JP7728588B2 - System and Program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a system and program that recognizes the voice of a vehicle occupant and executes a specified process.

Currently, in-vehicle electronic devices equipped with functions such as navigation systems and radar detectors are widely used. These in-vehicle electronic devices have the ability to output various types of information required by the vehicle's occupants while the vehicle is in motion.

For example, if the in-vehicle electronic device functions as a navigation device, the display device can display a guide route to a searched destination and various facilities that have been searched for in response to user operations. Furthermore, if the in-vehicle electronic device functions as a radar detector, the display device can display targets such as speed cameras, police and checkpoint areas, and traffic monitoring devices as appropriate.

Such in-vehicle electronic devices are generally operated by the user manually using switches on the device, a touch panel on the display screen, or a remote control that allows remote operation via infrared. Furthermore, in-vehicle electronic devices equipped with a voice recognition function that recognizes the voice spoken by the user and performs processing accordingly are also becoming commonplace.

By using this voice recognition function, even users who have difficulty operating the device manually while driving can execute various functions such as route searches and facility searches by speaking recognized phrases corresponding to pre-registered commands.

JP 2009-115594 A

However, the voice recognition functions in conventional in-vehicle electronic devices are no different from manual operation in that the device performs a specified process in response to instructions given unilaterally by the user. As a result, whether the user operates the device manually or via voice input, they end up feeling like they are simply operating a dry device.

Generally, in-car electronic devices also have the ability to provide route guidance, target announcements, and other functions using pre-set voice commands. However, this function is no different from providing information via a screen display in that it is a one-way process provided by the device. As a result, users only get the impression that they are receiving information from a dry device.

As described above, conventional technology only gives the feeling of operating a device, which is uninteresting and extremely boring for those in the car, especially drivers who are driving alone for long periods of time. As a result, users often lose the motivation to actively use in-car electronic devices after some time has passed since purchase, and the various functions often go unused.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and its purpose is to provide a system and program that makes operation and driving fun for users, prevents boredom, and encourages active use of the functions.

(1) The system of the present invention is characterized by executing a predetermined process to output information that the user wants to know in response to a dialogue based on recognition information based on the results of recognizing the voice of the user who is a passenger in the vehicle and the output of a voice by a predetermined character indicating that the user's voice has been recognized.
In this way, for example, instead of the system providing information in response to one-sided instructions from the user who is a passenger in the vehicle, the user can obtain the information they want by interacting with the character, which increases the fun of operating and driving, and also gives the user the feeling of communicating with the character, preventing boredom. Furthermore, for example, the user will be motivated to operate the system in order to interact with the character, and the system's functions will be utilized effectively.
The recognition information based on the result of recognizing the user's voice may be, for example, information that recognizes the user's voice as a phrase that establishes a dialogue with a character. In this way, for example, by outputting the character's voice in accordance with the recognized phrase, it is possible to indicate that the user's voice has been recognized and to establish a dialogue with the user. For example, in order to execute a predetermined process to output information that the user wants to know, specific recognition phrases and the voice of a character that can establish a dialogue in relation to them may be registered in advance, and the character's voice may be output depending on whether the recognition result of the user's voice matches. In this way, for example, by preparing various combinations of recognition phrases and character voices for dialogue, it is possible to respond to a variety of processes that are executed in accordance with the combinations.
The predetermined character may be, for example, a speaker with a specific personality that can be recognized by the voice output from the system, which gives the user the feeling that they are conversing with a real person, making them feel more familiar with the character.
A dialogue may include at least one round-trip exchange, such as the initiation of an utterance, a response to the utterance, and a reply to the response. This may give the user the feeling that a character is acting as an intermediary between the user and the system, providing a service, rather than the system simply performing processing according to the user's commands. Furthermore, a dialogue may include, for example, a user utterance and a character's voice, with the meaning of the utterance and the reply corresponding to the utterance. This may give the user a sense of mutual understanding. A dialogue may also include, for example, an utterance and a reply whose meaning is irrelevant. This may provide a sense of interest and surprise to the user. Furthermore, a dialogue may include, for example, a utterance and a reply whose meaning is irrelevant, with a utterance and a reply whose meaning is irrelevant. This may produce a sense of imperfection similar to that of a real conversation, thereby providing the user with a sense of humanity.
The information that the user wants to know can be output by the system more easily or quickly using voice recognition than by manual operation, for example, which encourages the user to actively use voice recognition, and the system can provide the user with more opportunities to interact with characters.
The predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to a dialogue may, for example, be to output the information that the user wants to know as a result of the dialogue. This may motivate the user to dialogue with the character in order to obtain the information that the user wants to know. Furthermore, the predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to a dialogue may, for example, be to output the information that the user wants to know during the dialogue. This may motivate the user to speak and advance the dialogue in order to obtain the information that the user wants to know. Furthermore, the predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to a dialogue may, for example, be to output the voice of the character that constitutes the dialogue. This may be because the user will dialogue in order to hear the voice of the character, and the dialogue itself will be enjoyable.

(2) The predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to the dialogue may be a process for outputting information that the driver needs while driving the vehicle.
In this way, even if it is difficult for the driver to obtain desired information while driving, for example, due to difficulty or limitations in manual operation, by using voice recognition, the desired information can be obtained while enjoying a conversation with a character.

(3) The predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to the dialogue may be a process for outputting information after multiple selections have been made.
In this way, for example, when multiple selections need to be made to output information, voice input is easier for the user to operate than when manual operation is required for each selection.
Information that is output after multiple selections can be, for example, information with a hierarchical structure or information that can only be output by performing multiple operations, as this is preferable because it places less of a burden on the user than performing multiple manual operations.
In particular, the information output after multiple selections may be information obtained by sequentially narrowing down a number of candidates, such as a facility search, a search around the current location, etc. The process of outputting such information is difficult to perform directly by manual operation, unlike operations for moving the vehicle itself, such as the brake or accelerator, or operations for informing the outside world of something for safety while driving, such as turn signals, and therefore may be suitable for operation by voice recognition.

As part of the dialogue, if there is a next choice to be made, it is advisable to use the voice of a character to guide the player through this choice.
In this way, for example, the user can proceed with a predetermined process by making a selection prompted by the character's voice.
For example, when the character recognizes the user's voice saying "surrounding area" during a nearby search, the voice used to guide the user to the next selection could be a voice asking about the destination, such as "Where are you going?" This is good because it allows the user to clearly know what to say next.

Part of the dialogue may include a character voice indicating when there is no next choice.
In this way, the user can know that there is no need to proceed further with the process, and can therefore decide to end the instruction or perform another process, for example.
For example, when the nearby search recognizes the user's voice saying "family restaurant," the character's voice indicating that there is no next choice can be a voice that clearly indicates that there is no next choice, such as "Are you going to a family restaurant alone?" This lets the user know that there is no need to proceed to the next step, and also allows the user to make a new decision.

(4) The predetermined process for outputting the information the user wants to know in response to the dialogue may be a process for displaying information about facilities in the vicinity of the desired location on the display means.
This is advantageous because it eliminates the need for tedious manual operations to obtain information about nearby facilities, and allows the user to obtain information about nearby facilities while enjoying conversations with the character.

(5) As a predetermined process for outputting the information the user wants to know in response to the dialogue, it is preferable to highlight an icon representing the surrounding facility at the location of the surrounding facility on the map displayed on the display means relative to the map.
In this way, for example, information about facilities that are necessary for the user will stand out on the map, making it easier for the user to understand the location of the facilities and providing a guide when selecting a desired facility by voice.
The relative emphasis compared to the map can be, for example, to clearly show the location of the facility. For example, changing at least one of the brightness, saturation, and hue of the icon and the map can create a striking contrast between the two. In particular, displaying the icon in color and the map in grayscale can make the icon very clearly visible.

(6) As a predetermined process for outputting the information the user wants to know in response to the dialogue, it is preferable to display icons indicating the surrounding facilities at the locations of the surrounding facilities on the map displayed on the display means, and to display on the icons a ranking according to predetermined criteria that can be distinguished.
In this way, for example, the display of the icons in a manner that allows the user to distinguish the ranking of the facilities can be used as a guide for selecting the facilities.
The predetermined criterion may be, for example, the order of proximity to a specific point. This is advantageous because it allows the user to intuitively know which facility is closest, compared to when facility names are displayed. Furthermore, the predetermined criterion may be, for example, the order of importance to the user. This is advantageous because the facilities that the user most wants to know about are preferentially displayed. The importance to the user may be, for example, whether the user has visited the facility in the past, whether the user has visited it frequently in the past, whether the facility matches the user's preferences, etc. This is advantageous because it allows the user to quickly find facilities that they want to visit. Furthermore, facilities that are less important to the user, such as facilities that the user has visited in the past but does not want to visit again, may be excluded. This is advantageous because it allows, for example, to display only facilities that the user is likely to visit.
The display that allows the ranking to be distinguished may be, for example, information that inherently indicates the ranking, such as numbers or letters. This is preferable because, for example, the meaning of the ranking can be easily grasped. Furthermore, the display that allows the ranking to be distinguished may be information that visually indicates the ranking, such as shapes such as ◎, ○, △, ×, or gradual changes in brightness, saturation, or hue. This is preferable because, for example, the ranking can be intuitively grasped visually.

It is advisable to output a voice message from a character prompting the user to select a facility from the search results, with the content matching the displayed icon.
In this way, for example, the user can be prompted to select a facility by a voice that matches the displayed icon, so that the user can understand the content that he or she has visually confirmed through the voice as well.
The content to be matched to the displayed icon may be, for example, a voice inquiring which number is best if it is a number, a voice inquiring which alphabet is best if it is an alphabet, a voice inquiring which shape is best if it is a shape, or a voice inquiring which color is best if it is a color. This makes it easy for the user to know, for example, what to say to select a facility. Also, for example, the content to be matched to the displayed icon may be a voice indicating a range of candidates to be selected. In this way, for example, by outputting a voice indicating which number to which number, the user can grasp not only what to say but also the range to be selected.

When the user's voice selecting one of the facilities is recognized based on the content of the displayed icon, the display means may display a route searched from a specific point to the selected facility.
This is advantageous because, for example, the user can easily select the content that matches the displayed icon rather than selecting by facility name.
The content to be matched to the displayed icon may be, for example, a number, the number of the icon of the desired facility, an alphabet, the alphabet of the icon of the desired facility, a shape, the shape of the icon of the desired facility, or a color, which allows a user to select a facility using a word that is easier to remember than the facility name.

