user speaks the number displayed on the icon C1 of the desired facility, the control unit 18 outputs a corresponding response phrase and searches for a route to the facility. For example, when "one" or "first" is spoken, the character 100 speaks "number 1," and a route search to the facility displayed as number 1 is executed. In this way, the character 100 speaks the number spoken by the user, allowing the user to confirm the content of his / her instructions.

[0173] The display screen S2 displays a scale button B1 and a list button B10. As described above, the scale button B1 is a button for changing the map scale. When a user who wishes to change the map scale on this display screen S2 utters "scale", the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting the user to select which scale to change to, and transitions to the display screen S2a for facility selection 2 shown in FIG. 16. For example, when the user utters "scale", the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase saying "tell me something" and displays a + button B1a and a - button B1b for changing the scale, as shown in FIG. 16. The scale change process using voice input will be described later.

[0174] The list button B10 is a button for transitioning the screen for selecting facilities from icon display to list display. When the user utters "list" or "list display" on the display screen S2, the control unit 18 transitions the screen displayed on the display unit 5 to the display screen S2_list for facility selection 1 shown in FIG. 17. On the display screen S2_list, the searched facilities are displayed not as icons but as a list in which the facility selection buttons B11 are arranged in order of proximity to the current location. Each facility selection button B11 displays a number assigned in order of proximity to the current location, the facility name, the distance from the current location to the facility, the location, etc. The user can select a facility in the same manner as described above by touching the facility selection button B11 or uttering the number displayed on the button. In addition to the number, the facility name, the distance from the current location, the location, etc. are displayed on the facility selection button B11, so that the user can obtain more detailed information about the searched facility.

[0175] When the number of searched candidates is more than the number that can be displayed on one page (for example, 5), the control unit 18 displays a page button B9 displaying "page 2" indicating that there is a next page. When the number of candidates is less than the number that can be displayed on one page, the control unit 18 hides the page button B9. When the user utters "page 2" or "next", the control unit 18 transitions to a display screen S2a_list of facility selection 2 shown in FIG. 18. The selection process of a facility in the list displayed on this display screen S2a_list is the same as above. In addition, the control unit 18 displays a page button B9 displaying a recognition word "page 1" for transitioning to the previous page on the display screen S2_list. When the user utters "page 1" or "previous" on this display screen S1a, the control unit 18 transitions the screen displayed on the display unit 5 to the display screen S1 of facility selection 1 of FIG. 16.

[0176] (Route selection) As described above, when a facility is selected, the control unit 18 searches for a route 53 from the current position 51 to the facility that is the destination 52, and displays the result on the display screen R1 of route selection 1 shown in FIG. 19. The searched routes 53 are displayed in a color that indicates the route 53 that should be given the highest priority based on the route conditions set in advance. At this time, the character 100 moves to a position on the map that does not obstruct the route guidance direction. In other words, the character 100 is displayed in a position that does not obstruct the display of the searched route including the current position on the map. However, as described above, the character 100 is already displayed in the lower right corner of the screen, and does not obstruct the searched route in the example of the display screen R1, so there is no movement in this example.

[0177] Meanwhile, the control unit 18 displays a plurality of buttons on the display screen R1 on the side opposite the character, i.e., on the left side. If the number of buttons is small, there will be no overlap with the searched route 53. Even if the number of buttons is large, there will be gaps between each button so that the map and route 53 can be seen. These buttons include a scale button B1. An operation in case the user wishes to change the scale is performed on the route selection 2 display screen R1a shown in FIG. 20, which will be described later.

[0178] Furthermore, the display screen R1 displays a route condition button B12 on which "route condition" is displayed, which is a directive for changing the route condition. When the user utters "Joken" or "Route Joken", the control unit 18 transitions to the display screen R1b of route selection 3 shown in FIG. 21. In this display screen R1b, condition selection buttons B12a, B12b, and B12c for selecting search conditions to be prioritized, such as "expressway", "general road", and "recommended", are displayed next to the "route condition" button. When the user utters "Expressway", "Expressway", or "Recommended" on this display screen R1b, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase corresponding to each of the search conditions, changes the search conditions to the uttered conditions, and displays the route 53 that is most prioritized under the changed search conditions. For example, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase indicating the advantages of each search condition, such as "Yes, yes, let's take it slowly on the general road" for a general road, and "The expressway will save time" for a highway. If the route is a recommended route, a response phrase that indicates a trusting relationship with the character, such as "You're leaving it to me," is output.

[0179] On the display screen R1, a guidance start button B13 with a demonstrative "start guidance" displayed is displayed when the user desires guidance along the displayed route 53. When the user utters "Please guide me", "Please guide me", or "Please guide me" on the screen on which the desired route 53 is displayed, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase "Start guidance. Drive as I say" and starts route guidance.

[0180] Furthermore, when the user utters "Shuhen" to perform a surrounding search or a return phrase such as "Go back", "Cancel" or "Redo", the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase "Search again" and transitions to the display screen S1 shown in Fig. 13. The surrounding search process thereafter is as described above. In response to the utterance of a return phrase, the same process is performed on the display screens S2, S2a, S2_list, S2a_list, R1, R1a and R1b shown in Figs. 15 to 21.

[0181] In response to the utterance of the back phrase on the display screens V1 and V1a for starting the voice recognition shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase "Call me again," transitions to the display screen M1 shown in Fig. 10, and returns to waiting for the voice recognition to start. In response to the utterance of the back phrase on the display screens S1 and S1a for the surrounding search shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase "Let's start from the beginning," and transitions to the display screen V1 for starting the voice recognition shown in Fig. 11. In this way, even for the same recognized word, the display screen to which the transition is made differs depending on the current display screen and the corresponding phase. In other words, by changing the display screen to which the transition is made for the back phrase, it is possible to prevent the user from going back too many times and to reduce the trouble of having to start over again.

[0182] In this embodiment, a release phrase is prepared in addition to the return phrase. When the user utters "online store," "return," or "current," the display screen M1 always returns to the screen waiting for voice recognition activation. At this time, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase such as "call me again" to encourage the next use. In this way, by registering recognition words that return to different positions and recognition words that return to a fixed position according to the display screen or phase, the user can quickly transition to a desired screen according to the situation.

[0183] Furthermore, when a recognition word that cannot be processed is uttered depending on the screen or phase, the control unit 18 can output a response phrase indicating that the recognition word cannot be processed, thereby prompting the user to utter a different word. For example, on the display screen V1a in Fig. 12 and the display screens S2, S2a, S2_list, and S2a_list in Figs. 15 to 18, the response phrase "What did you say? I don't know" is output.

[0184] 《Map scale change》 The control unit 18 performs a process of changing the map scale, the volume, and the brightness as a process of changing the function in response to the dialogue. First, the procedure of changing the map scale will be described with reference to Fig. 22. Note that the change of the map scale is similar when the display screen transitions from the display screen S2 in Fig. 15 to the display screen S2a in Fig. 16, and when the display screen R1 in Fig. 19 transitions to the display screen R1a in Fig. 20.

[0185] When the user who wants to change the map scale utters "scale" on the display screens V1 and V1a in Figs. 11 and 12 where the voice recognition has started, the control unit 18 transitions to the display screens A1 and A1a in Fig. 22. The display screen A1 is a screen transitioned to from the display screen V1, and the display screen A1a is a screen transitioned to from the display screen V1a. On the display screen A1, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "Give me some instructions" only when the screen transitions from another screen (scene). In this way, even if the screen is switched, the character 100 can be made aware that it is always nearby by uttering an instruction prompt. Moreover, the display screen A1a is a screen for changing the map scale during navigation guidance.

