Vehicle and method for controlling thereof

Abstract

A vehicle capable of outputting a sensible response voice to a user's speech command includes: a voice processor that converts the user's speech command into text information and recognizes a domain and an entity name corresponding to the speech command based on the text information; a database that stores a response text corresponding to the domain and the entity name; a speaker; and a control unit that receives information corresponding to the domain and the entity name, modifies the response text stored in the database based on the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name, and controls the speaker to output the modified response text.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle capable of exchanging conversations with a user and a method for controlling the same, and more specifically, to a vehicle capable of outputting a sensible response voice in response to a user's speech command and a method for controlling the same. Background Technology

[0002] A speech recognition system is a system capable of recognizing a user's speech and providing a service corresponding to the recognized speech.

[0003] Recently, various types of conversational services using voice recognition systems are being provided, and in particular, when a passenger inside a vehicle speaks a command to control various electronic devices of the vehicle, the vehicle's electronic devices can be controlled according to the passenger's intention.

[0004] In addition, when a passenger inputs a speech command, the vehicle outputs a response voice to the command, informing the passenger whether the command has been acknowledged.

[0005] However, the vehicle's response voice to the passenger's speech command is converted into speech from text mapped to a database according to each command, which may give the passenger a somewhat predictable and clichéd feeling. The problem to be solved

[0006] We aim to provide a vehicle capable of outputting a more sensible response voice in response to a user's speech command, and a control method thereof. means of solving the problem

[0007] A vehicle according to one embodiment for achieving the above-described purpose may include: a voice processor that converts a user’s speech command into text information and recognizes a domain and an entity name corresponding to the speech command based on the text information; a database that stores a response text corresponding to the domain and the entity name; a speaker; and a control unit that receives information corresponding to the domain and the entity name, modifies the response text stored in the database based on the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name, and controls the speaker to output the modified response text.

[0008] Additionally, if the domain is a navigation device and the entity name is a place name, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name may include at least one of destination setting history information for the entity name, category information of the entity name, location information of the place having the entity name, location information of the vehicle, and current time information.

[0009] Additionally, the control unit may modify the answer text stored in the database to include a phrase regarding the period between the time when the entity name is set as the destination and the time when the utterance command is input.

[0010] In addition, the control unit can modify the answer text stored in the database to include a phrase regarding the category information of the entity name.

[0011] Additionally, the control unit may modify the answer text stored in the database to include a preset phrase corresponding to the first preset location and the second preset location if the vehicle is located within a preset distance from a first preset location and the location having the entity name corresponds to a second preset location.

[0012] In addition, the control unit may modify the answer text stored in the database to include a preset phrase corresponding to the current time information.

[0013] Additionally, if the domain is a mobile communication device and the entity name is a name representing a family, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name includes information regarding a plurality of modifiers for modifying the entity name, and the control unit can modify the answer text stored in the database to include any one of the plurality of modifiers.

[0014] Additionally, if the domain is a vehicle control system and the entity name is a name representing a device to be controlled, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name may include at least one of weather information and activation information of the vehicle system.

[0015] Additionally, if the condition for operating the control target device does not match the weather information or the condition does not match the activation information of the vehicle system, the control unit may modify the answer text to be changed into an interrogative sentence containing a first phrase regarding the weather information or a second phrase regarding the activation information of the vehicle system.

[0016] Additionally, the system further includes a communication unit that transmits a control command to the control target device; and the control unit can control the communication unit to transmit a control command corresponding to the firing command to the control target device only when the condition for operating the control target device matches the weather information or when the condition matches the activation information of the vehicle system.

[0017] A method for controlling a vehicle according to one embodiment for achieving the above-described purpose may include: converting a user’s speech command into text information; recognizing a domain and an entity name corresponding to the speech command based on the text information; receiving information corresponding to the domain and the entity name; modifying a response text stored in a database based on the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name; and controlling a speaker to output the modified response text.

[0018] Additionally, if the domain is a navigation device and the entity name is a place name, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name may include at least one of destination setting history information for the entity name, category information of the entity name, location information of the place having the entity name, location information of the vehicle, and current time information.

[0019] Additionally, modifying the answer text stored in the database based on information corresponding to the domain and the entity name may include modifying the answer text stored in the database to include a phrase regarding the period between the time when the entity name is set as a destination and the time when the utterance command is input.

[0020] Additionally, modifying the answer text stored in the database based on information corresponding to the domain and the entity name may include modifying the answer text stored in the database to include a phrase regarding the category information of the entity name.

[0021] Additionally, modifying the answer text stored in the database based on information corresponding to the domain and the entity name may include, if the vehicle is located within a preset distance from a first preset location and the location having the entity name corresponds to a second preset location, modifying the answer text stored in the database to include a preset phrase corresponding to the first preset location and the second preset location.