After the searched route is displayed on the display means, it is preferable to decide whether to start route guidance or to search for a new route in accordance with the dialogue.
In this way, for example, if the user does not want the route that has been searched for, he or she can instruct the character to search again, thereby reducing the hassle and boredom of having to start over.

(7) As a predetermined process for outputting the information the user wants to know in response to the dialogue, it is preferable to display on the display means a table of items that allows the user to select which of the items corresponding to recognition phrases registered in advance for recognizing speech should function as recognition phrases.
In this way, for example, if the user selects only frequently used items from a displayed table of items, the recognized words and phrases are limited, which is advantageous in that it is possible to reduce erroneous recognition.
The selected recognition phrases may be registered in a predetermined memory area by, for example, rewriting the default state, entering them in an empty area, rearranging what is already there, etc. This is advantageous in that it makes effective use of the limited memory area.

(8) A table of items that allows a user to select which of the items corresponding to recognition phrases that are pre-registered for recognizing the user's voice will function as recognition phrases for dialogue may be displayed on the display means, and the items selected from the table may be set for each page that is displayed on the display means.
In this way, even if the number of items that can be displayed on one page of the display screen of the display means is limited, the items that the user frequently uses can be brought to the top page, which is advantageous in that it saves the user the trouble of switching pages to display the items that he or she wants to use.

It is preferable that items of recognized phrases that may be confused with each other are set to be displayed on separate pages.
This advantageously reduces misrecognition, since, for example, words containing similar sounds or words that are likely to be confused in actual recognition are not displayed on the same page as recognition candidates. Examples of words containing similar sounds include words containing the same Japanese syllabary sounds or the same kanji characters, such as "family restaurant" and "fast food,""hospital" and "beauty salon," and "Western food" and "Japanese food." This avoids displaying recognized words with ambiguous sounds on the same page, forcing the user to enter one of them, thereby reducing misrecognition. Examples of words that are likely to be confused in actual recognition include different words that have been recognized for the same utterance based on records of past recognition results. This advantageously prevents, for example, combinations that actually result in misrecognition from appearing on the same page.

The items corresponding to the recognized phrases include major items corresponding to recognized phrases including multiple concepts, and medium items corresponding to recognized phrases equivalent to the multiple concepts, and it is preferable that the major items and the medium items be displayed on the same page.
In this way, for example, when a user wants to search for a medium-sized item, there is no need to change the hierarchy or page, and the desired item can be directly selected, which is advantageous.
A major category may be a high-level category with many candidates, such as "hospital." This is convenient for users who want to search from as many candidates as possible. A medium category may be a low-level category with fewer candidates than a major category, such as "internal medicine" or "pediatrics," which are included in the concept of "hospital." This is convenient for users who want to quickly obtain information on a desired facility from a limited number of candidates.

It is preferable that a recognized phrase be registered that is related to a phrase displayed as an item but is not displayed as an item.
In this way, for example, the user does not have to speak the recognition phrase itself displayed in the item, but can simply say a phrase related to that recognition phrase, so that search can be performed even if the user has a vague memory of the item name or is unfamiliar with the operation.
A phrase related to a phrase displayed as an item but not displayed as an item may be, for example, a medium-sized item that corresponds to a major item displayed on a particular page but is not displayed on that page.
In this way, even if the intermediate item is not displayed, if the user mentions the intermediate item, that intermediate item will be searched for, so that information on the facility he or she needs can be obtained quickly.

(9) In response to the dialogue, the character may be displayed on a display means as a predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know.
In this way, for example, the user may feel a sense of familiarity with the person with whom he or she is interacting by seeing the person's appearance on the display screen, and may be more likely to actively use the system in order to see the person's appearance.

(10) As a predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to the dialogue, the character may be displayed in a position that does not obstruct the display of the searched route on the map.
This is advantageous because, for example, the display of the characters can be entertaining while maintaining the visibility of the searched route.
To avoid blocking the route display, the character and the searched route display should be positioned on opposite sides of the display screen, for example. This makes the user feel that the character is being considerate and not interfering with the route search service, which is a good thing.

The character may be moved while being displayed in a position that does not obstruct the display of the searched route on the map.
In this way, for example, by continuing to display a moving character, it is possible to make the user feel annoyed and make their presence known, and for users who want to continue watching the character, it is possible to enjoy the movements of the character as it moves.

The display area of the item corresponding to the recognized phrase of the user's voice has a portion through which the image behind it is visible, the character displayed on the display means is larger than each item and does not have a portion through which the image behind it is visible, and the display area of the item is preferably positioned on the opposite side of the character on the display screen.
In this way, for example, if the character moves to the opposite side of the searched route, the display area of the item may overlap with the searched route, but since each item is smaller than the character and the display area of the item has a part through which the image behind it can be seen, it is better because the image behind it is easier to see than if the searched route overlapped with the character.
The portion through which the image behind can be seen may be, for example, a transparent portion or a portion with a gap, which allows the background image to be seen while maintaining the visibility of the item display.

(11) It is preferable to insert a voice of a pre-registered user's name into the voice output by the character during the dialogue.
In this way, for example, the user can feel a greater sense of familiarity with the character by being called by his or her name in conversation.
It is advisable to insert a voice of the pre-registered name of the user into the voice output by the character at the start of the dialogue.
In this way, for example, at the start of a conversation, the user may be called by his or her name, which may attract the user's attention.

When a voice including the name of the character is recognized, it is preferable to insert a voice of the name of the user registered in advance into the voice output by the character.
In this way, for example, users can call each other by their names, which can give the users a sense of intimacy.

As the dialogue progresses, it is advisable to reduce the frequency with which the character inserts the user's name into the voice output.
In this way, for example, the person may be called by their name at first, but then the frequency of this call may decrease, which is advantageous because it allows the two people to have a conversation in which they become accustomed to each other.

It is preferable that voice data corresponding to the 50-sound table is registered in advance, and the voice of the name selected by the user from this 50-sound table is inserted into the conversation.
This is advantageous in that it is possible to save memory capacity compared to the case where multiple names are registered in advance, for example.

It is preferable to insert a voice indicating the situation of the character as the voice of the character.
This allows the user to hear about the character's situation, so if the character is in a negative situation, for example, it can make the user feel concerned about the character, and if the character is in a positive situation, it can make the user feel empathy for the character.
A good example of a statement that indicates the character's situation is a statement that indicates whether the character is in a positive or negative state, such as "I'm busy." This makes it possible to create feelings of consideration and empathy in the user, rather than the system simply following the user's instructions unconditionally, which is advantageous as it gives the user the feeling of having a conversation with a real person.

(12) The voice of the character in the dialogue may be randomly selected from a plurality of different phrases set in advance, excluding phrases that have already been output, and output.
In this way, for example, it is possible to prevent the same phrases from being output over and over again, which is advantageous in that the user will not get bored.

It is preferable that a list is set up in which a plurality of different response phrases are registered for common recognition words.
In this way, even if the user utters the same thing, the character will respond with different expressions, so even if the user performs the same process multiple times, the user can enjoy seeing what kind of response the character will give.

It is preferable that a plurality of such lists be set up, and that even within the same list, there be a list in which phrases different from other phrases are registered.
In this way, for example, an unusual phrase may be output in response to a similar comment made by the user, which can give the user an unexpected impression, changing their impression of the character and preventing them from becoming bored.

The character may be the same person but may have a plurality of display modes, and different phrases may be registered for each of the plurality of display modes as the voice to be output.
In this way, for example, even the same character will speak differently depending on the display mode, so that users can enjoy the variety of dialogue even when conversing with the same person.
The multiple display modes may be, for example, a standard one, one transformed with different clothing or hairstyle, or one with different head and body proportions. This gives the user a variety of impressions, such as adult-like, child-like, cute, beautiful, etc., and prevents the user from getting bored.

It would be good to have phrases registered to be output in case of voice recognition errors.
In this way, even if the character is recognized incorrectly, the user can be made aware that the conversation with the character is continuing by returning some kind of phrase.

It is a good idea to register phrases that can be used as excuses in case there is an error in the voice recognition.
In this way, for example, although there is a possibility that an error may occur in the voice recognition, even if an error does occur, the character's excuse can ease the user's frustration or anger.
An excuse might be, for example, "We'll do our best with voice recognition, but we might not be able to recognize 100%," which shows the willingness to recognize accurately while also showing that perfect achievement is difficult. This is better than, for example, simply saying that recognition is not possible, because it can induce a psychological tolerance in the user for misrecognition.

When a user makes a voice input pointing out that the content of the reply he or she desires and the content of the character's voice output differ, it is desirable that a reply phrase from the character in response thereto be registered.
In this way, for example, if a user points out a mistake made by a character, the character will respond, which is advantageous as it allows users to enjoy natural human interaction when there is a misunderstanding.

It would be good if phrases that can be used for advertising are registered.
This is advantageous because it allows users to be guided to affiliated facilities, for example.

(13) It is preferable that the voice of the character in the dialogue includes a phrase about the cause of the action to be taken at the facility that the user is going to.
In this way, for example, by speaking about the reason why the user has decided to go to a certain facility, the user who is heading to the facility will be more likely to listen.
For example, it is advantageous because it can attract the user's attention whether the reason for going to the destination is undesirable for the user or desirable for the user.
Facilities that are not desirable for the user as a reason for going to the destination may be facilities related to the user's illness, such as "hospitals,""dentists," and "pharmacies."
Facilities that are preferred by the user as reasons for going to the destination may be facilities that are somewhat more challenging than facilities that the user frequently visits on a daily basis, such as "department stores,""sushirestaurants," and "eels."
Examples of phrases that the character can use to evoke various emotions in the user include phrases that make the user feel attached to the character by showing concern for the user's condition, such as "Are you feeling unwell? Are you okay?" and "Don't push yourself too hard." Also, phrases that make the user feel regretful, such as "Are you brushing your teeth properly?", are good.

(14) Phrases that provide positive or negative advice about what to do at the facility that the user is going to may be registered as the voice of the character in the dialogue.
In this way, for example, the character's advice can help the user determine what they should and should not do at their destination. Positive advice can be a phrase that recommends something, such as "You should get your teeth cleaned once in a while." Negative advice can be a phrase that prohibits something, such as "Don't look like you're in pain. It's a man's job to keep a cool head and endure."