[0186] On the display screens A1 and A1a, a + button B1a and a - button B1b are displayed to the right of the scale button B1. As described above, when the user touches the + button B1a, the control unit 18 increases the map scale in stages. Also, when the user touches the - button B1b, the control unit 18 decreases the map scale in stages. Also, in this embodiment, when the user speaks "kudai" or "shosai", the control unit 18 recognizes this and increases the map scale in stages. When the user speaks "shukusho" or "kouki", the control unit 18 recognizes this and decreases the map scale in stages.

[0187] The control unit 18 then outputs a response phrase that allows the user to confirm what change has been made, such as "It's been enlarged" when scaling up, and "I tried making it a little wider" when scaling down. This allows the user to confirm by voice what process has been performed. Furthermore, if changing the scale would exceed the upper or lower limit of the scale, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that notifies the user that the change cannot be made, such as "Brrr, I'm at my limit." This prevents the user from repeating unnecessary change instructions without being able to confirm whether the upper or lower limit has been reached.

[0188] Also, when the user speaks a desired scale value, such as "10 meters" or "1 kilometer," the control unit 18 recognizes this and directly changes the map scale to the spoken value. At this time, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase corresponding to the input value, such as "10 meters" or "1 kilometer," as a response phrase corresponding to the user's speech. This allows the user to confirm the scale level that he or she has specified.

[0189] Then, when the user utters "scale" or a return phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase such as "Settings are complete" to inform the user that the scale change process is complete. The process for the release phrase is the same as described above.

[0190] In addition, in the case of the display screen A1, a home button is displayed, and when the user touches this button or utters "preparation", the control unit 18 processes as follows. First, if the home has not been registered in advance, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase such as "You say home, but you haven't told me where it is, have you?", which prompts the user to register the home. This is advantageous because the process required as a prerequisite for executing a specific function is prompted by voice, allowing the user to understand what is required to use the function. If the home has been registered, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase such as "That's right, let's go home," and searches for a route to the home. This is advantageous because the user can get the impression that the character is going home with him.

[0191] In the case of the display screen A1a, certain functions are restricted because navigation guidance is being performed. In other words, surrounding area search and route guidance to one's home cannot be performed on the display screen A1a. Therefore, even if the user utters "home," the response phrase "What did you say? I don't know" is output, and a surrounding area search is not performed. Also, even if the user utters "preparation," the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "What did you say? I don't know," and a route search to one's home is not performed. In this way, the user can know that processing is not possible from the response phrase, which is advantageous.

[0192] 《Volume Change》 The procedure for changing the volume will be described with reference to FIG. 23. When a user who wants to change the volume utters "Onryo" on the display screens V1 and V1a of FIG. 11 and 12 where the voice recognition has started, the control unit 18 transitions to the display screens A2 and A2a of FIG. 23. The display screen A2 is a screen transitioned from the display screen V1, and the display screen A2a is a screen transitioned from the display screen V1a. On the display screen A2, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "Give me some instructions" only when the screen transitions from another screen (scene). In this way, even if the screen is switched, the character 100 can be made aware that it is always nearby by uttering an instruction prompt. The display screen A2a is a volume change screen during navigation guidance.

[0193] On the display screens A2 and A2a, a + button B5a and a - button B5b are displayed to the right of the volume button B5. When the user touches the + button B5a, the control unit 18 increases the volume in stages. When the user touches the - button B5b, the control unit 18 decreases the volume in stages. In this embodiment, when the user speaks "up" or "loud", the control unit 18 recognizes this and increases the volume in stages. When the user speaks "down" or "quiet", the control unit 18 recognizes this and decreases the volume in stages.

[0194] Then, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that enables the user to confirm what change has been made, such as "Volume up" when the volume is increased, and "Volume down" when the volume is decreased. This allows the user to confirm by voice what process has been performed. Furthermore, if changing the volume would exceed the upper or lower limit of the volume, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that notifies the user that the change is not possible, such as "Brooom, I'm at my limit." This prevents the user from repeating unnecessary change instructions without being able to confirm whether the upper or lower limit has been reached.

[0195] Also, when the user speaks the desired volume value, such as "zero," "one," or "two," the control unit 18 recognizes this and changes the volume directly to the spoken value. At this time, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase corresponding to the input value, such as "It's zero," "It's one," or "It's two," as a response phrase corresponding to the user's speech. This allows the user to confirm the volume level that he or she has specified.

[0196] Then, when the user speaks "Onryo" or speaks a return phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase such as "Settings complete" to inform the user that the volume change process is complete. The process for the release phrase is the same as above. The other processes are the same as those described for the map scale above.

[0197] Change brightness The procedure for changing the luminance will be described with reference to FIG. 24. When a user who wants to change the luminance utters "Kido" on the display screens V1 and V1a of FIG. 11 and 12 where the voice recognition has started, the control unit 18 transitions to the display screens A3 and A3a of FIG. 24. The display screen A3 is a screen transitioned from the display screen V1, and the display screen A3a is a screen transitioned from the display screen V1a. On the display screen A3, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "Give me some instructions" only when the screen transitions from another screen (scene). In this way, even if the screen is switched, the character 100 can be made aware that it is always nearby by uttering an instruction prompt. The display screen A3a is a luminance change screen during navigation guidance.

[0198] On the display screens A3 and A3a, a + button B6a and a - button B6b are displayed next to the brightness button B6. When the user touches the + button B6a, the control unit 18 increases the brightness in stages. When the user touches the - button B6b, the control unit 18 decreases the brightness in stages. Also, in this embodiment, when the user speaks "up" or "bright", the control unit 18 recognizes this and increases the brightness in stages. When the user speaks "down" or "dark", the control unit 18 recognizes this and decreases the brightness in stages.

[0199] Then, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that enables the user to confirm what change has been made, such as "Brightness up" when the brightness is increased, and "Brightness down" when the brightness is decreased. This allows the user to confirm by voice what process has been performed. Furthermore, if changing the brightness would exceed the upper or lower limit of brightness, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that notifies the user that the change cannot be made, such as "Beep, I'm at my limit." This prevents the user from repeating unnecessary change instructions without being able to confirm whether the upper or lower limit has been reached.

[0200] Also, when the user speaks a desired brightness value such as "zero," "one," or "two," the control unit 18 recognizes this and directly changes the brightness to the spoken value. At this time, a response phrase corresponding to the input value such as "It's zero," "It's one," or "It's two" is output as a response phrase corresponding to the user's speech. This allows the user to confirm the brightness level that he or she has specified.

[0201] Then, when the user speaks "Kido" or speaks a return phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase such as "Settings are complete" to inform the user that the brightness change process is complete. The process for the release phrase is the same as above. The other processes are the same as those described for the map scale above.

[0202] In addition, in the case of the display screens A1 and A1a, the control unit 18 transitions to the display screens A2 and A2a or the display screens A3 and A3a by speaking "Onryo" or "Kido". In the case of the display screens A2 and A2a, the control unit 18 transitions to the display screens A3 and A3a or the display screens A1 and A1a by speaking "Kido" or "Sukaeru". In the case of the display screens A3 and A3a, the control unit 18 transitions to the display screens A1 and A1a or the display screens A2 and A2a by speaking "Sukaeru" or "Onryo". In this way, by making it possible to transition between the screens for the quantitative level change process, it is convenient for a user who wants to change the settings all at once.

[0203] <<Timeout Processing>> Next, the timeout process will be described. The timeout process is a process in which the control unit 18 ends a process when a predetermined time has elapsed without any voice input from the user since the control unit 18 started the process. Then, during the time from the start of the process until the predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 18 outputs a voice prompting for voice input as a response phrase for the character.