[0022] Additionally, modifying the answer text stored in the database based on information corresponding to the domain and the entity name may include modifying the answer text stored in the database to include a preset phrase corresponding to the current time information.

[0023] Additionally, if the domain is a mobile communication device and the entity name is a name representing a family, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name includes information regarding a plurality of modifiers for modifying the entity name, and modifying the answer text stored in the database based on the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name may include modifying the answer text stored in the database to include any one of the plurality of modifiers.

[0024] Additionally, if the domain is a vehicle control system and the entity name is a name representing a device to be controlled, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name may include at least one of weather information and activation information of the vehicle system.

[0025] Additionally, modifying the answer text stored in the database based on information corresponding to the domain and the entity name may include modifying the answer text to be changed into an interrogative sentence containing a first phrase regarding the weather information or a second phrase regarding the activation information of the vehicle system if the condition for operating the control target device does not match the weather information or if the condition does not match the activation information of the vehicle system.

[0026] Additionally, it may further include transmitting a control command corresponding to the firing command to the control target device only when the condition for operating the control target device matches the weather information or when the condition matches the activation information of the vehicle system. Effects of the invention

[0027] According to the disclosed invention, the usability of a voice recognition system can be improved by inducing interesting emotions in the passenger.

[0028] In addition, if the passenger's speech command is inappropriate, the user's intent regarding the speech command can be reconfirmed. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0029] FIG. 1 is a control block diagram of a vehicle according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to one embodiment. Figure 3 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method when a user inputs a speech command to control a navigation device. Figure 4 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method when a user inputs a speech command to control a mobile communication device. Figure 5 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method when a user inputs a voice command to control the vehicle control system. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0030] The advantages and features of the disclosed invention, and the methods and apparatus for achieving them, will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below together with the accompanying drawings. However, the disclosed invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but may be embodied in various different forms. The disclosed embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the disclosed invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the disclosed invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0031] We will briefly explain the terms used in the disclosed specification and describe the disclosed invention in detail.

[0032] The terms used in the disclosed invention have been selected based on currently widely used general terms whenever possible, taking into account their functions within the disclosed invention; however, these terms may vary depending on the intent of those skilled in the art, case law, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Additionally, in specific cases, terms have been selected at the applicant's discretion, and in such instances, their meanings will be described in detail in the relevant description of the invention. Therefore, the terms used in the disclosed invention must be defined not merely by their names, but based on their meanings and the overall content of the disclosed invention.

[0033] Throughout the specification, when a part is described as "comprising" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components. Furthermore, the term "part" as used in the specification refers to a hardware component, such as software, FPGA, or ASIC, and the "part" performs certain roles. However, the meaning of "part" is not limited to software or hardware. The "part" may be configured to reside in an addressable storage medium or configured to run on one or more processors. Thus, by example, the "part" includes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, as well as processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functions provided within the components and "parts" may be combined into a smaller number of components and "parts" or further separated into additional components and "parts."

[0034] Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of a vehicle and a control method thereof are described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the disclosed invention. Furthermore, to clearly explain the invention disclosed in the drawings, parts unrelated to the explanation are omitted. Additionally, identical reference numerals in the drawings indicate identical components, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0035] FIG. 1 is a control block diagram of a vehicle according to one embodiment.

[0036] Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle (1) according to one embodiment may include a microphone (M), a voice processor (10), a control unit (20), a database (30), a speaker (S), a communication unit (40), a navigation device (50), and a vehicle control system (60).

[0037] The microphone (M) receives a speech command from the user and can generate an electrical signal corresponding to the speech command.

[0038] A microphone (M) for this purpose may be placed inside the vehicle (1) to receive the voice of a user inside the vehicle (1), and there may be multiple microphones to receive the voices of all passengers.

[0039] The microphone (M) can convert the user's speech command into an electrical signal and transmit it to the voice processor (10).

[0040] The voice processor (10) may include a STT (Speech to Text) engine that converts a user’s speech command input through a microphone (M) into text information, and a dialogue manager that analyzes the text to determine the user’s intent included in the speech command.

[0041] The dialogue manager can identify user intent corresponding to utterance commands by applying Natural Language Understanding technology to the text.

[0042] Specifically, the dialogue manager performs morphological analysis on utterance commands in text form to convert the input string into a sequence of morphemes. Additionally, the dialogue manager can identify named entities from the utterance commands. Named entities are proper nouns such as names of people, places, organizations, times, dates, currency, names representing families, and names of various electronic devices of a vehicle (1). Named entity recognition is the process of identifying named entities in a sentence and determining the type of the identified named entities. Through named entity recognition, the dialogue manager can extract important keywords from the sentence to understand the meaning of the sentence.

