U.S. patent application number 16/782160 was filed with the patent office on 2020-06-04 for information providing method and information providing apparatus.
The applicant listed for this patent is YAMAHA CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Takahiro IWATA, Yuki SETO.
Application Number | 20200175988 16/782160 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 65525467 |
Filed Date | 2020-06-04 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200175988 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
IWATA; Takahiro ; et
al. |
June 4, 2020 |
INFORMATION PROVIDING METHOD AND INFORMATION PROVIDING
APPARATUS
Abstract
A computer-implemented information providing method includes:
storing, at an information providing apparatus, a plurality of
pieces of related information in association with a same
identification information in a storage device, wherein each of the
plurality of the pieces of the related information is
representative of a content of a corresponding one of a series of a
plurality of speech voices uttered to a first device; and in
response to a request from a second device that receives the
identification information, causing, at the information providing
apparatus, a communication device to transmit to the second device
one or more of the plurality of the pieces of the related
information associated with the same identification
information.
Inventors: |
IWATA; Takahiro; (Tokyo,
JP) ; SETO; Yuki; (Tokyo, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
YAMAHA CORPORATION |
Hamamatsu-shi |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
65525467 |
Appl. No.: |
16/782160 |
Filed: |
February 5, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
PCT/JP2018/030407 |
Aug 16, 2018 |
|
|
|
16782160 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 40/169 20200101;
G10L 13/00 20130101; G10L 19/018 20130101; H04M 3/42 20130101; G10L
15/22 20130101; G10L 2015/223 20130101; G10L 15/183 20130101; G06F
3/16 20130101; G10L 15/005 20130101; G10L 15/00 20130101; H04M
2201/40 20130101; H04M 1/7255 20130101; G06F 40/40 20200101; G06F
40/58 20200101 |
International
Class: |
G10L 15/22 20060101
G10L015/22; H04M 1/725 20060101 H04M001/725; G10L 15/00 20060101
G10L015/00; G10L 15/183 20060101 G10L015/183 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 31, 2017 |
JP |
2017-166984 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented information providing method comprising:
storing, at an information providing apparatus, a plurality of
pieces of related information in association with a same
identification information in a storage device, wherein each of the
plurality of the pieces of the related information is
representative of a content of a corresponding one of a series of a
plurality of speech voices uttered to a first device; and in
response to a request from a second device that receives the
identification information, causing, at the information providing
apparatus, a communication device to transmit to the second device
one or more of the plurality of the pieces of the related
information associated with the same identification
information.
2. The information providing method according to claim 1, further
comprising transmitting the identification information from the
first device to the second device.
3. The information providing method according to claim 1, further
comprising transmitting the identification information to the
second device by sound communication by which a sound outputter
outputs a sound representative of the identification information,
wherein the identification information is transmitted in
conjunction with the utterance of each of the plurality of the
speech voices.
4. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein
the related information is generated by voice recognition carried
out on each of the plurality of the speech voices and machine
translation carried out on a recognized text identified by the
voice recognition.
5. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein
the related information includes a text in a second language, which
is a rendition of, from among a plurality of candidate texts, a
candidate text that is similar to a recognized text in a first
language identified by voice recognition carried out on each of the
plurality of the speech voices, wherein the related information
further includes a text in the second language of a variable
portion that differs from the candidate text in the recognized
text.
6. The information providing method according to claim 1, further
comprising storing a piece of related information in association
with the identification information in the storage device, wherein
the piece of related information is representative of a content of
a speech voice uttered to the second device.
7. The information providing method according to claim 6, wherein
the related information is generated by voice recognition carried
out on the speech voice uttered to the second device and machine
translation carried out on a recognized text identified by the
voice recognition.
8. A computer-implemented information providing method, comprising:
storing, at an information providing apparatus, a plurality of
related information series in association with a same
identification information in a storage device, wherein each of the
plurality of related information series correspond to different
languages, wherein each of the plurality of related information
series includes a plurality of the pieces of the related
information, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of the related
information is representative of a content of a corresponding one
of a series of a plurality of speech voices uttered to a first
device, and wherein each of the plurality of the pieces of the
related information is generated by voice recognition carried out
on a corresponding one of the plurality of the speech voices and
machine translation carried out on a recognized text identified by
the voice recognition; and in response to a request from a second
device that receives the identification information, causing, at
the information providing apparatus, a communication device to
transmit to the second device one or more of the plurality of the
pieces of the related information associated with the same
identification information and that correspond to a language
configured in the second device from among the different
languages.
9. An information providing apparatus comprising: at least one
processor; and a memory that is operatively coupled to the at least
one processor and that is configured to store instructions
executable by the processor, wherein upon execution of the
instructions the processor is caused to: store a plurality of
pieces of related information in association with a same
identification information in a storage device, wherein each of the
plurality of the pieces of the related information is
representative of a content of a corresponding one of a plurality
of speech voices uttered in sequence to a first device; and in
response to a request from a second device that receives the
identification information, cause a communication device to
transmit to the second device one or more of the plurality of the
pieces of the related information associated with the same
identification information.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Continuation Application of PCT
Application No. PCT/JP2018/030407, filed Aug. 16, 2018, and is
based on and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No.
2017-166984, filed Aug. 31, 2017, the entire contents of each of
which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
Technical Field
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a technique for providing
information to users.
Description of Related Art
[0003] To date, techniques have been proposed in the art for
providing various types of information to users of terminal
apparatuses. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
Publication No. H2-190888 discloses a guide system in which audio
descriptions are stored in advance in a playback unit carried by a
user. The guide system plays back an audio description that
corresponds to code information transmitted from a transmission
means in the vicinity of an exhibit.
[0004] The technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application
Laid-Open Publication No. H2-190888 simply makes provision for
advance storage of audio descriptions in a playback unit for
selective playback. User convenience would be significantly
enhanced, however, if a user were to be provided with information
representative of content of vocal information serially presented
during a lecture, for example. Such provision of information would
be of particular convenience to a user with hearing loss, since the
user would be able to readily follow and understand vocal
information presented during the lecture.
SUMMARY
[0005] It is thus an object of the present disclosure to provide a
user with serial pieces of information corresponding to vocal
information presented in sequence.