[0204] A more specific process will be described with reference to FIG. 25. Timeouts V1, S1, S2, R1, A1, and A1a are set as the timeout process. First, the process of timeout V1 will be described. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after starting the voice recognition on the display screen V1 or V1a, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase to prompt the user to input voice as timeout status 1. Since this is the screen for starting voice recognition, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase requesting voice input, "Hey, say something." If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after outputting this response phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying that the voice recognition will end as timeout status 2, and ends the voice recognition. Here, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase, "Hmm, come on.", which sounds a little angry that there is no voice input.

[0205] The process of timeout S1 is as follows. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after transition to display screen S1, S1a, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting voice input as timeout status 1. In this case, since the screen is for nearby search, a response phrase asking the destination, such as "Hey, hey, where are you going?" is output. Then, if there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after output of this response phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying that voice recognition is ending as timeout status 2, and ends the voice recognition. Here, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that sounds a little annoyed at the lack of voice input, saying "Hmm, already."

[0206] The process of timeout S2 is as follows. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after transitioning to display screens S2, S2a, S2_list, and S2a_list, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase to prompt voice input as timeout status 1. Since the screen is for facility selection in this case, a response phrase prompting facility selection such as "Still not decided?" is output. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after output of this response phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase to notify that voice recognition is ending as timeout status 2, and ends the voice recognition. Here, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that sounds a little annoyed at the lack of voice input, saying "Hmm, already."

[0207] The process of timeout R1 is as follows. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after transition to display screen R1, R1a, or R1b, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase to prompt voice input as timeout status 1. Here, since the screen is for route selection, a response phrase is output notifying that the next process will proceed even if there is no voice input, such as "If you stay quiet, we'll give you directions." If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after output of this response phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase to notify that voice recognition will end as timeout status 2, and ends the voice recognition. Here, a response phrase is output notifying that the next process will start, such as "Guidance starting. Will you drive as I tell you?"

[0208] The process of timeout A1 is as follows. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after transition to the display screen A1, A2, A3, A1a, A2a, or A3a, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase to prompt voice input as timeout status 1. Since the screen is for changing settings here, a response phrase such as "instructions, please" is output to prompt a setting change. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after output of this response phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase to notify that voice recognition will end as timeout status 2, and ends voice recognition without changing settings. Here, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that sounds a little annoyed at the lack of voice input, saying "Hmm, already."

[0209] The process of timeout A1a is as follows. The control unit 18 transitions to the display screens A1, A2, A3, A1a, A2a, and A3a, and if there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after a button selection or voice input instructing a setting change is made, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting voice input as timeout status 1. Here, a response phrase such as "instructions, please" is output to prompt a decision instruction for the setting change by voice input. After that, if there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying that voice recognition is ending as timeout status 2, completes the setting change, and ends the voice recognition. Here, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying that the setting change is completed, saying "Settings are complete."

[0210] Timeout processing can occur frequently, but by changing the content of the response phrases for timeout status 1 and timeout status 2 in accordance with the display screen and phase as described above, the user will not tire of it.

[0211] [Effects] According to the above embodiment, the system does not provide information in response to one-sided instructions from the user who is a passenger of the vehicle, but the user can obtain the information he or she wants by interacting with the character, which increases the fun of operation and driving, and the user does not get bored because he or she feels as if he or she is communicating with the character. Furthermore, the user is motivated to operate the system in order to interact with the character, so the functions of the system are effectively utilized.

[0212] Response phrases are registered so that a specific character can be recognized as a speaker with a specific personality from the voice output from the system, so that the user feels as if he or she is conversing with a real person, which creates a sense of familiarity.

[0213] The dialogue is set up so that there is at least one round trip of communication, for example the start of an utterance, a response to that, and a reply to the response. Therefore, rather than the system simply carrying out processing according to the user's commands, the user can get the sense that a character is acting as an intermediary between the user and the system and providing a service.

[0214] Since voice recognition allows users to output information more easily or quickly than manual operation, users are more likely to make positive use of voice recognition, which provides users with more opportunities to interact with characters.

[0215] In particular, even when a driver has difficulty obtaining desired information while driving due to difficulties or limitations in manual operation, by utilizing voice recognition, the driver can obtain the desired information while enjoying dialogue with a character.

[0216] When multiple selections must be made to output information, voice input makes operation easier for the user than manual operation required for each selection. Information that is output after multiple selections, such as information with a hierarchical structure or information that cannot be output without multiple operations, places less of a burden on the user than multiple manual operations.

[0217] In particular, processes that output information obtained by sequentially narrowing down multiple candidates, such as facility searches and searches around the current location, are difficult to execute directly by manual operation, unlike operations that move the vehicle itself, such as the brake or accelerator, or operations that notify the outside world of something for safety while driving, such as turn signals, and are therefore suitable for operation by voice recognition.

[0218] The user can proceed through a given process by making a selection prompted by the character's voice. For example, when the user's voice "surrounding area" is recognized in the surrounding area search as a response phrase to guide the user to the next selection, a voice asking the destination, such as "Hey, where are you going?", is output, so the user can clearly know what to say next.

[0219] If there is no next choice, a character's voice indicating this is output, so the user knows that there is no need to proceed further and can decide to end the instruction, perform another process, etc. For example, if the user's voice saying "family restaurant" is recognized in a nearby search as the character's voice indicating that there is no next choice, the character can ask the user to make a new decision, such as "Are you going to a family restaurant alone?"

[0220] The user can obtain information about facilities in the vicinity of a desired location, such as the current location, without the need for cumbersome manual operations, while enjoying dialogue with the character.

[0221] The icons showing the searched nearby facilities are displayed relatively highlighted compared to the map, so the information on the facilities that the user needs stands out on the map, making it easier for the user to understand the location of the facilities and providing a guide for selecting the desired facility by voice. In particular, the icons are displayed in color and the map is displayed in grayscale, so the icons are very clear.

[0222] The facility icons are displayed with a distinctive ranking according to the proximity to the current location, which can be used as a guide for users to select facilities. In particular, the meaning of the ranking can be easily understood because the information inherently indicates the ranking, such as numbers and letters.

[0223] The system recognizes the user's voice when selecting one of the facilities based on the content of the displayed icon, and searches for and displays a route to the selected facility, so the user can select the facility more easily based on the content of the displayed icon than by the facility name. In particular, the user can select the facility by speaking the displayed number, which is easier to remember than the facility name.

[0224] If the user does not want the route that has been searched for, he or she can instruct the character to search again while interacting with the character, thereby reducing the hassle and tediousness of having to start over.

[0225] By seeing the appearance of the character with which the user will converse on the display screen, the user feels a sense of familiarity with the character and is motivated to actively use the system in order to see the appearance.

[0226] Furthermore, the character is displayed in a position that does not obstruct the display of the searched route on the map, so that the display of the character is enjoyable while maintaining visibility of the searched route. If the character moves to the opposite side of the searched route, the display area of ​​the item may overlap with the searched route, but since each item is smaller than the character and the display area of ​​the item has a portion through which the image behind it is visible, it is easier to see the image behind than if the searched route overlapped with the character.

[0227] The voice of the character is selected at random from a plurality of different preset response phrases excluding those that have already been output, and output, so that the same phrases are not output over and over again, and the user does not become bored.

[0228] A list is set up in which a plurality of different response phrases are registered for common recognition words, so even if the user utters the same thing, the character can reply with different expressions, and even if the same process is performed multiple times, the user can enjoy seeing what kind of response the character will give.

