System and Program

Abstract

To provide a system and a program enabling a user to obtain fun in operation and driving, and providing him / her with an incentive to utilize a function positively without becoming bored.SOLUTION: A function required for a user is executed in accordance with a dialog between recognition information based on a result obtained by recognizing a voice of the user who is a passenger of a vehicle and an output of a voice of a prescribed character 100 indicating that the user's voice has been recognized. A voice uttered by the user is used as information recognized as a word phrase for establishing the dialog with the character 100, as the recognition information based on the result obtained by recognizing the voice of the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and a program that recognize the voice of a vehicle occupant and execute predetermined processing.

Background Art

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

[0003] For example, when the in-vehicle electronic device has a function as a navigation device, a guidance route to a searched destination and various searched facilities can be displayed on a display device according to a user's operation. Further, for example, when the in-vehicle electronic device has a function as a radar detector, targets such as orbits, traffic control and interrogation areas, and traffic monitoring devices can be appropriately displayed on the display device.

[0004] The operation of such in-vehicle electronic devices is basically performed by a user manually operating a switch provided in the device, a touch panel configured on the screen of the display device, or a remote controller capable of infrared remote operation. Further, in-vehicle electronic devices having a voice recognition function that recognizes the voice spoken by a user and performs corresponding processing are also generally widespread.

[0005] By using this voice recognition function, even a user who has difficulty in manual operation because he / she is driving can execute various functions such as route search and facility search by speaking a recognition phrase corresponding to a previously registered command or the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

[0007] However, conventional voice recognition functions in in-car electronic devices are no different from manual operation in that the device performs predetermined processes in response to instructions unilaterally given by the user. As a result, users only get the feeling that they are operating a bland device, whether by manual operation or voice input.

[0008] Furthermore, typical in-car electronic devices also have functions that provide route guidance and target notification via pre-set voice prompts. However, this function is no different from information provided via a screen display, as the device unilaterally provides the information. As a result, users only get the feeling that they are obtaining information from a bland, uninteresting device.

[0009] As described above, conventional technology only provides the sensation of operating a device, which lacks any real appeal and is extremely boring for those inside the car, especially drivers who are driving alone for long periods. As a result, users tend to lose interest in actively using in-car electronic devices as time passes after purchase, and the various functions often remain underutilized.

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

[0011] (1) The system of the present invention is characterized in that it performs functions required by the occupant of a vehicle in response to a dialogue between recognition information based on the result of recognizing the voice of the user who is an occupant of the vehicle and the output of a predetermined character's voice indicating that the user's voice has been recognized. In this way, for example, instead of the system executing functions based solely on the user's unilateral instructions, the system can execute functions needed by the user through interaction with the character. This increases the convenience and enjoyment of operation and driving, and the feeling of communicating with the character prevents boredom. Furthermore, for example, the user is motivated to operate the system in order to interact with the character, thus making effective use of the system's functions. The recognition information based on the results of recognizing the user's voice could, for example, be information that recognizes the user's voice as phrases that enable dialogue with a character. In this way, for example, by outputting the character's voice according to the recognized phrases, it is possible to indicate that the user's voice has been recognized and to enable dialogue with the user. For phrase recognition, for example, in order to execute functions required by the vehicle's occupants, specific recognition phrases and the voices of characters with which dialogue can be established in relation to them can be registered in advance, and the character's voice can be output depending on 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 character voices, it is possible to handle a variety of processes that are executed accordingly. The designated character could, for example, be a being that allows the user to recognize a speaker with a specific personality through the voice output from the system. In this way, the user can get the feeling that they are interacting with a real person, which can foster a sense of familiarity. Ideally, the dialogue should consist of at least one exchange, such as the initiation of an utterance, a response to it, and a reply to that response. This way, the user gets the feeling that the character is acting as an intermediary between them and the system, providing a service, rather than the system simply processing commands as instructed. Ideally, the dialogue should also consist of the user's utterance and the character's voice, with the meaning of the utterance and the corresponding response being meaningful. This way, the user gets the feeling that they are communicating with each other. Furthermore, the dialogue may include utterances and responses that are completely off-topic. This can be interesting and surprising for the user. Finally, the dialogue should include a mix of utterances and responses that are meaningful and those that are completely off-topic. This can create an imperfection similar to real conversation, making the user feel that the dialogue is more human. Functions that vehicle occupants may need include, for example, functions that enhance the convenience of vehicle occupants, such as changing settings or outputting information. In particular, it would be good to have a predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know. The information that the user wants to know would be, for example, information that can be output to the system more easily or quickly than manual operation by using voice recognition. In this way, for example, the user will be more likely to actively use voice recognition, and the system will be able to give the user more opportunities to interact with the character, which is beneficial. In response to the interaction, the system could perform functions that the vehicle's occupants need. For example, it could perform a function that the occupants need as a result of the interaction. This would encourage the occupants to interact with the character in order to perform the functions they need. Alternatively, in response to the interaction, the system could perform a function that the occupants need during the interaction. This would increase the occupants' motivation to speak and advance the conversation in order to perform the functions they need. Furthermore, in response to the interaction, the system could perform a process that outputs the voice of the character that makes up the interaction. This would encourage the user to interact because they want to hear the character's voice, making the interaction itself enjoyable.

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

[0013] In response to the interaction, the system should be characterized by a predetermined process for outputting information the user wants to know, which involves a process that allows the user to make multiple selections before outputting the information. In this way, for example, when multiple selections are required to output information, voice input is easier for the user to use compared to having to manually perform an action each time a selection is made. Information that is output after multiple selections should ideally include, for example, information with a hierarchical structure or information that requires multiple operations to be output. This is preferable because it reduces the burden on the user compared to performing multiple manual operations. In particular, information output after multiple selections should be information obtained by sequentially narrowing down from multiple candidates, such as facility search or current location location search. Unlike operations that move the vehicle itself, such as braking or accelerating, or operations that signal something to the outside for safety while driving, such as turn signals, the process of outputting such information is difficult to perform directly by manual operation, making it well suited to voice recognition.

[0014] As part of the aforementioned dialogue, if there is a choice to be made, it is advisable to use the voice of a character guiding the selection. In this way, for example, the user can proceed through predetermined processes sequentially by making selections prompted by the character's voice, which is beneficial. For a character voice that guides the user to the next choice, for example, if the system recognizes the user saying "nearby" during a nearby search, it would be good to have a voice that asks "Where are you going?". This way, the user will know clearly what they should say next, which is beneficial.

[0015] As part of the aforementioned dialogue, if there is no other option, it is recommended to use the voice of a character indicating this. This approach is beneficial because, for example, the user will understand that further processing is no longer necessary and can then decide whether to terminate the instruction or initiate a different process. As a character voice to indicate that there are no further options, for example, if the system recognizes the user's voice saying "family restaurant" during a nearby search, it would be good to have a voice that explicitly states there are no further options, such as "Are you going to a family restaurant all alone?" This way, the user understands that there is no need to proceed, and the system can then prompt the user to make a different decision, which is beneficial.

[0016] In response to the interaction, a predetermined process for outputting information the user wants to know may be to display information about facilities around the desired location on the display means. This approach is beneficial because it eliminates the need for cumbersome manual operations to obtain information about surrounding facilities, allowing users to acquire information about nearby facilities while enjoying interactions with characters.

[0017] In response to the interaction, a predetermined process for outputting information the user wants to know is to highlight icons indicating the surrounding facilities at their locations on the map displayed on the display means, relative to the map. This approach makes information about facilities the user needs more prominent on a map, making it easier for the user to understand the location of facilities and providing a helpful guide when selecting a desired facility using voice commands. For relative emphasis compared to a map, for example, a display that clearly shows the location of a facility would be effective. For instance, changing at least one of the brightness, saturation, or hue of the icon and the map would highlight the contrast between the two. In particular, displaying the icon in color and the map in grayscale would make the icon stand out very clearly, which is effective.

[0018] In response to the interaction, a predetermined process for outputting information the user wants to know may be performed, which may include displaying icons indicating the surrounding facilities at the locations of the surrounding facilities on the map displayed on the display means, and displaying a ranking that can be distinguished according to a predetermined criterion on the icons. This approach is beneficial because, for example, by displaying icons that clearly indicate their ranking, users can use this as a guide when selecting a facility. As the predetermined criterion, for example, it may be in the order of proximity to a specific location. By doing so, it is better because it is intuitive to know which facility is the closest compared to the case where the facility name is displayed. Further, as the predetermined criterion, for example, it may be in the order of decreasing importance to the user. By doing so, it is better because the facilities that the user most wants to know are preferentially displayed. The importance to the user may be, for example, having visited in the past, having visited frequently in the past, conforming to the user's preferences, etc. By doing so, it is better because the user can quickly know the facilities they want to visit. Also, for example, those with low importance to the user, such as having visited in the past but never wanting to visit again, may be excluded. By doing so, for example, it is possible to display only those that the user may visit. As the display for differentiating the ranks, for example, it may be information that inherently indicates ranks, such as numbers or letters. By doing so, for example, it is better because the meaning of the ranks can be easily grasped. Further, as the display for differentiating the ranks, for example, it may be information that visually indicates ranks, such as shapes like ◎, ○, △, ×, etc., or by making gradual changes according to lightness, chroma, or hue. By doing so, for example, it is better because the ranks can be intuitively grasped visually.

[0019] It is advisable to output the voice of the character prompting the selection of the searched facilities with content that matches the displayed icon. By doing so, for example, it is possible to prompt the selection of the facilities with the voice of the content that matches the displayed icon, so the user can also grasp the content confirmed visually by voice. As the content corresponding to the displayed icon, for example, if it is a number, it may be a voice asking which number is appropriate; if it is an alphabet, it may be a voice asking which letter of the alphabet is appropriate; if it is a shape, it may be a voice asking what the shape is; if it is a color, it may be a voice asking what the color is. By doing so, for example, it is good because the user can easily understand what to say to select a facility. Also, for example, as the content corresponding to the displayed icon, it may be a voice indicating the range of candidates to be selected. Thereby, for example, if a voice is output such as from what number to what number, the user can also grasp the range to be selected along with the content to be spoken, which is good.

[0020] When recognizing the voice of a user who selects any facility with the content corresponding to the displayed icon, it is good to display the searched route from a specific point to the selected facility on the display means. By doing so, for example, it is good because the user can easily select with the content corresponding to the displayed icon rather than selecting by facility name. As the content corresponding to the displayed icon, for example, if it is a number, it may be the number of the icon of the desired facility; if it is an alphabet, it may be the alphabet of the icon of the desired facility; if it is a shape, it may be the shape of the icon of the desired facility; if it is a color, it may be the color of the icon of the desired facility. By doing so, for example, it is good because the facility can be selected with words that are easier to remember than the facility name.

[0021] After the searched route is displayed on the display means, it is good to determine whether to start route guidance or re-search the route according to the dialogue. By doing so, for example, when the user does not want the searched route, the user can give an instruction to re-search while having a dialogue with the character, so it is possible to relieve the trouble and boredom when re-doing it, which is good.

[0022] As a predetermined process for outputting information the user wants to know in response to dialogue, it is preferable to display a table on the display device that allows the user to select which of the items corresponding to recognition phrases registered in advance for speech recognition should function as the recognition phrase. This approach is beneficial because, for example, by allowing users to select only the items they frequently use from the displayed list, the recognition criteria are limited, thereby reducing misrecognition. The selected recognition phrases can be registered, for example, by overwriting them in a designated memory area from their default state, filling in empty areas, or rearranging existing entries. This method allows for effective use of the limited memory area.

[0023] A table of items corresponding to pre-registered recognition phrases for recognizing the user's voice should be displayed on the display device, allowing the user to select which item to use as the recognition phrase for dialogue. The item selected from the table should be set for each page displayed on the display device. This approach allows users to place frequently used items on the top page, even if the number of items that can be displayed on a single page of the display device is limited. This eliminates the need to switch pages to view desired items, which is beneficial.

[0024] It would be helpful if entries for recognition terms that could be mistakenly recognized were displayed on a separate page. This approach is beneficial because it reduces misrecognition by preventing words with similar sounds, or words that are likely to be confused during recognition, from appearing on the same page as recognition candidates simultaneously. Examples of words with similar sounds include "family restaurant" and "fast food," "hospital" and "beauty salon," and "Western food" and "Japanese food," which contain the same sound in the Japanese syllabary or the same kanji characters. This prevents recognition terms with similar-sounding characters from appearing on the same page, ensuring that users only input one or the other, thus reducing misrecognition. Examples of words that are likely to be confused during recognition can be different words that have been recognized for the same utterance based on past recognition results. This approach is beneficial because it eliminates the possibility of combinations that have actually resulted in misrecognition appearing on the same page.

[0025] The items corresponding to the aforementioned recognition terms consist of a main item corresponding to the recognition term which includes multiple concepts, and sub-items corresponding to the recognition term which corresponds to those multiple concepts. It is preferable to display the main item and sub-items on the same page. This approach is beneficial because, for example, if a user wants to search for a sub-item, they don't need to change hierarchies or pages, allowing them to directly select the desired item. For major categories, it's best to use high-level conceptual items that include many candidates, such as "hospital." This is convenient for users who want to search from as many candidates as possible. For subcategories, it's best to use lower-level conceptual items that include fewer candidates than the major categories, such as "internal medicine" or "pediatrics," which are included in the concept of "hospital." This is convenient for users who want to quickly obtain information about their desired facility from a limited number of candidates.

[0026] It would be beneficial to register terms that are related to the terms displayed as items, but are not currently displayed as items, as recognition terms. This approach allows users to perform searches even if they are unsure of the item name or unfamiliar with the operation, because they only need to say a related phrase instead of the exact recognition phrase displayed for the item. Terms that are related to the terms displayed as items but are not displayed as items themselves could be, for example, sub-items that correspond to the main items displayed on a particular page but are not displayed on that page. This approach is beneficial because, for example, even if a sub-item isn't displayed, if the user specifies a sub-item, that sub-item will be searched, allowing them to quickly obtain the necessary facility information.

[0027] In response to the interaction, it is preferable to display the character on the display means as a predetermined process for outputting the information the user wants to know. This approach is beneficial because, for example, users may feel a sense of familiarity by seeing the person they are interacting with on the display screen, and will be more inclined to actively use the system to see that person.

[0028] In response to the interaction, as a predetermined process for outputting the information the user wants to know, it is preferable to display the character in a position that does not obstruct the display of the explored route on the map. This approach is beneficial because, for example, it allows users to enjoy the display of characters while maintaining the clarity of the explored path. To avoid obstructing the route display, for example, the character and the displayed route should be positioned on opposite sides of the screen. This gives the user the impression that the character is considerate enough not to interfere with the route search service, which can lead to a more favorable impression.

[0029] It is preferable to move the aforementioned character while displaying it in a position that does not obstruct the display of the explored route on the map. This approach allows you to continuously display a moving character, for example, which can create a sense of annoyance and draw attention to its presence. At the same time, users who want to continue watching the character can enjoy its movements as it moves.

[0030] The display area for items corresponding to the user's voice recognition phrases should have a portion where the background image is visible, the characters displayed on the display means should be larger than each item and should not have a portion where the background image is visible, and the display area for the items should be positioned on the opposite side of the display screen from the characters. In this way, for example, if the character moves to the opposite side of the explored path, the display area of ​​the items may overlap with the explored path. However, each item is smaller than the character, and the display area of ​​each item has a portion where the background image is visible. Therefore, it is better than if the explored path overlapped with the character, as the background image is easier to see. Areas where the background image is visible can be, for example, transparent areas or areas with gaps. This way, for example, the background image can be seen while maintaining the visibility of the displayed items.

[0031] It is recommended to insert the voice of the pre-registered user's name into the voice output by the character during the dialogue. This approach is beneficial because, for example, users can feel a greater sense of familiarity with a character by being addressed by their own name during a conversation. It is recommended to insert a pre-registered voice of the user's name into the voice output by the character at the start of the conversation. This approach is effective because, for example, at the start of a conversation, the user will be addressed by their own name, which helps to capture their attention.