(15) It is preferable that the voice of the character in the dialogue be a phrase that represents the character's one-sided impressions of what the user will do at the facility that is their destination.
In this way, for example, the user can obtain the character's impressions, which may be used as a reference for what to do at the destination.
The character's one-sided impressions may be positive, such as "The black pork char siu melts in your mouth. So wonderful." This is desirable because it encourages the user to take similar actions at the facility. Negative impressions may also be used, such as "You're going to a restaurant alone? Aren't you lonely? Leave me alone?" This is desirable because it encourages the user to change their destination. Furthermore, a mixture of positive and negative impressions may be used, such as "It looks like it would be fun just to look around the shopping mall, but it seems tiring." This is desirable because it allows the user to prepare in advance for the situation at the destination.

(16) It is preferable that phrases that make the character seem to exist in reality are registered as the voice of the character in the dialogue.
This is advantageous because it allows the user to feel as if the character is actually present.
Examples of phrases that suggest the character is actually there include phrases that suggest the character is accompanying the user, such as "I'm so glad you're taking me on your business trip," or "Where are we staying?" This is good because it gives the user the feeling that the character is always with them.

It is preferable that recognition phrases that are registered in advance for recognizing the user's voice are displayed as items.
In this way, for example, the user can see what to say to execute a predetermined process by looking at the displayed items.

It is preferable that the recognition phrases registered in advance for recognizing the user's voice include recognition phrases that can be commonly recognized regardless of the display screen, and recognition phrases that are limited to those displayed on the display screen.
In this way, for example, the convenience of functions required regardless of the display screen can be maintained by using commonly recognizable recognition words, while the possibility of misrecognition can be reduced by using recognition words with limited recognition.

Commonly recognizable recognition phrases may be, for example, recognition phrases that are commonly used on a plurality of types of display screens.
This reduces the possibility that functions will be restricted depending on the display screen, and maintains convenience. For example, it is good to use phrases that transition to another display screen, such as "back" and "cancel." Such phrases are good because they are phrases that need to be used on any screen.
The recognition phrases to be limited in recognition may be, for example, phrases displayed on the display screen or phrases to be searched for. Such phrases are suitable because, for example, there is little need to recognize other phrases, and there is a high need to reduce the number of recognition phrases to prevent erroneous recognition.

It is preferable that some of the recognition phrases registered in advance for recognizing the user's voice are displayed on the display screen, while others are not.
In this way, even if the user utters a phrase that is not displayed on the display screen, if it is a pre-set recognized phrase, the character will give some kind of reaction, which will be a surprise to the user and give them the joy of discovery.

It is preferable that voice data that the character outputs when a voice other than a phrase that has been set in advance as a recognition phrase is input is registered.
In this way, even if the phrase is not a recognized phrase, the character will always react, so the dialogue will not be interrupted or an error will not be reported, which will remind the user that they are interacting with the system, and the user can maintain the feeling that they are continuing to have a dialogue with the character.

The state of a quantitatively varying function may be directly adjusted to a desired quantitative level by voice recognition.
In this way, for example, the quantitative level can be instantly set to the desired value compared to when it is changed stepwise between a small value and a large value, which saves the user time and reduces the time spent on operations.
Quantitatively variable functions can be, for example, volume, brightness, scale, etc. This is advantageous because it eliminates the need to select a button such as volume, brightness, or scale to display +/- or a scale, and then go up or down in stages by selecting +/- or sliding on the scale.

It is preferable that a demonstrative word corresponding to a quantitatively changing function and a number indicating a quantitative level are set as recognition phrases that are registered in advance for recognizing the user's voice.
In this way, for example, when the user speaks a demonstrative word and a number corresponding to a desired function, the quantitative level of the function can be directly increased or decreased to the level of that number.
Demonstrative words corresponding to quantitatively changing functions can be, for example, "onryo,""kido," or "scale," and numbers can be "ichi,""ni," or "nikiro." This allows input using function names and numbers that are intuitively easy for users to understand. In particular, the name and quantitative level can be combined into one recognition phrase, such as "onryo-san,""kido-ni," or "sukaerunikiro." This is advantageous because it only requires one utterance.

It is preferable that a button for selecting a function, on which a demonstrative term corresponding to the function is displayed, is displayed on the display screen of the display means.
In this way, for example, the user only needs to say the instruction word displayed on the button, which may be easier for the user to understand.

It is preferable that a button for selecting a function, which button displays the current quantitative level value of the function, is displayed on the display screen of the display means.
In this way, for example, the user may be able to see the current quantitative level by looking at the value displayed on the button and determine whether to increase or decrease it to the desired value.
The value of the current quantitative level may be, for example, the scale of the map. In this way, for example, if a small scale value is displayed on the button, and the user speaks a larger value, the scale value displayed on the button may directly change to that value, allowing the user to instantly view a wider range of the map. Also, for example, if a large scale value is displayed on the button, and the user speaks a smaller value, the scale value displayed on the button may directly change to that value, allowing the user to instantly view a more detailed map.

The buttons on which the demonstrative terms corresponding to the functions are displayed may preferably include buttons that execute the functions without transitioning to another display screen.
In this way, for example, a function can be executed by interaction without transitioning to another display screen to execute the function, so that the current screen display is not interrupted.

It is preferable to display on the display means whether or not the voice recognition is being accepted.
In this way, for example, the user may visually recognize whether or not voice-based operation is possible.

Whether or not voice recognition is being accepted can be indicated, for example, by changing the color of the display screen. This is advantageous because it allows the user to immediately sense the state of voice recognition through their vision. In particular, it is advantageous to use a normal color when voice recognition is being accepted, and a grayscale when it is not being accepted. This is advantageous because it allows the user to intuitively know, for example, whether or not voice recognition is being accepted.

It is a good idea to have the character display whether or not they are accepting voice recognition.
In this way, for example, by looking at the character, the user can tell whether or not voice control is possible, which is advantageous as it makes it easier for the user to notice.
As a manner of displaying the character, for example, a manner in which the character's appearance clearly changes may be used. This may be advantageous because, for example, the state of voice recognition can be immediately perceived. As a manner in which a character's appearance clearly changes, for example, an object may be added to the character, the character's color or form may be changed, the character may perform a specific pose or gesture, or dialogue may be displayed in a speech bubble. This may be advantageous because, for example, a user who is familiar with the character's normal state may immediately notice the change by comparing it with the normal state. As a manner in which an object is added to the character, for example, a sound-related accessory such as a headset, headphones, earphones, or microphone may be attached to the character. This may be advantageous because, for example, the user may associate the change with voice recognition, which is a sound-related function. As a manner in which a character's color or form is changed, for example, a hairstyle or hair color may be changed, or the character may change into a different costume. This may be advantageous because, for example, a difference from the normal state can be easily noticed. In particular, for example, enlarging the character's ears may indicate that the character is trying to hear the sound better. Furthermore, a pose or gesture such as placing a hand behind an ear may be used to indicate that the robot is trying to listen carefully to the voice.

While the character's voice is being output, it is advisable to stop voice recognition until the voice output is completed.
This may prevent other processing from being executed by voice recognition, for example, when a user inputs a voice while a character is speaking. The other processing may be, for example, processing with low urgency, such as volume, brightness, scale, or surrounding search. This may prevent processing that does not necessarily need to be executed immediately from being executed by voice recognition.

It is advisable to accept voice recognition even while the character's voice is being output.
In this way, for example, if a user inputs a voice while a character is speaking, other processing other than the voice recognition will not be interrupted. The other processing may be, for example, a highly urgent processing such as transmitting location information about a police station to an information collection server. This way, the processing that the user wants to execute immediately will not be interrupted.

If a voice is input from the user while the voice of the character is being output, the output of the voice of the character may be stopped.
In this way, for example, it is possible to give the impression that the user's voice has interrupted the character's speech. For example, if the voice output of the stopped character is not output again, the same utterance will not be repeated from the beginning, which gives an unnatural impression. Furthermore, if the voice output of the stopped character is restarted from the point where it was stopped, it is possible to give the impression that the character was waiting while the user was speaking.

If a predetermined input operation is performed while the character's voice is being output, the character's voice may be stopped.
In this way, for example, when a user does not want a third party to hear a conversation with a character, the character's voice can be stopped by a predetermined input operation. The predetermined input operation may be, for example, the operation of a physical key. In this way, the user only needs to operate a fixed location at all times, making it easy to perform an operation in an emergency.

It is preferable to post location information about the enforcement location to an information collection server in response to a user's voice input corresponding to a recognition phrase that is registered in advance to recognize the user's voice.
In this way, for example, posting an announcement of a police crackdown location can be done easily and quickly by voice rather than manually.
The enforcement location may be a check location where the location and time of enforcement change, such as a control or inspection area. This is advantageous because it allows information about enforcement locations, the location of which is difficult to register in advance, to be collected through posts.
The location information may be, for example, the current location or the coordinates of the center position. In this way, for example, the enforcement location can be identified using information that can be obtained reliably and easily, and since voice recognition is used, there is little deviation from the actual enforcement location.

It is preferable that the predetermined recognition phrases registered include phrases that start voice recognition and phrases that start accepting posts.
In this way, for example, a user can simply speak a phrase that activates voice recognition and a phrase that starts accepting posts, thereby easily performing the multi-step operation of voice recognition and accepting posts.

The phrase that activates voice recognition and the phrase that starts accepting posts may be registered as separate phrases, for example.
This may prevent, for example, erroneous recognition caused by the start of acceptance of posts simultaneously with the start of voice recognition. Furthermore, the phrase that activates voice recognition and the phrase that starts acceptance of posts may be set as a series of phrases. This may allow, for example, acceptance of posts to start immediately upon the start of voice recognition, thereby enabling posts to be posted immediately.

As the predetermined recognition phrases, phrases that activate voice recognition and phrases that cause posting may be registered.
In this way, for example, a user may be able to easily perform the multi-step operation of voice recognition and posting by speaking a phrase that activates voice recognition and a phrase that causes posting.