[0006] To achieve the above-stated object, a computer-implemented
information providing method according to an aspect of the present
disclosure includes storing, at an information providing apparatus,
a plurality of pieces of related information in association with a
same identification information in a storage device, where each of
the plurality of the pieces of the related information is
representative of a content of a corresponding one of a series of a
plurality of speech voices uttered to a first device; and in
response to a request from a second device that receives the
identification information, causing, at the information providing
apparatus, a communication device to transmit to the second device
one or more of the plurality of the pieces of the related
information associated with the same identification
information.
[0007] A computer-implemented information providing method
according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes:
storing, at an information providing apparatus, a plurality of
related information series in association with a same
identification information in a storage device, where each of the
plurality of related information series correspond to different
languages, where each of the plurality of related information
series includes a plurality of the pieces of the related
information, where each of the plurality of pieces of the related
information is representative of a content of a corresponding one
of a series of a plurality of speech voices uttered to a first
device, and where each of the plurality of the pieces of the
related information is generated by voice recognition carried out
on a corresponding one of the plurality of the speech voices and
machine translation carried out on a recognized text identified by
the voice recognition; and in response to a request from a second
device that receives the identification information, causing, at
the information providing apparatus, a communication device to
transmit to the second device one or more of the plurality of the
pieces of the related information associated with the same
identification information and that correspond to a language
configured in the second device from among the different
languages.
[0008] An information providing apparatus according to still
another aspect of the present disclosure has: at least one
processor; and a memory that is operatively coupled to the at least
one processor and that is configured to store instructions
executable by the processor, where upon execution of the
instructions the processor is caused to: store a plurality of
pieces of related information in association with a same
identification information in a storage device, where each of the
plurality of the pieces of the related information is
representative of a content of a corresponding one of a plurality
of speech voices uttered in sequence to a first device; and in
response to a request from a second device that receives the
identification information, cause a communication device to
transmit to the second device one or more of the plurality of the
pieces of the related information associated with the same
identification information.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a
communication system according to a first embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a
voice playback apparatus.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a
signal processing circuit.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an
information providing apparatus.
[0013] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of related information
stored in a storage device of the information providing
apparatus.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a
terminal apparatus.
[0015] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of operation of the
communication system and the terminal apparatus.
[0016] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of operation of the
communication system and the terminal apparatus in a second
embodiment.
[0017] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a reference table in the
second embodiment.
[0018] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of operation of the
communication system and the terminal apparatus in the third
embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
First Embodiment
[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration
of a communication system 100 according to a first embodiment of
the present disclosure. The communication system 100 according to
the first embodiment is a computer system for providing information
to a user Ub who situated in a facility, such as a hall or a
conference room (hereafter, "provider facility"). The communication
system 100 has a voice playback apparatus 10, a voice recognition
apparatus 20, a machine translation apparatus 30, and an
information providing apparatus 40. Each element of the
communication system 100 can communicate with each other via a
communication network 200, such as a mobile communication network,
the Internet, or similar.
[0020] The voice playback apparatus 10 (example of a first device)
is installed in a provider facility. In the provider facility,
there may be held, for example, a lecture in which a human speaker
Ua utters vocal sounds serially. The voice playback apparatus 10 is
a sound system that receives and outputs vocal sounds serially
uttered by the speaker Ua (hereafter, "speech voice") V. The user
Ub is an audience member at the lecture, and is situated in the
provider facility with the terminal apparatus 50. The terminal
apparatus 50 (an example of a second device) is a portable
information terminal, such as a portable phone, or a smart phone,
or the like. In some embodiments, the terminal apparatus 50 may be
a guidance device, such as an electronic bulletin board, digital
signage, or the like installed in the provider facility. For
convenience, the following description focuses on a single terminal
apparatus 50.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the
voice playback apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the voice playback
apparatus 10 of the first embodiment has a controller 11, a storage
device 12, a communicator 13, a sound receiver 14, a signal
processing circuit 15, and a sound outputter 16. In some
embodiments, a public-address system, which is installed in the
provider facility, or an information terminal such as a tablet
terminal or a personal computer may be used as the voice playback
apparatus 10. The voice playback apparatus 10 may be realized by
use of a single device or by use of multiple devices that are
separate bodies (i.e., system).
[0022] The sound receiver 14 is an audio device (microphone) that
receives sounds within a surrounding environment. The human speaker
Ua utters a speech voice V to the sound receiver 14. The sound
receiver 14 receives the sound of the speech voice V uttered by the
speaker Ua, and generates a voice signal X representative of the
speech voice V. For brevity, description is omitted of an A/D
converter used for converting the voice signal X generated by the
sound receiver 14 from analog to digital format.
[0023] The controller 11 consists of processing circuitry such as a
CPU (Central Processing Unit), and carries out overall control of
each element in the voice playback apparatus 10. The storage device
12 has stored therein computer programs executed by the controller
11 and various types of data used by the controller 11. For
example, a publically known recording medium, such as a
semiconductor recording medium or a magnetic recording medium, or a
combination of different types of recording media are each suitable
for use as the storage device 12.
[0024] The controller 11 of the first embodiment generates
identification information D by executing a computer program stored
in the storage device 12. The identification information D is
identification information of a series of speech voices V vocalized
in the provider facility. For example, distinct identification
information D can be assigned to different lectures. The
identification information D may be generated in a freely-selected
manner. For example, the controller 11 generates identification
information D that includes a time at which operation of the voice
playback apparatus 10 starts, or a random number having a
predetermined number of digits. The time or random number may be
combined with identification information that is uniquely assigned
to the voice playback apparatus 10 for use as the identification
information D. A lecture held in the provider facility consists of
a series of speech voices V, and thus the identification
information D can be understood as being identification of the
lecture, or identification of the provider facility.
[0025] The communicator 13 communicates with another device via a
communication network 200 under control of the controller 11. The
communicator 13 of the first embodiment transmits to the voice
recognition apparatus 20 a voice signal X derived from a sound
received by the sound receiver 14 and transmits the identification
information D generated by the controller 11 to the information
providing apparatus 40.
[0026] The signal processing circuit 15 generates an audio signal
Za that is representative of a mixed sound of the speech voice V
and the identification information D. As shown in FIG. 3, the
signal processing circuit 15 of the first embodiment includes a
modulation processor 151 and a mixing processor 152. At least a
part of the functions of the signal processing circuit 15 may be
realized by the controller 11.