[0032] When voice recognition includes a character's name, it is advisable to insert a pre-registered voice of the user's name into the voice output by the character. This way, for example, users will start calling each other by their first names, which can create a greater sense of intimacy.

[0033] As the dialogue progresses, it is advisable to reduce the frequency with which the character inserts the user's name into the voice output. This approach is effective because, for example, if the two characters initially use each other's names but then the frequency of using them decreases, it creates a dynamic where they become more comfortable with each other during their conversations.

[0034] It would be ideal to have pre-registered audio data corresponding to the Japanese syllabary (gojuon), and then insert the audio of the name selected by the user from this syllabary into the conversation. This method is advantageous because it saves memory compared to, for example, registering multiple names in advance.

[0035] It is preferable to insert audio that indicates the character's situation as the character's voice. This approach allows users to hear about the character's situation. For example, if the character is in a negative situation, it can evoke feelings of concern in the user, and if the character is in a positive situation, it can evoke feelings of empathy in the user, which is beneficial. When describing a character's situation, it's best to use statements that indicate whether they are in a positive or negative state, such as, "I'm busy." This way, instead of the system unconditionally following user instructions, it can evoke feelings of consideration and empathy in the user, creating a feeling similar to having a conversation with a real person.

[0036] The voice of the character in the dialogue should be randomly selected from a set of different phrases, excluding any phrases that have already been outputted. This approach prevents the same phrases from being output repeatedly, thus keeping users engaged and preventing boredom.

[0037] It would be beneficial to have a list set up in which multiple different response phrases are registered for common recognition terms. In this way, even if the user utters the same thing, the character will respond with different expressions, so even when performing the same process multiple times, users can enjoy seeing what kind of response they will get from the character.

[0038] Multiple such lists can be set up, and it is desirable to have a list containing phrases that are different from other phrases, even within the same list. This approach is beneficial because, for example, by outputting a different phrase in response to a similar statement from the user, it can create an unexpected impression on the user, changing their perception of the character and preventing them from becoming bored.

[0039] The aforementioned character may have multiple display modes even if it is the same person, and it is preferable that different phrases are registered as output voices for each of these multiple display modes. In this way, for example, even with the same character, the content of their speech will differ depending on the display mode, allowing users to enjoy variations even while interacting with the same person, which is a good thing. Multiple display modes could include, for example, a standard version, a version with altered clothing and hairstyle, and a version with altered proportions. This would allow users to experience a variety of impressions, such as mature, childlike, cute, or beautiful, and keep them engaged.

[0040] It would be helpful to have a pre-registered phrase to be output in case of incorrect voice recognition. This approach is beneficial because, even if the character misinterprets something, it can still convey to the user that the conversation with the character is continuing by simply returning some kind of phrase.

[0041] It would be helpful to register a phrase to use as an excuse in case of an error in speech recognition. In this way, for example, there is a possibility of errors in speech recognition, but even if errors occur, the character's excuses can alleviate the user's frustration or anger. As an excuse, it's good to use a phrase that shows a willingness to recognize accurately, but also indicates that complete achievement is difficult, such as, "We'll do our best with voice recognition. We may not be able to recognize 100%." ​​This way, you can create a more tolerant mindset towards misrecognition in the user than simply stating that recognition is impossible.

[0042] It would be beneficial to have a pre-registered phrase for the character's response when a user voice-input points out a discrepancy between the user's desired response and the character's voice output. This approach is good because, for example, if a user points out a mistake made by a character, the character will respond, allowing for a natural interaction between people in the event of a misunderstanding.

[0043] It would be good to register phrases that can be used for advertising. This approach is beneficial because, for example, it allows you to guide users to affiliated facilities.

[0044] It would be beneficial if the voice of the aforementioned character in the dialogue included phrases related to the reason for what the user will do at the facility they are heading to. This approach is beneficial because, for example, by explaining the reason for going to a particular facility, it makes it easier for users heading to that facility to listen. For example, it's good because it can attract the user's attention whether the reason for going to that destination is undesirable or desirable to the user. Examples of facilities where the reason for going to the destination is undesirable for the user include facilities related to the user's illness, such as "hospitals," "dentists," and "pharmacies." For a destination to be a desirable place for the user, it's best to choose a place that's slightly more challenging to visit than a place they frequent on a daily basis, such as a department store, sushi restaurant, or eel restaurant. Phrases that evoke various emotions in the user from a character include, for example, phrases that show concern for the user's condition, such as "Are you feeling unwell? Are you okay?" or "Don't push yourself too hard," which foster affection for the character. Alternatively, phrases that evoke feelings of regret in the user, such as "Are you brushing your teeth properly?", can also be effective.

[0045] It would be beneficial if the voice of the aforementioned character in the dialogue included phrases that offer positive or negative advice about what the user should do at the facility they are visiting. This approach is effective because, for example, the character's advice allows the user to determine what they should and shouldn't do at their destination. Positive advice could be phrases that recommend something, such as, "You should get your teeth cleaned once in a while." Negative advice could be phrases that prohibit something, such as, "Don't make such a pained face. A real man keeps a cool face and endures it."

[0046] It would be beneficial if the voice of the aforementioned character in the dialogue included phrases that represent the character's one-sided impressions of what the user will do at the facility they are visiting. This approach allows users to obtain, for example, the characters' opinions, which they can then use as a reference for their actions at their destination. For a character's one-sided opinion, it's good to give a positive opinion, such as, "The black pork char siu melts in your mouth. Amazing!" This is good because it encourages users to take similar actions at the facility. Alternatively, a negative opinion is also acceptable, such as, "Going to a restaurant alone? Aren't you lonely?... Leave me alone?" This is good because it makes users want to change their destination. Furthermore, it's fine to mix positive and negative opinions, such as, "Shopping malls seem fun just to look around. But they seem tiring." This is good because it prepares users in advance for what they might experience at their destination.

[0047] It is desirable that the voice of the aforementioned character in the dialogue includes phrases that suggest the character actually exists. This approach is beneficial because, for example, users can get the feeling that the characters actually exist. Phrases that suggest the character is actually present include, for example, "I'm so happy you're taking me with you on your business trip!" or "Where should we stay?" These phrases give the user the feeling that they are always with the character, which is a good approach.

[0048] (2) It is preferable that the recognition phrases that are pre-registered for recognizing the user's voice be displayed as items. This approach is beneficial because, for example, a user can see the displayed items and know exactly what to say to perform a specific action.

[0049] (3) The recognition phrases that are registered in advance to recognize the user's voice should include recognition phrases that can be recognized in common regardless of the display screen, and recognition phrases that are limited to what is displayed on the display screen. In this way, for example, by using recognition terms that can be commonly recognized, the convenience of necessary functions can be maintained regardless of the display screen, while the possibility of misrecognition can be reduced by using recognition terms that are limited in their recognition.

[0050] Commonly recognizable recognition terms should, for example, be those used in common across multiple display screens. This approach reduces the likelihood of functionality being limited depending on the displayed screen, thus maintaining usability. For example, it's good to use phrases that transition to other display screens, such as "back" or "cancel." Such phrases are suitable because they are phrases that need to be used on any screen. Examples of recognition-restricted terms include words displayed on the screen and search terms. Such terms are suitable because there is little need to recognize other terms, and it is important to reduce the number of recognition terms to prevent misrecognition.

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

[0052] It would be beneficial to have registered audio data that the character will output when audio other than the pre-set recognition phrases is input. This approach ensures that even if the user doesn't use recognized keywords, the character will always respond. This prevents interruptions in the conversation or errors that might remind the user that they are interacting with the system, thus maintaining the feeling of continuous interaction with the character.

[0053] (5) The quantitatively changing state of the function can be directly converted to the desired quantitative level using speech recognition. In this way, for example, the desired value can be achieved instantly compared to gradually changing the quantitative level between small and large values, thus reducing the effort required from the user and shortening the time they are tied to the operation. Functions that change quantitatively can include, for example, volume, brightness, and scale. This way, users can select buttons for volume, brightness, and scale to display + / - indicators or scales, and then adjust the settings step by step by selecting + / - or sliding on the scale, which is a convenient approach.

[0054] (6) It is preferable that the recognition phrases registered in advance for recognizing the user's voice include demonstrative words corresponding to quantitatively changing functions and numbers indicating quantitative levels. This approach is advantageous because, for example, when a user specifies a verb and number corresponding to a desired function, the quantitative level of that function can be directly increased or decreased to the level of that number. For demonstrative pronouns corresponding to quantitatively changing functions, for example, "temperature," "level," and "scale" can be used, and numbers can be "one," "two," and "two kilometers." This way, users can input using function names and numbers that are intuitively easy to understand. In particular, the name and quantitative level can be combined into a single recognition phrase, for example, "temperature three," "level two," and "scale two kilometers." This way, only one utterance is required, which is beneficial.

[0055] It is preferable to display buttons on the display screen of the display device that allow users to select a function, and that buttons display an instruction word corresponding to that function. This approach makes it easier for users to understand, for example, because they only need to say the instruction displayed on the button.

[0056] It is preferable to display a button on the display screen of the display device that allows users to select a function, and that displays the current quantitative level value of the function. This approach is beneficial because, for example, a user can see the value displayed on the button to check the current quantitative level and decide whether to increase or decrease it to a desired value. The current quantitative level value could be, for example, the scale of a map. In this way, if a small scale value is displayed on a button, and the user enters a larger value, the scale value displayed on the button will change directly to that value, allowing the user to instantly view a wider area of ​​the map. Conversely, if a large scale value is displayed on a button, and the user enters a smaller value, the scale value displayed on the button will change directly to that value, allowing the user to instantly view a more detailed map.

[0057] A button that displays an instruction corresponding to the aforementioned function is preferably characterized by having a button that executes the function without transitioning to another display screen. This approach allows users to execute functions interactively without having to switch to a different display screen, thus avoiding interruptions to the current screen display.

[0058] (7) It is preferable to display whether or not voice recognition is being accepted on the display device. This approach allows users to visually recognize, for example, whether or not voice control is available.

[0059] To indicate whether or not voice recognition is being accepted, for example, the display screen color could be changed. This would allow the user to instantly perceive the status of voice recognition through their visual perception. In particular, for example, the screen could be displayed in its normal color when voice recognition is being accepted and in grayscale when it is not. This would allow the user to intuitively understand whether or not voice recognition is being accepted.

[0060] (8) It is preferable to display whether or not voice recognition is being accepted on the display device along with the character. This approach is beneficial because, for example, users can easily notice whether or not voice control is possible simply by looking at the character. As for the way the character is displayed, for example, it would be good to have the character's appearance change in a way that is clearly evident. This would allow users to immediately perceive, for example, the state of voice recognition. As for how the character's appearance changes in a way that is clearly evident, for example, it would be good to have the character attach an object to it, change the character's color or form, have it strike a specific pose or gesture, or display dialogue in a speech bubble. This would allow users who are familiar with the character's normal state to immediately notice the change by comparing it to the normal state. As for how an object is attached to the character, for example, it would be good to have the character wear sound-related equipment such as a headset, headphones, earphones, or microphone. This would allow users to associate the character with voice recognition, which is a sound-related function. As for how the character's color or form is changed, for example, it would be good to have the character change its hairstyle or hair color, or change into a different costume. This would make the difference from the normal state easy to understand. In particular, for example, making the character's ears larger would indicate that the character is trying to hear the voice better. Furthermore, as a pose or gesture, for example, placing a hand behind the ear can also be a good way to show that the dog is trying to listen carefully to the sound.

[0061] (9) While the character's voice is being output, it is best to stop voice recognition until the voice output has finished. This approach prevents, for example, the execution of other processes by speech recognition if the user provides voice input in the middle of a character's voice. These other processes should be low-priority, such as adjusting volume, brightness, scale, or searching for nearby objects. This ensures that speech recognition doesn't execute tasks that don't necessarily need to be done immediately.

[0062] It would be good to accept voice recognition even while the character's voice is being output. This approach ensures that, for example, if a user voice input is received in the middle of a character's voice, other processes will not be interrupted by the voice recognition. These other processes could be high-priority tasks, such as sending location information about enforcement locations to an information gathering server. This way, processes that the user wants executed immediately will not be interrupted.

[0063] If user voice input is received while the character's voice is being output, it would be best to stop the character's voice output. In this way, for example, it is possible to give the impression that the user's voice interrupted the character's speech. If the character's voice output is not output again after it has stopped, for example, the same utterance will not be repeated from the beginning, which would give the impression of an unnatural situation. Also, if the character's voice output is restarted from where it stopped, for example, it can give the impression that the character waited for the user to speak, which is a good approach.

[0064] It is desirable to stop the character's voice if a specific input operation is performed while the character's voice is being output. This approach allows, for example, the user to stop the character's voice by performing a predetermined input operation if they do not want a third party to overhear their conversation with the character. This predetermined input operation could be, for example, the operation of a physical key. This approach makes it easy to perform quick actions because it only requires operating a fixed, always-present location.

[0065] (10) In order to recognize the user's voice, it is preferable to make a post that sends location information about the enforcement location to the information collection server in response to the user's voice input corresponding to the recognition phrase that has been registered in advance for the purpose of recognizing the user's voice. This approach allows for quick and easy posting of information about enforcement locations, for example, using voice commands instead of manual operation. The enforcement locations should ideally be areas where the location and time of enforcement change, such as enforcement and checkpoint areas. This way, information about enforcement locations that are difficult to register in advance can be collected through user submissions. For location information, for example, the current location or the center coordinates can be used. In this way, for example, enforcement locations can be identified using information that can be obtained reliably and easily, and because voice recognition is used, there should be little discrepancy with the actual enforcement location.

[0066] (11) It is preferable that the following words are registered as designated recognition words: a word that activates speech recognition and a word that starts accepting submissions. This approach allows users to easily perform multi-step operations, such as voice recognition and accepting posts, by speaking a phrase to activate voice recognition and a phrase to start accepting posts.

[0067] The phrases used to activate speech recognition and the phrases used to initiate submission may, for example, be registered as separate phrases. This approach prevents misrecognition, for example, from occurring when submission begins simultaneously with the start of speech recognition. Furthermore, the phrases used to activate speech recognition and the phrases used to start submission could be set as a sequence of phrases. This allows for immediate submission, as submission can be started simultaneously with speech recognition.

[0068] (12) The designated recognition phrases should include phrases that activate speech recognition and phrases that trigger posting. In this way, for example, a user can easily perform a multi-step operation of speech recognition and posting by speaking a phrase to activate speech recognition and a phrase to post.

[0069] The words used to activate speech recognition and the words to be posted may, for example, be registered as separate words. This approach prevents accidental postings, for example, by preventing posts from being made as soon as speech recognition begins. Furthermore, the phrase used to initiate speech recognition and the phrase to be posted could be set as a sequence of phrases. This allows for instant posting as soon as speech recognition begins, minimizing the discrepancy between the location of enforcement and the location of posting.

[0070] The designated recognition phrase for submission should be shorter than other recognition phrases. This approach allows for quick instructions regarding urgent posts, for example.

[0071] The designated recognition phrases for submissions should be more verbose than other recognition phrases. This approach reduces the likelihood of other recognized words being uttered, especially when using standard speech recognition, thus preventing accidental posts. Redundancy can mean, for example, having a large number of characters or being divided into multiple parts. This is beneficial because it reduces the possibility of users who did not intend to post accidentally uttering something.

[0072] The designated recognition phrases for posting should ideally be words that users are unlikely to use in their everyday conversations. This approach prevents frequent misrecognitions caused by words that users commonly use in their cars, thus preventing unintended posts.

[0073] The character's voice in the dialogue for the submission should be shorter than the voice in other dialogues. This approach is beneficial because, for example, it allows for shorter conversation times and faster posting.

[0074] (13) The dialogue may be initiated by voice input from the user corresponding to a predetermined recognition phrase. In this way, for example, a predetermined process is initiated only after voice input from the user, preventing the system from starting and executing processes unintentionally.