[0229] Although the character is the same person, there are multiple display forms, namely standard Rei, transformed Rei, and mini Rei, and different phrases are registered for each of the multiple display forms as the voice to be output, so that even with the same character, the speech content differs depending on the multiple display forms, and it is possible to enjoy the changes while conversing with the same person. In particular, since there are standard ones, ones transformed with different clothes or hairstyles, and ones with different heads and bodies, the user is given a variety of impressions such as adult-like, child-like, cute, beautiful, etc., and does not get bored.

[0230] The recognition words are displayed as items on buttons or the like, so that the user can know what to say in order to execute a predetermined process by looking at the displayed items.

[0231] Since there are recognition words that can be commonly recognized regardless of the display screen and recognition words that are limited to what is displayed on the display screen, the commonly recognizable recognition words maintain the convenience of the functions required regardless of the display screen, while the limited recognition words reduce the possibility of erroneous recognition. For recognition words that are commonly used on a plurality of display screens, the possibility that the functions will be limited depending on the display screen is low, and convenience can be maintained. In particular, since they are phrases that transition to other display screens, such as back phrases and release phrases, they are phrases that need to be used on any screen. On the other hand, there is little need to recognize other words and phrases for the recognition words displayed on the display screen and the recognition words to be searched, and there is a high need to reduce the number of recognition words to prevent erroneous recognition.

[0232] Since the state of a quantitatively changing function can be directly set to a desired quantitative level by voice recognition, the desired value can be instantly set compared to a case where the value is changed stepwise between a small value and a large value, and the user does not have to go through the trouble of selecting a button such as volume, brightness, or scale to display +- or a scale, and then selecting +- or sliding the scale to increase or decrease the value step by step can be eliminated.

[0233] As recognition words, demonstrative words corresponding to quantitatively changing functions and numbers indicating the quantitative level are set, so when a user utters a demonstrative word and number corresponding to a desired function, the quantitative level of the function can be directly raised or lowered to the level of that number. In particular, since demonstrative words such as "onryo", "kido", and "sukeru" and numbers such as "ichi", "ni", and "nikiro" are used, the user can input using function names and numbers that are intuitively easy to understand.

[0234] Since the instruction word corresponding to the function is displayed on the button for selecting the function, the user can select the function by saying the instruction word displayed on the button, which is easy for the user to understand.

[0235] Since the button is for selecting a function and displays the current quantitative level of the function, the user can check the current quantitative level by looking at the value displayed on the button and determine whether to increase or decrease it to a desired value. For example, when a small scale value is displayed on the button for a map scale, if the user speaks a larger value, the scale value displayed on the button will change directly to that value, allowing the user to instantly view a wide range of the map. Also, for example, when a large scale value is displayed on the button, if the user speaks a smaller value, the scale value displayed on the button will change directly to that value, allowing the user to instantly view a detailed map.

[0236] If a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of a specified process without any voice input from the user, a timeout process is performed to terminate the process, which is advantageous in preventing erroneous operations that may occur due to continuing voice recognition for a long period of time.

[0237] Since the character outputs a voice prompting the user to input voice during a predetermined time period from the time a predetermined process is started, voice input can be prompted if the user forgets to start the process.

[0238] [Other embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various forms can be configured, including the forms exemplified below.

[0239] <Genre registration> The following describes a genre registration function that allows a user to display only desired items in the genre of nearby search on the display screen of the display unit 5. This allows the user to create an original nearby search screen by creating a table of genres that the user is likely to use frequently. More specifically, the control unit 18 causes the display unit 5 to display a table of items that allows the user to select which items, among the items corresponding to the genre recognition words, should function as recognition words. When the user selects a desired item from this table, the control unit 18 sets the selected item on a page that displays the selected item as a button on the display unit 5.

[0240] An example of such a display screen will be described with reference to Fig. 26. First, in the display screen (1), similarly to the above embodiment, the control unit 18 displays the character 100 superimposed on the lower right of the map screen displayed on the display unit 5, and also displays the surrounding button B3 for selecting and searching surrounding facilities by genre superimposed on the left of the map screen.

[0241] On this display screen (1), when the user touches the peripheral button B3 or speaks the two words "rei" and "shuhen," which are registered as recognition words that command the activation of voice recognition and a peripheral search, the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to a one-click genre selection screen shown on display screen (2).

[0242] In this way, the display screen (2) displayed by activating the two-word voice recognition displays a table consisting of a plurality of items by arranging a plurality of buttons displaying genre names. When the user selects a button or speaks a genre name in this table of genre name items, the control unit 18 searches for facilities of that genre, as shown in the display screen (3), and displays the searched facilities on a map numbered in order of proximity to the current location 51.

[0243] When the user touches a desired facility icon displayed on the display screen (3) or speaks the number displayed on the desired facility icon, the control unit 18 executes a route search from the current location to the selected facility and displays the searched route 53 in different colors as shown on the display screen (4).

[0244] At this time, the character 100 moves to a position on the map that will not obstruct the route guidance direction. In other words, the character 100 is displayed at a position that will not obstruct the display of the searched route including the current position on the map. Furthermore, when the user utters a command to start guidance, the control unit 18 starts route guidance, as shown on the display screen (5). Even during this route guidance, the character 100 is displayed at a position that will not obstruct the display of the searched route 53 including the current position 51 on the map.

[0245] Three buttons, "Back," "Change," and "Current Location," are displayed at the bottom of the table on display screen (2). Of these, the "Back" button is a button that, when the user touches it or speaks "return," the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to the previous screen. The "Current Location" button is a button that, when the user touches it or speaks "current location," the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to a display screen that displays the current location 51. Here, whether the "Back" button or the "Current Location" button is selected, transitions to display screen (1) occurs.

[0246] When the user touches the "Change" button or speaks the word "Change", the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to a one-click genre change screen shown on display screen (6). On this one-click genre change screen, genres currently registered as one-click genre selection screens are displayed in the same order as on the one-click genre selection screen. Here, when the user touches any of the genre buttons or speaks the genre name, the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to one of the display screens (7) to (10) of the major categories to which the respective genre names belong.

[0247] For example, when the user selects "Stations", the display transitions to display screen (7) which displays the genre names belonging to the major category "Hotels, Public Facilities, Others" to which "Stations" belongs. On display screen (7), the genre names displayed on display screen (2) are displayed in a specific dark color, and genre names not displayed on display screen (2) are displayed in a lighter color. For example, "Stations" displayed on display screen (2) is displayed in blue letters, and "Parking Lots" not displayed on display screen (2) is displayed in gray letters.

[0248] Here, when the user touches a genre name displayed on the display screen (7) or speaks the genre name, the control unit 18 recognizes this and sets the selected genre name to a genre name that is not displayed on the display screen (7). At this time, the genre name is changed to a light color. For example, if the user selects "Station", the character "Station" turns gray.

[0249] For example, when the user touches a genre name displayed on the display screen (7) or speaks the genre name, the control unit 18 recognizes this and sets the selected genre name as the genre name to be displayed on the display screen (2). At this time, the genre name is changed to a specific dark color. For example, when the user selects "Parking lot", the characters for "Parking lot" turn blue.

[0250] Furthermore, when a genre name belonging to hospitals and clinics, such as "General Hospital" on display screen (6), is selected, the display transitions to display screen (8). When a genre name belonging to shopping, such as "Convenience Store" is selected, the display transitions to display screen (9). When a genre name belonging to restaurants, such as "Family Restaurant" is selected, the display transitions to display screen (10). For each display screen, the selection of genre names to be displayed on display screen (2) and the selection of genre names not to be displayed are as described above.

[0251] Furthermore, when the user selects the "▽" button to go to the next page on display screen (7), the display transitions to the next display screen (8). When the user selects the "△" button to go back a page on display screen (8), the display transitions to display screen (7). In this way, "▽" and "△" function as buttons to switch pages between display screens (7) to (10).