[0043] Additionally, the conversation manager can recognize a domain from the user's speech command. A domain is one that can identify the subject of the language spoken by the user, and for example, the type of device being controlled can be the domain. Thus, electronic devices inside the vehicle (1), such as a navigation device (50) and a vehicle control system (60), and the user's mobile communication device (100) can be domains. In addition, domains including various subjects such as text, navigation, schedule, weather, traffic, and vehicle control may be stored in the database (30).

[0044] The navigation device (50) may refer to any device that receives a destination from a user, searches for a route to reach the destination, and provides the user with an optimal driving route.

[0045] For example, the navigation device (50) may refer to the AVN device of the vehicle (1), and furthermore, may include an external terminal device that includes a navigation function.

[0046] That is, although the mobile communication device (100) and the navigation device (50) are shown separately in FIG. 1, if the mobile communication device (100) performs a navigation function and performs short-range communication and / or long-range communication with the vehicle (1), the mobile communication device (100) can also be an example of the navigation device (50).

[0047] The mobile communication device (100) may refer to any device capable of performing short-range communication and / or long-range communication with the vehicle (1). For example, the mobile communication device (100) may include a smartphone.

[0048] The vehicle control system (60) may refer to a plurality of control devices capable of driving various electronic devices of the vehicle (1). For example, the vehicle control system (60) may include an air conditioner control device for driving the air conditioner of the vehicle (1), a window control device for opening and closing the windows of the vehicle (1), a sunroof control device for opening and closing the sunroof of the vehicle (1), a mode activation system for activating / deactivating vehicle systems such as a rear seat conversation mode and a rear seat sleeping mode.

[0049] The rear seat conversation mode is a mode in which the driver and the rear seat passenger communicate using a microphone provided in the driver's seat of the vehicle (1) and a speaker provided in the rear seat, and the rear seat sleeping mode is a mode in which the speaker provided in the rear seat is turned off to allow the rear seat passenger to sleep.

[0050] A conversation manager can analyze the speech acts of user utterances. Speech act analysis is the process of analyzing the intent of a user's utterance, identifying whether the user is asking a question, making a request, responding, or simply expressing an emotion.

[0051] A conversation manager can analyze the speech acts of user utterances. Speech act analysis is the process of analyzing the intent of a user's utterance, identifying whether the user is asking a question, making a request, responding, or simply expressing an emotion.

[0052] A conversation manager can identify user intent based on information such as domains, named entities, and speech acts corresponding to the user's utterance command, and extract actions corresponding to the user intent.

[0053] For example, if the identified user intent is [Run Air Conditioner], the corresponding action can be defined as 'Air Conditioner(Object)_ON(Operator)', and if the identified user intent is [Open Window], the corresponding action can be defined as 'Window(Object)_OPEN(Operator)'.

[0054] The control unit (20) can transmit a control signal to the vehicle control system (60) or to the navigation device (50) through the communication unit (40) based on various information received from the voice processor (10).

[0055] For example, when the control unit (20) receives action data from the voice processor (10) that is ‘air conditioner execution,’ the control unit (20) can send a control signal to the air conditioner control device to turn on the air conditioner.

[0056] Additionally, the control unit (20) can control the speaker (S) to convert a response text corresponding to the domain and the entity name into a voice signal based on the domain data and entity name data received from the voice processor (10), and to output the response text. The speaker (S) for this purpose may refer to any device capable of outputting voice based on the voice signal, and may be provided without limitation in number at a location where a passenger inside the vehicle (1) can listen to the output voice.

[0057] The control unit (20) may include a Text-to-Speech (TTS) engine to convert the answer text into a voice signal. The TTS engine can convert the answer text into a voice signal, and the control unit (20) can transmit the voice signal to a speaker (S).

[0058] The database (30) can store answer text corresponding to each of the multiple domains and multiple entity names, or a combination thereof.

[0059] For example, the database (30) can store the text “I will guide you to A.” as the response text corresponding to the domain “request for route guidance via navigation device (50)” and the entity name “specific place name (e.g., A)”.

[0060] As another example, the database (30) can store the text “I will call A” as the response text corresponding to the domain “call request via mobile communication device (100)” and the entity name “specific person name (e.g., A)”.

[0061] As another example, the database (30) can store the text “I will share the location of my car with A.” as the response text corresponding to the domain “request to share current location via mobile communication device (100)” and the entity name “specific person name (e.g., A)”.