[0075] (14) The dialogue may begin when a voice input from the user corresponds to a predetermined recognition phrase in response to the voice output of a predetermined character. This approach is beneficial because, for example, the output of a character's voice can serve as a trigger for the user to decide whether or not to initiate a predetermined process, thereby increasing opportunities to use the system. The character's voice output could, for example, be used to inquire whether a specific process should be initiated. This would be beneficial because it would prompt the user to use the process. Setting the timing of character voice output to, for example, periodic, is beneficial because it increases the frequency with which the process is used. Alternatively, setting the timing to trigger when certain conditions are met is also beneficial because it allows users to be prompted to use the process at appropriate times.

[0076] (15) If a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the execution of a function required by the vehicle's occupants and there has been no voice input from the user, the process should be terminated. This approach is beneficial because it prevents errors that may occur due to prolonged use of voice recognition.

[0077] (16) The character should output a voice prompting the user to make a voice input between the time the vehicle passengers begin to perform the functions they require and the time elapsed thereafter. This approach is beneficial because, for example, it can prompt the user for voice input if they forget to start the process.

[0078] (17) The system functions described in (1) to (16) should be structured as a program to be implemented by a computer. [Effects of the Invention]

[0079] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a system and program that makes operation and driving enjoyable for the user, prevents boredom, and encourages them to actively utilize the functions. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0080] [Figure 1] This is an overall perspective view showing one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the device body. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a warning screen displayed on the display unit. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a route display screen shown on the display unit. [Figure 5] This figure shows the first half of an example list of recognized words. [Figure 6] This figure shows the second half of an example list of recognized words. [Figure 7] This figure shows a portion of the list of example response phrases. [Figure 8]This diagram shows response phrases that correspond to different character traits. [Figure 9] This figure shows examples of various response phrases. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a display screen indicating that voice recognition is waiting to start. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of the display screen for initiating voice recognition when displaying the current location. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of the display screen for initiating voice recognition during route guidance. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of the first page display screen for genre selection in a nearby search. [Figure 14] This figure shows an example of the second page display screen for genre selection in a nearby search. [Figure 15] This figure shows an example of a display screen where search results from a nearby area search are shown as icons. [Figure 16] Figure 15 shows an example of the display screen when the map scale is changed. [Figure 17] This figure shows an example of the first page display screen for a search result in a nearby area search, which is shown as a list. [Figure 18] This figure shows an example of the second page display screen, which lists the search results from a nearby search. [Figure 19] This figure shows an example of a display screen showing the search route. [Figure 20] Figure 19 shows an example of the display screen when the scale is changed. [Figure 21] This figure shows an example of a display screen for changing route conditions. [Figure 22] This figure shows an example of the display screen when changing the map scale. [Figure 23] This figure shows an example of the display screen when changing the volume. [Figure 24] This figure shows an example of the display screen when the brightness is changed. [Figure 25] This figure shows an example of a response phrase used in timeout handling. [Figure 26]This figure shows an example of the display screen for changing genres. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0081] [Basic configuration] Figure 1 shows an external view of one embodiment of a navigation device suitable as an electronic device constituting the system of the present invention, Figure 2 shows its functional block diagram, and Figures 3 and 4 show examples of display configurations. As shown in Figure 1, the navigation device comprises a portable device body 2 and a cradle 3 which is a mounting member that holds it. By attaching the device body 2 to the cradle 3, it functions as an in-vehicle navigation device, and by removing it from the cradle 3, it functions as a portable navigation device (PND). This embodiment is a type in which the device body 2 can be attached to and detached from the cradle 3, and can be used by installing it on the dashboard of a vehicle together with the cradle 3, or by removing the device body 2 from the cradle 3 and using it as a portable device (PND). However, it may also be a vehicle-mounted type that cannot be easily attached to and detached from the cradle 3, or a type that is exclusively for portable use. Furthermore, it may be implemented by installing (including pre-installation) a predetermined application program on a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone. The application program may be the navigation system itself, or it may be a program for accessing a server on which the navigation system is implemented and using the system. The present invention can be applied to various types of navigation systems.

[0082] The main unit 2 is detachably attached to the cradle 3. The main unit 2 comprises a flat rectangular case body 4. A display unit 5 is located 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. Warning lamps 9 are provided on both sides of the front. The cradle 3 comprises a cradle body 6 that holds the main unit 2, and a base unit 7 that supports the cradle body 6 in any orientation at a predetermined location in the vehicle interior (such as the dashboard). The base unit 7 is fixed by suction cups on its bottom surface to adhere to the dashboard or the like. The base unit 7 and the cradle body 6 are connected via a connecting mechanism such as a ball joint so as to be rotatable within a predetermined angular range. Because it is a ball joint, the base unit 7 and the cradle body 6 can rotate relative to each other within any angular range in three dimensions, and the frictional resistance at the joint portion keeps them in place at any angular position. Therefore, the main unit 2 attached to the cradle body 6 can also be positioned in any orientation 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 containing map data and other information can be inserted. This SD memory card slot 21 includes a memory card reader / writer for reading and writing information to the inserted SD memory card 22. A DC jack 10 is also provided on the side of the case body 4 where the SD memory card slot 21 is located. The DC jack 10 is for connecting a cigarette lighter plug cord (not shown), and can be connected to the vehicle's cigarette lighter socket via the cigarette lighter plug cord to receive power.

[0084] On the other hand, the side opposite the SD memory card slot 21 has a power switch and a USB port 23. This USB port 23 allows connection to a computer, enabling software application updates and other maintenance.

[0085] The following devices and components are arranged inside the case body 4. Specifically, a microwave receiver 11 is placed inside the rear side of the case body 4. The microwave receiver 11 receives microwaves in a predetermined frequency band, and when it receives microwaves in that set frequency band, it detects the signal level of the received microwaves. Specifically, it uses the RSSI voltage, which corresponds to the signal level and electric field strength. The predetermined frequency band mentioned above is, for example, the 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 location is located inside the top of the case body 4. An infrared communicator 14 is located inside the front of the case body 4. The infrared communicator 14 transmits and receives data with a communication device that has a built-in infrared communicator, such as a mobile phone 15. In addition, a speaker 20 is also built into 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 communicates data with the remote control (portable unit: slave unit) 17 and performs various settings on the device. The wireless receiver 13 receives incoming wireless signals of a predetermined frequency band. This predetermined frequency can be, for example, the frequency band used by emergency vehicles to notify a base station of their vehicle's position.

[0088] In addition to the navigation function, the navigation device of this embodiment also includes a target object notification function, which is a target object notification device that notifies the user of targets such as vehicle speed measuring devices and other traffic monitoring points in the surrounding area. These navigation and target object notification functions are implemented by storing a program executed by the computer in the control unit 18 on the EEPROM of the control unit 18 and executing it.

[0089] In other words, the control unit 18 performs predetermined processing based on information input from the various input devices (GPS receiver 12, microwave receiver 11, wireless receiver 13, touch panel 8, infrared communicator 14, remote control receiver 16, SD memory card slot 21, USB terminal 23, etc.) and outputs predetermined information, alarms, and messages using output devices (display unit 5, alarm lamp 9, speaker 20, infrared communicator 14, SD memory card slot 21, USB terminal 23, etc.). This predetermined processing is for executing each of the above functions and accesses the database 19 and SD memory card 22 as needed.

[0090] The database 19 can be implemented using a non-volatile memory (such as an EEPROM) located within the microcontroller of the control unit 18 or externally connected to the microcontroller. The database 19 contains information necessary for performing certain functions, such as targets and maps, at the time of shipment. Data for targets added later can be updated through a predetermined process. This update process may be performed, for example, by inserting an SD memory card 22 containing the additional data into the SD memory card slot 21 and transferring the data from the SD memory card 22 to the database 19. This data update can also be performed using an infrared communication device 7 or a personal computer or other external device connected via the USB terminal 23.

[0091] The control unit 18, which implements the target object notification function, operates as follows: When the microwave receiver 11 receives a desired microwave, the control unit 18 outputs a predetermined alarm. This alarm may include a buzzer using the speaker 20, an audio output to indicate microwave reception (such as detection by a vehicle speed measuring device), or a message using text or an image on the display unit 5.

[0092] Furthermore, when the wireless receiver 13 receives a desired wireless signal, the control unit 18 outputs a predetermined alarm. This alarm may include a buzzer sound using the speaker 20, an audio output to indicate the reception of microwave signals (such as the approach of an emergency vehicle), or a message using text or images on the display unit 5. It is preferable that the form of the alarm associated with wireless signal reception and the alarm associated with microwave signal reception be different.

[0093] Furthermore, the control unit 18 outputs a predetermined alarm when the current position detected by the GPS receiver 12 and the position of a target object such as a traffic monitoring point stored in the database 19 are in a predetermined positional relationship. For this reason, the database 19 contains information about the detected target object (such as the location information of the target object including longitude and latitude, and the type of the target object), traffic safety information to drive more carefully and safely, such as accident-prone areas and traffic enforcement information, and various other information useful for driving, such as landmarks. Each piece of information is registered in association with location information and specific information types (type of target object, type of traffic enforcement, accident-prone areas, landmark names, etc.).

[0094] The distance to the target object when issuing a warning can be changed depending on the type of target object. As with the above, the warning can be issued in the form of an audio warning using the speaker 20 or the display unit 5. Figure 3 shows an example of a warning issued by the display unit 5. In this embodiment, since the device is a navigation device, it has map data as described later, so as the basic screen, the control unit 18 has the function of reading road network information around the current location and displaying a map of the area around the current location on the display unit 5. Then, the warning screen 70 is displayed on the display unit 5 overlaid on the currently displayed screen (in this case, the map of the area around the current location). Figure 3 shows an example of the warning screen 70 being displayed when the distance between the current location and an LH system, which is a type of speed measuring device that is one of the traffic monitoring points, is 500m while the map 50 is displayed. Furthermore, the device outputs a warning voice from the speaker 20 indicating the type of warning and distance, such as "LH system 500m ahead."

[0095] Meanwhile, the control unit 18, which implements the navigation function, operates as follows. First, the database 19 stores road network information for navigation. The navigation information stored in this database 19 may include all information for the entire country at the time of shipment, or map data etc. may be provided stored on SD memory cards 22 for each region, and the user may prepare an SD memory card 22 containing the necessary map data etc. and insert it into the SD memory card slot 21 for use. Note that the map data etc. stored on 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 from there for use.

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

[0097] Furthermore, the control unit 18 has the function of performing general navigation device processing. Specifically, it displays a map of the area around the current location on the display unit 5 and displays a destination setting button. When the control unit 18 detects a touch on the touch panel 8 at a location corresponding to the display position of the destination setting button, it performs destination setting processing. In the destination setting processing, a destination setting menu is displayed on the display unit 5 and prompts the user to select a method for setting the destination. The destination setting menu has a telephone number search button and an address search button that prompt the user to select a method for setting the destination. When it is detected that the telephone number search button has been touched, it displays a telephone number input screen and obtains location information corresponding to the entered telephone number from the database 19. When it is detected that the address search button has been touched, it displays an address selection input screen and obtains location information corresponding to the entered address from the database 19. Then, it sets the obtained location information as the destination location information and determines a recommended route from the current location to the destination based on the road network information stored in the database 19. For example, a known method such as Dijkstra's algorithm can be used to calculate this recommended route.

[0098] The control unit 18 then displays the calculated recommended route along with a map of the surrounding area. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the route 53 from the current location 51 to the destination 52 is displayed as the 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 the location information on the route 53 with the location information of target objects such as traffic monitoring points stored in the database 19 and displays the locations of the traffic monitoring points located on the route 53. Note that, for providing information to ensure safe driving along the route 53, the information may be limited to traffic monitoring points among the various target objects stored in the database 19.

[0099] As a result, as shown in Figure 4, for example, a bubble is displayed at the location on the road, and the type of traffic monitoring point at that location, as stored in the database 19, is displayed within the bubble. For example, Figure 4(a) is an example of the warning point search screen display, showing an example of traffic monitoring points 55a to 55f being displayed. Traffic monitoring point 55a displays the letter "N" in the bubble, indicating an N system. Traffic monitoring points 55b, 55c, and 55e display the letter "LH" in the bubble, indicating an LH system. Traffic monitoring point 55d displays the letter "Loop" in the bubble, indicating a loop coil. Traffic monitoring point 55f displays the letter "H" in the bubble, indicating an H system. When the touch panel 8 detects a touch at the location of a bubble in this simplified display state, the simplified display is switched to a detailed display, as shown in Figure 4(b). The detailed display shows the warning screen shown in Figure 3 within the bubble.

[0100] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 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 Route 53. In the example in Figure 4(a), the "N" type button 57a ​​indicating the N system of traffic monitoring point 55a, the "LH" type button 57b indicating the LH system of traffic monitoring points 55b, 55c, and 55e, the "Loop" type button 57c indicating the loop coil of traffic monitoring point 55d, and the "H" type button 57d indicating the H system of traffic monitoring point 55f are displayed. When the control unit 18 detects a touch on the display section of these type buttons from the touch panel 8, it 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 simplified display to detailed display, and from detailed display to simplified display.

[0101] The car navigation system of this embodiment is equipped with a nearby search function as a method for setting a destination (including waypoints). When this nearby search function is selected and activated, the control unit 18 extracts facilities that match 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 designate it as a destination (including waypoints).

[0102] In other words, to realize this function, the database 19 of this embodiment stores information about each facility, along with its location information, in association with information regarding the classification of the facility. The information regarding the classification of the facility consists of multiple types of items, grouped by the name of the genre to which each facility belongs.

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

[0104] If any item is selected, the control unit 18 accesses the database 19 and extracts facilities that are located within a reference distance (for example, 10 km) from the current location and that match the classification of the specified item. Then, it overlays icons (marks) representing the facilities on the map displayed on the display unit 5, starting with the closest ones (for example, 10 facilities). The facility information stored in the database 19 is registered with each facility associated with its respective icon, and when drawing, the associated icon is read and drawn at the predetermined position on the display unit 5.

[0105] Furthermore, if the current location exists on the map displayed on the display unit 5, a vehicle icon representing the vehicle will be overlaid and drawn at the corresponding location. In addition, when drawing such facility icons, numbers will be added to display them in order of proximity to the vehicle. The numbers will be updated as the vehicle moves.

[0106] Then, when the user selects a desired facility, the control unit 18, recognizing this, determines a recommended route with that facility as the destination and overlays the result onto the map on the display unit 5.

[0107] Furthermore, the control unit 18 has a function to provide route guidance to a set destination. In other words, in response to the user's selection to start guidance, the control unit 18 sequentially detects the vehicle's position using GPS or autonomous navigation, draws map information representing roads and other features on the display unit 5, and provides route guidance to the destination using images and voice.

[0108] The user can input instructions such as specifying or selecting items by touching buttons or facility icons displayed on the display unit 5, by using a remote control, or when the control unit 18 detects that a predetermined voice input has been received.

[0109] [Character interaction function] Basics of dialogue functions The following describes the character interaction function, which is a feature of this embodiment. This interaction function is implemented by the control unit 18 executing a program, and is realized through recognition information based on the result of recognizing the voice of the user, who is a passenger in the vehicle, and the output of a predetermined character's voice indicating that the user's voice has been recognized.

[0110] To perform this dialogue function, the database 19 stores recognition words (recognition phrases) and corresponding response phrases, which are voice data of the character. The control unit 18 recognizes the user's voice input via the microphone 20 based on the recognition words. In other words, 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 outputs the response phrase corresponding to the recognition word that it determined to match the recognized phrase to the speaker 20. By preparing various combinations of recognition words for dialogue and response phrases, which are the voices of the character, it is possible to handle a variety of processes that are executed in response to the dialogue, as will be described later.

[0111] This allows the user to have a simple conversation with the character using the electronic system. In this embodiment, the character is set to be, for example, a girl named "Rei". The various functions such as the surrounding area search mentioned above can also be performed through conversation with the character. Database 19 stores "Reitan" as the recognition word to refer to the character.

[0112] Furthermore, the database 19 stores image data of the characters (including still images and videos). Based on this image data, the control unit 18 can display still images and videos of the characters on the display unit 5. In addition, for some response phrases, the control unit 18 can make the user feel that the character is speaking by using lip-linking, which moves the mouth and body of the character displayed on the display unit 5 to match the output response phrase.

