Voice search system, voice search method, and computer-readable storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10489451-B2
Application number	US-201314907877-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2013
Priority date	Sep 11, 2013
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

Provided is a voice search technology that can efficiently find and check a problematic call. To this end, a voice search system of the present invention includes a call search database that stores, for each of a reception channel and a transmission channel of each of a plurality of pieces of recorded call voice data, voice section sequences in association with predetermined keywords and time information. The call search database is searched based on an input search keyword, so that a voice section sequence that contains the search keyword is obtained. More specifically, the voice search system obtains, as a keyword search result, a voice section sequence that contains the search keyword and the appearance time thereof from the plurality of pieces of recorded call voice data, and obtains, based on the appearance time in the keyword search result, the start time of a voice section sequence of another channel immediately before the voice section sequence obtained as the keyword search result, and thus determines the start time as the playback start position for playing back the recorded voice. Then, the playback start position is output as a voice search result.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A voice search system comprising:
a recording device including:
a receiver configured to receive voice data; and
a memory configured to store the voice data;

a search device including:
a search database that stores, for each of a reception channel and a transmission channel of each of a plurality of pieces of recorded voice data, voice section sequences in association with predetermined keywords and time information; and
a processor configured to search the search database based on a search keyword, and obtain a voice section sequence that contains the search keyword,

wherein the processor is configured to:
obtain, as a keyword search result, a voice section sequence that contains the search keyword and an appearance time of the voice section sequence from the plurality of pieces of recorded voice data,
obtain, based on the appearance time in the keyword search result, a start time of a voice section sequence of another channel immediately before the voice section sequence obtained as the keyword search result, and determine the start time as a playback start position for playing back the recorded voice, and
output the playback start position as a voice search result on a graphical user interface;

wherein the search database further stores a non-verbal information score, indicating a seriousness of a problem discussed in the voice data, of each voice section sequence, and
wherein the processor is configured to determine, based on the seriousness of the problem indicated by the non-verbal information score, a priority of the voice search result for which the playback start position has been determined, and rearrange the voice search result based on the seriousness of the problem obtained from the non-verbal information score; and
a search terminal device including the graphical user interface that includes a display screen and a user input device through which a user inputs the search keyword.

2. The voice search system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to output voice search results to the graphical user interface in descending order of the priority for display on the display screen.

3. The voice search system according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to allow, other than the start time of the voice section sequence of the other channel immediately before the voice section sequence obtained as the keyword search result, the start time of the voice section sequence obtained as the keyword search result or a start time of a voice section sequence of another channel immediately after the voice section sequence obtained as the keyword search result, to be selected as a playback start position for playing back the recorded voice, and display the playback start position on the display screen.

4. The voice search system according to claim 1 , wherein
the non-verbal information score is an emotion score that is obtained by determining an emotion in the voice section sequence, and
the emotion score is associated with a start time of the voice section sequence.

5. A voice search method for searching a search database based on a search keyword input by a user through a graphical user interface including a display screen and a user input device, and obtaining a voice section sequence that contains the search keyword, the search database being configured to store, for each of a reception channel and a transmission channel of each of a plurality of pieces of voice data, voice section sequences in association with predetermined keywords and time information, the method comprising causing a processor to:
receive and record the voice data;
receive the search keyword input by the user through the graphical user interface;
search the search database based on the search keyword;
obtain, as a keyword search result, a voice section sequence that contains the search keyword and an appearance time of the voice section sequence from the plurality of pieces of recorded voice data;
obtain, based on the appearance time in the keyword search result, a start time of a voice section sequence of another channel immediately before the voice section sequence obtained as the keyword search result, and determine the start time as a playback start position for playing back the recorded voice; and
output the playback start position as a voice search result on the graphical user interface;
wherein the search database further stores a non-verbal information score, indicating a seriousness of a problem discussed in the voice data, of each voice section sequence, and
wherein the method further comprises causing the processor to determine, based on the seriousness of the problem indicated by the non-verbal information score, a priority of the voice search result for which the playback start position has been determined, and rearrange the voice search result based on the seriousness of the problem obtained from the non-verbal information score.

6. The voice search method according to claim 5 , further comprising causing the processor to output voice search results to the graphical user interface in descending order of the priority for display on the display screen.

7. The voice search method according to claim 6 , further comprising, in the step of displaying the voice search results, causing the processor to allow, other than the start time of the voice section sequence of the other channel immediately before the voice section sequence obtained as the keyword search result, the start time of the voice section sequence obtained as the keyword search result or a start time of a voice section sequence of another channel immediately after the voice section sequence obtained as the keyword search result, to be selected as a playback start position for playing back the recorded voice, and display the playback start position on the display screen.

8. The voice search method according to claim 5 , wherein
the non-verbal information score is an emotion score that is obtained by determining an emotion in the voice section sequence, and
the emotion score is associated with a start time of the voice section sequence.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer to execute the voice search method according to claim 5 .

Assignees

• Hitachi Ltd

Inventors

• Fujita Yusuke
• Takeda Ryu
• Kanda Naoyuki

Classifications

• G10L2015/088

  Word spotting · CPC title

• G06F16/638 Primary

  Presentation of query results · CPC title

• G06F16/64

  Browsing; Visualisation therefor (generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638) · CPC title

• H04M2201/40

  using speech recognition · CPC title

• G06F16/00

  Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor · CPC title