[0062] As another example, the database (30) can store the text "I will turn on the air conditioner." as the response text corresponding to the domain "execution of electronic devices through vehicle control system (60)" and the entity name "air conditioner".

[0063] As another example, the database (30) can store the text “I will turn on rear seat conversation mode.” as the response text corresponding to the domain “activation of vehicle system through vehicle control system (60)” and the entity name “rear seat conversation”.

[0064] When the control unit (20) receives a domain and an entity name from the voice processor (10), it can request information corresponding to the domain and the entity name through the communication unit (40).

[0065] When the domain is a navigation device (50) and the entity name is a place name, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name may include at least one of destination setting history information for the entity name, category information of the entity name, location information of the place having the entity name, location information of the vehicle (1), and current time information.

[0066] At this time, the control unit (20) can receive at least one of the information from the navigation device (50) through the communication unit (40), and can also receive at least one of the information through an external server.

[0067] Additionally, if the domain is a mobile communication device (100) and the entity name is a name representing a family, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name may include information on multiple modifiers for modifying the entity name.

[0068] At this time, multiple modifiers for modifying entity names may be stored in a database (30), and the control unit (20) may receive information about the multiple modifiers from the database (30).

[0069] Additionally, if the domain is a vehicle control system (60) and the entity name is a name representing a device to be controlled, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name may include at least one of weather information and activation information of the vehicle system.

[0070] At this time, the control unit (20) can receive at least one of the information from the vehicle control system (60) through the communication unit (40), and can also receive at least one of the information through an external server.

[0071] When the control unit (20) receives information corresponding to a domain and an entity name, it can modify the answer text stored in the database (30) based on the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name, and control the speaker (S) to output the modified answer text.

[0072] A vehicle (1) according to one embodiment may include at least one memory that stores a program and related data for performing the aforementioned operation and the operation described below, and at least one processor that executes the stored program.

[0073] It is possible for the voice processor (10) and the control unit (20) to each use separate memory and processor, and it is also possible for some or all of them to share memory and processor.

[0074] In addition, it is possible for the TTS engine of the control unit (20) to use a separate memory and processor.

[0075] Additionally, the database (30) may include non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), flash memory, etc., and may also include volatile memory such as S-RAM (Static Random Access Memory) and D-RAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). Depending on the type of information being stored, it may be stored in non-volatile memory or in volatile memory.

[0076] A communication unit (40) according to one embodiment may include a vehicle communication network for communicating with various electronic devices within a vehicle (1) and / or a short-range communication module for communicating with a mobile communication device (100) and / or a long-range communication module for communicating with an external server and / or a mobile communication device (100). For example, the communication unit (40) may exchange various data / commands with a navigation device (50) and a vehicle control system (60) through a vehicle communication network.

[0077] Vehicle communication networks can adopt communication methods such as Ethernet, MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport), Flexray, CAN (Controller Area Network), and LIN (Local Interconnect Network).

[0078] The long-distance communication module may include at least one of various wireless communication modules that can be connected to the Internet network using wireless communication methods such as Wi-Fi, WiBro (Wireless broadband), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4th generation mobile communication, 5th generation mobile communication, etc.

[0079] The short-range communication module may include at least one of various short-range communication modules that transmit and receive signals using a wireless communication network at a short range, such as a Bluetooth module, an infrared communication module, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) communication module, a WLAN (Wireless Local Access Network) communication module, an NFC communication module, a Zigbee communication module, a Z-Wave communication module, and a Wi-Fi Direct communication module.

[0080] Additionally, the communication unit (40) may include an antenna that transmits a wireless signal to free space or receives a wireless signal from free space, a modulator / demodulator that modulates data to be transmitted or demodulates a received wireless signal, etc.

[0081] The control unit (20) may directly exchange data / commands with the navigation device (50) and the vehicle control system (60) without going through the communication unit (40), and it is also possible to exchange data / commands with the speaker (S) through the communication unit (40).

[0082] Various components of the vehicle (1) have been described above. Below, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5, a control method of the vehicle (1) utilizing the components of the vehicle (1) described above will be explained.

[0083] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to one embodiment.

[0084] Referring to FIG. 2, the microphone (M) can receive a user's speech command and convert it into an electrical signal and transmit it to the voice processor (10). That is, the voice processor (10) can receive the user's speech command in the form of an electrical signal from the microphone (M) (1000).

[0085] The voice processor (10) converts the user's speech command into text information and can recognize the domain and entity name corresponding to the speech command based on the text information (1100).

[0086] For example, if the user’s speech command is ‘guide me to Gangnam Station,’ the voice processor (10) can extract ‘navigation device (50)’ as a domain and ‘Gangnam Station’ as an entity name.

