Abstract: The present invention pertains to a method for estimating a sound source position in a space with high accuracy using a microphone installed on a robot moving in the space. A mobile robot includes a self-position estimation unit configure to estimate the self-position of the mobile robot, a sound source information obtaining unit configured to obtain direction information of an observed sound source, and a sound source position estimation unit configured to estimate the position of the sound source based on the estimated self-position and the direction information of the sound source.

Abstract: An intention estimation equipment includes: a first training data group; a second training data group; a model creation unit that creates first and second statistical models that estimates an intention of an input text; an error data extraction unit that extracts, from the second training data group, training data corresponding to a text, of which an intention estimation result based on the first and the second statistical models is correct and erroneous, respectively, as error data; an opposite data extraction unit that extracts, from the second training data group, training data that is a cause for an intention estimation result of the error data based on the second statistical model becoming erroneous as opposite data; and a data correction unit that performs correction of the second training data group so that an influence of the error data or of the opposite data on creation of the statistical model is changed.

Abstract: The speech recognition result through the general-purpose server and that through the specialized speech recognition server are integrated in an optimum manner, thereby, a speech recognition function least in errors in the end being provided. The specialized speech recognition server 108 is constructed with the words contained in the user dictionary data in use as well as the performance of the general-purpose speech recognition server 106 is preliminarily evaluated with such user dictionary data. Based on such evaluation result, information related to which recognition results through the specialized and general-purpose speech recognition servers are adopted and to how the adopted recognition results are weighted to obtain an optimum recognition result is preliminarily retained in the form of a database.

Abstract: An intention estimation equipment includes: a first training data group; a second training data group; a model creation unit that creates first and second statistical models that estimates an intention of an input text; an error data extraction unit that extracts, from the second training data group, training data corresponding to a text, of which an intention estimation result based on the first and the second statistical models is correct and erroneous, respectively, as error data; an opposite data extraction unit that extracts, from the second training data group, training data that is a cause for an intention estimation result of the error data based on the second statistical model becoming erroneous as opposite data; and a data correction unit that performs correction of the second training data group so that an influence of the error data or of the opposite data on creation of the statistical model is changed.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a method for estimating a sound source position in a space with high accuracy using a microphone installed on a robot moving in the space. A mobile robot includes a self-position estimation unit configure to estimate the self-position of the mobile robot, a sound source information obtaining unit configured to obtain direction information of an observed sound source, and a sound source position estimation unit configured to estimate the position of the sound source based on the estimated self-position and the direction information of the sound source.

Abstract: The speech recognition result through the general-purpose server and that through the specialized speech recognition server are integrated in an optimum manner, thereby, a speech recognition function least in errors in the end being provided. The specialized speech recognition server 108 is constructed with the words contained in the user dictionary data in use as well as the performance of the general-purpose speech recognition server 106 is preliminarily evaluated with such user dictionary data. Based on such evaluation result, information related to which recognition results through the specialized and general-purpose speech recognition servers are adopted and to how the adopted recognition results are weighted to obtain an optimum recognition result is preliminarily retained in the form of a database.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a technique of an information terminal that allows more efficient utilization of high-level searching functions. The information terminal is provided with an audio input accepting unit to accept an input of speech information, a communication unit to establish communication with a predetermined server device via a network, an output unit, a POI specifying unit to transmit the speech information accepted by the audio input accepting unit to the server device and receive information specifying a candidate of a POI (Point Of Interest) associated with the speech information, a POI candidate output unit to output to the output unit, the information specifying the candidate of the POI received by the POI specifying unit, and a route searching unit to accept a selective input of the information specifying the candidate of the POI, and search for a route directed to the POI.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a technique of an information terminal that allows more efficient utilization of high-level searching functions. The information terminal is provided with an audio input accepting unit to accept an input of speech information, a communication unit to establish communication with a predetermined server device via a network, an output unit, a POI specifying unit to transmit the speech information accepted by the audio input accepting unit to the server device and receive information specifying a candidate of a POI (Point Of Interest) associated with the speech information, a POI candidate output unit to output to the output unit, the information specifying the candidate of the POI received by the POI specifying unit, and a route searching unit to accept a selective input of the information specifying the candidate of the POI, and search for a route directed to the POI.

Abstract: A voice data transferring device intermediates between an in-vehicle terminal and a voice recognition server. In order to check a change in voice recognition performance of the voice recognition server, the voice data transferring device performs a noise suppression processing on a voice data for evaluation in a noise suppression module; transmits the voice data for evaluation to the voice recognition server; and receives a recognition result thereof. The voice data transferring device sets a value of a noise suppression parameter used for a noise suppression processing or a value of a result integration parameter used for a processing of integrating a plurality of recognition results acquired from the voice recognition server, at an optimum value, based on the recognition result of the voice recognition server. This makes it possible to set a suitable parameter even if the voice recognition performance of the voice recognition server changes.