[0027] The modulation processor 151 generates a modulation signal Y
representative of the identification information D as sound
components, where the identification information D is generated by
the controller 11. Specifically, the modulation processor 151
generates a modulation signal Y by use of a modulation process such
as amplitude modulation or frequency modulation to modulate a
carrier wave of a predetermined frequency for example, with the
identification information D or carries out spread modulation of
the identification information D using a spread code. A frequency
band of the sound components representative of the identification
information D is, for example, a frequency band that can be played
by the sound outputter 16 and is within a range above a frequency
band of a sound audible to a user Ub in a normal environment (for
example, 18 kHz or higher, and 20 kHz or lower).
[0028] The mixing processor 152 in FIG. 3 generates an audio signal
Za by mixing (for example, by adding) the voice signal X generated
by the sound receiver 14 and the modulation signal Y generated by
the modulation processor 151. As will be apparent from the
foregoing description, the audio signal Za is representative of a
mixed sound of the speech voice V uttered by the speaker Ua and a
sound representative of the identification information D. Again,
for brevity, description is omitted of a D/A converter used for
converting the audio signal Za from digital to analog format.
[0029] The sound outputter 16 (for example, speaker device) of FIG.
2 plays a sound represented by the audio signal Za generated by the
signal processing circuit 15. As will be apparent from the
foregoing description, the sound outputter 16 of the first
embodiment serves as an audio device for playing the speech voice V
uttered by the speaker Ua; and also serves as a transmission device
for transmitting the identification information D into the
surrounding environment, by sound communication in which a sound
wave, i.e., vibration of the air, acts as a transmission medium.
That is, in the first embodiment, the identification information D
is transmitted into the surrounding environment by sound
communication in which a sound representative of the identification
information D is output from the sound outputter 16 used to output
the speech voice V. Consequently, an advantage is obtained in that
there is no need to dedicate a device for transmission of the
identification information D. Another advantage is obtained in that
a range of transmission of the identification information D can be
readily limited by use of sound insulation. Still another advantage
is obtained in that information can be readily conveyed in a
one-to-many relationship such as in a lecture.
[0030] The voice playback apparatus 10 may transmit the
identification information D at freely-selected timings. For
example, the voice playback apparatus 10 may transmit the
identification information D each time the speaker Ua utters the
speech voice V. Alternatively, the voice playback apparatus 10 may
transmit the identification information D at a predetermined cycle
regardless of whether or not the speaker Ua utters a voice. A
preferable configuration is one in which the identification
information D is transmitted from the voice playback apparatus 10
at different time points on a time axis so that the identification
information D is provided to a terminal apparatus 50 of a user Ub
who arrives at the provider facility after a lecture has
started.
[0031] The voice recognition apparatus 20 of FIG. 1 receives from
the communication network 200 the voice signal X transmitted from
the voice playback apparatus 10. The voice recognition apparatus 20
of the first embodiment is a computer system (for example, a web
server) configured to execute voice recognition on the voice signal
X, to identify a text W representative of a content of the speech
voice V (hereafter, "recognized text W"). The voice recognition
technique employed by the voice recognition apparatus 20 may be
publically known, for example, a recognition processing technique
that uses an audio model, such as the Hidden Markov Model (HMM), a
linguistic model indicative of linguistic restrictions, or the
like.
[0032] The machine translation apparatus 30 generates multiple
pieces of the related information R representative of the content
of the speech voice V in different languages (e.g., Japanese,
English, and Chinese), using machine translation of the recognized
text W identified by the voice recognition apparatus 20. A
publically known technique may be freely employed for the machine
translation by the machine translation apparatus 30. Examples of
machine translation techniques used for generation of the related
information R include rule-based machine translation and
statistical machine translation. In rule-based machine translation,
word order conversion and word conversion are carried out by
referring to the linguistic rules and a syntax analysis result of
the recognized text W. Statistical machine translation is carried
out by using a statistical model representative of statistical
tendencies in languages. As described above, the related
information R of the first embodiment is generated by voice
recognition and machine translation of the speech voice V.
[0033] The information providing apparatus 40 is a computer system
(for example, a web server) configured to provide the related
information R generated by voice recognition and machine
translation to the terminal apparatus 50 situated inside the
provider facility. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a
configuration of the information providing apparatus 40. As shown
in FIG. 4, the information providing apparatus 40 of the first
embodiment has a controller 41, a storage device 42, and a
communicator 43. The information providing apparatus 40 may be
realized by use of a single apparatus, or may be realized by use of
multiple apparatuses that are separate bodies (i.e., system).
[0034] The controller 41 consists of processing circuitry such as a
CPU, and carries out overall control of each element in the
information providing apparatus 40. The storage device 42 has
stored therein computer programs for execution by the controller
41, and various types of data used by the controller 41. For
example, a publically known recording medium, such as a
semiconductor recording medium or a magnetic recording medium, or a
combination of different types of recording media are each suitable
for use as the storage device 42. The storage device 42 may be
provided separately from the information providing apparatus 40 in
a configuration in which the controller 41 executes writing and
reading processing into and from the storage device 42 via the
communication network 200. Accordingly, the storage device 42 may
be omitted from the information providing apparatus 40.
[0035] The controller 41 (an example of a controller) according to
the first embodiment stores in the storage device 42 pieces of the
related information R in association with the same identification
information D generated by the controller 11 of the voice playback
apparatus 10, where each piece of the related information R is
representative of a content of each of a series of speech voices V
uttered by the speaker Ua into the voice playback apparatus 10.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, multiple series of pieces of
information G corresponding to different languages are associated
with the same identification information D. Serial pieces of the
information G corresponding to a language consists of pieces of the
related information R obtained by machine-translation of the
recognized texts W of the respective speech voices V into the
language. Thus, the serial pieces of the related information R
generated from the speech voices V uttered in sequence by the
speaker Ua are stored in the storage device 42 for each different
language. For brevity, in FIG. 1 only one voice playback apparatus
10 is shown, although in reality the communication system 100
includes multiple voice playback apparatuses 10. In the storage
device 42, there is stored for each of pieces of identification
information D for different providing facilities, pieces of related
information R corresponding to the speech voices V uttered inside a
corresponding provider facility.
[0036] The communicator 43 of FIG. 4 communicates with another
apparatus (the voice playback apparatus 10, the machine translation
apparatus 30, or the terminal apparatus 50) via the communication
network 200 under control of the controller 41. The communicator 43
of the first embodiment receives a request from a terminal
apparatus 50 situated in a provider facility, and in response to
the request, the communicator 43 transmits one or more pieces of
the related information R associated with the identification
information D of the provider facility to the requesting terminal
apparatus 50.