[0252] As described above, after changing the genre name on each of the display screens (7) to (10), when the user touches the "Back" button or says "Go back", the screen transitions to display screen (6), where the genre name selected as the genre name to be displayed is displayed, and the genre name selected as the genre name not to be displayed is no longer displayed. Then, when the user touches the "Back" button or says "Go back", the screen transitions to display screen (2) which reflects the display of the changed display screen (6). In the above example, "Parking Lot" is displayed in the position of "Station", and "Station" is no longer displayed.

[0253] To return to the default display, the user selects the "return to default" button on the display screen (6) or speaks "return to default", and the control unit 18 recognizes this and returns to the default genre names and their arrangement. When the user touches the "back" button or speaks "return", the display transitions to the display screen (2) with the default settings restored.

[0254] As described above, in the display screen (6) and the display screen (2) on which the genre name is reflected, the genre name can be selected for each display position. That is, when "Station" at the top left is selected on the display screen (6), the control unit 18 recognizes which display position on the display screen the genre name is selected as well as the selected genre name. The control unit 18 can then display any of the genre names selected on the display screens (7) to (10) at that display position, i.e., the top left position. Therefore, when it is desired to change the order of genre names on the display screen (2), this can be realized by selecting the genre name at the desired display position on the display screen (6) and changing it to the genre name that is desired to be displayed at that display position. In this case, it is also possible to select the same genre name to be displayed at different positions. For example, the genre name "Station" can be displayed at the top left, and "Station" can be displayed below it. In this way, when the same genre name is displayed at multiple positions on the display screen (2) for frequently used genre names, it is preferable because it is easy to touch and select the genre name.

[0255] In addition, the control unit 18 may be configured to allow the user to touch and drag a desired genre name on the display screen (6) and release it at a desired position, so that the control unit 18 can change the display position of the genre name to a desired position, making it easier to change the display position.

[0256] In addition, the number of genre names that can be displayed on the display screen (2) is limited to a predetermined number. For example, in this case, it is 25. Therefore, if 25 genre names have already been registered as the genre names to be displayed, it is not possible to increase the number of genre names to be displayed any more.

[0257] As described above, if the user selects only frequently used items from the displayed table of items, the recognition words are limited, and erroneous recognition can be reduced. The selected recognition words are registered in a specified memory area, for example, by overwriting the default state, entering them into an empty area, or rearranging what is already there. In this way, the limited memory area can be used effectively.

[0258] 13 and 14 in the above embodiment, the items selected by the user may be set for each of a plurality of pages to be displayed on the display unit 5. Therefore, even if the number of items that can be displayed on one page of the display screen is limited, the user can save the trouble of switching pages to display the items he or she wants to use by placing frequently used items on the top page.

[0259] Since it is possible to display on the same page major items corresponding to recognition words including multiple concepts and medium items corresponding to recognition words equivalent to the multiple concepts, even if a user wants to search for a medium item, the user can directly select the desired item without having to change the hierarchy or page.

[0260] For example, a broad category with many candidates, such as "hospital," is a useful category for users who want to search from as many candidates as possible. Medium categories such as "internal medicine" and "pediatrics" included in the concept of "hospital" are useful for users who want to quickly obtain information on desired facilities from a small number of candidates.

[0261] The information on the classification of facilities is categorized into stages or hierarchies such as major and medium items to allow efficient specification. In other words, one or more medium items belong to one major item.

[0262] Examples of major categories include "Hotels, public facilities, etc.", "Hospitals, clinics," "Shopping," and "Restaurants." Examples of medium categories in "Hotels, public facilities, etc." include "Station," "IC (interchange) / JCT (junction)," "Post office," "Government office," "Toilet," "Parking lot," "Hotel," "Bank / Credit union," "School," and "Gas station." Examples of medium categories in "Hospitals, clinics" include "General hospital," "Internal medicine," "Pediatrics," "Surgery," "Obstetrics and gynecology," "Dentist," "Ophthalmology," "Otolaryngology," "Orthopedics," "Dermatology," "Urology," "Clinical internal medicine," "Neurology," "Proctology," and "Veterinary clinic." Examples of medium categories in "Shopping" include "Convenience store," "Drug store," "Department store," "Shopping mall," "Supermarket," "Car supplies," "Home center," and "Home appliances." Examples of medium categories in "Restaurants" include "Family restaurant," "Fast food," "Japanese food," "Western food," "Chinese food," "Ramen," "Yakiniku," "Sushi," "Tonkatsu," "Udon," "Curry," and "Beef bowl."

[0263] In addition, each medium item may further include one or more small items. By classifying items into stages and hierarchies such as large items, medium items, and small items, efficient designation can be performed from a large number of items. In addition, when only one item belongs to a large item, it is equivalent to having no items in that hierarchy. In other words, when there is only one medium item belonging to a large item, it may be assumed that there are only the large item and no medium items and small items. In addition, when there is only one small item belonging to a medium item, it may be assumed that there are only the medium item and no small items. And when a large item is specified, all the medium items belonging to it are specified, and when a medium item is specified, the control unit 18 processes it as if all the small items belonging to that medium item are specified.

[0264] In addition, as the recognition word, a word related to the word displayed as an item but not displayed as the item may be registered. For example, even if the user does not remember the item name vaguely or is not familiar with the operation, the user can search by simply uttering a word related to the recognition word displayed in the item, instead of uttering the recognition word itself.

[0265] For example, even if the page displays the main item "hospital" and does not display the medium items "internal medicine" and "pediatrics," "internal medicine" and "pediatrics" may be registered as recognition words that can be voice recognized. In this way, even if the medium items are not displayed, if the user speaks the more specific medium items "internal medicine" and "pediatrics" that are associated with the main item "hospital," the medium items are searched for, allowing the user to quickly obtain information on facilities that he or she needs.

[0266] By the user's settings as described above or by default settings, items of recognition words that may be confused and recognized may be set to be displayed on a different page. For example, words containing similar sounds, words that are likely to be confused when actually recognized, etc. are not lined up on the same page and become candidates for recognition at the same time, so that misrecognition can be reduced. Examples of words containing similar sounds include words containing the same sounds in the Japanese 50 sounds, the same kanji characters, etc., such as "family restaurant" and "fast food," "hospital" and "beauty salon," and "Western food" and "Japanese food."

[0267] In this way, recognized phrases with ambiguous sounds are not displayed on the same page, so the user is forced to enter one of them, reducing erroneous recognition. Phrases that are likely to be confused when actually recognized are, for example, different phrases that have been recognized for the same utterance based on records of past recognition results. In this way, it is possible to prevent combinations that actually cause erroneous recognition from appearing on the same page.

[0268] Character Display Various aspects are possible for displaying the character. In the display screens (4) and (5) of FIG. 26 above, the control unit 18 moves the character 100 displayed on the screen to the left and right so that the character 100 does not overlap the current position and the searched route 53. For example, it is preferable that the display of the character 100 and the searched route 53 are on opposite sides of the display screen. In this way, the user can feel that the character 100 is being considerate so as not to interfere with the route search service, which may give a more favorable impression.

[0269] The character 100 may move by disappearing once and then reappearing at the destination, or may move while continuing to be displayed. Frequent movement may be irritating to the user, but the character 100 can appeal to the user's presence, and users who wish to continue watching the character 100 can enjoy the actions of the character 100 while moving.

[0270] The control unit 18 may cause the display unit 5 to display whether or not voice recognition has been started and is being accepted. In this way, the user can visually recognize whether or not operation by voice is possible. Whether or not voice recognition is being accepted is displayed by changing the color of the display screen. In this way, for example, the state of voice recognition can be immediately sensed through the user's vision. In particular, when voice recognition is being accepted, the color is normal, and when it is not being accepted, the color is grayscale. In this way, the user can intuitively know whether or not voice recognition is being accepted.