[0113] Furthermore, the database 19 stores multiple modes for the same character's voice and image. For example, the database 19 stores response phrases and image data for three different modes for a single character named "Rei": "Standard Rei," "Transformed Rei," and "Chibi Rei." "Standard Rei" is the character's basic mode. "Transformed Rei" is a mode in which the clothing and hairstyle are changed from "Standard Rei." "Chibi Rei" is a mode in which the character's proportions are changed to make him look more childlike. The control unit 18 outputs the character's voice and image according to the user's selection of one of the modes.

[0114] Recognition words Figures 5 and 6 show an example of a list of recognition words stored in database 19. Each column in this list of recognition words is assigned a list number. 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 display unit 5, as will be described later.

[0115] List number 1 contains the activation word, "Reitan, voice control," which is used to start voice recognition. When the control unit 18 recognizes the activation word, it activates the voice recognition function to perform various functions such as surrounding area search. For this reason, in the initial state, the control unit 19 is in standby mode and can only recognize the activation word. This list number 1 corresponds to the display screen M1, which will be described later.

[0116] List number 2 contains recognition words that, after activating voice recognition, initiate one of the following functions: surrounding area search, scale change, volume change, or brightness change. For example, the recognition word to initiate a surrounding area search is "shūhen" (shūhen). The recognition word to initiate a scale change is "sukeru" (scaler). The recognition word to initiate a volume change is "onryō" (volume change). The recognition word to initiate a brightness change is "kido" (brightness change). This list number 2 corresponds to display screen V1, which will be described later. Furthermore, list number 2 also contains the recognition word "jitaku" (home), which, when returning home, will search for a route to home with a single utterance. In this way, recognition words corresponding to functions that users frequently use are registered as the recognition words when voice recognition is activated, so that they can be executed immediately after starting voice recognition.

[0117] List number 3 contains recognition words corresponding to functions to be executed after route guidance has started. For example, in addition to the recognition words in list number 2, recognition words to stop route guidance, such as "stop guidance," "stop guidance," and "cancel guidance," are registered. By providing multiple types of recognition words to execute the same function of stopping route guidance, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's utterance differs slightly. This list number 3 corresponds to display screen V1a, which will be described later. In particular, "change," "onryo," and "kido" are instruction words that will be displayed on the buttons of display screens V1 and V1a, as will be described later. Therefore, the user can input instructions by uttering the displayed instruction words.

[0118] Lists 4 and 5 contain recognition words used to specify genres in nearby searches. These genre recognition words are displayed in hiragana on the buttons for the genre selection items. On the screen displaying the recognition word buttons belonging to list number 4, the recognizable genres are limited to those belonging to list number 4. This list number 4 corresponds to display screen S1, which will be described later. Furthermore, by providing multiple types of recognition words to specify the same genre, such as "famiresu" and "famirii resutoran" for family restaurants, and "kaden" and "denkiya" for electronics stores, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's utterance differs slightly.

[0119] In the screen displaying buttons for recognition words belonging to list number 5, the recognizable genres are limited to the recognition words belonging to list number 5. This list number 5 corresponds to display screen S1a, which will be described later. In this way, the recognizable genres in each display screen are limited to the recognition words corresponding to the buttons of the items displayed on that screen, thus reducing the possibility of misrecognition.

[0120] Furthermore, list number 4 contains the recognition words "page two" and "next" to transition to display screen S1a of list number 5. Similarly, list number 5 contains the recognition words "page one" and "previous" to transition to display screen S1 of list number 4. By providing multiple types of recognition words that perform the same function of transitioning between genre display screens, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's utterance differs slightly.

[0121] List numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9 contain recognition words for selecting facilities found through the nearby search. On the display screens corresponding to list numbers 6 and 7, the facilities found through the nearby search are displayed on the map as numbered icons, ordered by proximity to the current location. The recognition words registered are the names used to select the numbered facilities. For example, recognition words that indicate the number, such as "ichi," "ichiban," "ni," and "niban," are registered. By providing multiple types of recognition words for selecting the same target as a destination, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's spoken content differs slightly. On the display screens corresponding to list numbers 6 and 7, all searched facilities (10 in this example) can be selected by voice, regardless of whether they are displayed on the screen or not.

[0122] Furthermore, lists 6 and 7 contain recognition words for changing the scale of the displayed map. Specifically, list 6 contains the recognition word "scale" which accepts the start of a scale change. This list 6 corresponds to display screen S2, which will be described later. List 7 contains the recognition word "scale" which accepts the start of a scale change, as well as recognition words for changing the scale. This list 7 corresponds to display screen S2a, which will be described later.

[0123] The recognition words for changing the scale include words for enlarging the map scale to display details, words for shrinking the map scale to display a wider area, and words indicating the scale number and unit. Recognition words for enlarging the map scale include "enlarge" and "detail," while recognition words for shrinking the map scale include "shrink" and "highlight," indicating that the map scale is changed in stages. Stages mean that multiple levels of scale are set in advance, and the level is raised or lowered one by one. By preparing multiple types of recognition words for each of these functions of changing the scale in stages, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's utterance differs slightly. In particular, since everyday words are used as recognition words when raising or lowering the scale, users do not have to worry about what to say to instruct them to change the volume.

[0124] Furthermore, the recognition words for changing the scale include recognition words that allow the user to specify the scale number and unit, such as "ten meters," "twenty-five meters," and "fifty meters." As a result, when a user speaks and specifies the recognition word for the desired scale, the control unit 18 recognizes it and directly changes the map scale to the specified scale. In addition, list numbers 6 and 7 are registered with the recognition words "list" and "list display," respectively, which transition to the list display screen of list number 8, which will be described later. By providing multiple types of recognition words that perform the same function of transitioning to the list display screen, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's spoken content differs slightly.

[0125] In the display screens corresponding to list numbers 8 and 9, facilities found through the nearby search are displayed in a list via buttons with corresponding numbers. The names of the numbers used to select these listed facilities 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 registered names of the numbers are the same as those for list numbers 8 and 9 above. However, in list numbers 8 and 9, only the facilities displayed on the display screen can be selected. In this example, in the display screen S2_list corresponding to list number 8, facilities 1 through 5 can be selected, and in list number S2_list, facilities 6 through 10 can be selected.

[0126] Furthermore, list numbers 8 and 9 have the recognition words "list" and "cancel list" registered to clear the list display. By providing multiple types of recognition words that perform the same function of clearing the list display, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's utterance differs slightly. In addition, similar to list numbers 4 and 5, list number 8 has the recognition words "page two" and "next" registered to transition to display screen S1a of list number 9. Also, list number 9 has the recognition words "page one" and "previous" registered to transition to display screen S1 of list number 8.

[0127] List numbers 10, 11, and 12 contain the recognition words "Announce, please," "Please announce," and "Please announce," which instruct users to start the searched route guidance. By providing multiple types of recognition words that instruct the same function of route guidance, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's utterance differs slightly. In particular, by providing the commanding tone of "Announce, please" as well as the friendly requesting tones of "Please announce" and "Please announce," users can enjoy changing the tone of voice depending on their level of familiarity with the character.

[0128] List number 10 corresponds to the display screen that shows the searched route after route search. This display screen corresponds to display screen R1, which will be described later. List number 11 corresponds to the display screen that changes the map scale while displaying the searched route. This display screen corresponds to display screen R1a, which will be described later. List number 12 corresponds to the 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] Furthermore, list numbers 10, 11, and 12 contain the recognition words "scale" to initiate a scale change, "surroundings" to re-search for surrounding facilities, and "conditions" and "route conditions" to initiate a change in route conditions. By providing multiple types of recognition words that instruct the same function of changing route conditions, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's utterance differs slightly.

[0130] Furthermore, list number 11 contains recognition words that change the scale, similar to list number 7. Also, list number 12 contains recognition words that change the route conditions. Route conditions are search conditions that determine what to prioritize when searching for a route. In this embodiment, the route conditions set are highway priority, general road priority, and recommended route. The recommended route is the condition set by default, for example, prioritizing travel time to the destination, prioritizing distance to the destination, etc. Correspondingly, "suishō", "ippandō", and "kōsokudō" are registered in list number 12.

[0131] List numbers 13, 14, and 15 contain recognition words for changing various functions of this embodiment. List number 13 contains recognition words for changing the map scale, similar to the above. List number 13 corresponds to display screen A1, which will be described later.

[0132] List number 14 contains the recognition words used to change the volume. List number 14 corresponds to display screen A2, which will be described later. The recognition words used to change the volume include recognition words to increase the volume, recognition words to decrease the volume, and recognition words that indicate the volume level.

[0133] The recognition words for increasing the volume are "up" and "bigger," and the recognition words for decreasing the volume are "down" and "quieter," indicating that the recognition words for gradually changing the volume are included. Gradual means that there are multiple volume levels set in advance, and the system raises or lowers these levels one by one. By preparing multiple types of recognition words for each of these functions of gradually changing the volume, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's utterance is slightly different. In particular, since the recognition words for raising and lowering the volume are everyday words, users will not have to worry about what to say to instruct them to change the volume.

[0134] Furthermore, the recognition words for changing the volume include words that allow the user to specify a number indicating the volume level, such as "zero," "one," and "two." This allows the control unit 18 to recognize the desired volume level and directly change the volume to the specified level. Note that "zero" is a recognition word that enables the function of setting the volume to zero, that is, the function of muting the sound output from the speaker 20. This allows the user to instantly mute the character's voice by simply uttering the recognition word to set the volume to zero when they do not want others to hear the character's voice.

[0135] List number 15 contains the recognition words used to change the brightness. List number 15 corresponds to display screen A3, which will be described later. The recognition words used to change the brightness include recognition words to increase the brightness, recognition words to decrease the brightness, and recognition words that indicate the brightness level.

[0136] The recognition words for increasing brightness are "up" and "brighter," while the recognition words for decreasing brightness are "down" and "darker," indicating that the brightness is changed in steps. Stepwise means that multiple brightness levels are set in advance, and the brightness is increased or decreased one level at a time. By providing multiple types of recognition words for the same function of changing brightness in steps, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's utterance differs slightly. In particular, since the recognition words for increasing and decreasing brightness are everyday words, users will not have to worry about what to say to instruct them to change the brightness.

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

[0138] List numbers 13, 14, and 15, as described above, all have in common the recognition words registered to perform various functions. Specifically, "scale" for scaling, "surroundings" for nearby searches, "volume" for volume changes, and "brightness" for brightness changes are registered.

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

[0140] On the display screen for list number 14, when the user utters "onryo" (volume), the control unit 18 recognizes this and completes the change in volume setting. On the other hand, on the display screens for list numbers 13 and 15, when the user utters "onryo", the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to the volume change display screen, that is, the display screen corresponding to list number 14.

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

[0142] In this way, even with the same recognition word, by changing the function depending on the display screen, users do not need to remember different recognition words to perform related but different functions.

[0143] Furthermore, lists 13, 14, and 15 include the recognition word "home" (jitaku), which allows the system to search for a route home with a single utterance when returning home. In this way, recognition words corresponding to functions frequently used by the user are registered as the recognition words when speech recognition is activated, allowing for immediate execution upon starting speech recognition.

[0144] Each list number from 1 to 15 contains recognition words that can be commonly recognized across multiple display screens and that execute various functions. First, the recognition words "back," "cancel," and "redo" are registered as phrases to return to the previous process. In addition, the recognition words "end voice recognition," "end," and "current location" are registered as cancellation phrases to cancel functions and processes. "End voice recognition" is the recognition word to cancel voice recognition. "End" is the recognition word to terminate the current process. "Current location" is the recognition word to transition to the current location display. These are recognition words that can be commonly recognized on all display screens after voice recognition has been activated. By uttering these common recognition words, the user can redo processes or return to the initial state at any time.

[0145] Furthermore, list number 16 contains recognition words for recognizing the user's Yes (affirmative) and No (negative) utterances. These recognition words are used to recognize the user's simple Yes or No utterances in response to questions from the character. These recognition words are also recognizable across all screens. Registered Yes recognition words include "Okay," "Yes," "Yes," and "Uh-huh." Registered No recognition words include "I don't need it," "Stop," "No," "No," "No," "I don't like it," and "Shut up." By providing multiple types of recognition words for recognizing the user's Yes or No, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the content of the user's utterance differs slightly. In particular, the expression of Yes and No changes depending on who you are talking to, but the user can respond with Yes or No in a way that matches the character's tone.

[0146] As will be explained later, some of the recognized words mentioned above are displayed as text on the display screen, while others are not. The words that are displayed as text are beneficial because they allow the user to visually confirm what to say in order to have the control unit 18 execute that function.

[0147] 《Response phrases》 Figures 7 to 21 show excerpts of the list of response phrases that the control unit 18 outputs as character voices in response to the recognition results of the above-mentioned recognition words. The database 19 stores such lists of response phrases and voice data. In the list, the upper column of the gray-filled column is the response phrase number. The lower column is the content of the processing that the control unit 18 executes in response to the recognition word spoken by the user. The outside column, "Reitan, voice control," is the activation word registered as number 1 in the list of recognition words above.

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

[0149] These lists of response phrases are set separately for each of the three forms of the character: "Standard Rei," "Transformed Rei," and "Chibi Rei." The response phrases in the list differ depending on these three forms. Figure 8(a) shows an excerpt of the response phrases from the list for "Transformed Rei" when voice recognition starts. Compared to "Standard Rei's" response phrases, "Transformed Rei's" response phrases are set to be more polite, such as "Is there something you need?" and "Starting voice recognition. Please speak slowly and clearly." Figure 8(b) shows an excerpt of the list of response phrases for "Chibi Rei" when voice recognition starts. Compared to "Standard Rei's" response phrases, "Rei-tan, starting voice control." and "I've been waiting." Figures 9(a) to 9(i) show excerpts of response phrases to user utterances. These specific response phrases will be explained in the processing examples below. Furthermore, in user interaction, for example, if the user's utterance and the character's voice make sense as an utterance and a corresponding response, the user will feel that they are communicating with each other. Even if the utterance and the corresponding response are irrelevant, the user will find it amusing or surprising. Mixing situations where the utterance and response make sense with situations where the response is irrelevant can create an imperfection similar to real conversation, making the user feel that it is human.

[0150] In such a list, one or more response phrases are registered in the same process column. The control unit 18 randomly outputs a response phrase from those registered in each column as the response phrase corresponding to the same process. However, to prevent the same phrase from being output repeatedly, the control unit 18 randomly selects from the response phrases that have not been output previously. In particular, for frequently used processes such as speech recognition initiation, a large number of response phrases are prepared, as shown in Figure 7, and the control unit 18 randomly outputs one from these.

[0151] An example of the operation of this control unit 18 is as follows. 1. If there are five possible phrases, A, B, C, D, and E, first, randomly select one from the five. 2. If you initially selected B, the next time you will choose from A, C, D, and E. 3. If you select E next time, you will choose from A, C, or D the following time. 4. Once you have made all your selections, the next time you will return to the beginning and randomly select from the five options A, B, C, D, and E. In this embodiment, various functions listed below are performed as predetermined processes for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to the dialogue. If the process in response to the dialogue is a process that outputs information as a result of the dialogue, the user will be motivated to talk to the character in order to execute the function. If the process in response to the dialogue is a process that outputs information during the dialogue, the user will be motivated to speak sequentially and advance the dialogue in order to execute the function. If the process in response to the dialogue is a process that outputs response phrases that make up the dialogue, the user will talk to hear the character's voice and will be able to enjoy the dialogue itself.

[0152] 《Nearby Search Processing》 The control unit 18 performs various processes in response to a dialogue that recognizes the user's spoken voice based on the recognition words described above, and outputs the character's voice based on the response phrase. First, the process of searching for surroundings in response to such a dialogue will be explained.

[0153] Nearby search is a process that obtains desired information by sequentially narrowing down multiple candidates through a series of selections, and it involves phases of genre selection, facility selection, and route selection. This type of information is what vehicle passengers want to know, and especially what the vehicle driver wants to know.