[0037] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the
terminal apparatus 50. As shown in FIG. 6, the terminal apparatus
50 of the first embodiment has a controller 51, a storage device
52, a communicator 53, a sound receiver 54, a display 55, and a
sound outputter 56.
[0038] The sound receiver 54 is an audio device that receives
sounds within a surrounding environment. Specifically, the sound
receiver 54 receives a sound played by the sound outputter 16 of
the voice playback apparatus 10, and generates an audio signal Zb
representative of a waveform of the sound. The audio signal Zb
contains sound components representative of the identification
information D. For brevity, description is omitted of an A/D
converter for converting the audio signal Zb generated by the sound
receiver 54 from analog to digital format. The display 55 is
provided with, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel,
and displays various images under control of the controller 51.
[0039] The controller 51 consists of processing circuitry such as a
CPU, and carries out overall control of each element in the
terminal apparatus 50. The storage device 52 has stored therein
computer programs for execution by the controller 51 and various
types of data for use by the controller 51. For example, a
publically known recording medium, such as a semiconductor
recording medium or a magnetic recording medium, or a combination
of different types of recording media can be freely selected for
use as the storage device 52.
[0040] The controller 51 of the first embodiment extracts the
identification information D from the audio signal Zb generated by
the sound receiver 54. Specifically, the controller 51 extracts the
identification information D from the audio signal Zb, by carrying
out a filtering process to emphasize a frequency band that includes
the sound components representative of the identification
information D in the audio signal Zb, and a demodulation process
corresponding to the modulation process carried out on the
identification information D. As will be apparent from the
foregoing description, the sound receiver 54 of the first
embodiment is used for voice calls between the terminal apparatus
50 and another terminal apparatus 50 or for voice recording when
recording videos. The sound receiver 54 also serves as a reception
device that receives the identification information D, by sound
communication in which a sound wave, i.e., vibration of the air,
acts as a transmission medium.
[0041] The communicator 53 communicates with the information
providing apparatus 40 via the communication network 200 under
control of the controller 51. For example, the communicator 53
transmits a request for the related information R (hereafter,
"information request") to the information providing apparatus 40.
The information request specifies the identification information D
of a provider facility in which the terminal apparatus 50 is
located and a language L configured in the terminal apparatus 50
(hereafter, "configured language L"). The configured language L is
a language specified by the user Ub of the terminal apparatus 50.
The communicator 53 causes the related information R transmitted
from the information providing apparatus 40 responsive to the
information request, to be displayed on the display 55.
[0042] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation
performed by the communication system 100 and a freely-selected
terminal apparatus 50 according to the first embodiment. As shown
in FIG. 7, the controller 11 of the voice playback apparatus 10
responsive to an instruction from the speaker Ua generates and
stores the identification information D in the storage device 12
(Sa0). For example, the process of Step Sa0 is performed
immediately after start of the lecture. The speaker Ua utters a
speech voice V after generation of the identification information
D.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 7, the sound receiver 14 of the voice
playback apparatus 10 receives the speech voice V uttered by the
speaker Ua and generates a voice signal X (Sa1). The communicator
13 of the voice playback apparatus 10 transmits, responsive to an
instruction from the controller 11, the voice signal X to the voice
recognition apparatus 20 (Sa2). The communicator 13 also transmits
the identification information D to the information providing
apparatus 40 (Sa3). The transmission of the voice signal X (Sa2)
and the transmission of the identification information D (Sa3) may
be carried out in a freely selected order or the transmission of
the voice signal X and the identification information D may be
carried out in parallel.
[0044] The voice recognition apparatus 20 receives the voice signal
X from the voice playback apparatus 10 and generates a recognized
text W by performing voice recognition on the voice signal X (Sa4).
The recognized text W is transmitted from the voice recognition
apparatus 20 to the machine translation apparatus 30 (Sa5). The
machine translation apparatus 30 receives the recognized text W
from the voice recognition apparatus 20 and performs machine
translation on the received recognized text W, and generates pieces
of the related information R in different languages (Sa6). The
pieces of the related information R corresponding to one speech
voice V are transmitted from the machine translation apparatus 30
to the information providing apparatus 40 (Sa7). The information
providing apparatus 40 stores the identification information D
received from the voice playback apparatus 10 in association with
the pieces of the related information R received from the machine
translation apparatus 30 in the storage device 42 (Sa8). The above
processing (Sa1 to Sa8) is repeated each time a speech voice V is
uttered by the speaker Ua. As a result, serial pieces of the
related information R (information series G) are stored in the
storage device 42 for each language in association with the same
identification information D indicative of the provider facility.
The pieces of the related information R in each information series
G are representative of content of the speech voices V. The
boundary of each speech voice V is, for example, a soundless period
in which the volume is below a threshold. The speech voice V may be
a segment, such as a word, a sentence, or the like.
[0045] In the foregoing description, there is set out an example
operation in which the voice playback apparatus 10 and the voice
recognition apparatus 20 communicate with each other, and the voice
recognition apparatus 20 and the machine translation apparatus 30
communicate with each other. Alternatively, the information
providing apparatus 40 may relay information transmission/reception
between each element. For example, the voice signal X transmitted
from the voice playback apparatus 10 to the voice recognition
apparatus 20 may be indirectly transmitted via the
information-providing apparatus 40 to the voice recognition
apparatus 20. The recognized text W generated by the voice
recognition apparatus 20 for transmission to the machine
translation apparatus 30 is transmitted via the information
providing apparatus 40 indirectly to the machine translation
apparatus 30.
[0046] After transmitting the voice signal X and the identification
information D, the signal processing circuit 15 of the voice
playback apparatus 10 generates an audio signal Za representative
of a mixed sound of the speech voice V and sound components of the
identification information D (Sb1). The audio signal Za is then
supplied to the sound outputter 16, whereby the speech voice V is
played and the identification information D is transmitted to the
surrounding environment by sound communication (Sb2). The
transmission of the voice signal X and the identification
information D (Sa2 and Sa3), and the generation and output of a
sound derived from the audio signal Za (Sb1 and Sb2) may be carried
out in a freely selected order. For example, after the generation
and output of a sound derived from the audio signal Za (Sb1 and
Sb2), the communicator 13 may transmit the voice signal X and the
identification information D.