[0271] The control unit 18 may display on the character whether or not voice recognition is being accepted. In this way, the user can easily notice whether or not voice operation is possible by looking at the character.

[0272] The manner in which the character is displayed may be, for example, a manner in which the character's appearance clearly changes. In this way, for example, the state of voice recognition can be immediately sensed. The manner in which the character's appearance clearly changes may be, for example, by adding an object to the character, changing the character's color or form, making the character take a specific pose or gesture, or displaying lines in a speech bubble. In this way, for example, a user who is familiar with the character's normal state can immediately notice the change by comparing it with the normal state.

[0273] As a mode of adding objects to a character, for example, the character may be equipped with sound-related equipment such as a headset, headphones, earphones, or a microphone. This will remind the user of voice recognition, which is a sound-related function. As a mode of changing the color or appearance of a character, for example, the character's hairstyle and color, or a change to a different costume, etc. This will make it easier to see the difference from the normal state. In particular, by making the character's ears larger, the character will appear to be in a pose that indicates that the character is trying to listen carefully to the sound. Furthermore, as a pose or gesture, for example, having the character place his or her hand behind his or her ear will also indicate that the character is trying to listen carefully to the sound.

[0274] 《Use of nicknames》 The control unit 18 may insert a voice of the user's name, which is registered in advance in the database 19, into the response phrase, which is the voice output by the character. In other words, the control unit 18 makes the character say the user's name in a nickname format during a conversation with "Kirishima Rei." For example, the control unit 18 can make the character call the user "K-kun" or "Yu-kun."

[0275] For example, the activation word for starting voice recognition and nearby search is "Rei, Shuhen," and the following is an example of a dialogue when a user with the nickname "Yu-kun" searches the surroundings for "Kirishima Rei" on the map display screen. The phrase spoken is in " ".

[0276] Yu-kun: "Ray, nearby" → Start voice recognition → Transition to nearby search genre screen Rei: "What is it, Yu-kun? I'm busy." Yu-kun: "Internal Medicine" → Transition to the map screen, displaying icons of nearby internal medicine clinics Ray: "What's wrong? Are you OK? Which doctor are you going to?" Yu-kun: "2" (the number 2) Ray: "Okay, number 2." → Display information about the second internal medicine clinic on the map Yu-kun: "Explore" → Search for a route and display it on the map Ray: "What? Shall we go?" Yu-kun: "Please." Ray: "Got it, leave it to me." → Guidance begins

[0277] In this way, the user can feel a greater sense of familiarity with the character by being called by his or her nickname in the conversation. In addition, since the nickname is inserted into the voice output at the start of a conversation, the user is called by his or her own name, which may attract the user's attention. Furthermore, when a voice including the character's name is recognized, the voice of the user's name is inserted into the output voice, so that the users can call each other by their names, giving them a sense of greater intimacy.

[0278] It should be noted that as the dialogue progresses, the frequency with which the character calls the user may be reduced. In this way, for example, the character may call the user by his / her name at the beginning, but the frequency of the name being called may decrease thereafter, making it possible to present a conversation in which the two characters are becoming accustomed to each other. Furthermore, voice data corresponding to the Japanese syllabary may be registered in advance in the database 19, and the voice of the name selected by the user from the Japanese syllabary may be inserted into the conversation. This is advantageous in that it is possible to save memory capacity compared to the case where multiple names are registered in advance, for example.

[0279] Post When the user finds a police or checkpoint location, the control unit 18 can execute a posting function by transmitting location information about the police or checkpoint location to the information collection server in response to a voice input by the user that corresponds to a recognition word previously registered in the database 19. The control unit 18 can also receive the posted location information about the police or checkpoint location from the information collection server and display it together with a map on the display unit 5. For this reason, the navigation device is connected to the control unit 18 and includes a communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from the outside.

[0280] This communication unit is connected wirelessly or by wire to a communication device in the vehicle that has an Internet connection function. For example, this can be realized by connecting the communication unit to a mobile phone such as a smartphone that has a tethering function or a wireless LAN router via Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or USB. Such a communication device may be built into the navigation device.

[0281] First, the process of posting via a touch operation is as follows. 1. The user discovers police and checkpoint locations while driving 2. Touch the button on the display screen that indicates where you want to post. 3. The current location on the map when the button is touched is set as the posting location, and an icon is displayed at the corresponding location. 4. When your car is parked or stopped, touch the post button on the standby screen. 5. A list of multiple posting locations set up in steps 1 to 3 will be displayed. 6. Touch one of the locations you want to post to 7. Touch the Post button for final confirmation 8. The selected posting location information is sent to a server that collects posting locations. 9. The server that collects the posting locations registers the received information as the location of the crackdown. 10. The server that collects the posting location distributes the registered information 11. Receive and display distributed information

[0282] Between 6 and 7, you can also select whether the target is an automatic speed camera, N system, enforcement, checkpoint, etc., select the target direction (traffic lane, opposite lane, right direction, left direction, etc.), and select the implementation period.

[0283] In this type of posting by button operation, after discovering the posting location while driving, multiple hierarchical steps are required, which requires multiple button operations.

[0284] However, in this embodiment, posts can be made in response to voice input by the user. That is, when the user speaks a recognition word registered in advance in database 19, control unit 18 recognizes this and causes the communication unit to transmit the current location at the time of the utterance as the posting location to the server via the communication device. The server registers the received information as a crackdown location and distributes the registered information. The communication unit receives the distributed information via the communication device, and control unit 18 displays the crackdown location on a map based on the received information. This makes it possible to perform the process easily and quickly without the hassle of button operations.

[0285] As mentioned above, enforcement locations include Orvis and N systems, but it is especially good to use enforcement and checkpoint areas, where the location and time of enforcement change. In this way, information about enforcement locations, where it is difficult to register the location in advance, can be collected by posting.

[0286] The location information may be, for example, the current location or the coordinates of the center of the map. In this way, the location of the enforcement can be specified by information that can be obtained reliably and easily, and since voice recognition is used, there is little deviation from the actual enforcement location.

[0287] It is preferable that a phrase for starting voice recognition and a phrase for starting the acceptance of posts are registered as recognition words. In this way, a user can easily execute a multi-step operation of voice recognition and the acceptance of posts by speaking the phrase for starting voice recognition and the phrase for starting the acceptance of posts.

[0288] The phrase that activates the voice recognition and the phrase that starts the acceptance of posts may be registered as separate phrases, for example. In this way, it is possible to prevent, for example, the acceptance of posts from starting at the same time as the start of voice recognition, which may cause erroneous recognition. Also, the phrase that activates the voice recognition and the phrase that starts the acceptance of posts may be set as, for example, a series of phrases. In this way, it is possible to start the acceptance of posts at the same time as the start of voice recognition, which may cause the system to be ready to post immediately.

[0289] If a phrase that activates voice recognition and a phrase that causes posting are registered as recognition words, a user can easily perform the multi-step operation of voice recognition and posting by speaking the phrase that activates voice recognition and the phrase that causes posting.

[0290] The phrase that starts the voice recognition and the phrase that is to be posted may be registered as separate phrases, for example. In this way, it is possible to prevent the phrase from being posted at the start of the voice recognition, for example, and from being posted erroneously. Also, the phrase that starts the voice recognition and the phrase that is to be posted may be set as a series of phrases, for example. In this way, it is possible to post the message in one go at the start of the voice recognition, for example, so that the message can be posted immediately and the gap between the police location and the posting location can be minimized.

[0291] Note that the recognition word for a post may be shorter than the other recognition words, which may allow, for example, a post with high urgency to be indicated in a short time.

