US 8,898,065 B2Granted

Configurable speech recognition system using multiple recognizers

AssigneeNuance Communications, Inc.

InventorsMichael Newman, Anthony Gillet, David Mark Krowitz, Michael D. Edgington

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Abstract

Techniques for combining the results of multiple recognizers in a distributed speech recognition architecture. Speech data input to a client device is encoded and processed both locally and remotely by different recognizers configured to be proficient at different speech recognition tasks. The client/server architecture is configurable to enable network providers to specify a policy directed to a trade-off between reducing recognition latency perceived by a user and usage of network resources. The results of the local and remote speech recognition engines are combined based, at least in part, on logic stored by one or more components of the client/server architecture.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of performing speech recognition in a distributed system comprising an electronic device including an embedded speech recognizer and a network device including a remote speech recognizer remote from the electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the electronic device, input audio comprising speech;
determining that at least a portion of the input audio matches a recognition grammar associated with the embedded speech recognizer;
generating a search tree associated with the recognition grammar, wherein the search tree includes a plurality of nodes, wherein each of the nodes is associated with a type of item in the recognition grammar;
determining whether the recognition grammar includes at least one generic speech nod, wherein determining whether the recognition grammar includes at least one generic speech node comprises determining whether the search tree includes only nodes associated with types of items that can be recognized by the embedded speech recognizer with an accuracy above a threshold;
determining that recognition by the remote speech recognizer is desired in response to determining that the recognition grammar includes at least one generic speech node indicating that the speech in the input audio may include free-form dictation;
and
sending at least a portion of the input audio to the network device in response to determining that recognition by the remote speech recognizer is desired.

4 more elements

An electronic device for use in a distributed speech recognition system comprising the electronic device and a network device remote from the electronic device, the electronic device, comprising:

an embedded speech recognizer configured to receive input audio comprising speech;
and
at least one processor programmed to:
determine that at least a portion of the input audio matches a recognition grammar associated with the embedded speech recognizer;
generate a search tree associated with the recognition grammar, wherein the search tree includes a plurality of nodes, wherein each of the nodes is associated with a type of item in the recognition grammar;
determine whether the recognition grammar includes at least one generic speech node, wherein determining whether the recognition grammar includes at least one generic speech node comprises determining whether the search tree includes only nodes associated with types of items that can be recognized by the embedded speech recognizer with an accuracy above a threshold;
determine that recognition by the remote speech recognizer is desired in response to determining that the recognition grammar includes at least one generic speech node indicating that the speech in the input audio may include free-form dictation;
and
send at least a portion of the input audio to the network device in response to determining that recognition by the remote speech recognizer is desired.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/345,265Filed 6 Jan 2012 · us provisional application
Priority: 7 Jan 2011
Published: US 2012/0179471 A112 Jul 2012
Granted: 25 Nov 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G10L 15/30
Constructional details of speech recognition systems: distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network…
G10L 15/32
Constructional details of speech recognition systems: multiple recognisers used in sequence or in parallel; Score combination systems therefor,…
G10L 15/22
Speech recognition: procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
G10L 17/00
Speaker identification or verification techniques