[0047] The sound receiver 54 of the terminal apparatus 50 receives
a playback sound output by the sound outputter 16 of the voice
playback apparatus 10, and generates an audio signal Zb derived
from the received playback sound (Sb3). The controller 51 of the
terminal apparatus 50 extracts the identification information D
from the audio signal Zb (Sb4). The communicator 53 of the terminal
apparatus 50 transmits to the information providing apparatus 40
(Sb5) an information request including the identification
information D extracted from the audio signal Zb and the configured
language L of the terminal apparatus 50. For example, the
information request may be repeatedly transmitted from the terminal
apparatus 50 in predetermined cycles.
[0048] Upon receiving the information request transmitted from the
terminal apparatus 50, the controller 41 of the information
providing apparatus 40 retrieves from the storage device 42 latest
related information R in the information series G corresponding to
the configured language L specified in the information request from
among the information series G corresponding to the identification
information D specified in the information request (Sb6). The
related information R that corresponds to the combination of the
identification information D and the configured language L is
retrieved from the storage device 42. The controller 41 causes the
communicator 43 to transmit to the requesting terminal apparatus 50
(Sb7) the related information R retrieved from the storage device
42. As will be apparent from the foregoing description, the
controller 41 serves as an element that causes the communicator 43
to transmit the related information R (an example of a
transmitter).
[0049] In the above example, the latest single piece of the related
information R is transmitted to the terminal apparatus 50, from
among pieces of the related information R of information series G
corresponding to the combination of the identification information
D and the configured language L. However, the related information R
transmitted to the terminal apparatus 50 is not limited thereto. In
some embodiments, there may be transmitted to the terminal
apparatus 50 all the existing pieces of the related information R
included in the information series G corresponding to the
combination of the identification information D and the configured
language L. In some embodiments, the predetermined number of pieces
of the related information R in the information series G may be
transmitted to the terminal apparatus 50. In some embodiments,
pieces of the related information R that have not yet been
transmitted may be selected from among the pieces of the related
information R of the information series G, and the selected pieces
may be transmitted to the terminal apparatus 50. As will be
apparent from the foregoing description, the information providing
apparatus 40 transmits, in response to an information request from
a terminal apparatus 50 that has received the identification
information D from the voice playback apparatus 10, one or more
pieces of the related information R corresponding to the
identification information D, to the terminal apparatus 50.
[0050] As stated in the foregoing description, the information
providing apparatus 40 transmits the related information R to the
terminal apparatus 50 each time the apparatus 40 receives a
periodically transmitted information request from the terminal
apparatus 50. However, the transmission timing of the related
information R to the terminal apparatus 50 is not limited to the
above example. For example, upon receiving an information request
from the terminal apparatus 50, the terminal apparatus 50 may be
registered in the information providing apparatus 40 as a
destination for the related information R. The information
providing apparatus 40 transmits (push-transmits) the related
information R to the terminal apparatus 50 registered as the
destination for the related information R each time a speech voice
V is uttered by the speaker Ua. In this way, the terminal apparatus
50 need not transmit the information request multiple times.
[0051] Upon receiving the related information R transmitted from
the information providing apparatus 40, the controller 51 of the
terminal apparatus 50 causes the related information R to be
displayed on the display 55 (Sb8). As a result of repetition of the
foregoing operation, there are serially displayed on the display 55
of the terminal apparatus 50, pieces of the related information R
rendered in the configured language L, where the pieces of the
related information R are representative of content of speech
voices V uttered in sequence by the speaker Ua.
[0052] When the lecture ends, the speaker Ua instructs the
information providing apparatus 40 to stop processing. In Step Sb9,
the controller 11 of the information providing apparatus 40 deletes
from the storage device 12 the identification information D used
during the lecture in continuum from the start (Sa0) of the
lecture. At the end processing described above, serial pieces of
the related information R (for example, the minutes of the lecture)
stored in the storage device 42 are made final.
[0053] As will be apparent from the foregoing description, in the
first embodiment, the pieces of the related information R
representative of content of speech voices V uttered in sequence
are stored in association with the same identification information
D in the storage device 42. Accordingly, as described in the first
embodiment, the serial pieces of the related information R (for
example, a content of a lecture) corresponding to speech voices V
uttered in sequence can be serially provided to the terminal
apparatus 50. The serial pieces of the related information R may be
used as minutes of the lecture.
[0054] Furthermore, since the related information R is generated by
voice recognition and machine translation of the speech voice V, an
advantage is obtained in that the related information R of the
content of the speech voice V when rendered in another language can
be provided to the terminal apparatus 50. In the first embodiment,
in particular, the pieces of the related information R
representative of a speech voice V in different languages are
generated, and from among the pieces of the related information R a
piece of the related information R corresponding to the configured
language L in the terminal apparatus 50 is transmitted to the
terminal apparatus 50. Accordingly, it is possible to provide to
the terminal apparatus 50 the related information R representative
of content of a speech voice V in a language (the configured
language L) that is understandable to the user Ub of the terminal
apparatus 50, for example.
Second Embodiment
[0055] Description will now be given of a second embodiment of the
present disclosure. In each of the configurations described below
as examples, for elements whose actions or functions are similar to
those in the first embodiment, like reference signs are used as in
the first embodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted
as appropriate.
[0056] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation
performed by the communication system 100 and a freely-selected
terminal apparatus 50 according to the second embodiment. As shown
in FIG. 8, in the second embodiment, Steps Sa5 to Sa1 in the first
embodiment are replaced by Steps Sc1 to Sc5. The recognized text W
identified by the voice recognition apparatus 20 by performing
voice recognition on the speech voice V is transmitted to the
information providing apparatus 40 (Sc1).
[0057] As shown in FIG. 9, in the storage device 42 of the
information providing apparatus 40 a reference table is stored. The
reference table is a data table in which registered texts WR are
registered for each of candidate texts WC, where the registered
texts WR are renditions of a corresponding candidate text WC in
different languages. The candidate texts WC are in the same
language as that of the speech voice V. Each candidate text WC is a
text that the speaker Ua is expected to utter as a speech voice V.
In other words, the speaker Ua may freely select one of the
candidate texts WC prepared in advance, to utter the selected
candidate text WC as a speech voice V. For example, the speaker Ua
may utter a speech voice V in accordance with a script in which a
series of candidate texts WC is described as content to be spoken
in a lecture. The speaker Ua may utter the candidate texts WC
included in the reference table in the registered order.