[0154] The following describes an example of the surrounding search process with reference to Figures 10 to 21. Figures 10 to 21 are explanatory diagrams showing example display screens for each phase on the left, and corresponding example 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) corresponds to the list numbers 1 to 15 of the recognition words (Figures 5 and 6), as described above.

[0155] The descriptions shown to the left of the example display screens in Figures 10 to 21 indicate the sequence of events: "Recognized words that are perceived as the user's voice → Character response phrases output in response → Display screens that transition to as a result."

[0156] The control unit 18 displays these display screens on the display unit 5 by drawing screen configuration data such as buttons, icons, text, and maps stored in the database 19 into memory. As mentioned above, the control unit 18 can also perform nearby location searches, route searches, 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 area search, it is in a state where it can recognize only the activation word. Display screen M1 in Figure 10 is an example of a screen waiting for voice recognition to be activated. Display screen M1 shows a map of the area around the current location 51, along with an icon indicating the current location 51. In the upper left of display screen M1, the current time (10:00) is displayed, and below it are a scale button B1 showing the current quantitative level of the map scale in numbers and units (100m), and a voice recognition button B2 showing the instruction word (voice recognition) to activate voice recognition. In the lower right of display screen M1, the upper body of character 100 is displayed. Character 100 is a standard ray, and its display position is such that it does not obstruct the display of various buttons, current location, current time, etc.

[0158] In this state of waiting for voice recognition to activate, predetermined processes such as nearby searches cannot be performed by voice recognition. Therefore, users who wish to change the map scale select 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 in the display screen M1a of Figure 10. The user selects to increase the scale by touching the + button B1a, or to decrease the scale by touching the - button B1b. In response, the control unit 18 gradually changes the scale of the displayed map.

[0159] In this state of waiting for voice recognition to start, when the user says "Reitan, voice control", the control unit 18 outputs a corresponding response phrase and starts voice recognition. As a result, for example, speaker 20 outputs the voice "Is there something you need?". Then, the control unit 18 transitions the display screen M1 to the display screen V1 shown in Figure 11.

[0160] Furthermore, if the user touches and selects the voice recognition button B2, the control unit 18 outputs the above-mentioned response phrase to activate voice recognition. The control unit 18 displays buttons corresponding to functions that can be selected by both manual operation and voice input on the display unit 5, color-coded from other buttons. For example, in the display screen of this embodiment, buttons that can be selected by voice input are displayed in blue, and other buttons are displayed in black. This allows the user to visually recognize functions that can be selected by voice input. 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 Figure 10, the voice recognition function has not yet started, so the scale button B1 is not selectable by voice input and is displayed in black. Then, as will be described later, after the voice recognition function has started, the scale button B1 becomes selectable by voice input and is displayed in blue.

[0161] (Voice recognition started) The display screen V1 in Figure 11 is an example of the screen when voice recognition starts while the navigation system is in standby mode. The display screen V1a in Figure 12 is an example of the screen when voice recognition starts after navigation guidance has begun, as will be described later. When the control unit 18 activates voice recognition, it displays the map scale button on the display screen V1 in blue to indicate that voice input is possible. The control unit 18 also displays buttons for other voice-input-enabled functions on the display screen V1 in blue to indicate that voice input is possible. Of these buttons, the voice deactivation button B2x is a button that displays the instruction word "voice deactivation" to end voice recognition. The surrounding area button B3 is a button that displays the instruction word "surrounding area" to start a surrounding area search. Since the surrounding area search cannot be performed during navigation guidance, the control unit 18 does not display the surrounding area button B3 on the display screen V1a in Figure 12. The control unit 18 displays the guide cancellation button B4x, which displays the instruction word "guide cancellation" to cancel the guidance, in the same position as the surrounding area button B3 on the display screen V1a in V1.

[0162] Furthermore, on display screens V1 and V1a, volume buttons B5 and brightness buttons B6 are displayed in the same row as the scale button B1, voice deactivation button B2x, and guidance stop button B4x. Volume button B5 is a button that displays the instruction word "volume" to start changing the volume and the number "5" which indicates the current quantitative level of sound. Brightness button B6 is a button that displays the instruction word "brightness" to start changing the brightness and the number "5" which indicates the current quantitative level of brightness. In addition, a home button B7 is displayed in the upper right corner of display screen V1. Home button B7 is a button that displays the instruction word "home" to initiate route guidance with home as the destination. These instruction words and numbers indicating quantitative levels are words registered as recognition words, as shown in Figures 5 and 6 above.

[0163] Thus, the display area of ​​an item composed of multiple buttons has a portion where the background image, the map, is visible. In other words, there is a gap between each button, allowing the background map to be seen. On the other hand, the display area of ​​character 100 is larger than a single button, and in the parts that overlap with the map, there is no portion where the background is visible. However, in gaps that occur between the hair and body, or between the limbs and torso, portions of the background map may be visible, but these portions are excluded from the display area of ​​character 100.

[0164] The position of the character 100 displayed on the display unit 5 by the control unit 18 is such that it does not obstruct the view of the current location or the guidance route. In the display screen V1 of Figure 11 and the display screen V1a of Figure 12, the character 100 is displayed in the lower right corner of the screen, and the buttons mentioned above are displayed in the upper left or upper right corner, either to the left or right, or up or down, relative to the character 100.

[0165] (Genre Selection) In the navigation standby display screen V1 described above, when the user says "Shūhen" (meaning "change"), the control unit 18 transitions the display screen V1 to the surrounding area 1 display screen S1 shown in Figure 13, and outputs the response phrase "Hey, where are you going?". In this way, in a surrounding area search that progresses through multiple selections, the character 100 prompts the user to make the next selection, such as genre selection, so that the user immediately knows what to do next. On the other hand, the surrounding area search function does not work on the display screen V1a during navigation guidance. Therefore, even if the user says "Shūhen", the control unit 18, recognizing this, outputs the character's voice saying "What did you say? I don't understand," and does not transition to the surrounding area 1 screen. In this way, when a process that cannot be proceeded to is selected, the character 100 speaks a corresponding response phrase, so that the user knows that the process cannot be performed on that display screen, which is beneficial.

[0166] As described above, the control unit 18 processes based on a dialogue that involves at least one round trip exchange: input of voice from the user to activate voice recognition → output of a response phrase from the character asking what the user wants → input of voice from the user to start the function. The output of the 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, on the display screen S1 shown in Figure 13, which is accessed through user utterance, the control unit 18 displays genre buttons B8 with genre names as recognition words. The genre names displayed on these genre buttons B8 correspond to the recognition words in list number 4 of Figure 5. These genre buttons B8 can also be selected by the user by touch. The genre names are written in hiragana or katakana, without kanji, which makes it easy for drivers and others to visually understand what to say.

[0168] On this display screen S1, when the user speaks the recognized word "famiresu" displayed on the button, the control unit 18 causes the character to output the response phrase "Are you going to a family restaurant all by yourself?". The control unit 18 then proceeds to search for family restaurant candidates. Therefore, the user does not need to make any further selections in the genre selection phase. In other words, the voice "Are you going to a family restaurant all by yourself?" is good because it lets the user know that no further genre selection is necessary. Furthermore, this response phrase is good because it makes the user aware that they are alone, apart from the character 100 they are talking to, thereby increasing intimacy with character 100.

[0169] Furthermore, in case the user wishes to select a genre other than those displayed on display screen S1, the control unit 18 displays a page button B9 on display screen S1 that displays the recognition word "page 2" to transition to the next page. When the user says "page 2" or "next" on this display screen S1, the control unit 18 transitions the screen displayed on the display unit 5 to display screen S1a of peripheral 2 in Figure 14.

[0170] On this display screen S1a, a genre button B8 is displayed, which shows the genre name corresponding to the recognized word in list number 5 of Figure 5. When the user speaks the recognized word for the genre name displayed on genre button B8, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase in response. The control unit 18 also displays a page button B9 on display screen S1a, which shows the recognized word "page 1" to transition to the previous page. On this display screen S1a, when the user speaks "page one" or "previous", the control unit 18 transitions the screen displayed on the display unit 5 to the display screen S1 of peripheral 1 in Figure 13.

[0171] (Facility Selection) In this way, when a genre is selected, the control unit 18 searches for facilities in the vicinity of the current location that belong to that genre, and transitions the screen to be displayed on the display unit 5 to the display screen S2 of facility selection 1, as shown in Figure 15. This display screen S2 displays the results of the facility search. In other words, on display screen S2, the facilities that were found in the search are displayed on the map as icons C1 numbered in order of proximity to the current location. In Figure 15, icons C1 with numbers 1 to 5 displayed within a circle are displayed at the locations on the map. In this way, the results of the surrounding search only display facilities of the target (genre) that the user needs. At this time, by displaying the map in grayscale and icons C1 in color, the location and number of the facilities become easier to understand. Also, when transitioning to screen S2 from another screen, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting the user to select a destination, such as "Where should we go?".

[0172] On the display screen S2, the user selects a facility based on the content displayed on icon C1. In other words, when the user speaks the number displayed on icon C1 of the desired facility, the control unit 18 outputs a corresponding response phrase and performs a route search to that facility. For example, if the user says "ichi" or "ichiban," character 100 will say "number 1," and a route search to the facility displayed as number 1 will be performed. In this way, by having character 100 speak the number spoken by the user, the user can confirm the content of their instructions.

[0173] The display screen S2 shows a scale button B1 and a list button B10. The scale button B1 is used to change the map scale, as described above. When a user who wants to change the map scale says "scale" on this display screen S2, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting the user to choose a scale and transitions to the display screen S2a of facility selection 2 shown in Figure 16. For example, when a user says "scale", the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "give me a command" and displays the + button B1a and - button B1b for changing the scale, as shown in Figure 16. The process of changing the scale using voice input will be described later.

[0174] The list button B10 is a button that transitions the facility selection screen 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 facility selection 1 display screen S2_list shown in Figure 17. On this S2_list display screen, the searched facilities are displayed not as icons, but as a list arranged in order of proximity of the facility selection button B11 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 address, etc. The user can select a facility in the same way as above by touching the facility selection button B11 or by uttering the number displayed on the button. Since the facility selection button B11 displays the facility name, distance from the current location, address, etc. in addition to the number, the user can obtain more detailed information about the searched facility.

[0175] If the number of searched candidates is greater than the number of items that can be displayed on one page (for example, 5), the control unit 18 displays a page button B9 that shows "Page 2" to indicate that there is a next page. If the number of candidates is less than the number of items that can be displayed on one page, the control unit 18 hides the page button B9. When the user says "page two" or "next," the control unit 18 transitions to the display screen S2a_list for facility selection 2 shown in Figure 18. The process of selecting a facility in the list displayed on this display screen S2a_list is the same as described above. The control unit 18 also displays a page button B9 on the display screen S2_list that shows the recognized word "Page 1" to transition to the previous page. On this display screen S1a, when the user says "page one" or "previous," the control unit 18 transitions the screen displayed on the display unit 5 to the display screen S1 for facility selection 1 shown in Figure 16.

[0176] (Route selection) As described above, once a facility is selected, the control unit 18 searches for a route 53 from the current location 51 to the destination facility 52, and displays the result on the route selection 1 display screen R1 shown in Figure 19. Based on the pre-set route conditions, the route 53 that should be given the highest priority is displayed in different colors. 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 location on the map. However, as described above, the character 100 is already displayed in the lower right corner of the screen, and in the example of display screen R1, it does not obstruct the searched route, so there is no movement in this example.

[0177] Meanwhile, the control unit 18 displays multiple buttons on the display screen R1, on the opposite side of the character, i.e., on the left side. If there are only a few buttons, they will not overlap with the explored route 53. Even if there are many buttons, there will be gaps between each button so that the map and route 53 are visible. These buttons include the scale button B1. The user can change the scale on the display screen R1a of route selection 2 shown in Figure 20, but this will be explained later.

[0178] Furthermore, the display screen R1 shows a route condition button B12 with the instruction word "route condition" which indicates the change of route conditions. When the user utters "condition" or "route condition," the control unit 18 transitions to the route selection 3 display screen R1b shown in Figure 21. On this display screen R1b, next to the "route condition" button, condition selection buttons B12a, B12b, and B12c are displayed, allowing the user to select the preferred search condition: "highway," "general road," or "recommended." On this display screen R1b, when the user utters "general road," "highway," or "recommended," the control unit 18 outputs a corresponding response phrase to change the search condition to the uttered condition and displays the route 53 which has the highest priority under the changed search condition. For example, if it is a general road, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that indicates the advantages of each search condition, such as "Yes, let's take the general road and go slowly," or if it is a highway, "Let's take the highway to save time." Additionally, if it's the recommended path, it will output a response phrase that shows a relationship of trust with the character, such as, "So you're leaving it to me?"

[0179] Then, on the display screen R1, a guidance start button B13 is displayed with the instruction "Start guidance" if the user wishes to be guided along the displayed route 53. When the user speaks "Guide me," "Please guide me," or "Guide me" on the screen where the desired route 53 is displayed, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "Start guidance. Drive as instructed" and starts route guidance.

[0180] Furthermore, when the user utters "change" to initiate a nearby search, or a phrase to return, such as "go back," "cancel," or "redo," the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "re-search" and transitions to the display screen S1 shown in Figure 13. The subsequent nearby search process is as described above. For the utterance of a phrase to return, the same processing occurs in the display screens S2, S2a, S2_list, S2a_list, R1, R1a, and R1b shown in Figures 15 to 21.

[0181] Furthermore, in response to the utterance of a return phrase on the speech recognition start display screens V1 and V1a shown in Figures 11 and 12, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "Call me again," transitions to the display screen M1 shown in Figure 10, and returns to waiting for speech recognition to start. In response to the utterance of a return phrase on the surrounding search display screens S1 and S1a shown in Figures 13 and 14, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "Start from the beginning," and transitions to the speech recognition start display screen V1 shown in Figure 11. Thus, even with the same recognition word, the display screen to which the user transitions differs depending on the current display screen and the corresponding phase. In other words, by changing the display screen to which the user transitions in response to a return phrase, it is possible to prevent users from going back too far and reduce the effort required for the user to start over.

[0182] In this embodiment, in addition to the return phrase, a deactivation phrase is also provided. When the user says "Speech Recognition Deactivation," "Finished," or "Currently," the system always returns to the voice recognition activation waiting screen M1. At this time, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase, "Call me again," to encourage future use. In this way, by registering recognition words that return to different positions depending on the display screen and phase, as well as recognition words that return to a fixed position, the user can quickly transition to the desired screen according to the situation.

[0183] Furthermore, depending on the screen and phase, if a recognition word that cannot be processed is uttered, the control unit 18 can prompt the user to utter a different word by outputting a response phrase that clearly indicates that the recognition word cannot be processed. For example, in the display screen V1a in Figure 12, and the display screens S2, S2a, S2_list, and S2a_list in Figures 15 to 18, the response phrase "What did you say? I don't understand." is output.

[0184] 《Map Scale Change》 The control unit 18 performs operations to change functions in response to user interaction, such as changing the map scale, volume, and brightness. First, the procedure for changing the map scale will be explained with reference to Figure 22. Note that the same procedure applies when transitioning from display screen S2 in Figure 15 to display screen S2a in Figure 16, and when transitioning from display screen R1 in Figure 19 to display screen R1a in Figure 20.

[0185] In the display screens V1 and V1a shown in Figures 11 and 12, when voice recognition is initiated, if a user who wants to change the map scale says "scale", the control unit 18 transitions to the display screens A1 and A1a shown in Figure 22. Display screen A1 is the screen transitioned from display screen V1, and display screen A1a is the screen transitioned from display screen V1a. On display screen A1, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "Give me an instruction" only if the transition is from another screen (scene). In this way, even when the screen changes, the character 100 prompts the user with an instruction, which helps to make the user aware that the character is always nearby. Display screen A1a is the screen for changing the map scale during navigation guidance.