The phrase that activates voice recognition and the phrase that is to be posted may be registered as separate phrases, for example.
This may prevent, for example, posting at the start of voice recognition, which may result in erroneous posting. Furthermore, the phrase that starts voice recognition and the phrase to be posted may be set as a series of phrases, for example. This may allow posting to be performed in one go at the start of voice recognition, which may result in immediate posting and minimize the discrepancy between the enforcement location and the posting location.

The predetermined recognition phrase for a post may be shorter than the other recognition phrases.
In this way, for example, it may be possible to give instructions in a short time about posts with high urgency.

Certain recognition phrases for posts may be more verbose than other recognition phrases.
In this way, for example, when using normal voice recognition, the possibility of saying a different recognized phrase is reduced, which is advantageous in preventing posts from being made by mistake.
The wording "redundant" may be, for example, a large number of characters or multiple characters. This is advantageous because it reduces the possibility that a user who does not intend to post may accidentally speak something.

The predetermined recognition phrases for posts may be phrases that the user is unlikely to normally say.
In this way, for example, frequent misrecognition due to words that the user frequently uses in the car can be prevented, and unintended posts by the user can be prevented.

The character's voice during the dialogue for posting should be shorter than the voice during other dialogues.
This is advantageous because, for example, the conversation time can be shortened and posting can be made quickly.

(17) The predetermined process for outputting the information the user wants to know in response to the dialogue may be initiated by input of a voice from the user corresponding to a predetermined recognition phrase.
In this way, for example, a predetermined process is started in response to a voice input from the user, so the system will not start and execute the process on its own.

(18) The predetermined process for outputting the information the user wants to know in response to the dialogue may be initiated when a predetermined character outputs a voice and the user inputs a voice corresponding to a predetermined recognition phrase.
In this way, for example, the output of the character's voice can serve as a trigger for the user to decide whether or not to start a predetermined process, which is advantageous in that it can increase opportunities to use the system.
The voice output of the character may be, for example, an inquiry as to whether or not a specific process should be started, which may prompt the user to use the process.
The timing of outputting the character's voice may be, for example, periodically to increase the frequency of using the process, or may be when a predetermined condition is met to prompt the user to use the process at a time that is appropriate for the process.

(19) It is preferable that the process be terminated when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of a predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know and no voice input has been made by the user.
This is advantageous in that it is possible to prevent, for example, erroneous operations that may occur when voice recognition is continued for a long period of time.

(20) It is preferable that a character outputs a voice prompting the user to input voice information between the time when a predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know is started and the time when a predetermined time has elapsed.
This is advantageous because, for example, if the user forgets to start processing, the user can be prompted to input voice information.

(21) The system functions of (1) to (20) may be configured as a program to be implemented on a computer.

The present invention provides a system and program that allows users to enjoy operation and driving, prevents boredom, and encourages them to actively use the functions.

1 is an overall perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the device main body. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a warning screen displayed on a display unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a route display screen displayed on a display unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the first half of an example list of recognition words. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the second half of an example of a list of recognition words. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of an example list of response phrases. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing response phrases according to the character's behavior. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing examples of various response phrases. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen waiting for voice recognition activation. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen for starting voice recognition when displaying a current location. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen for starting voice recognition during route guidance. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the first page of genre selection in a nearby search. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the second page of genre selection in a nearby search. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in which search results in a nearby search are displayed as icons. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when the map scale is changed in FIG. 15 . FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a first page display screen displaying a list of search results in a nearby search. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a second page of a display screen displaying a list of search results in a nearby search. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displaying a searched route. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when the scale is changed in FIG. 19; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen for changing route conditions. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when the map scale is changed. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when changing the volume. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when the brightness is changed. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a response phrase in a timeout process. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen for changing genres.

[Basic configuration]
FIG. 1 shows an external view of one embodiment of a navigation device suitable as an electronic device constituting the system of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows its functional block diagram, and FIGS. 3 and 4 show examples of display formats. As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device includes a portable device main body 2 and a cradle 3, which serves as a mounting member for the device. When the device main body 2 is attached to the cradle 3, it functions as an in-vehicle navigation device. When the device main body 2 is removed from the cradle 3, it functions as a portable navigation device (PND). In this embodiment, the device main body 2 is detachable from the cradle 3, and can be installed on the dashboard of a vehicle together with the cradle 3, or can be removed from the cradle 3 and used as a portable navigation device (PND). However, the device may not be easily detachable from the cradle 3 and may be fixed to the vehicle or may be dedicated to a portable device. Furthermore, the navigation device may be implemented by installing (including pre-installing) a specific application program on a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone. The application program may be the navigation system itself, or a program for accessing a server on which the navigation system is implemented and using the system. The present invention is applicable to such various types of navigation systems.

The device main body 2 is detachably attached to the cradle 3. The device main body 2 includes a flat, rectangular case main body 4. A display unit 5 is located on the front of the case main body 4. A touch panel 8 is provided on the display unit 5 to detect which part of the display unit 5 is touched, and warning lamps 9 are provided on both sides of the front. The cradle 3 includes a cradle main body 6 that holds the device main body 2 and a base 7 that positions the cradle main body 6 in any orientation at a predetermined location in the vehicle (e.g., on the dashboard). The base 7 is attached to the dashboard or other surface by a suction cup on its bottom. The base 7 and the cradle main body 6 are rotatably connected within a predetermined angular range via a connecting mechanism such as a ball joint. Because of the ball joint, the base 7 and the cradle main body 6 can rotate relative to each other within any angular range in three dimensions and maintain that position at any angular position due to frictional resistance at the joint. Therefore, the device main body 2 attached to the cradle main body 6 can also be positioned in any orientation on the dashboard.

Furthermore, one side of the case body 4 is provided with an SD memory card slot 21, into which an SD memory card 22 containing map data and the like can be inserted. This SD memory card slot 21 includes a memory card reader/writer that reads and writes information to the inserted SD memory card 22. Also, a DC jack 10 is provided on the side of the case body 4 where the SD memory card slot 21 is provided. The DC jack 10 is for connecting a cigarette lighter plug cord (not shown), and can be connected to the vehicle's cigarette lighter socket via the cigarette lighter plug cord to receive power.

On the other hand, the side opposite the SD memory card slot 21 is equipped with a power switch and a USB terminal 23. This USB terminal 23 can be used to connect to a PC and perform software application updates, etc.

The following devices and components are located inside the case body 4. Specifically, a microwave receiver 11 is located inside the rear side of the case body 4. The microwave receiver 11 receives microwaves in a specified frequency band, and when microwaves in that set frequency band are received, it detects the signal level of the received microwaves. Specifically, it uses the RSSI voltage, which is the signal level and corresponds to the field strength. The specified frequency band is a frequency band that includes the frequency of microwaves emitted from, for example, a vehicle speed measurement device.

A GPS receiver 12 is located inside the top side of the case body 4, and receives GPS signals to determine the current location. An infrared communication device 14 is located inside the front side of the case body 4. The infrared communication device 14 sends and receives data to and from a communication device with a built-in infrared communication device, such as a mobile phone 15. A speaker 20 is also built into the case body 4.

The device of this embodiment also includes a wireless receiver 13 and a remote control receiver 16. The wireless receiver 13 receives incoming radio signals at a predetermined frequency. The remote control receiver 16 communicates data with a remote control (portable device: slave device) 17 and performs various settings for the device. The wireless receiver 13 receives incoming radio signals at a predetermined frequency band. This predetermined frequency can be, for example, the frequency band used by emergency vehicles when notifying a base station of their location.

In addition to the navigation function, the navigation device of this embodiment also has a target notification function, which functions as a target notification device that notifies the driver of surrounding targets such as vehicle speed measurement devices and other traffic monitoring points. These navigation and target notification functions are stored in the EEPROM of control unit 18 as programs executed by the computer in control unit 18, and are realized by the computer's execution.

In other words, the control unit 18 performs predetermined processing based on information input from the various input devices (GPS receiver 12, microwave receiver 11, wireless receiver 13, touch panel 8, infrared communication device 14, remote control receiver 16, SD memory card slot 21, USB terminal 23, etc.) and outputs predetermined information, warnings, and messages using output devices (display unit 5, warning lamp 9, speaker 20, infrared communication device 14, SD memory card slot 21, USB terminal 23, etc.). This predetermined processing is for executing each of the functions described above, and accesses the database 19 and SD memory card 22 as necessary.

Here, database 19 can be realized by non-volatile memory (e.g., EEPROM) inside the microcomputer of control unit 18 or externally attached to the microcomputer. At the time of shipment, database 19 is registered with certain landmarks, maps, and other information necessary for implementing various functions. Data on landmarks added later can be updated through a specified process. This update process can be performed, for example, by inserting an SD memory card 22 containing the additional data into SD memory card slot 21 and transferring the data from the SD memory card 22 to database 19. This data update can also be performed using infrared communication device 7 or a personal computer or other external device connected via USB terminal 23.

The control unit 18, which realizes the target notification function, operates as follows. That is, when the microwave receiver 11 receives the desired microwaves, the control unit 18 outputs a predetermined alarm. This alarm can be a buzzer using the speaker 20, a voice output to notify the reception of microwaves (such as detection by a vehicle speed measurement device), or a message in the form of text or an image using the display unit 5.

In addition, the control unit 18 outputs a predetermined alarm when the wireless receiver 13 receives a desired radio signal. This alarm can be a buzzer using the speaker 20, a voice output to notify the reception of microwaves (such as the approach of an emergency vehicle), or a message in the form of text or images using the display unit 5. It is preferable that the alarm associated with this radio signal reception and the alarm associated with the microwave signal reception be in different formats.

Furthermore, the control unit 18 outputs a predetermined alarm when the current location detected by the GPS receiver 12 and the location of a target, such as a traffic monitoring point, stored in the database 19 are in a predetermined positional relationship. Therefore, the database 19 contains information about the target to be detected (target location information including longitude and latitude, target type information, etc.), traffic safety information for safer driving with more caution, such as accident-prone areas and traffic enforcement information, and various information about landmarks and other information useful for driving. Each piece of information is registered by associating the specific type of information (target type, traffic enforcement type, accident-prone areas, landmark name, etc.) with the location information.