[0058] The controller 41 of the information providing apparatus 40
identifies, from among the candidate texts WC registered in the
reference table, a candidate text WC that is similar to the
recognized text W, and thus identify registered texts WR that
correspond to the candidate text WC (Sc2). That is, the registered
texts WR are identified when rendered in different languages of the
candidate text WC similar to the recognized text W. Specifically,
the controller 41 calculates an index of similarity to the
recognized text W for each of the candidate texts WC (hereafter,
"similarity index"), to identify registered texts WR corresponding
to a candidate text WC for which, from among the candidate texts
WC, a similarity indicated by the similarity index is the highest
(i.e., a candidate text WC that is the most similar to the
recognized text W). Thus, registered texts WR that are renditions
of the speech voice V in different languages are identified. The
candidate texts WC may be used as the registered texts WR. A type
of similarity index may be freely selected. However, a publically
known index, such as an edit distance for evaluating similarities
between texts (Levenshtein distance), is suitable for use as a
similarity index.
[0059] In some cases, a recognized text W may include a portion
that is not the same as the candidate text WC (hereafter, "variable
portion"). A common example of a variable portion is proper-name
text or the like, which impedes prediction of an utterance to be
made by the speaker Ua. A variable portion in each registered text
WR in a different language is not translated. Accordingly, the
controller 11 of the information providing apparatus 40 transmits a
request for translation of a variable portion of the recognized
text W (hereafter, "translation request") from the communicator 13
to the machine translation apparatus 30 (Sc3). The machine
translation apparatus 30 carries out machine translation for the
variable portion responsive to the translation request from the
information providing apparatus 40 (Sc4). Specifically, the machine
translation apparatus 30 generates texts that are renditions of
variable portions in different languages. The translations of the
variable portions are transmitted from the machine translation
apparatus 30 to the information providing apparatus 40 (Sc5).
[0060] In the second embodiment, as the related information R there
is used a combination of a registered text WR that is a rendition
in a second language of the recognized text W, except for a
variable portion, the recognized text W being in a first language,
and a text that is a machine translation of the variable portion
into the second language. Thus, similarly to the first embodiment,
pieces of the related information R that are renditions of the
content of the speech voice V in different languages are generated.
The controller 11 of the information providing apparatus 40, as in
the first embodiment, stores in the storage device 42 the
identification information D received from the voice playback
apparatus 10 and the pieces of related information R generated in
the above-described procedures, in association with each other
(Sa8). The above processing is repeated each time a speech voice V
is uttered by the speaker Ua. As a result, serial pieces of related
information R (information series G) are stored in the storage
device 42 for each language in association with the same
identification information D indicating the provider facility. The
pieces of related information R in each information series G is
representative of content of the speech voices V. The operation
(Sb1 to Sb8) is the same as that of first embodiment, in which, in
response to an information request from the terminal apparatus 50,
the information providing apparatus 40 transmits the related
information R to the terminal apparatus 50 such that the related
information R is displayed on the display 55.
[0061] Essentially the same effects as those attained in the first
embodiment can be attained also in the second embodiment. In the
second embodiment, the related information R includes a registered
text WR that is a rendition in another language of a candidate text
WC that is similar to the recognized text W from among the
candidate texts WC. In this way, an advantage is obtained in that
even if a recognition error is included in a result of voice
recognition on a speech voice V (i.e., the recognized text W),
related information R representative of an appropriate text can be
generated. Further, the related information R includes a text that
is a rendition in another language of the variable portion, of the
recognized text W, differing from the candidate text WC.
Accordingly, a further advantage is obtained in that it is possible
to generate related information R for a wide variety of content
that is not bound to the pre-prepared candidate texts WC.
Third Embodiment
[0062] Description will now be given of a third embodiment of the
present disclosure. In the third embodiment, a user Ub makes an
utterance to the terminal apparatus 50 after listening to a speech
voice V played by the sound outputter of the voice playback
apparatus 10. As an example a case is assumed in which the user Ub
presents opinions or questions responsive to the speech voice V of
the speaker Ua.
[0063] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation
performed between the communication system 100 and a terminal
apparatus 50 of the user Ub according to the third embodiment. For
example, the operation shown in FIG. 10 is started in a condition
that the terminal apparatus 50 receives the identification
information D transmitted by the voice playback apparatus 10 by way
of sound communication.
[0064] As shown in FIG. 10, the sound receiver 54 of the terminal
apparatus 50 receives a sound of a speech voice V uttered by the
user Ub, and generates a voice signal X from the received sound
(Sd1). The communicator 53 of the terminal apparatus 50, in
response to an instruction from the controller 51, transmits the
voice signal X to the voice recognition apparatus 20 (Sd2). The
communicator 53 also transmits the identification information D
received from the voice playback apparatus 10 to the information
providing apparatus 40 (Sd3). The transmission of the voice signal
X (Sd2) and the transmission of the identification information D
(Sd3) may be carried out in a freely selected order. Further, the
voice signal X and the identification information D may be
transmitted in parallel.
[0065] The voice recognition apparatus 20 receives the voice signal
X from the terminal apparatus 50, and generates a recognized text W
by carrying out voice recognition on the voice signal X (Sd4). The
recognized text W is transmitted from the voice recognition
apparatus 20 to the machine translation apparatus 30 (Sd5). The
machine translation apparatus 30 receives the recognized text W
from the voice recognition apparatus 20, and generates pieces of
the related information R in different languages by carrying out
machine translation on the recognized text W (Sd6). The pieces of
the related information R that correspond to the speech voice V of
the user Ub are transmitted from the machine translation apparatus
30 to the information providing apparatus 40 (Sd7). The information
providing apparatus 40 stores the identification information D
received from the terminal apparatus 50 of the user Ub in
association with the pieces of the related information R received
from the machine translation apparatus 30 in the storage device 42
(Sd8). Thus, serial pieces of the related information R
representative of content of speech voices V (information series G)
uttered by each of the speaker Ua and the user Ub are stored for
each language in association with the same identification
information D indicative of the provider facility in the storage
device 42. The operation of transmitting the related information R
from the information providing apparatus 40 to each terminal
apparatus 50 is substantially the same as that in the first
embodiment.