[0186] In these 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 gradually increases the map scale. When the user touches the - button B1b, the control unit 18 gradually decreases the map scale. In this embodiment, when the user utters "increase" or "increase," the control unit 18 recognizes this and gradually increases the map scale. When the user utters "decrease" or "increase," the control unit 18 recognizes this and gradually decreases the map scale.

[0187] The control unit 18 then outputs a response phrase that allows the user to confirm what changes have been made, such as "It's been enlarged." when scaling up, and "We've made it a little wider." when scaling down. This allows the user to hear what processing has been done. In addition, if changing the scale would exceed the upper or lower limit of the scale, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that informs the user that the change cannot be made, such as "Oh no, that's the limit." This prevents the user from repeatedly issuing unnecessary change instructions without being able to confirm whether they have reached the upper or lower limit.

[0188] Furthermore, when a user speaks a desired scale value, such as "ten meters" or "one 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 utterance. This allows the user to confirm the scale level they have specified.

[0189] Then, when the user says "scale" or a return phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase indicating that the scale change process is complete, such as "Setting complete." The processing for the release phrase is the same as described above.

[0190] Furthermore, in the case of display screen A1, a home button is displayed, and when the user touches this button or says "home," the control unit 18 processes as follows. First, if home registration has not been done in advance, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting home registration, such as "You say home, but you haven't told me, have you?" This is good because it prompts the user by voice to perform the processing required as a prerequisite for executing a specific function, so that the user can understand what is needed to use that function. If home registration has been done, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase such as "Okay, let's go home," and searches for a route to home. This is good because the user can get the impression that the character is going home with them.

[0191] In the case of display screen A1a, certain functions are restricted because navigation guidance is in progress. Specifically, nearby location searches and route guidance to home cannot be performed on display screen A1a. Therefore, even if the user says "nearby," the response phrase "What did you say? I don't understand" is output, and a nearby location search is not performed. Similarly, even if the user says "home," the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "What did you say? I don't understand," and a route search to home is not performed. In this way, the user can understand that processing is not possible through the response phrase, which is beneficial.

[0192] Volume adjustment The procedure for changing the volume will be explained with reference to Figure 23. In the display screens V1 and V1a shown in Figures 11 and 12, when voice recognition is started, if a user who wants to change the volume says "volume", the control unit 18 transitions to the display screens A2 and A2a shown in Figure 23. Display screen A2 is the screen transitioned from display screen V1, and display screen A2a is the screen transitioned from display screen V1a. On display screen A2, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "Give me an instruction" only if the transition was made from another screen (scene). In this way, even when the screen changes, the character 100 speaks to prompt for instructions, which is good because it makes the user aware that the character is always nearby. Display screen A2a is the volume change screen during navigation guidance.

[0193] In these 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 gradually increases the volume. When the user touches the - button B5b, the control unit 18 gradually decreases the volume. In this embodiment, when the user says "up" or "louder," the control unit 18 recognizes this and gradually increases the volume. When the user says "down" or "quieter," the control unit 18 recognizes this and gradually decreases the volume.

[0194] The control unit 18 then outputs a response phrase that allows the user to confirm what change has been made, such as "Volume up" when increasing the volume and "Volume down" when decreasing the volume. This allows the user to hear what action has been taken. Furthermore, if changing the volume would exceed the upper or lower limit, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that indicates that the volume cannot be changed, such as "Buzz, that's the limit." This prevents the user from repeatedly issuing unnecessary volume change commands without being able to confirm whether the upper or lower limit has been reached.

[0195] Furthermore, when the user speaks a desired volume value, such as "zero," "one," or "two," the control unit 18 recognizes this and directly changes the volume 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." This allows the user to confirm the volume level they have specified.

[0196] Then, when the user says "volume" or a return phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase indicating that the volume change process is complete, such as "Setting complete." The processing for the release phrase is the same as described above. Other processing is the same as the processing described above for the map scale.

[0197] Brightness adjustment The procedure for changing brightness will be explained with reference to Figure 24. In the display screens V1 and V1a shown in Figures 11 and 12, when voice recognition is initiated, if a user who wants to change the brightness says "kido", the control unit 18 transitions to the display screens A3 and A3a shown in Figure 24. Display screen A3 is the screen transitioned from display screen V1, and display screen A3a is the screen transitioned from display screen V1a. In display screen A3, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "Give me some instructions" only if the transition is from another screen (scene). In this way, even when the screen changes, the character 100 speaks to prompt instructions, which helps to make the user aware that the character is always nearby. Display screen A3a is the brightness change screen during navigation guidance.

[0198] In these display screens A3 and A3a, the + button B6a and - button B6b are displayed next to the brightness button B6. When the user touches the + button B6a, the control unit 18 gradually increases the brightness. When the user touches the - button B6b, the control unit 18 gradually decreases the brightness. In this embodiment, when the user says "up" or "brighter", the control unit 18 recognizes this and gradually increases the brightness. When the user says "down" or "darker", the control unit 18 recognizes this and gradually decreases the brightness.

[0199] The control unit 18 then outputs a response phrase that allows the user to confirm what change has been made, such as "Brightness up" when increasing brightness and "Brightness down" when decreasing brightness. This allows the user to hear what processing has been performed. In addition, if changing the brightness would exceed the upper or lower limit of brightness, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that informs the user that the change cannot be made, such as "Nope, that's the limit." This prevents the user from repeatedly issuing unnecessary change commands without being able to confirm whether the upper or lower limit has been reached.

[0200] Furthermore, 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, it 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 utterance. This allows the user to confirm the brightness level they have specified.

[0201] Then, when the user says "kido" or a return phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase indicating that the brightness change process is complete, such as "Setting complete." The processing for the release phrase is the same as described above. Other processing is the same as the processing described for the map scale above.

[0202] Furthermore, in display screens A1 and A1a, the control unit 18 transitions to display screens A2, A2a, or A3, A3a by uttering "onryo" or "kido". In display screens A2 and A2a, the control unit 18 transitions to display screens A3, A3a, or A1, A1a by uttering "kido" or "sukeru". In display screens A3 and A3a, the control unit 18 transitions to display screens A1, A1a, or A2, A2a by uttering "sukeru" or "onryo". By making it possible to transition between screens for quantitative level change processing in this way, it becomes convenient for users who want to change settings all at once.

[0203] Timeout handling Next, the timeout process will be explained. The timeout process is a process in which the control unit 18 terminates processing if a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of a predetermined process without any voice input from the user. During the period from the start of the predetermined process until the predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 18 outputs a voice prompting voice input as a character response phrase.

[0204] More specific processing will be explained with reference to Figure 25. Timeout processing is set to include timeouts V1, S1, S2, R1, A1, and A1a. First, the processing for timeout V1 will be explained. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after voice recognition is started on the display screen V1 or V1a, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting the user to give voice input as timeout status 1. Here, since it is the screen for starting voice recognition, it outputs a response phrase requesting voice input, "Hey, say something." If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after this response phrase is output, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying that voice recognition is ending as timeout status 2, and terminates voice recognition. Here, it outputs a response phrase that sounds somewhat annoyed at the lack of voice input, "Hmm, come on."

[0205] The processing for timeout S1 is as follows: If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after transitioning to display screens S1 and S1a, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting voice input as timeout status 1. In this case, since it is a nearby search screen, it outputs a response phrase asking for the destination, such as "Hey, hey, where are you going?" If there is still no voice recognition for 15 seconds after this response phrase is output, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying that voice recognition is ending as timeout status 2, and terminates voice recognition. In this case, it outputs a response phrase that sounds somewhat annoyed at the lack of voice input, such as "Hmm, come on."

[0206] The processing for timeout S2 is as follows: If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after transitioning to display screens S2, S2a, S2_list, or S2a_list, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting voice input as timeout status 1. In this case, since it is a facility selection screen, it outputs a response phrase prompting facility selection, such as "Still haven't decided?". If there is still no voice recognition for 15 seconds after this response phrase is output, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying that voice recognition is ending as timeout status 2, and terminates voice recognition. In this case, it outputs a response phrase that sounds somewhat annoyed at the lack of voice input, such as "Hmm, already."

[0207] The processing for timeout R1 is as follows: If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after transitioning to display screens R1, R1a, or R1b, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting voice input as timeout status 1. In this case, since it is a route selection screen, it outputs a response phrase that notifies the user that it will proceed to the next process even if there is no voice input, such as "If you stay silent, I will start guiding you." If there is still no voice recognition for 15 seconds after this response phrase is output, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that notifies the user that voice recognition is ending as timeout status 2, and terminates voice recognition. In this case, it outputs a response phrase that notifies the user that it will start the next process, such as "Guidance starting. Will you drive as I say?"

[0208] The processing for timeout A1 is as follows: If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after transitioning to display screens A1, A2, A3, A1a, A2a, or A3a, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting voice input as timeout status 1. In this case, since it is a settings change screen, it outputs a response phrase prompting a setting change, such as "Instructions, please." If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after outputting this response phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying that voice recognition is ending as timeout status 2, and terminates voice recognition without changing the settings. In this case, it outputs a response phrase that sounds somewhat annoyed at the lack of voice input, such as "Hmm, come on."

[0209] The processing for timeout A1a is as follows: The control unit 18 transitions to display screens A1, A2, A3, A1a, A2a, and A3a, and if there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after input instructing a setting change by button selection or voice, it outputs a response phrase prompting voice input as timeout status 1. Here, it outputs a response phrase prompting a decision to change the setting via voice input, such as "Instruction, please." After that, if there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying that voice recognition has ended as timeout status 2, completing the setting change and ending voice recognition. Here, it outputs a response phrase notifying the completion of the setting change, such as "Setting complete."

[0210] Timeout handling can occur frequently, but as described above, changing the content of the response phrases for Timeout Status 1 and Timeout Status 2 according to the display screen and phase prevents users from getting bored.

[0211] [Effects and Effects] According to the above embodiment, instead of the system providing information in response to unilateral instructions from the user, who is a passenger in the vehicle, the user can obtain the information they want by interacting with the character. This increases the enjoyment of operation and driving, and the feeling of communicating with the character prevents boredom. Furthermore, the user is motivated to operate the system in order to interact with the character, so the system's functions are utilized effectively.

[0212] Because the system has registered response phrases that allow it to recognize a specific character as a speaker with a particular personality based on the voice output from the system, users can get the feeling that they are interacting with a real person and feel a sense of familiarity.

[0213] The dialogue is set up to involve at least one round of exchange, such as the initiation of an utterance, a response to that utterance, and a reply to that response. This allows the user to feel that the character is acting as an intermediary between them and the system, providing a service rather than the system simply processing commands as instructed.

[0214] By using voice recognition, users can obtain output more easily or quickly than through manual operation, encouraging them to use voice recognition more actively and providing them with more opportunities to interact with characters.

[0215] In particular, even when it is difficult for a driver to obtain desired information while driving due to difficulties in manual operation or limitations in manual operation, voice recognition can be used to obtain the desired information while enjoying a conversation with a character.

[0216] When multiple selections are required to output information, voice input is easier for the user than manual operation at each selection. For information that requires multiple selections to output, such as hierarchical structures or information that cannot be output without multiple operations, voice input reduces the user burden compared to multiple manual operations.

[0217] In particular, processes that output information obtained by sequentially narrowing down from multiple candidates, such as facility searches and searches for locations near the current location, are difficult to perform directly by hand, unlike operations that move the vehicle itself, such as braking and accelerating, or operations that signal something to the outside for safety while driving, such as turn signals. Therefore, they are well suited to voice recognition.

[0218] Users can proceed through predetermined processes by making selections prompted by the character's voice. For example, as a response phrase to guide the user to the next selection, if the system recognizes the user's voice saying "nearby" during a nearby search, it will output a voice asking for the destination, such as "Hey, where are you going?", so the user knows clearly what to say next.

[0219] If there are no further options, the system will output a voice message from a character indicating this, allowing the user to understand that further processing is no longer necessary and to decide whether to end the instructions or proceed with a different action. For example, if the system recognizes the user's voice saying "family restaurant" during a nearby search, the voice message indicating that there are no further options could be something like, "Are you going to a family restaurant all alone?", prompting the user to make a different decision.

[0220] Users can obtain information about facilities around their current location or other desired points of interest without the need for cumbersome manual operations, while enjoying conversations with characters.

[0221] Icons representing nearby facilities found through searching are highlighted relative to the map, making information about facilities the user needs stand out on the map. This makes it easier for the user to understand the location of facilities and serves as a guide when selecting desired facilities using voice commands. In particular, the icons are displayed in color while the map is displayed in grayscale, making the icons very clear.

[0222] The facility icons display a ranking based on proximity to the user's current location, providing a guide for selecting a facility. In particular, using numbers and letters, which inherently indicate ranking, makes it easy to understand the meaning of the ranking.

[0223] The system recognizes the user's voice as they select a facility based on the displayed icon, and then searches for and displays the route to the selected facility. This makes it easier for users to select a facility based on the displayed icon rather than by name. In particular, since users only need to speak the displayed number, they can select a facility using a word that is easier to remember than a facility name.

[0224] If the user does not want to follow the explored path, they can instruct the character to restart the exploration through dialogue, thus mitigating the hassle and boredom associated with having to restart.

[0225] By seeing the character they interact with on the display screen, users develop a sense of familiarity and become more inclined to actively use the system to see that character.

[0226] Furthermore, the characters are displayed in a position that does not obstruct the display of the explored route on the map, allowing users to enjoy the character display while maintaining the readability of the explored route. When the character moves to the opposite side of the explored path, the display area of ​​an item may overlap with the explored path. However, since each item is smaller than the character and the display area of ​​each item has a portion that allows the background image to be seen, the background image is easier to see than when the explored path overlaps with the character.

[0227] The character's voice is randomly selected from a pre-set list of different response phrases, excluding those already outputted. This prevents the user from getting bored as the same phrases are not repeated.

[0228] A list is set up containing multiple different response phrases for common recognized words, so even if the user utters the same thing, the character can respond with different expressions, allowing users to enjoy the different responses they receive from the character, even when performing the same process multiple times.

[0229] The character has multiple display modes while being the same person in the standard form, transformed form, and chibi form, and different phrases are registered as the output voice for each display mode. Therefore, even for the same character, depending on the multiple display modes, the speech content will be different, and while it is a conversation with the same person, changes can be enjoyed. In particular, by making it the standard form, the transformed form with changed clothes, hairstyle, etc., and the form with changed body proportions, various impressions such as adult-like, child-like, cute, and beautiful can be given to the user without causing boredom.

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

[0231] There are recognition phrases that can be commonly recognized regardless of the display screen and recognition words whose recognition is restricted to what is displayed on the display screen among the recognition words. Therefore, by using the recognition words that can be commonly recognized, the convenience of the functions required regardless of the display screen is maintained, and by using the recognition words whose recognition is restricted, the possibility of misrecognition can be reduced. For recognition words commonly used on multiple types of display screens, the possibility of the function being restricted according to the display screen is low, and the convenience can be maintained. In particular, since they are phrases for transitioning to other display screens, like the return phrase and the cancel phrase, they are phrases that need to be used on any screen. On the other hand, the recognition words displayed on the display screen and the recognition words to be searched have little need to recognize other phrases, and there is a high need to reduce the number of recognition words to prevent misrecognition.

[0232] The state of the function that changes quantitatively can be directly set to the desired quantitative level by voice recognition. Therefore, compared to the case of changing step by step between a small value and a large value, the desired value can be set immediately, saving the user's effort and shortening the time restricted by the operation. In particular, it is possible to save the effort of selecting buttons such as volume, brightness, scale, etc. to display +- or a scale and then increasing or decreasing step by step by selecting +- or sliding on the scale.

[0233] As recognition words, an indicator corresponding to a function that changes quantitatively and a number indicating the quantitative level are set. Therefore, when the user speaks the indicator and the number corresponding to the desired function, the quantitative level of the function can be directly increased or decreased to the level of that number. In particular, since the indicator is set to "volume", "tone", "scale", etc., and the numbers are set to "one", "two", "two zero", etc., the user can input using function names and numbers that are intuitively easy to understand.