The distance to the target when issuing an alarm can be changed depending on the type of target. As with the above, alarms can be issued via audio using the speaker 20 or via the display unit 5. Figure 3 shows an example of an alarm via the display unit 5. In this embodiment, the device is a navigation device, and therefore has map data as described below. Therefore, the control unit 18 has the function of reading road network information around the current location and displaying a map of the area around the current location on the display unit 5 as the basic screen. Then, a warning screen 70 is displayed on the display unit 5, superimposed on the currently displayed screen (here, the map of the area around the current location). Figure 3 shows an example of the warning screen 70 displayed when the distance between the current location and an LH system, a type of speed measurement device that is a traffic monitoring point, is 500 m while the map 50 is displayed. Furthermore, a warning voice indicating the type of alarm and the distance, such as "LH system 500 m ahead," is output from the speaker 20.

Meanwhile, the control unit 18, which implements the navigation function, operates as follows. First, the database 19 stores road network information for navigation. The navigation information stored in this database 19 may contain all information for the entire country at the time of shipment, or map data and the like may be provided for each region stored on an SD memory card 22, with the user providing an SD memory card 22 containing the necessary map data and inserting it into the SD memory card slot 21 for use. Note that the map data and the like stored on the SD memory card 22 may be transferred to and stored in the database 19, or the control unit 18 may access the SD memory card 22 and read and use it from there.

The control unit 18 has the function of reading road network information around the current location from the database 19 and displaying a map of the area around the current location on the display unit 5. The control unit 18 can use this road network information to search for a route from one location to another. The database 19 also includes a telephone number database that stores telephone numbers in association with the location information and names of the homes, businesses, facilities, etc. associated with those telephone numbers, and an address database that stores addresses in association with the location information of those addresses. The database 19 also stores the location information of traffic monitoring points such as speed measurement devices, along with their types.

The control unit 18 also has the functionality to perform typical navigation device processing. That is, it constantly displays a map of the area around the current location on the display unit 5 and displays a destination setting button. When the control unit 18 detects a touch on the touch panel 8 at a position corresponding to the display position of the destination setting button, it performs a destination setting process. In the destination setting process, a destination setting menu is displayed on the display unit 5 and prompts the user to select a destination setting method. The destination setting menu has a phone number search button and an address search button that prompt the user to select a destination setting method. When it detects that the phone number search button has been touched, it displays a phone number input screen and obtains location information corresponding to the entered phone number from the database 19. When it detects that the address search button has been touched, it displays an address selection input screen and obtains location information corresponding to the entered address from the database 19. The obtained location information is then set as the location information of the destination, and a recommended route from the current location to the destination is calculated based on the road network information stored in the database 19. A known method, such as the Dijkstra algorithm, can be used to calculate this recommended route.

The control unit 18 then displays the calculated recommended route together with a map of the surrounding area. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, route 53 from current position 51 to destination 52 is displayed as the recommended route in a predetermined color (e.g., red). This is similar to a typical navigation system. In this embodiment, the control unit 18 compares position information on route 53 with position information of landmarks such as traffic monitoring points stored in database 19, and displays the positions of traffic monitoring points and the like located on route 53. Note that the information provided for safe driving along route 53 may be limited to traffic monitoring points among the various landmarks stored in database 19.

As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, a speech bubble is displayed from a location on the road, and the type of traffic monitoring point at that location stored in database 19 is displayed within the speech bubble. For example, FIG. 4(a) is an example of the warning point search screen display, showing traffic monitoring points 55a to 55f. Traffic monitoring point 55a displays the letter "N" in its speech bubble, indicating an N system. Traffic monitoring points 55b, 55c, and 55e display the letter "LH" in its speech bubble, indicating an LH system. Traffic monitoring point 55d displays the letter "loop," indicating a loop coil, within its speech bubble. Traffic monitoring point 55f displays the letter "H," indicating an H system, within its speech bubble. In this way, when touch panel 8 detects a touch at a position in the simplified display state where text is displayed within a speech bubble, the simplified display is switched to a detailed display, as shown in FIG. 4(b). The detailed display displays the warning screen shown in FIG. 3 within the speech bubble.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), a traffic monitoring point type designation section 56 is displayed in the lower right corner of the display unit 5. The traffic monitoring point type designation section 56 is a section that displays buttons listing the types of traffic monitoring points present on the route 53. In the example of FIG. 4(a), an "N" type button 57a indicating the N system of traffic monitoring point 55a, an "LH" type button 57b indicating the LH system of traffic monitoring points 55b, 55c, and 55e, a "Loop" type button 57c indicating the loop coil of traffic monitoring point 55d, and an "H" type button 57d indicating the H system of traffic monitoring point 55f are displayed. When the control unit 18 detects a touch on the type button display section on the touch panel 8, it highlights the touched type button and switches the display mode of the traffic monitoring point corresponding to the touched type button to detailed display if it is in simple display mode, or to simple display if it is in detailed display mode.

The car navigation device of this embodiment is equipped with a surrounding area search function as a method for setting a destination (hereinafter, including intermediate points). When this surrounding area search function is selected and activated, the control unit 18 extracts facilities that meet the specified conditions and are close to the current location, and displays the extracted results on the display unit 5. The user can then select one of the candidates displayed on the display unit 5 and confirm it to specify it as the destination (including intermediate points).

In other words, to achieve this function, the database 19 of this embodiment stores information about each facility in association with information about the facility's classification, along with its location information. The information about the facility's classification consists of multiple types of items grouped together by the name of the genre to which each facility corresponds.

In this embodiment, when any of the items is specified, the control unit 18 extracts facilities that match the specified items and are close to the current location, and displays the extracted results on the display unit 5 as destination candidates. The user can select one of the candidates displayed on the display unit 5 to specify it as a destination.

When one of the items is selected, the control unit 18 accesses the database 19 and extracts facilities that are located within a reference distance (e.g., 10 km) from the current location and that match the classification of the specified item. It then draws a predetermined number (e.g., 10) of the closest facilities, superimposing icons (marks) representing those facilities on the corresponding locations on the map drawn on the display unit 5. Each facility is registered with an associated icon as facility information stored in the database 19, and when drawing the facility, the associated icon is read and drawn in the specified location on the display unit 5.

If the current location is present on the map displayed on the display unit 5, a vehicle icon representing the vehicle will be drawn superimposed on the location corresponding to the current location. Furthermore, when drawing icons for such facilities, numbers are added to the icons in order of proximity to the vehicle. The numbers are updated as the vehicle moves.

When the user selects a desired facility, the control unit 18 recognizes this and calculates a recommended route with that facility as the destination, and overlays the results on the map on the display unit 5.

Furthermore, the control unit 18 has the function of providing route guidance to the set destination. In other words, in response to the user's selection to start guidance, the control unit 18 sequentially detects the vehicle's position using GPS or autonomous navigation, displays map information showing roads, etc. on the display unit 5, and provides route guidance to the destination using images and audio.

The user's instructions such as designation and selection can be input by touching a button on the display unit 5 displaying the name of an item or function, touching a facility icon, selecting by operating the remote control, or when the control unit 18 detects that a specified voice has been input.

[Character interaction function]
Interactive feature basics
The interactive function with a character, which is a feature of this embodiment, is described below. This interactive function is realized by the control unit 18 executing a program, and is realized by recognition information based on the result of recognizing the voice of the user who is a passenger in the vehicle, and outputting the voice of a predetermined character indicating that the user's voice has been recognized.

To execute this dialogue function, the database 19 stores recognition words (recognition phrases) and corresponding response phrases, which are voice data of the characters. The control unit 18 recognizes the user's voice input via the microphone 20 based on the recognition words. That is, the control unit 18 recognizes the voice uttered by the user as a phrase based on the user's voice signal, and determines whether the recognized phrase matches the recognition word. The control unit 18 then outputs, to the speaker 20, a response phrase corresponding to the recognition word determined to match the recognized phrase. By providing various combinations of recognition words for dialogue and response phrases, which are the voices of the characters, it is possible to accommodate a variety of processes executed in response to the dialogue, as described below.

This allows the user to have simple conversations with the character using the electronic device that is the system. In this embodiment, the character is set as a girl named "Rei," for example. Various functions such as the nearby search mentioned above can also be performed by talking to the character. Database 19 stores "Re-tan" as a recognition word for the character's nickname.

The database 19 also stores image data (including still images and videos) of the characters. The control unit 18 can display still images and videos of the characters on the display unit 5 based on this image data. For some response phrases, the control unit 18 can use lip linking to move the mouth and body of the character displayed on the display unit 5 so that the response phrase matches the output response phrase, thereby making the situation in which the character is speaking feel more realistic.

Furthermore, the voices and images of characters stored in database 19 are set in multiple modes for the same person. For example, database 19 stores the response phrases and image data for three modes of a single person named "Rei": "Standard Rei," "Transformed Rei," and "Chibi Rei." "Standard Rei" is the character's basic mode. "Transformed Rei" is a mode in which "Standard Rei" has different clothing and hairstyle. "Chibi Rei" is a mode in which the head and body are changed to make the character look more childlike. Control unit 18 outputs the voice and image of the character according to the user's selection of one of the modes.

Recognition Words
5 and 6 show examples of a list of recognition words stored in the database 19. Each column of this list of recognition words is assigned a list number. As will be described later, each column contains recognition words that can be recognized on each of the display screens M1, V1, V1a, S1, S1a, S2, S2a, S2_list, S2a_list, R1, R1a, R1b, A1, A2, and A3 displayed on the display unit 5.

List number 1 contains the activation word "re-tan, voice control," which activates voice recognition. When the control unit 18 recognizes the activation word, it activates the voice recognition function to execute various functions, such as nearby searches. Therefore, in the initial state, the control unit 19 is on standby and can only voice recognize activation words. This list number 1 corresponds to display screen M1, which will be described later.

List number 2 contains registered recognition words for starting a nearby search, scale change, volume change, or brightness change after voice recognition is activated. For example, "shuhen" is registered as the recognition word for starting a nearby search. "sukeru" is registered as the recognition word for starting a scale change. "onryo" is registered as the recognition word for starting a volume change. "kido" is registered as the recognition word for starting a brightness change. This list number 2 corresponds to display screen V1, which will be described later. Furthermore, list number 2 contains registered the recognition word "jitaku" (preparation), which allows a route to one's home to be searched for with a single utterance when returning home. In this way, recognition words corresponding to functions frequently used by the user are registered as the recognition words when voice recognition is activated, so voice recognition can be started and executed immediately.