Abstract: In an information storage device in which small partitions for storing information are three-dimensionally placed inside a solid, the invention aims at long-period storage, robustness, and rapid information reading. Accordingly, the stored three-dimensional information is divided into two-dimensional data for each layer, and two-dimensional inverse Fourier transform is previously applied for the two-dimensional data. The two-dimensional data is recorded in each layer in a Z direction inside a storage medium which is solid. When the information is reproduced, electromagnetic waves are irradiated to a storage area MA as gradually rotating the storage area MA around a z axis, and projection images of all layers during the rotation are obtained from response. By applying one-dimensional Fourier transform for a plurality of projection images obtained as described above, the recorded original three-dimensional information is rapidly reproduced.

Abstract: The invention provides a conversational speech analyzer which analyzes whether utterances in a meeting are of interest or concern. Frames are calculated using sound signals obtained from a microphone and a sensor, sensor signals are cut out for each frame, and by calculating the correlation between sensor signals for each frame, an interest level which represents the concern of an audience regarding utterances is calculated, and the meeting is analyzed.

Abstract: A voice data transferring device intermediates between an in-vehicle terminal and a voice recognition server. In order to check a change in voice recognition performance of the voice recognition server, the voice data transferring device performs a noise suppression processing on a voice data for evaluation in a noise suppression module; transmits the voice data for evaluation to the voice recognition server; and receives a recognition result thereof. The voice data transferring device sets a value of a noise suppression parameter used for a noise suppression processing or a value of a result integration parameter used for a processing of integrating a plurality of recognition results acquired from the voice recognition server, at an optimum value, based on the recognition result of the voice recognition server. This makes it possible to set a suitable parameter even if the voice recognition performance of the voice recognition server changes.

Abstract: The invention provides a conversational speech analyzer which analyzes whether utterances in a meeting are of interest or concern. Frames are calculated using sound signals obtained from a microphone and a sensor, sensor signals are cut out for each frame, and by calculating the correlation between sensor signals for each frame, an interest level which represents the concern of an audience regarding utterances is calculated, and the meeting is analyzed.

Abstract: The invention provides a conversational speech analyzer which analyzes whether utterances in a meeting are of interest or concern. Frames are calculated using sound signals obtained from a microphone and a sensor, sensor signals are cut out for each frame, and by calculating the correlation between sensor signals for each frame, an interest level which represents the concern of an audience regarding utterances is calculated, and the meeting is analyzed.

Abstract: In an information storage device in which small partitions for storing information are three-dimensionally placed inside a solid, the invention aims at long-period storage, robustness, and rapid information reading. Accordingly, the stored three-dimensional information is divided into two-dimensional data for each layer, and two-dimensional inverse Fourier transform is previously applied for the two-dimensional data. The two-dimensional data is recorded in each layer in a Z direction inside a storage medium which is solid. When the information is reproduced, electromagnetic waves are irradiated to a storage area MA as gradually rotating the storage area MA around a z axis, and projection images of all layers during the rotation are obtained from response. By applying one-dimensional Fourier transform for a plurality of projection images obtained as described above, the recorded original three-dimensional information is rapidly reproduced.

Abstract: The present invention provides elimination of atmosphere that is not suitable to a space concerned by controlling atmosphere. The present invention is characterized that atmosphere in space is analyzed based on voice, and if atmosphere that is not suitable to the space is detected, the atmosphere in the space is controlled by choosing and irradiating illumination that enables to create atmosphere suitable to the space, atmosphere in the space is controlled for creating atmosphere that is suitable to the space.

Abstract: The present invention provides elimination of atmosphere that is not suitable to a space concerned by controlling atmosphere. The present invention is characterized that atmosphere in space is analyzed based on voice, and if atmosphere that is not suitable to the space is detected, the atmosphere in the space is controlled by choosing and irradiating illumination that enables to create atmosphere suitable to the space, atmosphere in the space is controlled for creating atmosphere that is suitable to the space.

Abstract: The present invention provides elimination of atmosphere that is not suitable to a space concerned by controlling atmosphere. The present invention is characterized that atmosphere in space is analyzed based on voice, and if atmosphere that is not suitable to the space is detected, the atmosphere in the space is controlled by choosing and irradiating illumination that enables to create atmosphere suitable to the space, atmosphere in the space is controlled for creating atmosphere that is suitable to the space.

Abstract: An acoustic feature representing speech data provided with meta data is extracted. Next, a group of acoustic features which are extracted only from the speech data containing a specific word in the meta data and not from the other speech data is extracted from obtained sub-groups of acoustic features. The word and the extracted group of acoustic features are associated with each other to be stored. When there is a search key matching the word in the input search keys, the group of acoustic features corresponding to the word is output. Accordingly, the efforts of a user for inputting a key when the user searches for speech data are reduced.

Abstract: Collecting the sound while rotating at least one or more microphone around a rotational axis, the filter processing is carried out in accordance with the positional information of the microphone at each point.