[0087] The voice processor (10) can transmit information about the domain and entity name to the control unit (20), and the control unit (20) can request information about the domain and entity name from various electronic devices of the vehicle (1) or an external server.

[0088] Afterwards, the control unit (20) can receive information about the domain and entity name (1200), and can modify the answer text stored in the database (30) based on the information corresponding to the domain and entity name (1300).

[0089] For example, the control unit (20) can add or delete specific phrases regarding the answer text stored in the database (30), and furthermore, can modify the sentence form of the answer text. For example, the control unit (20) can modify the answer text that is not in the form of an interrogative sentence into an interrogative sentence depending on the case.

[0090] Information corresponding to domains and entity names will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

[0091] The control unit (20) can convert the modified answer text into a voice signal and transmit the voice signal to the speaker (S). That is, the control unit (20) can control the speaker (S) to output the modified answer text in the form of voice (1400).

[0092] Below, various embodiments in which the control unit (20) modifies the answer text are described in detail.

[0093] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method when a user inputs a speech command to control a navigation device.

[0094] Referring to FIG. 3, when the domain is a navigation device (50) and the entity name corresponds to a place name (e.g. 2000) based on information received from the voice processor (10), the control unit (20) may request at least one of destination setting history information (2100) for the entity name, category information (2200) of the entity name, location information of the place having the entity name, location information (2300) of the vehicle (1), and current time information from the navigation device (50) and / or an external server.

[0095] For example, the voice processor (10) can process the user’s speech command “guide me to Gangnam Station” to recognize the domain “navigation device (50)” and the entity name “Gangnam Station”. As another example, the voice processor (10) can process the user’s speech command “my house” to recognize the domain “navigation device (50)” and the entity name “house”.

[0096] Destination setting history information refers to information regarding the history of setting a destination for a named entity, and may include information regarding the time and / or number of times a destination was set for a named entity.

[0097] Category information refers to information about the category of an entity name, which may mean information indicating which category a place with an entity name belongs to among various categories such as restaurants, cafes, car repair shops, banks, supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations, cafes, convenience stores, movie theaters, amusement parks, campsites, and subway stations.

[0098] For example, if the domain is a navigation device (50) and the entity name is Gangnam Station, the control unit (20) may request at least one of destination setting history information for Gangnam Station, category information for Gangnam Station, location information for Gangnam Station, and current time information from the navigation device (50) and / or an external server.

[0099] If the control unit (20) has a history of setting a destination for an entity name (e.g., 2100), it can modify the answer text stored in the database (30) to include a phrase regarding the period between the time when the entity name was set as a destination and the time when the utterance command was entered (2150).

[0100] For example, if the time when the entity name is set as the destination is 2020 / 07 / 04 and the time when the speech command is entered is 2020 / 09 / 07, the control unit (20) can modify the answer text stored in the database (30) to include the phrase "2 months".

[0101] For example, if the answer text stored in the database (30) is “I will guide you to [entity name]”, the control unit (20) can modify the answer text to “You are going after about 『2 months』, I will guide you right away”.

[0102] As another example, if the number of times an entity name is set as a destination is on an increasing trend, the control unit (20) can modify the response text to “You go to the ‘fortress’ [entity name] ‘often’. I will guide you right away.”

[0103] The control unit (20) can modify the answer text stored in the database (30) to include a phrase regarding the category information of the entity name when category information for the entity name exists (e.g., 2200), and in this case, the answer text can be modified to reflect the current time information (2250).

[0104] For example, if the category of the entity name is a restaurant, the control unit (20) can modify the answer text to include the phrase "famous restaurant," which is a phrase related to the restaurant.

[0105] For example, if the answer text stored in the database (30) is “I’ll guide you to [Named Entity]”, the control unit (20) can modify the answer text to “I heard there is a famous restaurant here? I’ll guide you right away”.

[0106] In this case, the control unit (20) may modify the answer text stored in the database (30) to include a preset phrase corresponding to the current time information.

[0107] For example, if the current time is between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., the control unit (20) can modify the answer text to include a preset phrase related to "lunch".

[0108] For example, if the category of the entity name is a restaurant and the current time is between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM, the control unit (20) can modify the response text to “This place is quite famous as a ‘famous restaurant’? Have a delicious ‘lunch’.”

[0109] The control unit (20) can modify the answer text stored in the database (30) to include a preset phrase corresponding to the first preset location and the second preset location when the vehicle (1) is located within a preset distance from the first preset location and the location having an entity name corresponds to the second preset location (2300 example) (2350).

[0110] At this time, the first preset location and the second preset location may include a place of interest entered into the navigation device (50) by the user.