[0292] Furthermore, the recognition words for posting may be more redundant than other recognition words. In this way, for example, when normal voice recognition is used, the possibility of uttering other recognition words is reduced, and it is possible to prevent erroneous posting. For example, being redundant may mean having a large number of characters or being divided into multiple parts. In this way, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a user who does not intend to post will erroneously speak.

[0293] In addition, the recognition words for posting may be words that the user is unlikely to say in everyday life. In this way, for example, frequent misrecognition due to words that the user frequently uses in everyday life in the car can be prevented, and postings that the user does not intend can be prevented.

[0294] When a recognition word for posting is recognized, the control unit 18 may output the voice of a preregistered character in response to the recognition word, thereby realizing the dialogue function as in the above embodiment. In this case, the voice of the character in the dialogue for posting may be shorter than the voice in other dialogues. In this way, for example, the dialogue time can be shortened, which is advantageous for enabling quick posting.

[0295] 《Response phrase variations》 The response phrases of the characters preregistered in the database 19 can be in various forms as follows. When the voice of the character prompting the selection of the searched facility is output in a manner that matches the displayed icon, if it is a number, the voice should inquire as to which number is best, if it is an alphabet, the voice should inquire as to which alphabet is best, if it is a shape, the voice should inquire as to which shape, if it is a color, the voice should inquire as to which color is best, etc. In this way, the user can easily know, for example, what to say to select the facility.

[0296] In addition, for example, a voice indicating the range of candidates to be selected may be output in accordance with the displayed icon. In this way, for example, by outputting a voice indicating from what number to what number, the user can grasp the range to be selected as well as the content to be spoken.

[0297] A voice indicating the character's situation may be inserted as the voice of the preregistered character. In this way, the user can hear the character's situation, so that, for example, if the character is in a negative situation, the user can feel concern for the character, and if the character is in a positive situation, the user can feel sympathy for the character.

[0298] A good example of a statement that indicates the character's situation is "I'm busy," which indicates whether the character is in a positive or negative state. This makes it possible to generate feelings of consideration and empathy in the user, rather than the system unconditionally following the user's instructions, which is good because it gives the user a sense of conversation with a real person.

[0299] A plurality of lists may be set, and even within the same list of response phrases, there may be a list in which a phrase different from the other phrases is registered. In this way, for example, a different phrase may be output as a response to a similar statement by the user, thereby giving the user an unexpected impression, changing the impression of the character and preventing boredom. As an example of a different phrase, as shown in Ray response phrase 3 in FIG. 9(a), an ambiguous phrase such as "Do whatever you like" may be inserted into a phrase of an active question such as "Tell me what to do," "What should I do?", "What should I do?", or "How should I change it?". Also, as shown in Ray response phrase 24 in FIG. 9(b), a phrase that reads the user's mind, such as "You're testing me in various ways, aren't you?" may be inserted into a phrase indicating a retry such as "Search again," "Search again," "One more time," or "I'll try again."

[0300] A phrase to be output when the voice recognition is incorrect may be registered. In this way, even if the recognition is incorrect, for example, by returning some phrase, the user can be made aware that the dialogue with the character is continuing.

[0301] It is advisable to register phrases that can be used as excuses in case of errors in the voice recognition. In this way, for example, although there is a possibility that errors will occur in the voice recognition, even if an error does occur, the character's excuse can ease the user's irritation or anger.

[0302] As an excuse, for example, Ray response phrase 1 in Fig. 8(a) may be used, such as "I'll try my best at voice recognition. I may not be able to recognize 100% though," which shows a willingness to recognize accurately and also shows that perfect achievement is difficult. In this way, it is possible to induce a psychology of tolerance in the user for misrecognition, rather than simply showing that recognition is not possible.

[0303] It is preferable that a reply phrase from the character is registered when the user inputs a voice to point out that the content of the reply he / she wants and the content of the voice output of the character are different. In this way, for example, when the user points out a mistake made by the character, the character will respond, so that natural human interaction can be enjoyed when there is a misunderstanding.

[0304] It is good to register phrases that serve as advertisements. In this way, for example, it is good to guide users to affiliated facilities. For example, phrases that invite users to a specific facility, such as "How about XX shop?", are good.

[0305] It is preferable that phrases about the reasons for what the user is going to do at the facility that is the destination are registered. In this way, by speaking about the reasons for going to a certain facility, the user heading to the facility can easily listen. For example, the user's attention can be attracted whether the reasons for going to the destination are favorable or unfavorable for the user.

[0306] Facilities that are not desirable for the user as reasons for going to the destination may be facilities related to the user's illness, such as "hospitals," "dentists," and "pharmacies." Facilities that are desirable for the user as reasons for going to the destination may be facilities that are somewhat more difficult to navigate than facilities that the user frequently visits on a daily basis, such as "department stores," "sushi restaurants," and "eels."

[0307] Phrases that make the character evoke various emotions in the user may be phrases that make the character feel affectionate by showing concern for the user's condition, such as "Hospital? Are you feeling unwell? Are you OK?" or "Don't push yourself too hard," as shown in response phrase 6-8 in Fig. 9(c).Furthermore, phrases that make the user feel regretful, such as "Are you brushing your teeth properly?", as shown in response phrase 6-29 in Fig. 9(d), may be used.

[0308] Phrases that are positive or negative advice on what to do at the facility that the user is going to should be registered. In this way, for example, the character's advice can help the user determine what to do or not do at the destination. Positive advice can be, for example, a phrase that recommends something, such as "You should have your plaque removed once in a while," as shown in response phrase 6-29 in FIG. 9(d). Negative advice can be, for example, a phrase that prohibits something, such as "Don't look like you're in pain. It's a man's job to keep a cool head and endure." as shown in response phrase 6-23 in FIG. 9(e).

[0309] It is preferable that phrases that represent the character's one-sided impressions of what the user will do at the facility that is the destination are registered. In this way, for example, the user can obtain the character's impressions, which can serve as a reference for the actions at the destination.

[0310] The character's one-sided impressions may be positive impressions such as "The black pork char siu melts in your mouth. Wonderful." as shown in response phrase 6-14 of FIG. 9(f). This is good because it makes the user want to do the same thing at the facility. Also, it may be negative impressions such as "Are you going to a restaurant alone? Aren't you lonely? Leave me alone?" as shown in response phrase 6-21 of FIG. 9(g). This is good because it makes the user want to change the destination. Furthermore, it may be a mixture of positive and negative impressions such as "It seems like it would be fun just to look around the shopping mall. But it seems tiring." as shown in response phrase 6-21 of FIG. 9(g). This is good because it makes the user prepare in advance for the situation at the destination.

[0311] A phrase that makes the user think that the character actually exists may be registered, which is advantageous because it gives the user a sense that the character actually exists.

[0312] Examples of phrases that suggest the character's actual presence include, for example, "I'm so glad that you're taking me on your business trip," as shown in response phrase 6-24 in Fig. 9(h), and "Where are we staying?" as shown in response phrase 6-25 in Fig. 9(i), which suggests that the character is accompanying the user. In this way, the user can get the feeling that the character is always with the user.

[0313] It is preferable that voice data to be output by the character is registered when a voice other than a phrase set as a recognition phrase is input. In this way, for example, even if it is not a recognition phrase, the character always responds, so the dialogue is not interrupted or an error is notified, and the user is not reminded that it is an interaction with the system, and the sense of continuing the dialogue with the character is maintained. As a phrase when a voice other than the set phrase is input, an unrecognizable phrase such as the Ray response phrase 50 shown in FIG. 9(j) can be used. Note that the response phrase is not limited to being output randomly from among multiple phrases. If the order of output from multiple phrases is determined, and the phrases are output in that order, and when the last response phrase is output, the response phrase in the first order is output, it is possible to prevent the same response phrase from being output repeatedly. Furthermore, a corresponding response phrase may be determined one-to-one for each recognition phrase. In this way, it is preferable that the amount of information stored can be saved. Even in such a case, if a response phrase with the content as shown above is set, the same effect can be obtained.