[0234] An indicator corresponding to the function is displayed on the button for selecting the function. Therefore, the user can select the function by speaking the indicator displayed on the button, which is easy for the user to understand.

[0235] A button for selecting a function, on which the value of the current quantitative level of the function is displayed. Therefore, 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 the desired value. For example, in the case of the scale of a map, when a small-scale value is displayed on the button and the user speaks a larger value, the scale value displayed on the button also directly changes to that value, and the user can immediately view a wide-range map. Also, for example, when a large-scale value is displayed on the button and the user speaks a smaller value, the scale value displayed on the button also directly changes to that value, and the user can immediately view a detailed map.

[0236] When no voice input is received from the user and a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of a predetermined process, a timeout process for ending the process is performed, so it is possible to prevent incorrect operations caused by continuously performing voice recognition for a long time.

[0237] From the time when a predetermined process is started until a predetermined time elapses, a character outputs a voice prompting the user for voice input. Therefore, when the user forgets to start the process, the user can be prompted for voice input.

[0238] [Other embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various forms can be constructed, including those illustrated below.

[0239] Genre Registration This section describes the genre registration function, which allows the user to display only desired genre items on the display screen of the display unit 5 for nearby searches. This allows the user to create a personalized nearby search screen by pre-creating a table of genres they are likely to use frequently. More specifically, the control unit 18 displays a table on the display unit 5 for the user to select which items from the items corresponding to the genre recognition words should function as recognition words. When the user selects desired items from this table, the control unit 18 sets the page on the display unit 5 to display the selected items as buttons.

[0240] An example of such a display screen will be explained with reference to Figure 26. First, in the display screen (1), similar to the embodiment described above, 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 area buttons B3 superimposed on the left of the map screen for selecting and searching for surrounding facilities by genre.

[0241] On this display screen (1), when the user touches the surrounding button B3 or speaks the two words "rei" and "shuuhen," which are registered as recognition words to activate voice recognition and perform a surrounding search, the control unit 18, upon recognizing these words, transitions to the one-touch genre selection screen shown on display screen (2).

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

[0243] When a 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 performs 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, character 100 moves to a position on the map that does not obstruct the view, depending on the direction of the route guidance. In other words, character 100 is displayed in a position that does not obstruct the display of the searched route, including the current location on the map. Furthermore, when the user speaks to start guidance, the control unit 18 starts route guidance, as shown in the display screen (5). Even during this route guidance, character 100 is displayed in a position that does not obstruct the display of the searched route 53, including the current location 51 on the map.

[0245] At the bottom of the table on display screen (2), three buttons are displayed: "Back," "Change," and "Current Location." Of these, the "Back" button, when touched by the user or when the user says "Back," is recognized by the control unit 18, which then transitions to the previous screen. The "Current Location" button, when touched by the user or when the user says "Current Location," is recognized by the control unit 18, which then transitions to a display screen showing the current location 51. In this case, whether the "Back" button or the "Current Location" button is selected, the system transitions to display screen (1).

[0246] When the user touches the "Change" button or says "change," the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to the one-touch genre change screen shown on the display screen (6). On this one-touch genre change screen, the genres currently registered as one-touch genre selection screens are displayed in the same order. When the user touches any genre button or says the genre name, the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to one of the display screens (7) to (10) for the major category to which that genre name belongs.

[0247] For example, when a user selects "station," the user is taken to a display screen (7) showing the genre names belonging to the main category "Hotels, Public Facilities, Others," to which "station" belongs. On display screen (7), genre names displayed on display screen (2) are displayed in a specific dark color, while genre names not displayed on display screen (2) are displayed in a lighter color. For example, "station," which is displayed on display screen (2), is displayed in blue text, while "parking lot," which is not displayed on display screen (2), is displayed in gray text.

[0248] When the user touches or speaks a genre name displayed on the display screen (7), the control unit 18 recognizes this and changes the selected genre name to one that is not displayed on the display screen (7). At this time, the display of that genre name is changed to a lighter color. For example, if the user selects "station," the word "station" will turn gray.

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

[0250] Furthermore, if a genre name belonging to hospitals and clinics, such as "General Hospital," is selected on display screen (6), the user will transition to display screen (8). If a genre name belonging to shopping, such as "Convenience Store," is selected, the user will transition to display screen (9). If a genre name belonging to restaurants, such as "Family Restaurant," is selected, the user will transition to display screen (10). The selection of genre names to display on display screen (2) and those to not display on each display screen is as described above.

[0251] Furthermore, on display screen (7), if the user selects the "▽" button to advance to the next page, the display transitions to the next display screen (8). On display screen (8), if the user selects the "△" button to go back to the previous page, 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, in each display screen (7) to (10), after changing the genre name, if the user touches the "Back" button or says "Back," the display transitions to display screen (6), where the genre name selected to be displayed is shown, and the genre name selected not to be displayed disappears. Then, if the user touches the "Back" button or says "Back," the display transitions to display screen (2), which reflects the display of the changed display screen (6). In the example above, "Parking Lot" is displayed where "Station" was, and "Station" disappears.

[0253] Furthermore, to return to the default display, the user selects the "Restore to default" button on the display screen (6) or says "Restore to default," and the control unit 18, recognizing this, restores the default genre names and their arrangement. Then, when the user touches the "Back" button or says "Back," the display screen (2) returns to the default settings.

[0254] As described above, in the display screen (6) and the display screen (2) which reflects it, the genre name can be selected for each display position. That is, in the display screen (6), when the "station" in the upper left is selected, the control unit 18 recognizes not only the selected genre name but also which display position it is on the display screen. Then, the control unit 18 can display any of the genre names selected in the subsequent display screens (7) to (10) at the display position, that is, the upper left position. Therefore, when it is desired to change the order of the genre names in the display screen (2), it can be realized by selecting the genre name at the desired display position in the display screen (6) and changing it to the genre name to be displayed at the display position. In this case, it is also possible to select to display the same genre name at different positions. For example, the genre name "station" can be displayed in the upper left and "station" can also be arranged below it. Thus, for frequently used genre names, if the same genre name is displayed at multiple locations on the display screen (2), it will be easier to touch and select that genre name.

[0255] Note that if the control unit 18 enables the user to touch and drag a desired genre name and release it at a desired position in the display screen (6), and the control unit 18 can change the display position of the genre name to the desired position, it will be easier to change the display position.

[0256] Also, the number of genre names that can be displayed on the display screen (2) is limited to a predetermined number. For example, here it is 25. Therefore, when 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 further.

[0257] As described above, by selecting only the items that the user frequently uses from the displayed table of items, the number of recognized words is limited, thereby reducing misrecognition. The selected recognized words are registered in a designated memory area, for example, by overwriting the default state, filling in empty areas, or rearranging existing entries. In this way, the limited memory area can be used effectively.

[0258] Such user-defined item settings may be configured for each of the multiple pages displayed on the display unit 5, as shown in Figures 13 and 14 of the above embodiment. Therefore, even if the number of items that can be displayed on one page of the display screen is limited, by placing frequently used items on the top page, the effort of switching pages to display the desired items can be eliminated.

[0259] Since major categories corresponding to recognition words containing multiple concepts and subcategories corresponding to recognition words that correspond to those multiple concepts can be displayed on the same page, users can directly select the desired item without having to change hierarchies or pages when searching for a subcategory.

[0260] For example, a broad, conceptual category like "hospital," which includes many candidates, is useful for users who want to search from as many options as possible. Subcategories within the "hospital" concept, such as "internal medicine" or "pediatrics," are useful for users who want to quickly find information about a specific facility from a limited number of candidates.

[0261] Information regarding facility classification is organized into levels and hierarchies, such as major and minor categories, to enable efficient designation. In other words, each major category contains one or more minor categories.

[0262] Examples of major categories include "Hotels, Public Facilities, and Others," "Hospitals and Clinics," "Shopping," and "Restaurants." Examples of subcategories under "Hotels, Public Facilities, and Others" include "Train Stations," "IC (Interchanges) / JCT (Junctions)," "Post Offices," "Government Offices," "Toilets," "Parking Lots," "Hotels," "Banks and Credit Unions," "Schools," and "Gas Stations." Examples of subcategories under "Hospitals and Clinics" include "General Hospitals," "Internal Medicine," "Pediatrics," "Surgery," "Obstetrics and Gynecology," "Dentistry," "Ophthalmology," "Otorhinolaryngology," "Orthopedics," "Dermatology," "Urology," "Psychiatric Internal Medicine," "Neurology," "Proctology," and "Veterinary Hospitals." Examples of subcategories under "Shopping" include "Convenience Stores," "Drugstores," "Department Stores," "Shopping Malls," "Supermarkets," "Car Supplies," "Home Improvement Stores," and "Home Appliances." Examples of subcategories under "Restaurants" include "Family Restaurants," "Fast Food," "Japanese Food," "Western Food," "Chinese Food," "Ramen," "Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ)," "Sushi," "Tonkatsu (Pork Cutlet)," "Udon (Noodles)," "Curry," and "Gyudon (Beef Bowl)."

[0263] Each sub-item may have one or more sub-items further belonging to it. By classifying items in stages or hierarchies such as major items, sub-items, and sub-items, efficient selection can be made from a large number of items. If only one item belongs to a hierarchical level, it is effectively equivalent to there being no items at that level. In other words, if there is only one sub-item belonging to a major item, the classification may be limited to the major item, and there may be no sub-items or sub-items. Similarly, if there is only one sub-item belonging to a sub-item, the classification may be limited to the sub-item, and there may be no sub-items. When a major item is specified, all sub-items belonging to it are considered specified, and when a sub-item is specified, the control unit 18 processes the items as if all sub-items belonging to that sub-item were also specified.

[0264] Furthermore, it is acceptable for registered words to be related to the words displayed as items, but not to be displayed as items themselves. For example, even if a user does not speak the recognition word itself displayed as an item, they can still perform a search by saying a word related to that recognition word. This allows users to search even if they are unsure of the item name or are unfamiliar with the operation.

[0265] For example, even on a page where the main category displayed is "hospital" and the subcategories "internal medicine" and "pediatrics" are not displayed, "internal medicine" and "pediatrics" can also be registered as recognition words that can be used for voice recognition. In this way, even if the subcategories are not displayed, if the user says the more specific subcategories "internal medicine" and "pediatrics" that they associate with the main category "hospital," those subcategories will be searched, allowing the user to quickly obtain the necessary facility information.

[0266] Depending on the user settings or the default settings, entries for recognition words that may be mistakenly recognized may be displayed on a separate page. For example, words with similar sounds, or words that are likely to be confused when actually recognized, will not appear on the same page as recognition candidates at the same time, thus reducing misrecognition. Words with similar sounds include, for example, words that have the same sound in the Japanese syllabary, the same kanji, etc., such as "family restaurant" and "fast food," "hospital" and "beauty salon," and "Western food" and "Japanese food."

[0267] This approach prevents confusing phonetic recognition terms from appearing on the same page, ensuring users only input one of the two options, thus reducing misrecognition. Examples of terms likely to be confused during actual recognition testing include different terms recognized for the same utterance based on past recognition results. This eliminates the possibility of misrecognized combinations appearing on the same page.

[0268] 《Displaying Characters》 Various methods are possible for displaying the character. In the display screens (4) and (5) of Figure 26 above, the control unit 18 moves the character 100 to the left or right so that the character 100 displayed on the screen does not overlap with the current position and the searched route 53. For example, it is preferable that the display of character 100 and the searched route 53 are moved to opposite sides of the display screen. This makes the user feel that character 100 is being considerate so as not to interfere with the route search service, which is desirable as it creates a more favorable impression.

[0269] Character 100 can move either by disappearing and then reappearing at its destination, or by remaining visible while moving. Frequent movement might annoy users, but it allows Character 100 to assert its presence to users, and users who want to continue watching Character 100 can enjoy watching its movements while it's moving.

[0270] The control unit 18 may display on the display unit 5 whether or not voice recognition has been activated and is being accepted. In this way, the user can visually recognize whether or not voice operation is possible. The display screen color is changed to indicate whether or not voice recognition is being accepted. In this way, the status of voice recognition can be immediately perceived by the user through their vision. Specifically, the screen is displayed in normal color when voice recognition is being accepted and in grayscale when it is not. In this way, the user can intuitively understand whether or not voice recognition is being accepted.

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

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

[0273] One way to add objects to a character is to have the character wear sound-related equipment such as a headset, headphones, earphones, or microphone. This would make the user associate the character with voice recognition, which is a sound-related function. Another way to change the character's color or form is to change its hairstyle and color, or change its costume. This would make the difference from the normal state easier to understand. In particular, making the character's ears larger would indicate that it is trying to hear sounds well. Furthermore, a pose or gesture, such as placing a hand behind its ear, would also indicate that it is trying to hear sounds well.

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

[0275] For example, if "Rei, Shuuhen" is registered as the activation word to start voice recognition and nearby search, and a user registered with the nickname "Yu-kun" asks "Kirishima Rei" to perform a nearby search on the map display screen, the following is an example of the dialogue. The phrases in quotation marks are the spoken words.

[0276] Yu-kun: "Ray, surroundings" → Voice recognition activated → Transitions to the surrounding search genre screen Ray: "What's up, Yu-kun? I'm busy." Yu-kun: "Internal Medicine" → Transitions to map screen, displays icons for nearby internal medicine clinics. Ray: "What's wrong? Are you okay? Which doctor are you going to?" Yu-kun: "Ni" (the number 2) Ray: "Okay, number 2." → Displays information for internal medicine clinic number 2 on the map. Yu-kun: "Explore" → Find a route and display it on the map Ray: "So, do you want to go here?" Yu-kun: "Please." Ray: "Understood, leave it to me." → Starts guiding

[0277] In this way, users can feel a greater sense of familiarity with the character by being called by their own nickname in conversations. Furthermore, since the voice output at the start of the conversation includes the user's nickname, the user will be called by their own name, which is good for attracting the user's attention. Furthermore, when voice recognition includes a character's name, the user's name is inserted into the output voice, resulting in the characters calling each other by their names, allowing the user to feel a greater sense of intimacy.

[0278] Furthermore, as the dialogue progresses, the frequency with which the character inserts the user's name into the voice output may be reduced. In this way, for example, the frequency of the name being used decreases after the initial conversation, creating the illusion of two people becoming more familiar with each other. Furthermore, voice data corresponding to the Japanese syllabary may be pre-registered in the database 19, and the voice of a name selected by the user from this syllabary may be inserted into the conversation. This is advantageous because it saves memory capacity compared to, for example, pre-registering multiple names.

[0279] 《Submission》 When a user discovers a traffic enforcement or checkpoint location, the control unit 18 can execute a posting function by transmitting location information about the enforcement location to the information collection server in response to the user's voice input corresponding to a recognition word pre-registered in the database 19. The control unit 18 can also receive the posted location information about the enforcement location from the information collection server and display it on the display unit 5 along with a map. For this reason, the navigation device is equipped with a communication unit connected to the control unit 18 for sending and receiving information with the outside world.

[0280] This communication unit is connected wirelessly or via wired connection to an in-vehicle communication device equipped with internet connectivity. For example, the communication unit can be connected to a mobile phone such as a smartphone with tethering capabilities or to a wireless LAN router via Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, or USB. Such a communication device may also be incorporated into a navigation system.

[0281] First, the process for posting via touch operation is as follows: 1. The user discovers a traffic enforcement / checkpoint location while driving. 2. Touch the button that instructs you to set the posting location on the display screen. 3. The current location on the map when the button is touched will be set as the posting location, and an icon will be displayed at that location. 4. While parked or stopped, touch the post button on the waiting screen. A list of multiple posting locations set in sections 5.1-3 will be displayed. 6. Touch one of the locations where you want to post. 7. Touch the submit button for final confirmation. 8. Send the information of the selected posting location to the server that collects posting location data. 9. A server that collects posting locations registers the received information as an enforcement location. 10. A server that collects posting locations distributes the registered information. 11. Receive and display the distributed information.

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

[0283] In the case of posting via button operation like this, multiple button presses are required because, after discovering the posting location while driving, the process involves several hierarchical steps.