List number 3 contains recognition words corresponding to functions to be executed after route guidance has begun. For example, in addition to the recognition words in list number 2, recognition words to stop route guidance, such as "interrupt guidance," "stop guidance," and "stop guidance," are registered. By providing multiple recognition words to execute the same function of stopping route guidance, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's speech differs slightly. This list number 3 corresponds to display screen V1a, which will be described later. In particular, "shuhen," "onryo," and "kido" are reference words that will be displayed on the buttons on display screens V1 and V1a, as will be described later. Therefore, the user can input instructions by speaking the displayed reference words.

Lists 4 and 5 contain recognition words used to specify genres in nearby searches. These genre recognition words are displayed in hiragana on the buttons for specifying genres. On the screen display where the buttons for recognition words belonging to list 4 are displayed, the recognizable genres are limited to the recognition words belonging to list 4. This list 4 corresponds to display screen S1, described below. By providing multiple recognition words for the same genre, such as "Famires" and "Famiriresutoran" for family restaurants and "kaden" and "denkiya" for electronics stores, the possibility of recognition failure due to slight variations in the user's speech can be reduced.

On a screen display where buttons for recognition words belonging to list number 5 are displayed, the recognizable genres are limited to the recognition words belonging to list number 5. This list number 5 corresponds to display screen S1a, which will be described later. In this way, the recognizable genres on each display screen are limited to the recognition words corresponding to the buttons for the items displayed on that display screen, reducing the possibility of misrecognition.

In addition, list number 4 has registered therein the recognition words "page 2" and "next" for transitioning to display screen S1a of list number 5. Also, list number 5 has registered therein the recognition words "page 1" and "previous" for transitioning to display screen S1 of list number 4. In this way, by providing multiple types of recognition words that perform the same function of transitioning between genre display screens, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's speech differs slightly.

List numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9 contain recognition words for selecting facilities found in a nearby search. On the display screens corresponding to list numbers 6 and 7, facilities found in a nearby search are displayed on a map as numbered icons, ordered by proximity to the current location. Numerical names for selecting facilities are registered as recognition words. For example, recognition words indicating numbers, such as "ichi," "ichiban," "ni," and "niban," are registered. By providing multiple types of recognition words for selecting the same destination, the possibility of recognition failure due to slight variations in the user's speech can be reduced. On the display screens corresponding to list numbers 6 and 7, all of the searched facilities (10 in this example) can be selected by voice, regardless of whether they are displayed on the screen.

In addition, list numbers 6 and 7 contain recognition words for changing the scale of the displayed map. That is, list number 6 contains the recognition word "scale", which accepts the start of a scale change. This list number 6 corresponds to display screen S2, which will be described later. List number 7 contains the recognition word "scale", which accepts the start of a scale change, as well as recognition words for changing the scale. This list number 7 corresponds to display screen S2a, which will be described later.

Recognition words for changing the scale include recognition words for enlarging the map scale for a more detailed display, recognition words for reducing the map scale for a wider display, and recognition words indicating the scale number and units. Recognition words for enlarging the map scale include "magnitude" and "details," while recognition words for reducing the map scale include recognition words that change the map scale in stages. "Stepwise" means that multiple levels of scale are set in advance, and the scale is raised or lowered one level at a time. By providing multiple types of recognition words for the same function of gradually changing the scale, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's speech differs slightly. In particular, because everyday words are used as recognition words for raising or lowering the scale, users do not have to worry about what words to use to change the volume.

In addition, recognition words for changing the scale include recognition words that can specify the scale number and unit, such as "10 meters," "25 meters," and "50 meters." As a result, when the user speaks and specifies the desired scale, the control unit 18, upon recognizing this, directly changes the scale to the specified map scale. Furthermore, list numbers 6 and 7 have registered the recognition words "list" and "list display," which transition to the list display screen of list number 8, which will be described later. In this way, by preparing multiple types of recognition words that execute the same function of transitioning to a list display screen, the possibility of the system being unable to recognize what the user says can be reduced, even if the user's speech differs slightly.

On the display screens corresponding to list numbers 8 and 9, facilities found in the nearby search are displayed in a list using buttons with numbers displayed on them. The names of the numbers used to select facilities displayed in this list are registered as recognition words. List number 8 corresponds to the display screen S2_list, which will be described later, and list number 9 corresponds to the display screen S2a_list, which will be described later. The names of the registered numbers are the same as for list numbers 8 and 9 above. However, on list numbers 8 and 9, the facilities that can be selected are limited to those displayed on the display screen. In this example, on display screen S2_list, which corresponds to list number 8, the first through fifth facilities can be selected, and on list number S2_list, the sixth through tenth facilities can be selected.

In addition, list numbers 8 and 9 have registered the recognition words "list" and "cancel list" for canceling the list display. In this way, by providing multiple types of recognition words that execute the same function of canceling the list display, the possibility of recognition failure even if the user's utterance differs slightly can be reduced. Furthermore, like list numbers 4 and 5, list number 8 has registered the recognition words "page 2" and "next" for transitioning to display screen S1a of list number 9. In addition, list number 9 has registered the recognition words "page 1" and "previous" for transitioning to display screen S1 of list number 8.

List numbers 10, 11, and 12 contain the recognition words "Guide me," "Please guide me," and "Please guide me," which are used to start route guidance based on the search result. By providing multiple types of recognition words that indicate the same function, route guidance, the possibility of the system not being able to recognize the user's speech even if it differs slightly is reduced. In particular, by providing the commanding tone of "Guide me," as well as the more friendly requesting tone of "Please guide me" and "Please guide me," users can enjoy changing the tone of speech depending on their level of intimacy with the character.

List number 10 corresponds to the display screen that displays the searched route after the route search. This display screen corresponds to display screen R1, which will be described later. List number 11 corresponds to the display screen that changes the map scale while displaying the searched route. This display screen corresponds to display screen R1a, which will be described later. List number 12 corresponds to the display screen that changes the route conditions while displaying the searched route. This display screen corresponds to display screen R1b, which will be described later.

In addition, lists 10, 11, and 12 contain the recognition word "scale", which initiates a scale change, the recognition word "shuhen", which initiates a re-search for nearby facilities, and the recognition words "joken" and "routejoken", which initiate a change to the route conditions. In this way, by providing multiple types of recognition words that indicate the same function of changing the route conditions, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's speech differs slightly.

Furthermore, list number 11, like list number 7, has registered recognition words that change the scale. Furthermore, list number 12 has registered recognition words that change the route conditions. Route conditions are search conditions that determine what is given priority when searching for a route. In this embodiment, the route conditions are set to give priority to expressways, local roads, and recommended routes. Recommended routes are based on default conditions, such as prioritizing the time required to reach the destination or the distance to the destination. Correspondingly, list number 12 has registered "water level," "local road," and "highway."

List numbers 13, 14, and 15 contain recognition words for changing various functions of this embodiment. List number 13 contains recognition words for changing the map scale, as described above. List number 13 corresponds to display screen A1, which will be described later.

List number 14 contains recognition words for changing the volume. List number 14 corresponds to display screen A2, which will be described later. The recognition words for changing the volume include recognition words for increasing the volume, recognition words for decreasing the volume, and recognition words that indicate the volume level.

Recognition words for increasing the volume include "up" and "louder," while recognition words for decreasing the volume include "down" and "quieter," which change the volume in stages. "Stepwise" means that multiple volume levels are set in advance and the volume is increased or decreased one level at a time. By providing multiple types of recognition words that perform the same function of gradually changing the volume, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's speech differs slightly. In particular, because the recognition words used when increasing or decreasing the volume are everyday words, users do not have to worry about what words to use to change the volume.

Recognition words for changing the volume also include recognition words that can specify numbers indicating volume levels, such as "zero," "one," and "two." This allows the user to specify the desired volume level by speaking it, and the control unit 18, upon recognizing this, directly changes the volume to the specified level. Note that "zero" is a recognition word that realizes the function of setting the volume to zero, in other words, the function of muting the sound output from the speaker 20. This allows the user to instantly prevent the character's voice from being heard by others by simply speaking the recognition word that sets the volume to zero.

List number 15 contains recognition words for changing the brightness. List number 15 corresponds to display screen A3, which will be described later. The recognition words for changing the brightness include recognition words for increasing the brightness, recognition words for decreasing the brightness, and recognition words that indicate the brightness level.

The recognition words for increasing brightness include "up" and "brighter," while those for decreasing brightness include "down" and "dark." These words include recognition words that change brightness in stages. "Stepwise" means that multiple levels of brightness are set in advance, and the brightness is increased or decreased by one level at a time. By providing multiple types of recognition words that perform the same function of gradually changing brightness, the possibility of recognition failure can be reduced even if the user's speech differs slightly. In particular, because the recognition words for increasing or decreasing brightness are everyday words, users do not have to worry about which words to use to change the brightness.

The recognition words for changing the brightness include recognition words that can specify numbers that indicate brightness levels, such as "zero," "one," and "two." This allows the user to speak the desired brightness level, and the control unit 18, upon recognizing this, directly changes the brightness to the specified level. Note that "zero" is a recognition word that realizes the function of setting the brightness to zero and the function of darkening the screen of the display unit 5 to make the displayed content invisible. This allows the user to instantly make the character image invisible when they do not want others to see it, simply by speaking the recognition word that sets the brightness to zero.

All of the above lists 13, 14, and 15 have registered common recognition words for executing various functions. That is, "scale" for scale change, "shuhen" for surrounding search, "onryo" for volume change, and "kido" for brightness change are registered.

When the user utters "scale" on the display screen of list number 13, the control unit 18 recognizes this and completes the setting of the changed scale. On the other hand, when the user utters "scale" on the display screen of list numbers 14 and 15, the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to the scale change display screen, i.e., the display screen corresponding to list number 13.

When the user speaks "onryo" on the display screen of list number 14, the control unit 18 recognizes this and completes the setting of the changed volume. On the other hand, when the user speaks "onryo" on the display screen of list numbers 13 or 15, the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to the volume change display screen, i.e., the display screen corresponding to list number 14.

When the user utters "kido" on the display screen of list number 15, the control unit 18 recognizes this and completes the changed brightness setting. On the other hand, when the user utters "kido" on the display screen of list numbers 13 and 14, the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to the display screen for the changed brightness, that is, the display screen corresponding to list number 15.

In this way, by changing the function depending on the display screen even with the same recognition word, users do not need to memorize different recognition words to perform related but different functions.