[0111] For example, the first preset location may be set to 'workplace' and the second preset location may be set to 'home', and preset phrases such as 'thank you for your hard work' and 'thank you for your efforts' may be stored as corresponding phrases for 'workplace' and 'home'.

[0112] The preset distance can be set to about 1 km, and can be adopted without limitation as long as it is a reasonable distance where it is assumed that the vehicle (1) will be near the first preset location.

[0113] For example, if the first preset location is a company and the second preset location is a home, the control unit (20) can modify the response text to “『Thank you for your hard work.』 I will guide you home right away.” if the vehicle (1) is located within 1 km of the “company” and the location with the entity name corresponds to “home.”

[0114] The control unit (20) can control the speaker (S) to output the modified answer text in the form of voice as described above (2500).

[0115] If the above example does not apply, the control unit (20) can control the speaker (S) to output the answer text stored in the database (30) (2400).

[0116] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when a user inputs a speech command to a navigation device (50), various response voices may be provided depending on various situations.

[0117] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a control method for a vehicle (1) when a user inputs a speech command to control a mobile communication device.

[0118] Referring to FIG. 4, when the domain is a mobile communication device (100) and the entity name corresponds to a name representing a family (e.g., 3000) based on information received from the voice processor (10), the control unit (20) may request information from an external server and / or database (30) and / or mobile communication device (100) regarding a plurality of modifiers for modifying the entity name.

[0119] For example, the voice processor (10) can process the user’s speech command “Call Mom” and recognize the domain “mobile communication device (100)” and the entity name “Mom”.

[0120] Names representing family may include formal titles such as "daughter, son, mom, dad, husband, wife," and may also include informal titles such as "lady, princess, prince, other half, my love, honey, pretty."

[0121] Additionally, if the domain is a mobile communication device (100), more specific domain classifications may include domains such as "phone function, text function, car location sharing function".

[0122] If the domain is classified as a phone function, the answer text stored in the database (30) may be "I will call [Named Entity]", if the domain is classified as a text function, the answer text stored in the database (30) may be "I will text [Named Entity]", and if the domain is a car location sharing function, the answer text stored in the database (30) may be "I will share the car location with [Named Entity]".

[0123] An external server and / or mobile communication device (100) and / or database (30) can transmit information about a plurality of modifiers corresponding to each family name to a control unit (20), and the control unit (20) receives information about the plurality of modifiers and can arbitrarily select one of the plurality of modifiers (3100).

[0124] For example, multiple modifiers corresponding to "wife" may include "beloved," "lifelong partner," etc., and the control unit (20) may arbitrarily select any one of the above multiple modifiers.

[0125] As another example, multiple modifiers corresponding to "pretty" may include "my", "treasure number 1", etc., and the control unit (20) may arbitrarily select any one of the above multiple modifiers.

[0126] The control unit (20) can modify the answer text stored in the database (30) so that one of the multiple modifiers is included (3200).

[0127] For example, if the entity name includes "wife" and the domain is determined to be "phone call via mobile communication device (100)," the control unit (20) can modify the response text to "I will call my 'beloved' wife."

[0128] Afterwards, the control unit (20) can control the speaker (S) to output the modified answer text, which includes modifiers, in the form of voice (3300).

[0129] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when a user inputs a speech command to a mobile communication device (100), various response voices may be provided according to various names.

[0130] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method when a user inputs a voice command to control the vehicle control system.

[0131] Referring to FIG. 5, if, based on information received from the voice processor (10), the domain is a vehicle control system (60) and the entity name does not correspond to a name representing a device to be controlled (4000 No), the control unit (20) can control the speaker (S) to output a response text corresponding to a speech command stored in the database (30) (4050).

[0132] In addition, even when the operating condition of the device to be controlled matches the weather information (No in 4100) and also matches the activation information of the vehicle system (No in 4200), the control unit (20) can control the speaker (S) to output a response text corresponding to the speech command stored in the database (30) (4300).

[0133] When the domain is a vehicle control system (60) and the entity name corresponds to a name representing a device to be controlled (e.g., 4000) based on information received from the voice processor (10), the control unit (20) may request at least one of weather information (4100) and / or activation information (4200) of the vehicle system from an external server and / or the vehicle control system (60).

[0134] For example, the voice processor (10) can process the user’s speech command “open the window” and recognize the domain “vehicle control system (60)” and the entity name “window”.

[0135] As explained above, the vehicle control system (60) may refer to an electronic control device for controlling various electronic devices of the vehicle (1), and the device to be controlled may refer to a device to be controlled by the electronic control device.

[0136] For example, the vehicle control system (60) may be a ‘window control device’ for opening and closing a window or a ‘sunroof control device’ for opening and closing a sunroof, and the device to be controlled may be a ‘window’ or a ‘sunroof’.

