Dialogue System Leap-in-Logic Utterance Handling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current dialogue systems often present abrupt topic changes, leading to an unnatural impression, and may result in users becoming inattentive or unsatisfied with the dialogue, as they struggle to follow the conversation and connect with the agent.

Innovation Solution

A dialogue method that includes presenting 'leap-in-logic' utterances with partially missing logical structures, followed by confirmation actions and supplementary utterances to fill in the missing information, encouraging user interaction and maintaining a natural dialogue flow.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the dialogue system presents complete and coherent utterances, then the user can easily understand the dialogue, but the user may become inattentive or unsatisfied due to abrupt topic changes and lack of natural flow

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser understanding of dialogueVSAvoidnaturalness of dialogue flow

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The utterance is divided into two parts: a first utterance that presents a topic change with missing logical connection, and a second utterance that supplements the missing logical structure. This segmentation creates a more natural dialogue flow while maintaining user understanding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The dialogue system presents the first utterance with an intention to change topic before providing the complete logical connection through the second utterance. This preliminary action creates anticipation and natural flow, preventing abrupt topic changes from bothering the user.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the dialogue system maintains smooth and consistent dialogue flow, then the user remains engaged, but the system may appear to be playing acts rather than having real dialogue

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconsistency of dialogue flowVSAvoiduser engagement and understanding

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of providing complete logical connections immediately, the system intentionally leaves the logical structure incomplete in the first utterance and asks the user to infer or fill in the missing part through the second utterance. This inversion creates more natural dialogue while preventing the appearance of play-acting.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the dialogue system uses predetermined scenarios for conversation, then the dialogue structure is controlled and predictable, but the dialogue may feel unnatural when users deviate from the scenario

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflexibility in dialogue topicsVSAvoidnaturalness of conversation

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The dialogue system dynamically adjusts its response based on user input. When a user deviates from the predetermined scenario, the system uses the first utterance to acknowledge the deviation and the second utterance to naturally guide back to the intended topic, maintaining both flexibility and naturalness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS11354517B2Dialogue method, dialogue system, dialogue apparatus and program

Publication Date: 2022.06.07 NIPPON TELEGRAPH & TELEPHONE CORP

AI summary

It is an object of the present invention to prevent inattentive listening to a dialogue of an agent without taking it seriously and to make it easier to understand the dialogue with the agent. A dialogue system 100 conducts a dialogue with a user 101. A humanoid robot 50-1 presents a leap-in-logic utterance, which is an utterance, of which a logical structure is partially missing. The user 101 expresses a confirmation action which is an action confirming the missing information in the leap-in-logic utterance. The humanoid robot 50-1 presents a supplementary utterance which is an utterance describing the missing information.