Furthermore, the recognition word "jitaku" (preparation) is registered in list numbers 13, 14, and 15, which allows the user to search for a route home with a single utterance when returning home. In this way, recognition words corresponding to functions frequently used by the user are registered as recognition words when voice recognition is activated, so voice recognition can be started and executed immediately.

Each list number 1 through 15 contains registered recognition words that can be recognized across multiple display screens and that execute various functions. First, the recognition words "Back," "Cancel," and "Redo" are registered as phrases for returning to the previous process. Additionally, the recognition words "Remove voice," "Clear," and "Current location" are registered as release phrases for canceling functions or processes. "Remove voice" is a recognition word that cancels voice recognition. "Clear" is a recognition word that ends the current process. "Current location" is a recognition word that transitions to displaying the current location. These are recognition words that can be recognized across all display screens after voice recognition is activated. By uttering these common recognition words, the user can redo a process or return to the initial state at any time.

Furthermore, list number 16 contains recognition words for recognizing the user's "Yes" (affirmative) and "No" (negative) utterances. These recognition words are used to recognize the user's simple "Yes" or "No" utterances in response to questions from a character. These recognition words can also be recognized across all screens. Recognition words for "Yes" include "Okay," "Nice to meet you," "Yes," "Is," and "Uh-huh." Recognition words for "No" include "I don't need it," "Stop," "No," "No," "No," "No," "I don't like it," and "Shut up." In this way, by providing multiple types of recognition words for recognizing the user's "Yes" and "No," the possibility of the system failing to recognize the user's utterances even if they differ slightly in content can be reduced. In particular, while the expressions for "Yes" and "No" vary depending on the person being spoken to, the user can respond with a "Yes" or "No" that matches the character's tone of voice.

As described below, the above recognition words may be displayed in text on the display screen or may not be displayed on the display screen. Text display is advantageous because it allows the user to visually confirm what to say to cause the control unit 18 to execute the function.

Response phrase
7 to 21 show excerpts from a list of response phrases that the control unit 18 outputs as the voice of a character in response to the recognition results of the above-mentioned recognition words. The database 19 stores such lists of response phrases and voice data. The top columns of the grayed-out columns in the list indicate the response phrase numbers. The bottom columns indicate the processing that the control unit 18 executes in response to the recognition words uttered by the user. The "Re-tan voice control" in the outer column is the activation word registered in list number 1 of the above-mentioned recognition words.

One or more response phrases are registered for each process executed by the control unit 18. Figure 7 is an excerpt from the list of response phrases for "Standard Ray." The first column from the left in Figure 7 shows multiple response phrases when the user utters the activation word "Retan, voice control" and the control unit 18 starts voice recognition. The second column shows response phrases when the control unit 18 turns down the volume. The third column shows response phrases when the user selects facility number 8 and the control unit 18 changes the destination to number 8. The fourth column shows response phrases when the control unit 18 cancels guidance. The fifth column shows response phrases when the control unit 18 changes the volume or brightness level to 3.

These response phrase lists are set separately for the three character forms: "Standard Rei," "Transformed Rei," and "Chibi Rei." The response phrases in the list differ depending on the form. Figure 8(a) shows excerpts from the list of response phrases used when voice recognition begins for "Transformed Rei." The response phrases for "Transformed Rei" are set in a more polite tone than those for "Standard Rei," such as "Is there something I can help you with?" and "Starting voice recognition. Please speak slowly and clearly." Figure 8(b) shows excerpts from the list of response phrases used when voice recognition begins for "Chibi Rei." The response phrases for "Chibi Rei" are set in a more casual tone than those for "Standard Rei," such as "Rei-tan, voice control initiation." and "We've been waiting." Figures 9(a)-(i) show excerpts of response phrases used in response to user utterances. Specific response phrases will be explained in the processing example below. In terms of user dialogue, for example, if the user's utterance and the character's voice have a meaningful connection, the user will feel as if they are communicating with each other. Even if the utterance and the response to it are irrelevant, the user will find it interesting and surprising. Mixing utterances and responses that have a meaningful connection with responses that are irrelevant can create an imperfection that is closer to real conversation, giving the user a sense of humanity.

In such a list, one or more response phrases are registered in the column for the same process. The control unit 18 randomly outputs a response phrase corresponding to the same process from those registered in each column. However, to prevent the same phrase from being output repeatedly, the control unit 18 randomly selects a response phrase from among those excluding response phrases that have previously been output. In particular, for frequently used processes such as starting voice recognition, a large number of response phrases are prepared, as shown in Figure 7, and the control unit 18 randomly outputs one from among these.

An example of the operation of the control unit 18 is as follows.
1. If there are five phrases, A, B, C, D, and E, first select one at random from the five.
2. If you choose B the first time, the next time you will have to choose from A, C, D, or E.
3. If you choose E next time, you will have to choose from A, C, or D.
4. Once you have made all your selections, go back to the beginning and randomly select one of the five options: A, B, C, D, or E.
In this embodiment, various processes such as those listed below are performed as predetermined processes for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to the dialogue. If the process in response to the dialogue is a process for outputting information as a result of the dialogue, the user will be motivated to dialogue with the character in order to obtain the information they want. If the process in response to the dialogue is a process for outputting information during the dialogue, the user will be motivated to advance the dialogue by speaking sequentially in order to obtain the information they want. If the process in response to the dialogue is a process for outputting response phrases that constitute the dialogue, the user will interact with the character in order to hear its voice, and will therefore be able to enjoy the interaction itself.

Nearby search processing
The control unit 18 performs various processes in response to the dialogue, including voice recognition for recognizing the voice spoken by the user based on the recognition words described above, and outputting the voice of the character based on the response phrase. First, the surrounding search process in response to such dialogue will be described.

A nearby search is a process that allows you to obtain the desired information by making multiple selections and sequentially narrowing down the candidates, and involves phases of genre selection, facility selection, and route selection. This type of information is what vehicle occupants, and in particular, the driver of the vehicle, want to know.

An example of the surrounding search process will be explained below with reference to Figures 10 to 21. Figures 10 to 21 are explanatory diagrams showing example display screens for each phase on the left and corresponding examples of recognition words and response phrases on the right. As mentioned above, each display screen M1 (including M1a), V1, V1a, S1, S1a, S2, S2a, S2_list, S2a_list, R1, R1a, R1b, A1 (including A1a), A2 (including A2a), and A3 (including A3a) corresponds to recognition word list numbers 1 to 15 (Figures 5 and 6).

The description on the left of the display screen examples in Figures 10 to 21 indicates "a recognition word recognized as the user's voice → a response phrase output by the character in response to this → the display screen to which this transitions."

The control unit 18 displays these display screens on the display unit 5 by drawing in memory screen configuration data such as buttons, icons, text, and maps stored in the database 19. As mentioned above, the control unit 18 can also perform surrounding area searches, route searches, and route guidance.

(Waiting for voice recognition to start)
First, when the control unit 18 is waiting for voice recognition to be activated for a predetermined process such as a surrounding area search, it is in a state where it can only recognize activation words. Display screen M1 in FIG. 10 is an example of a screen waiting for voice recognition to be activated. This display screen M1 displays a map of the area surrounding the current location 51, along with an icon indicating the current location 51. The current time (10:00) is displayed in the upper left of the display screen M1, and below that are displayed a scale button B1 indicating the current quantitative level of the map scale, a number, and a unit (100 m), and a voice recognition button B2 displaying a command word (voice recognition) for activating voice recognition. The upper body of a character 100 is displayed in the lower right of the display screen M1. The character 100 is a standard character, and is displayed in a position that does not obscure the display of various buttons, the current location, the current time, etc.

In this voice recognition activation waiting state, predetermined processes such as surrounding area searches cannot be performed using voice recognition. For this reason, a user who wants to change the map scale selects the scale button B1 by touching it. When the scale button B1 is selected in this way, the control unit 18 displays a + button B1a and a - button B1b to the right of the scale button B1, as shown on display screen M1a in Figure 10. The user selects by touching the + button B1a to increase the scale, or the - button B1b to decrease the scale. In response, the control unit 18 gradually changes the scale of the displayed map.

When the user utters "Re-tan, voice control" while waiting for voice recognition to start, the control unit 18 outputs a corresponding response phrase and starts voice recognition. This causes the speaker 20 to output, for example, a voice saying "What can I do for you?" The control unit 18 then transitions the display screen M1 to the display screen V1 shown in FIG. 11.

Note that when the user touches and selects the voice recognition button B2, the control unit 18 also outputs the above-mentioned response phrase and activates voice recognition. The control unit 18 displays buttons corresponding to functions that can be selected either manually or by voice input in a different color from the other buttons on the display unit 5. For example, on the display screen of this embodiment, buttons that can be selected by voice input are displayed in blue, and other buttons in black. This allows the user to visually recognize functions that can be input by voice. Note that even for the same function, whether or not it can be selected by voice input varies depending on the display screen. For example, on display screens M1 and M1a in Figure 10, the voice recognition function has not started, so the scale button B1 is not selectable by voice input and is displayed in black. Then, as will be described later, after the voice recognition function starts, the scale button B1 becomes selectable by voice input and is displayed in blue.

(Voice recognition begins)
The display screen V1 in FIG. 11 is an example of a screen when voice recognition is started while the navigation system is on standby. The display screen V1a in FIG. 12 is an example of a screen when voice recognition is started after navigation guidance, which will be described later, has begun. When the control unit 18 activates voice recognition, the control unit 18 causes the display screen V1 to display a map scale button in blue, indicating that voice input is possible. The control unit 18 also causes the display screen V1 to display buttons for other functions that allow voice input in blue, indicating that voice input is possible. Of these buttons, the voice cancel button B2x is a button that displays the instruction word "voice cancel" for terminating voice recognition. The surroundings button B3 is a button that displays the instruction word "surroundings" for starting a surroundings search. Because the surroundings search cannot function during navigation guidance, the control unit 18 does not display the surroundings button B3 on the display screen V1a in FIG. 12. The control unit 18 causes the display screen V1a to display a guidance cancel button B4x, which displays the instruction word "guide cancel" for canceling guidance, in the same position as the surroundings button B3 of V1 on the display screen V1a.