[0137] Weather information may refer to information about the weather at the current location of the vehicle (1) and may include various information such as fine dust information, humidity information, and rain information.

[0138] If the condition for operating the device to be controlled and the weather information do not match (e.g., 4100), the control unit (20) can modify the answer text stored in the database (30) to include a first phrase regarding the weather information (4150).

[0139] In this case, the control unit (20) may modify the answer text into a question sentence.

[0140] The first phrase regarding weather information may refer to a phrase that can inform the user of current weather information.

[0141] Conditions for operating the device to be controlled may be stored in the database (30).

[0142] For example, the database (30) may store a condition such as ‘fine dust is in a normal or good state’ as a ‘condition for opening a window or sunroof’.

[0143] In the database (30), the text “I will open the window.” may be stored as an answer text corresponding to the domain “opening a window through a window control device” and an entity name including “window”.

[0144] If the fine dust condition included in the weather information is bad, the control unit (20) can modify the response text corresponding to the domain "window opening via window control device" and the entity name including "window" to "Currently, the 'fine dust' is bad. Would you still like to open it?"

[0145] If the operating conditions of the device to be controlled and the activation information of the vehicle system do not match (e.g., 4200), the control unit (20) can modify the response text to include a second phrase regarding the activation information of the vehicle system (4250).

[0146] In this case, the control unit (20) may modify the answer text into a question sentence.

[0147] The activation information of the vehicle system may refer to information regarding whether various modes equipped in the vehicle (1) are activated. For example, the various modes equipped in the vehicle (1) may refer to various vehicle (1) modes such as 'rear seat conversation mode', 'rear seat sleeping mode', 'internal circulation mode', and 'external circulation mode'.

[0148] That is, the activation information of the vehicle system may include information on whether the rear seat conversation mode is currently on, whether the rear seat sleep mode is on, whether the internal circulation mode is on, whether the external circulation mode is on, etc.

[0149] The second phrase regarding the activation information of the vehicle system may mean a phrase that can inform the user of the current activation information of the vehicle system.

[0150] Conditions for operating the device to be controlled may be stored in the database (30).

[0151] For example, the database (30) may store a condition that ‘the rear seat sleep mode is off’ as a ‘condition for turning on the rear seat conversation mode’.

[0152] In the database (30), the text “I will turn on the rear seat conversation system” may be stored as an answer text corresponding to the domain “operation of the rear seat conversation system” and an entity name containing the word “rear seat conversation”.

[0153] When the rear seat sleep mode is on, the control unit (20) can modify the response text corresponding to the entity name containing "rear seat conversation" and the domain "rear seat conversation system" to "Currently, the 'rear seat sleep mode' is on. Still, would you like to 'change' to the rear seat conversation mode?"

[0154] The control unit (20) can control the speaker (S) so that the modified answer text is output in voice form (4400).

[0155] In addition, the communication unit (40) can be controlled to transmit a control command corresponding to a firing command to the control target device only when the conditions for operating the control target device match weather information, or when the conditions for operating the control target device match activation information of the vehicle system.

[0156] For example, when the rear seat sleeping mode is on, the control unit (20) may not operate the rear seat conversation system in response to a user's voice command to turn on the rear seat conversation mode.

[0157] That is, if the control unit (20) determines that the operation of the device to be controlled is inappropriate, it outputs a response text asking the user for a definite opinion in the form of voice, and may withhold whether to transmit a control command corresponding to the speech command until the user's definite opinion is received.

[0158] Additionally, the control unit (20) may determine the operating conditions of the device to be controlled by considering both weather information and activation information of the vehicle system. For example, the database (30) may have a condition stored as the operating condition of the air conditioner, such as 'when humidity is 80 percent or higher, the internal circulation mode is on.'

[0159] When the humidity is 80 percent or higher and the outside air circulation mode is on, if the user inputs the voice command "Turn on the air conditioner," the control unit (20) can modify the response text "I will turn on the air conditioner" to "The current humidity is very high. How about turning on the air conditioner and switching to the inside air circulation mode?"

[0160] According to a vehicle (1) and a control method for the vehicle (1) according to one embodiment, various response voices considering the surrounding environment can be output to provide convenience and interest to the user.

