Device control method, device management system, and voice input apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9747903-B2
Application number	US-201615217116-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2016
Priority date	Apr 8, 2014
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

A method is provided that includes receiving, from a voice input apparatus associated with a first target device among a plurality of target devices, instruction information that includes first voice information indicating an operation instruction for any target device, and recognizing the operation instruction from the first voice information included in the received instruction information. The method also includes specifying the first target device by referencing a first database, and determining whether second voice information indicating an operation object for the operation instruction is included in the instruction information. The method further includes transmitting, (i) when the second voice information is not included in the instruction information, a first control command for executing the recognized operation instruction to the first target device, and (ii) when the second voice information is included in the instruction information, the first control command to a second target device associated with the operation object.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, from a voice input apparatus associated with a first target device among a plurality of target devices, instruction information that includes first voice information indicating an operation instruction for any target device among the plurality of target devices, the plurality of target devices being arranged in a same household;
recognizing the operation instruction from the first voice information included in the received instruction information, wherein the instruction information includes identification information that identifies the voice input apparatus;
specifying the first target device by referencing a first database in which the identification information and a device ID of the first target device are associated;
determining whether second voice information indicating an operation object for the operation instruction is included in the instruction information; and
transmitting, (i) when the second voice information is not included in the instruction information, a first control command for executing the recognized operation instruction to the first target device, and (ii) when the second voice information is included in the instruction information, the first control command to a second target device associated with the operation object.

2. A device management system, comprising:
a device management apparatus; and
a voice input apparatus,
wherein the device management apparatus which, in operation,
receives, from the voice input apparatus associated with a first target device among a plurality of target devices, instruction information that includes first voice information indicating an operation instruction for any target device among the plurality of target devices, the plurality of target devices being arranged in a same household;
recognizes the operation instruction from the first voice information included in the received instruction information, wherein the instruction information includes identification information that identifies the voice input apparatus;
specifies the first target device by referencing a first database in which the identification information and a device ID of the first target device are associated;
determines whether second voice information indicating a second target device among the plurality of target devices is included in the instruction information; and
transmits, (i) when the second voice information is not included in the instruction information, a control command for executing the recognized operation instruction to the first target device, and (ii) when the second voice information is included in the instruction information, the control command to the second target device, and
the voice input apparatus which, in operation, transmits the instruction information to the device management apparatus.

3. A voice input apparatus that is connected to the device management system according to claim 2 .

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Corp America

Inventors

• Kojima Yoshihiro
• Ikeda Yoichi

Classifications

• G10L15/08

  Speech classification or search · CPC title

• G10L25/72

  for transmitting results of analysis · CPC title

• G10L15/30

  Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications · CPC title

• G10L2015/223

  Execution procedure of a spoken command · CPC title

• G10L15/22 Primary

  Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue · CPC title