[0314] <<Timing of voice output and voice recognition>> The timing of voice output and voice recognition can be set in various ways as follows. The control unit 18 may stop the voice recognition while the character's voice is being output, until the voice output is completed. In this way, for example, when a voice is input from the user during the character's voice, it is possible to prevent other processing from being executed by the voice recognition. The other processing may be, for example, processing with low urgency such as volume, brightness, scale, and surrounding search. In this way, even processing that does not necessarily need to be executed immediately may not be executed by the voice recognition.

[0315] The control unit 18 may accept voice recognition even while the character's voice is being output. In this way, for example, if the user inputs voice during the character's voice, other processing than the voice recognition is not interrupted. The other processing may be, for example, a highly urgent processing such as a processing for transmitting location information on a police station to an information collection server. In this way, the processing that the user wants to execute immediately is not interrupted.

[0316] The control unit 18 may stop the output of the character's voice when there is voice input from the user while the character's voice is being output. In this way, for example, it is possible to give the impression that the character's speech has been interrupted by the user's voice. If the output of the stopped character's voice is not output again, for example, the same speech is not repeated from the beginning, giving an unnatural impression. In addition, if the output of the stopped character's voice is restarted from the point where it was stopped, it is possible to give the impression that the character was waiting while the user was speaking.

[0317] The control unit 18 may stop the voice of the character when a predetermined input operation is performed while the voice of the character is being output. In this way, for example, when a user does not want a conversation with the character to be heard by a third party, the voice of the character may be stopped by a predetermined input operation. The predetermined input operation may be, for example, the operation of a physical key. In this way, it is easy to perform an operation on an instantaneous basis, since it is only necessary to operate a fixed location that is always present.

[0318] <<Timing of voice recognition activation>> The timing of starting the voice recognition can be in various modes as follows. The control unit 18 may start a predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to the dialogue, by receiving a voice input from the user corresponding to a predetermined recognition word. In this way, for example, the predetermined process is started by receiving a voice input from the user, so that the system does not start and execute the process on its own.

[0319] The control unit 18 may start a predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to the dialogue, when a voice input from the user corresponding to a predetermined recognition phrase is received in response to the output of a voice of a predetermined character. In this way, for example, the output of a voice of a character can be a trigger for the user to decide whether or not to start a predetermined process, which is advantageous in that it can increase the opportunities for using the system.

[0320] The character's voice may be output, for example, to inquire as to whether or not a particular process has started. In this way, for example, the user may be prompted to use the process. The timing of the character's voice output may be, for example, periodically, to increase the frequency with which the process is used. Also, if the timing is when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the user may be prompted to use the process at a time that is appropriate.

[0321] "others" The icons showing the surrounding facilities should be highlighted in comparison with the map in a way that makes the locations of the facilities clear. For example, the contrast between the icons and the map can be enhanced by changing at least one of the brightness, saturation, and hue.

[0322] When the icons showing the surrounding facilities are displayed in a distinguishable order according to a predetermined criterion, the predetermined criterion may be, for example, the order of importance to the user. In this way, the facilities that the user wants to know about the most can be preferentially displayed. The importance to the user may be, for example, the facility that the user has visited in the past, the facility that the user has visited frequently in the past, the facility that the user likes, etc. In this way, the user can quickly find out the facilities that the user wants to visit. In addition, facilities that are low in importance to the user, such as facilities that the user has visited in the past but does not want to visit again, may be excluded. In this way, for example, only facilities that the user may visit can be displayed.

[0323] The display that allows the ranking to be distinguished may be, for example, a shape such as ◎, ○, △, ×, or a gradual change in brightness, saturation, hue, etc., which visually indicates the ranking. In this way, the ranking can be intuitively grasped by sight.

[0324] When recognizing the user's voice to select one of the facilities according to the displayed icon, for example, if the voice is alphabetic, the alphabet of the icon of the desired facility may be used, if the voice is a shape, the shape of the icon of the desired facility may be used, and if the voice is a color, the color of the icon of the desired facility may be used. This is also advantageous because it allows the user to select a facility using words that are easier to remember than the facility name.

[0325] In the display area of ​​the button-displayed items, the portion through which the image behind can be seen may be, for example, a transparent portion. In this way, for example, the background image can be seen more clearly while ensuring the visibility of the item display.

[0326] The recognition words registered in advance for recognizing the user's voice may be either displayed on the display screen or not displayed on the display screen. In this way, even if the user utters a word that is not displayed on the display screen, if the word is one of the previously set recognition words, some kind of reaction can be obtained from the character, which is a surprise for the user and gives the user the joy of discovery.

[0327] For example, the name and the quantitative level of the demonstrative word corresponding to the quantitatively changing function as the recognition word and the number indicating the quantitative level may be combined into one recognition phrase, such as "Onryo-san", "Kidoni", and "Sukeru Niki". This is advantageous because it requires only one utterance.

[0328] The button on which the instruction word corresponding to the function is displayed may be a button for executing the function without transitioning to another display screen. In this way, for example, the function can be executed by dialogue without transitioning to another display screen to execute the function, so that the current screen display is not interrupted.

[0329] In this embodiment, the navigation device is described as an example, but the present invention can be implemented as a function of various electronic devices. For example, the present invention can be incorporated as a function of a radar detector, a drive recorder, or a car audio device. The quantitative level values ​​described in this embodiment, the screen size of the display unit 5, and various time settings can be any values ​​within the scope of the effects of the present invention. The control unit 18 can be provided with a function for setting the priority of each function or alarm based on an instruction from a user via the remote control 17, etc., and the control unit 18 can be configured to perform processing according to the set priority.

[0330] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the device is provided with a database 19 storing various information, and the control unit 18 accesses the database 19 to read out necessary information and perform various processes, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, some or all of the information to be registered in the database 19 may be registered in a server. Then, a navigation device, a radar detector, or other electronic device / device may have a function to communicate with the server, and the control unit 18 may access the server as necessary, obtain necessary information, and execute processes. Furthermore, a system may be provided in which at least some of the functions of the control unit 18 are stored in the server, the functions are executed by the server, and the electronic device held by the user obtains the execution results.

[0331] The functions of the control system in the above-described embodiment are configured as a program to be realized by a computer provided in the control unit 18, but the present invention is not limited to this and the program may be distributed among multiple computers for distributed processing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0332] 2. Device body 3. Cradle 4 Case body 5 Display section 6 Cradle body 7 Pedestal 8. Touch Panel 10. Warning lamp 11 Microwave Receiver 12 GPS receiver 13 Radio receiver 18 Control Unit 19 Database 20 Speaker 21 SD memory card slot 22 SD memory card 51 Current location 52 Destination 53 Routes

Claims

1. A system for implementing dialogue by outputting a character's voice based on a result of recognizing a user's voice using a voice recognition function, comprising: a function of outputting a first response phrase in the voice of the character and entering a state of waiting for voice recognition to start when a specific phrase is recognized from the user's voice while the first screen is being displayed; having The first response phrase is a response phrase for encouraging the next use and indicates that the user wants to call the character again, whereas When a second screen different from the first screen is displayed, if the specific phrase is recognized from the user's voice, a second response phrase which is a response phrase encouraging the next use and which is not a first response phrase and which is a phrase indicating that the user wants to call the character again is output in the voice of the character, and an activation state of the voice recognition is maintained. system.

2. A program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the system of claim 1.

Images