[0161] Examples of vehicles and methods for controlling the same are not limited thereto, and the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention may be implemented in other specific forms without altering its technical concept or essential features. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the foregoing description, and all variations within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0162] 1: Vehicle 10: Voice processor 20: Control unit 30: Database 40: Communication unit 50: Navigation device 60: Vehicle control system 100: Mobile communication device M: Microphone S: Speaker

Claims

Claim 1 A communication unit that transmits control commands to a controlled device; a voice processor that converts a user's utterance command into text information and recognizes a domain, named entity, and speech act corresponding to the utterance command based on the text information; a database that stores response text corresponding to the domain, named entity, and speech act; a speaker; A vehicle comprising: a control unit that receives information corresponding to the domain, entity name, and speech act, modifies the answer text stored in the database based on the information corresponding to the domain, entity name, and speech act, and controls the speaker to output the modified answer text; wherein, when the domain is a vehicle control system and the entity name is a name representing the device to be controlled, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name includes at least one of weather information and activation information of the vehicle system; and the control unit modifies the answer text to be changed into an interrogative sentence containing a first phrase regarding the weather information or a second phrase regarding the activation information of the vehicle system when the condition for operating the device to be controlled does not match the weather information or when the condition does not match the activation information of the vehicle system, and controls the communication unit to transmit a control command corresponding to the utterance command to the device to be controlled only when the condition for operating the device to be controlled matches the weather information or when the condition matches the activation information of the vehicle system. Claim 2 In claim 1, where the domain is a navigation device and the entity name is a place name, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name comprises at least one of destination setting history information for the entity name, category information of the entity name, location information of a place having the entity name, location information of a vehicle, and current time information. Claim 3 In paragraph 2, the control unit modifies the answer text stored in the database to include a phrase regarding the period between the time when the entity name is set as a destination and the time when the speech command is input. Claim 4 In paragraph 2, the control unit modifies the answer text stored in the database to include a phrase regarding the category information of the entity name. Claim 5 In paragraph 2, the control unit modifies the answer text stored in the database to include a preset phrase corresponding to the first preset location and the second preset location when the vehicle is located within a preset distance from a first preset location and the location having the entity name corresponds to a second preset location. Claim 6 In paragraph 2, the control unit modifies the answer text stored in the database to include a preset phrase corresponding to the current time information. Claim 7 A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the domain is a mobile communication device and the entity name is a name representing a family, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name includes information on a plurality of modifiers for modifying the entity name, and the control unit modifies the answer text stored in the database so as to include one of the plurality of modifiers. Claim 8 delete Claim 9 delete Claim 10 delete Claim 11 The method comprises converting a user’s utterance command into text information; recognizing a domain, entity name, and speech act corresponding to the utterance command based on the text information; receiving information corresponding to the domain, entity name, and speech act; modifying a response text stored in a database based on the information corresponding to the domain, entity name, and speech act; and controlling a speaker to output the modified response text; wherein, when the domain is a vehicle control system and the entity name is a name representing a device to be controlled, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name includes at least one of weather information and activation information of the vehicle system; and modifying the response text stored in the database based on the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name includes, if the condition for operating the device to be controlled does not match the weather information or the condition does not match the activation information of the vehicle system, modifying the response text to be changed into an interrogative sentence containing a first phrase regarding the weather information or a second phrase regarding the activation information of the vehicle system; and only when the condition for operating the device to be controlled matches the weather information or the condition matches the activation information of the vehicle system, the method provides the device to which the utterance command corresponds. A vehicle control method further comprising transmitting control commands. Claim 12 In claim 11, where the domain is a navigation device and the entity name is a place name, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name comprises at least one of destination setting history information for the entity name, category information of the entity name, location information of a place having the entity name, location information of a vehicle, and current time information. Claim 13 A method for controlling a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein modifying the answer text stored in the database based on information corresponding to the domain and the entity name involves modifying the answer text stored in the database to include a phrase regarding the period between the time when the entity name is set as a destination and the time when the speech command is input. Claim 14 A method for controlling a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein modifying the answer text stored in the database based on information corresponding to the domain and the entity name involves modifying the answer text stored in the database to include a phrase regarding the category information of the entity name. Claim 15 A method for controlling a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein modifying the answer text stored in the database based on information corresponding to the domain and the entity name involves, if the vehicle is located within a preset distance from a first preset location and the location having the entity name corresponds to a second preset location, modifying the answer text stored in the database to include a preset phrase corresponding to the first preset location and the second preset location. Claim 16 A method for controlling a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein modifying the answer text stored in the database based on information corresponding to the domain and the entity name involves modifying the answer text stored in the database to include a preset phrase corresponding to the current time information. Claim 17 A method for controlling a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein, in the case where the domain is a mobile communication device and the entity name is a name representing a family, the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name includes information on a plurality of modifiers for modifying the entity name, and modifying the answer text stored in the database based on the information corresponding to the domain and the entity name is to modify the answer text stored in the database such that one of the plurality of modifiers is included. Claim 18 delete Claim 19 delete Claim 20 delete

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