[0066] Essentially the same effects as those attained in the first
embodiment can be attained also in the third embodiment. Further,
in the third embodiment, the related information R representative
of content of a speech voice V uttered by the user Ub by making an
utterance to the terminal apparatus 50 is stored together with the
related information R corresponding to a speech voice V of the
speaker Ua, in association with the identification information D in
the storage device 42. Accordingly, it is possible to transmit to
each terminal apparatus 50 serial pieces of the related information
R corresponding to speech voices V uttered in sequence by the
speaker Ua and the user Ub.
Modifications of the Third Embodiment
[0067] In the third embodiment, the terminal apparatus 50 may be
used as the voice playback apparatus 10. For example, a case is
assumed in which users Ub converse with each other about
freely-selected content (i.e., spontaneous talk) using their
terminal apparatuses 50. In the conversation start phase,
identification information D is transmitted by sound communication
from a specific terminal apparatus 50 to surrounding terminal
apparatuses 50. When the user Ub of each terminal apparatus 50
utters a speech voice V in a desired language (for example, the
native language of the user Ub), pieces of the related information
R representative of content of the speech voice V in different
languages are generated by the voice recognition apparatus 20 and
the machine translation apparatus 30 and stored in the storage
device 42 of the information providing apparatus 40 in association
with the same identification information D. The above processing is
then repeated, and as a result serial pieces of the related
information R representative of content of speech voices V of each
user Ub (information series G) are stored for each language in
association with the same identification information D in the
storage device 42. Each terminal apparatus 50 receives from the
information providing apparatus 40 the related information R
corresponding to the configured language L of the terminal
apparatus 50, from among the pieces of the related information R
represented in different languages. The terminal apparatus 50
causes the received related information R to be displayed on the
display 55. That is, speech voices uttered in sequence by multiple
users Ub are displayed in the configured language L on the display
55.
[0068] However, it is not possible to distinguish respective users
Ub by use of the identification information D only. Accordingly,
the identification information of each terminal apparatus 50
(hereafter, "terminal identification information") may be used to
distinguish each user Ub. The identification information is, for
example, identification information unique to the terminal
apparatus 50, or, for example, identification information assigned
in advance by the information providing apparatus 40. It is of note
that in the third embodiment also, the terminal identification
information may be used to distinguish the speaker Ua and each user
Ub. For example, a configuration is assumed in which to distinguish
each of the multiple users Ub. Another configuration is also
assumed by which to distinguish the speaker Ua (lecturer) and a
collection of the multiple users Ub (audience).
Modifications
[0069] Specific modifications of each mode described above are
described below. Two or more modes freely selected from the
following exemplary ones may be appropriately combined in a manner
that avoids any contradiction.
[0070] (1) In each of the above described embodiments, the related
information R is displayed on the display 55 of the terminal
apparatus 50. However, a method of presenting the related
information R to the user Ub of the terminal apparatus 50 is not
limited to the above example. For example, the sound outputter 56
of the terminal apparatus 50 may be configured to play a vocal
sound indicative of the related information R, thereby presenting
the related information R to the user Ub. For example, there can be
assumed a configuration in which the related information R is in
the form of a vocal sound, or a configuration of generating a vocal
sound by performing voice synthesis on a text represented by the
related information R. Furthermore, various types of images such as
lecture handouts or images captured in the lecture (hereafter,
"handout images") may be provided from the information providing
apparatus 40 to each terminal apparatus 50, such that the handout
images are able to be displayed together with the related
information R on the display 55. It is of note that data that can
be prepared in advance, such as handout images, may be stored in
the terminal apparatus 50 in advance.
[0071] (2) The voice playback apparatus 10 may carry out at least
one of voice recognition of a speech voice V or machine translation
of a recognized text W. Alternatively, the information providing
apparatus 40 may perform at least one of voice recognition of a
speech voice V or machine translation of a recognized text W. The
voice recognition and the machine translation may be carried out by
a single apparatus. Two or more devices constituting the
communication system 100 may be formed in a single body.
Alternatively, the functions of each of the apparatuses that
constitute the communication system 100 may be divided out among
multiple apparatuses.
[0072] (3) Machine translation by the machine translation apparatus
30 may be omitted. For example, the recognized text W generated by
voice recognition by the voice recognition apparatus 20 may be
stored as the related information R in the storage device 42 of the
information providing apparatus 40. In this configuration, the
related information R representative of a speech voice V in the
form of a text in the same language is provided to the terminal
apparatus 50. As a result, by viewing the related information R
displayed on the display 55 of the terminal apparatus 50, a hearing
impaired person who has difficulty in hearing a speech voice V is
able to understand the content of the speech voice V.
[0073] (4) Each of the above described embodiments shows a case in
which the communication system 100 is used for a lecture. However,
a situation in which the communication system 100 is used is not
limited to the above example. For example, the communication system
100 is used in various situations such as in different types of
conferences (e.g., international meetings, and the like), sports
competitions, different types of lectures, and the like. The
communication system 100 may be used to provide the related
information R on content uttered by a performer (speaker Ua) to the
terminal apparatus 50, in performances in which a script is uttered
in sequence (for example, plays, musicals or kabuki shows), or in
sung performances of music (for example, concerts or live
shows).
[0074] (5) In each of the above described embodiments, the voice
playback apparatus 10 transmits identification information D to the
terminal apparatus 50 by communication of sound propagating as
waves that acts as a transmission medium. However, a communication
system for transmitting the identification information D from the
voice playback apparatus 10 is not limited to sound communication.
For example, the identification information D may be transmitted
from the voice playback apparatus 10 to the terminal apparatus 50
by way of wireless communication using electric waves or
electromagnetic waves such as infra-red waves as a transmission
medium. For example, the sound outputter 56 in each of the above
embodiments is replaced with a communication device for wireless
communication. Specifically, wireless communication, such as
Bluetooth (registered trademark) or WiFi (registered trademark), is
suitable for transmission of the identification information D. As
will be understood from the foregoing examples, near-field wireless
communication not involving a communication network such as a
mobile communication network is suitable for the transmission of
the identification information D by the voice playback apparatus
10. Examples of such near-field wireless communication include
sound communication with sound waves propagating through air that
acts as a transmission medium and wireless communication using
electromagnetic waves as a transmission medium. In some
embodiments, a transmitter apparatus separate from the voice
playback apparatus 10 may transmit the identification information D
to the terminal apparatus 50 by use of near-field wireless
communication. Thus, the identification information D is not
limited to information transmitted from the voice playback
apparatus 10.