[0284] However, in this embodiment, posting is possible in response to the user's voice input. That is, when the user speaks a recognized word that has been pre-registered in the database 19, the control unit 18 recognizes it and has the communication unit send the user's current location at the time of speaking to the server via the communication device as the posting location. The server registers the received information as an enforcement location and distributes the registered information. The communication unit receives the distributed information via the communication device, and the control unit 18 displays the enforcement locations on the map based on the received information. Therefore, it can be done easily and quickly without the hassle of button operation.

[0285] Enforcement locations include speed cameras and N-systems as mentioned above, but it is especially good to include checkpoints where the location and time of enforcement change, such as enforcement and checkpoint areas. In this way, information about enforcement locations that are difficult to register in advance can be collected through user submissions.

[0286] The location information could be, for example, the current location or the coordinates of the center of a map. This way, enforcement locations can be identified using information that can be obtained reliably and easily, and because voice recognition is used, there should be little discrepancy with the actual enforcement location.

[0287] Ideally, the recognition words should include phrases to activate speech recognition and phrases to start accepting submissions. In this way, users can easily perform multi-step operations, such as speech recognition and submission acceptance, by simply speaking the phrases to activate speech recognition and start accepting submissions.

[0288] The phrases that activate speech recognition and the phrases that start accepting submissions may be registered as separate phrases. This prevents misrecognition, for example, from occurring when submissions start simultaneously with the start of speech recognition. Alternatively, the phrases that activate speech recognition and the phrases that start accepting submissions may be set as a single phrase. This allows submissions to start immediately upon the start of speech recognition, making submissions possible right away.

[0289] As recognized words, if phrases to activate speech recognition and phrases to initiate posting are registered, the user can easily perform the multi-step operation of speech recognition and posting by speaking the phrases to activate speech recognition and posting.

[0290] The phrases used to activate speech recognition and the phrases to be posted may be registered as separate phrases. This prevents accidental posting, for example, by preventing posting at the same time as starting speech recognition. Alternatively, the phrases used to activate speech recognition and the phrases to be posted may be set as a series of phrases. This allows for instant posting at the same time as starting speech recognition, minimizing the discrepancy between the location of enforcement and the location of posting.

[0291] Furthermore, the recognition word for posting can be shorter than other recognition words. This allows for quick instructions, for example, for urgent posts.

[0292] Furthermore, the recognition words used for posting can be more verbose than other recognition words. This reduces the likelihood of other recognition words being spoken, for example, when using standard speech recognition, thus preventing accidental postings. Verbose words can be, for example, longer in length or divided into multiple parts. This reduces the possibility of users who do not intend to post accidentally uttering something.

[0293] Furthermore, the recognition words used for posting can be words that users are unlikely to use in their daily lives. This prevents frequent misrecognition due to words that users frequently use in their cars, for example, and prevents posts that the user did not intend.

[0294] When the control unit 18 recognizes a recognition word for posting, it may output the voice of a pre-registered character in response, thereby realizing the dialogue function as in the above embodiment. In this case, the character's voice in the dialogue for posting may be shorter than the voice in other dialogues. This would allow for, for example, a shorter dialogue time to enable quick posting.

[0295] Variations of response phrases The response phrases of the characters that are pre-registered in database 19 can take on various forms, as follows: When a character prompts users to select a searched facility, the voice output should match the displayed icon. For example, if the icon is a number, the voice should ask which number is best; if it's an alphabet, the voice should ask which letter is best; if it's a shape, the voice should ask what shape it is; and if it's a color, the voice should ask what color it is. This way, users can easily understand, for example, what to say to select a facility.

[0296] Furthermore, for example, the audio could indicate the range of candidates to be selected, corresponding to the displayed icon. This would allow the user to understand both what to say and the range to select, for example, by outputting an audio statement like "from number X to number Y."

[0297] You may insert pre-registered voice lines that indicate the character's situation. This way, users can hear the character's situation, which is beneficial because, for example, if the character is in a negative situation, it can evoke feelings of concern in the user, and if the character is in a positive situation, it can evoke feelings of empathy in the user.

[0298] When describing a character's situation, it's best to use statements that indicate whether they are in a positive or negative state, such as, "I'm busy." This way, the system doesn't unconditionally follow user instructions, but rather evokes feelings of consideration and empathy in the user, creating a feeling similar to having a conversation with a real person.

[0299] Multiple lists can be set, and even within the same list of response phrases, there may be lists containing phrases that are different from other phrases. This is beneficial because, for example, when a different phrase is output as a response to a similar statement from the user, it can give the user an unexpected impression, change their impression of the character, and prevent them from getting bored. As an example of a different phrase, as shown in Ray response phrase 3 in Figure 9(a), it is good to insert an ambiguous phrase such as "Do as you like" into a phrase that is an active question such as "Tell me something," "What should I do?", "What will you do?", and "How will you change it?". Also, as shown in Ray response phrase 24 in Figure 9(b), it is good to insert a phrase that reads the user's psychology, such as "You're testing me in various ways, aren't you?" into a phrase that indicates a retry, such as "Search again," "Let's search again," "One more time," and "Let's try again."

[0300] It is also acceptable to have a pre-registered phrase to be output in case of a speech recognition error. This way, even if the recognition is incorrect, the user can be made to understand that the conversation with the character is continuing by receiving some kind of phrase.

[0301] It would be beneficial to have pre-registered phrases that can be used as excuses in case of errors in speech recognition. This way, even if errors occur in speech recognition, the character's excuses can help alleviate the user's frustration or anger.

[0302] As an excuse, for example, as shown in Ray response phrase 1 in Figure 8(a), "I'll do my best with speech recognition. I may not be able to recognize it 100%," it is good to use an expression that shows a willingness to recognize accurately, while also indicating that complete achievement is difficult. In this way, for example, rather than simply stating that recognition is not possible, it is good to create a psychological tolerance in the user for misrecognition.

[0303] It would be beneficial to have a pre-registered phrase for the character's response when a user voice-inputs a discrepancy between what the user expects from the character's voice output. This way, for example, if a user points out a mistake by the character, the character will respond, allowing for a more natural and engaging interaction in case of misunderstandings.

[0304] It would be good to register phrases that can be used for advertising. This would allow you to guide users to partner facilities, for example. For example, phrases that invite users to a specific facility, such as "How about XX Shop?" would be good.

[0305] It would be helpful to have registered phrases that explain the reason why a user is going to a particular facility. This way, by uttering the reason why the user is going to that facility, it becomes easier for the user to listen. For example, it can capture the user's attention whether the reason for going to that destination is undesirable or desirable.

[0306] Facilities where the reason for going to the destination is undesirable for the user would be, for example, hospitals, dentists, and pharmacies—facilities related to the user's illness. Facilities where the reason for going to the destination is desirable for the user would be, for example, department stores, sushi restaurants, and eel restaurants—facilities that are somewhat more challenging to visit than places the user frequently goes to.

[0307] Phrases that evoke various emotions in the user from the character include, for example, response phrases 6-8 in Figure 9(c), such as "Are you going to the hospital? Are you feeling unwell? Are you okay?" and "Don't push yourself too hard," which make the user feel attached to the character by showing concern for their condition. Alternatively, as shown in response phrase 6-29 in Figure 9(d), phrases that evoke feelings of regret in the user, such as "Are you brushing your teeth properly?", are also effective.

[0308] It would be beneficial to register phrases that offer positive or negative advice about what the user should do at the facility they are visiting. This would allow the user to determine, for example, what they should and shouldn't do at their destination based on the character's advice. Positive advice could be a suggestion, such as response phrase 6-29 in Figure 9(d), "It's a good idea to get your teeth cleaned once in a while." Negative advice could be a prohibition, such as response phrase 6-23 in Figure 9(e), "Don't make such a pained face. A real man puts on a cool face and endures it."

[0309] It would be beneficial to register phrases that represent the character's one-sided opinion about what the user will do at the destination facility. This would allow the user to obtain the character's opinion, which could then be used as a reference for their actions at the destination.

[0310] As for the character's one-sided opinion, it is good to give a positive opinion, such as response phrase 6-14 in Figure 9(f), "The black pork char siu melts in your mouth. Wonderful~." This is good because it makes the user want to take similar actions at the facility. Alternatively, it is good to give a negative opinion, such as "Going to a restaurant alone? Won't you be lonely?... Leave me alone?" This is good because it makes the user want to change their destination. Furthermore, it is also fine to mix positive and negative opinions, such as response phrase 6-21 in Figure 9(g), "Shopping malls seem fun just to look around. But I think I'll get tired." This is good because it makes the user prepare for the situation at their destination in advance.

[0311] It is acceptable to register phrases that suggest the character actually exists. This is beneficial because, for example, users can get the feeling that the character is actually real.

[0312] Phrases that suggest the character is actually present include, for example, response phrase 6-24 in Figure 9(h), "I'm so happy you're taking me with you on your business trip!", and response phrase 6-25 in Figure 9(i), "Where are we staying?", which suggest the character is accompanying the user. This way, the user can get the feeling that they are always with the character, which is beneficial.

[0313] It is desirable to have registered voice data that the character will output when voice input other than the words set in advance as recognition words is received. In this way, even if the input is not a recognition word, for example, the character will always respond, so the conversation will not be interrupted or an error will be reported, which will remind the user that they are interacting with the system, and the feeling of continuing to interact with the character will be maintained. Possible phrases for when voice input other than the set words is received include unrecognizable phrases, such as the Ray response phrase 50 in Figure 9(j). Note that the response phrases are not limited to being output randomly from a group. If the order in which they are output is determined and they are output sequentially in that order, and once the last-ranked response phrase is output, the system returns to outputting the first-ranked response phrase, the same response phrase can be prevented from being output repeatedly. Furthermore, each recognition word may have a corresponding response phrase that is determined one-to-one. This is desirable because it saves the amount of information to store. Even in such cases, if response phrases with the content shown above are 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 configured in various ways, as follows: The control unit 18 may stop speech recognition while the character's voice is being output until the voice output is finished. This prevents other processes from being executed by speech recognition if, for example, the user's voice input is received in the middle of the character's voice output. Other processes should be low-priority processes such as volume, brightness, scale, and surrounding area search. This prevents processes that do not necessarily need to be executed immediately from being executed by speech recognition.

[0315] The control unit 18 may accept voice recognition even while the character's voice is being output. This is advantageous because, for example, if voice input from the user is received in the middle of the character's voice, other processing will not be interrupted by voice recognition. Other processing could be high-priority processing, such as sending location information about enforcement locations to an information collection server. This ensures that processing that the user wants to be executed immediately is not interrupted.

[0316] The control unit 18 may stop outputting the character's voice if it receives 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 user's voice interrupted the character's speech. If the stopped character's voice output is not output again, for example, it will not give the impression that the same utterance is being repeated from the beginning, which would be unnatural. Also, if the stopped character's voice output is restarted, for example, from where it stopped, it may give the impression that the character waited while the user spoke.

[0317] The control unit 18 may stop the character's voice output if a predetermined input operation is performed while the character's voice is being output. In this way, for example, if you do not want a third party to hear your conversation with the character, you can stop the character's voice with a predetermined input operation. The predetermined input operation may be, for example, the operation of a physical key. In this way, you only need to operate a fixed location that is always present, making it easy to perform an immediate operation.

[0318] Timing of voice recognition activation The timing of voice recognition activation can be varied in several ways, as follows: The control unit 18 may initiate a predetermined process for outputting information the user wants to know in response to the interaction, based on voice input from the user corresponding to a predetermined recognized word. In this way, for example, the predetermined process is initiated by voice input from the user, so the system does not start and execute the process automatically.

[0319] The control unit 18 may initiate a predetermined process for outputting information the user wants to know in response to the interaction, based on the output of a predetermined character's voice and the input of a predetermined recognition phrase from the user. 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 initiate the predetermined process, thus increasing opportunities to use the system.

[0320] The character's voice output could, for example, be used to inquire whether a specific process has started. This would encourage the user to use the process. The timing of the character's voice output could, for example, be set to be periodic, which would increase the frequency with which the process is used. Alternatively, setting the timing to trigger when certain conditions are met would allow the user to be prompted to use the process at an appropriate time.

[0321] "others" When displaying icons indicating nearby facilities, it is best to use a method that clearly shows the location of the facilities. For example, changing at least one of the brightness, saturation, or hue of the icons and the map would highlight the contrast between the two.

[0322] When displaying icons for nearby facilities with a ranking system based on predetermined criteria, the criteria could be, for example, the importance to the user. This would ensure that the facilities the user is most interested in are displayed preferentially. User importance could be, for example, whether the user has visited the facility before, visited it frequently, or whether it suits their preferences. This would allow the user to quickly find facilities they want to visit. Alternatively, facilities of low importance to the user, such as those the user has visited before but would never want to visit again, could be excluded. This would allow the system to display only facilities that the user is likely to visit.

[0323] For example, the ranking can be indicated visually using shapes such as ◎, ○, △, and ×, or by gradually changing brightness, saturation, and hue. This allows for an intuitive visual understanding of the ranking.

[0324] When recognizing a user's voice to select a facility based on the displayed icon, for example, if the user says "alphabet," the system could use the corresponding letter of the desired facility's icon; if they say "shape," it could use the corresponding shape of the icon; and if they say "color," it could use the corresponding color of the icon. This approach is beneficial because it allows users to select a facility using words that are easier to remember than the facility's name.

[0325] In the display area of ​​the button-displayed item, the portion where the background image is visible may be, for example, transparent. This is beneficial because it allows the background image to be viewed more clearly while maintaining the visibility of the item display.

[0326] The recognition words pre-registered for recognizing the user's voice may include some that are displayed on the screen and some that are not. In this way, for example, even if the user utters a word that is not displayed on the screen, if it is a pre-set recognition word, the character will still respond in some way, which can be a surprise for the user and give them the joy of discovery.

[0327] For demonstrative pronouns that correspond to quantitatively changing functions as recognition words, and numbers that indicate quantitative levels, the name and quantitative level can be combined into a single recognition phrase, for example, "onryosan," "kidoni," and "sukeru ni kiro." This is advantageous because it only requires one utterance.

[0328] Buttons that display instructions corresponding to a function may include buttons that execute the function without transitioning to another display screen. This allows functions to be executed interactively without transitioning to another display screen, thus avoiding interruption to the current screen display.

[0329] In this embodiment, the example of a navigation device was used, but it can be implemented as a function of various electronic devices. For example, it may be incorporated as a function of a radar detector, drive recorder, or car audio system. Furthermore, the quantitative level values, screen size of the display unit 5, and various time settings described in this embodiment can be set to any value within the range that achieves the effects of the present invention. In addition, the control unit 18 may be provided with a function to set the priority of each function and alarm based on instructions from the user via the remote control 17 or the like, and the control unit 18 may be configured to process according to this set priority.

[0330] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the device is equipped with a database 19 that stores various types of information, and the control unit 18 accesses the database 19 to read the 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, the navigation device, radar detector, and other electronic devices and equipment may be equipped with a function to communicate with the server, and the control unit 18 may access the server as appropriate to obtain the necessary information and execute processing. Furthermore, at least some of the functions of the control unit 18 may be placed in the server, the server may execute those functions, and the user's electronic device may obtain the execution results.

[0331] The functions of the control system in the above embodiment are configured as a program to be implemented by the computer provided in the control unit 18, but the program is not limited to this, and may be distributed across multiple computers for distributed processing. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0332] 2. Main unit of the device 3 Cradles 4. Case body 5 Display section 6. Cradle body 7. Base 8 Touch panel 10. Alarm lamp 11 Microwave receiver 12 GPS receivers 13 Wireless receiver 18 Control Unit 19 Databases 20 speakers 21 SD memory card slots 22 SD memory cards 51 Current location 52 Destination 53 Routes

Claims

1. A system for realizing dialogue by outputting a character's voice based on a result of recognizing a user's voice using a voice recognition function, a function of inserting the user's nickname into the voice of the character in the dialogue, and reducing the frequency of inserting the user's nickname into the voice of the character as the dialogue progresses; A system having:

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

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