[0075] (6) The information providing apparatus 40 according to each
of the above described embodiments is realized by coordination
between the controller 41 and a computer program. A computer
program according to each of the above described embodiments is
provided in a form that is stored in a computer-readable recording
medium and is installed in a computer. The recording medium is, for
example, a non-transitory recording medium, and is preferably an
optical recording medium (optical disc) such as a CD-ROM. However,
the recording medium may be provided in any known media format such
as a semiconductor recording medium or a magnetic recording medium.
It is of note that the non-transitory recording medium includes a
freely-selected recording medium other than a transitory
propagation signal, and a volatile recording medium may also be
used. Furthermore, a computer program may be distributed to the
computer via a communication network.
[0076] (7) The following configurations are derivable from the
above described modes, for example.
[0077] An information providing method according to a preferred
aspect (a first aspect) of the present disclosure includes storing,
at an information providing apparatus, a plurality of pieces of
related information in association with a same identification
information in a storage device, where each of the plurality of the
pieces of the related information is representative of a content of
a corresponding one of a series of a plurality of speech voices
uttered to a first device; and in response to a request from a
second device that receives the identification information,
causing, at the information providing apparatus, a communication
device to transmit to the second device one or more of the
plurality of the pieces of the related information associated with
the same identification information. In the above aspect, the each
of the plurality of the pieces of the related information
representative of content of the each of the pieces of speech
voices uttered in sequence is stored in association with the same
identification information in the storage device. Accordingly, it
is possible to provide a second device with serial pieces of
related information corresponding to the uttered speech voices.
[0078] In a preferred example (a second aspect) of the first
aspect, the method further includes transmitting the identification
information to the second device by sound communication by which a
sound outputter outputs a sound representative of the
identification information, where the identification information is
transmitted in conjunction with the utterance of each of the
plurality of speech voices. In the above aspect, since the
identification information is transmitted to the second device by
sound communication using a sound outputter that outputs a speech
voice, an advantage is obtained in that there is no need to
dedicate a device for the transmission of the identification
information. Another advantage is obtained in that a range of
transmission of the identification information can be readily
limited by use of sound insulation. It is of note that
identification information may be transmitted by sound
communication using a sound outputter separate from a sound
outputter that outputs a speech voice.
[0079] In a preferred example (a third aspect) of the first aspect
or the second aspect, the method further includes storing a piece
of related information in association with the identification
information in the storage device, where the piece of related
information is representative of a content of a speech voice
uttered to the second device. In the above aspect, related
information of a speech voice uttered to the first device and
related information of a speech voice uttered to the second device
are stored in association with the same identification information
in the storage device. Therefore, it is possible to provide serial
pieces of related information corresponding to speech voices
uttered in sequence by multiple speakers.
[0080] In a preferred example (a fourth aspect) of any one of the
first to the third aspects, the related information is generated by
voice recognition carried out on the speech voice and machine
translation carried out on a recognized text identified by the
voice recognition. In the above aspect, related information is
generated by carrying out voice recognition and machine translation
on a speech voice. Accordingly, it is possible to provide related
information representative of a speech voice in another language to
the second device, for example.
[0081] In a preferred example (a fifth aspect) of any one of the
first to the fourth aspects, the storing the plurality of pieces of
related information includes storing in the storage device a
plurality of pieces of related information corresponding to
different languages, each of the pieces of the related information
being generated by voice recognition carried out on the speech
voice and machine translation carried out on a recognized text
identified by the voice recognition, and the causing the
communication device to transmit the related information includes
causing the communication device to transmit to the second device,
responsive to a request from the second device, a piece of related
information that corresponds to a language configured in the second
device from among the plurality of the related information
corresponding to the different languages. In the above aspect,
pieces of related information corresponding to different languages
are generated by carrying out voice recognition and machine
translation on a speech voice, and a piece of related information
that corresponds to a configured language of the second device is
transmitted to the second language from among the pieces of the
related information. Therefore, it is possible to provide the
second device with the related information representative of
content of a speech voice in a language that the user of the second
device can understand, for example.
[0082] In a preferred example (a sixth aspect) of any one of the
first to the fifth aspects, the related information includes a text
in a second language, which is a rendition of, from among a
plurality of candidate texts, a candidate text that is similar to a
recognized text in a first language identified by voice recognition
carried out on each of the plurality of the speech voices, where
the related information further includes a text in the second
language of a variable portion that differs from the candidate text
in the recognized text. In the above aspect, from among the
multiple candidate texts, a text that is a rendition in another
language of a candidate text similar to a recognized text
identified by voice recognition to a speech voice is included in
the related information. Therefore, an advantage is obtained in
that it is possible to generate related information representative
of an appropriate text even if a recognition error is included in a
result of voice recognition on a speech voice. Further, since the
related information includes a text that is a rendition in another
language of the variable portion, of the recognized text, differing
from the candidate text, a further advantage is obtained in that it
is possible to generate related information R for a wide variety of
content that is not bound to the candidate texts.
[0083] An information providing apparatus according to a preferred
aspect (a seventh aspect) of the present disclosure has a
controller configured to store a plurality of pieces of related
information in association with a same identification information
in a storage device, where each of the plurality of the pieces of
the related information is representative of a content of a
corresponding one of a plurality of speech voices uttered in
sequence to a first device; and a transmitter configured to, in
response to a request from a second device that receives the
identification information, cause a communication device to
transmit to the second device one or more of the plurality of the
pieces of the related information associated with the same
identification information. In the above aspect, a piece of related
information representative of a content of each of the pieces of
the plurality of speech voices uttered in sequence is stored in
association with the same identification information in the storage
device. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a second device with
serial pieces of related information corresponding to the plurality
of speech voices uttered in sequence.
DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SIGNS
[0084] 10 . . . voice playback apparatus, 11 . . . controller, 12 .
. . storage device, 13 . . . communicator, 14 . . . sound receiver,
15 . . . signal processing circuit, 16 . . . sound outputter, 20 .
. . voice recognition apparatus, 30 . . . machine translation
apparatus, 40 . . . information providing apparatus, 41 . . .
controller, 42 . . . storage device, 43 . . . communicator, 50 . .
. terminal apparatus, 51 . . . controller, 52 . . . storage device,
53 . . . communicator, 54 . . . sound receiver, 55 . . . display,
56 . . . sound outputter.
* * * * *