In addition, on the display screens V1 and V1a, a volume button B5 and a brightness button B6 are displayed in the same row as the scale button B1, the voice cancel button B2x, and the guidance stop button B4x. The volume button B5 is a button that displays the command word "volume" to start a volume change and the number "5" indicating the current quantitative level of the sound. The brightness button B6 is a button that displays the command word "brightness" to start a brightness change and the number "5" indicating the current quantitative level of brightness. Furthermore, a home button B7 is displayed in the upper right corner of the display screen V1. The home button B7 is a button that displays the command word "home" to perform route guidance with home as the destination. These command words and numbers indicating quantitative levels are words registered as recognition words, as shown in Figures 5 and 6 above.

In this way, the display area of an item made up of multiple buttons has a portion where the map image behind it is visible. In other words, there is a gap between each button, allowing the map behind it to be seen. On the other hand, the display area of character 100 is larger than a single button, and in the areas that overlap with the map, there is no portion where the back is visible. Note that in gaps between hair and body, limbs and torso, etc., there may be portions where the map behind it is visible, but these portions are excluded from the display area of character 100.

The position of the character 100 displayed by the control unit 18 on the display unit 5 is a position that does not obstruct the view of the current location or the guided route. In the display screen V1 of FIG. 11 and the display screen V1a of FIG. 12, the character 100 is displayed in a position toward the bottom right of the screen, and the above-mentioned buttons are displayed in a position toward the opposite side, either left-right or up-down, in the top left or top right.

(Select genre)
When the user utters "shuuhen" (weekdays) on the display screen V1 during navigation standby, the control unit 18 transitions the display screen V1 to the Periphery 1 display screen S1 shown in FIG. 13 and outputs the response phrase "Hey, where are we going?" In this manner, in a peripheral search process that proceeds by making multiple selections, the character 100 prompts the user to select a genre, thereby enabling the user to immediately know what to do next. Meanwhile, the peripheral search function does not function on the display screen V1a during navigation guidance. Therefore, even if the user utters "shuuhen," the control unit 18, upon recognizing this, outputs the character's voice saying, "What did you say? I don't know," and does not transition to the Periphery 1 screen. In this manner, when a process that cannot proceed to the next step is selected, the character 100 utters a corresponding response phrase, thereby enabling the user to know that the process cannot be performed on the display screen.

As described above, the control unit 18 proceeds with processing based on a dialogue that involves at least one round trip, such as: a user's voice input that activates voice recognition → a character's response phrase asking what the user wants in response → a voice input from the user that starts the function. The output of a response phrase during this dialogue serves the purpose of indicating that the character has recognized the user's voice, along with the meaning indicated by the response phrase.

As described above, on the display screen S1 of Figure 13, which is transitioned by the user's utterance, the control unit 18 displays genre buttons B8 displaying genre names as recognition words. The genre names displayed on these genre buttons B8 correspond to the recognition words in list number 4 of Figure 5. The user can also select these genre buttons B8 by touching them. The genre names do not include kanji, but are written in hiragana or katakana, which is advantageous because it is easy for the driver and others to visually understand what to utter.

When the user utters the recognition word "familyless" displayed on the button on this display screen S1, the control unit 18 causes the character to output the response phrase "Are you going to a family restaurant alone?" in voice. The control unit 18 then transitions to a process of searching for candidate family restaurants. Therefore, the user does not need to make any further selections in the genre selection phase. In other words, the voice "Are you going to a family restaurant alone?" is effective because it lets the user know that no further genre selection is necessary. Furthermore, this response phrase is effective because it makes the user aware that they are alone, except for the character 100 with whom they are speaking, thereby further increasing their intimacy with the character 100.

In addition, in case the user wishes to select from a genre other than the genres displayed on display screen S1, control unit 18 displays a page button B9 on display screen S1 that displays the recognition word "Page 2," which transitions to the next page. When the user utters "Page 2" or "Next" on this display screen S1, control unit 18 transitions the screen displayed on display unit 5 to peripheral 2 display screen S1a in Figure 14.

This display screen S1a displays a genre button B8 displaying the genre name corresponding to the recognition word of list number 5 in Figure 5. When the user speaks the recognition word of the genre name displayed on the genre button B8, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase in response. The control unit 18 also displays a page button B9 on the display screen S1a displaying the recognition word "Page 1" which transitions to the previous page. When the user speaks "page 1" or "mae" on this display screen S1a, the control unit 18 transitions the screen displayed on the display unit 5 to the peripheral 1 display screen S1 in Figure 13.

(Select facility)
When a genre is selected in this manner, the control unit 18 searches for facilities in the vicinity of the current location that belong to that genre, and transitions the screen displayed on the display unit 5 to a facility selection 1 display screen S2, as shown in FIG. 15 . This display screen S2 displays the results of the facility search. That is, on the display screen S2, facilities found in the search are displayed on a map with icons C1 numbered in order of proximity to the current location. In FIG. 15 , icons C1 with numbers 1 to 5 displayed within circles are displayed at positions on the map. In this way, the results of the surrounding search only display facilities that are relevant to the user's objective (genre). In this case, by displaying the map in grayscale and the icons C1 in color, the locations and numbers of the facilities can be more easily identified. Furthermore, when transitioning to the S2 screen from another screen, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase such as "Where should we go?" to prompt the user to select a destination.

The user selects a facility on the display screen S2 based on the content displayed by the icon C1. In other words, when the user speaks the number displayed on the icon C1 of the desired facility, the control unit 18 outputs a corresponding response phrase and searches for a route to that facility. For example, when "one" or "first" is spoken, the character 100 will say "Number 1," and a route search to the facility displayed as number 1 will be performed. In this way, the character 100 will speak the number spoken by the user, allowing the user to confirm the content of their instructions.

The display screen S2 also displays a scale button B1 and a list button B10. As described above, the scale button B1 is a button for changing the map scale. When a user who wants to change the map scale on this display screen S2 utters "scale," the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting the user to select a scale, and transitions to the facility selection 2 display screen S2a shown in FIG. 16. For example, when the user utters "scale," the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "give me some instructions," and displays a + button B1a and a - button B1b for changing the scale, as shown in FIG. 16. The scale change process using voice input will be described later.

The list button B10 is a button that transitions the facility selection screen from icon display to list display. When the user utters "list" or "list display" on the display screen S2, the control unit 18 transitions the screen displayed on the display unit 5 to the facility selection 1 display screen S2_list shown in FIG. 17. On this S2_list display screen, the searched facilities are displayed not as icons but as a list in which the facility selection buttons B11 are arranged in order of proximity to the current location. Each facility selection button B11 displays a number assigned in order of proximity to the current location, the facility name, the distance from the current location to the facility, its location, and other information. The user can select a facility in the same manner as described above by touching the facility selection button B11 or speaking the number displayed on the button. In addition to the number, the facility selection button B11 displays the facility name, distance from the current location, its location, and other information, allowing the user to obtain more detailed information about the searched facility.

If the number of searched candidates is greater than the number that can be displayed on one page (e.g., five), the control unit 18 displays a page button B9 displaying "Page 2," indicating that there is a next page. If the number of candidates is less than the number that can be displayed on one page, the control unit 18 hides the page button B9. When the user utters "page 2" or "next," the control unit 18 transitions to the facility selection 2 display screen S2a_list shown in FIG. 18. The facility selection process in the list displayed on this display screen S2a_list is the same as described above. In addition, the control unit 18 displays a page button B9 on the display screen S2_list displaying the recognition word "Page 1," which transitions to the previous page. When the user utters "page 1" or "previous" on this display screen S1a, the control unit 18 transitions the screen displayed on the display unit 5 to the facility selection 1 display screen S1 shown in FIG. 16.

(Route selection)
As described above, when a facility is selected, the control unit 18 searches for a route 53 from the current location 51 to the facility that is the destination 52, and displays the results on the display screen R1 for route selection 1 shown in FIG. 19 . The searched routes 53 are displayed in different colors, with the route 53 that should be given the highest priority based on preset route conditions. At this time, the character 100 moves to a position on the map that does not obstruct the route guidance direction. That is, the character 100 is displayed in a position that does not obstruct the display of the searched route, including the current location, on the map. However, as described above, the character 100 is already displayed in the lower right corner of the screen, and in the example of the display screen R1, it does not obstruct the searched route, so it does not move in this example.

Meanwhile, the control unit 18 displays multiple buttons on the display screen R1, on the side opposite the character, i.e., on the left side. If the number of buttons is small, there will be no overlap with the searched route 53. Even if the number of buttons is large, there will be gaps between each button so that the map and route 53 can be seen. These buttons include a scale button B1. If the user wishes to change the scale, this is done on the route selection 2 display screen R1a shown in Figure 20, as will be described later.

Furthermore, the display screen R1 displays a route condition button B12 displaying "route condition," a directive for changing the route conditions. When the user utters "joken" or "route joken," the control unit 18 transitions to the route selection 3 display screen R1b shown in FIG. 21. On this display screen R1b, condition selection buttons B12a, B12b, and B12c are displayed next to the "route condition" button, allowing users to select the search condition to be prioritized: "expressway," "local road," or "recommended." When the user utters "ippando," "kosokudo," or "suisho" on this display screen R1b, the control unit 18 outputs a corresponding response phrase to change the search condition to the uttered condition and display the route 53 with the highest priority based on the changed search condition. For example, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase indicating the advantages of each search condition, such as "Yes, yes, let's take it slow on the local road" for a local road, or "the expressway will save time" for a highway. Additionally, if the route is recommended, the system will output a response phrase that shows a trusting relationship with the character, such as "You're leaving it to me, aren't you?".

When the user desires guidance along the displayed route 53, the display screen R1 displays a guidance start button B13 displaying the demonstrative "Start Guidance." When the user utters "Please guide me," "Please guide me," or "Please guide me" on the screen displaying the desired route 53, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "Guidance begins. Please drive as instructed," and starts route guidance.

Furthermore, when the user utters "shuhen" to start a nearby search or a return phrase such as "modoru," "tori-shi," or "redo," the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "search again" and transitions to the display screen S1 shown in FIG. 13. The surrounding search process thereafter is as described above. In response to the utterance of a return phrase, the same process is performed on the display screens S2, S2a, S2_list, S2a_list, R1, R1a, and R1b shown in FIGS. 15 to 21.

In response to the utterance of a return phrase on the speech recognition start display screens V1 and V1a shown in Figures 11 and 12, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "Call me again," transitions to display screen M1 shown in Figure 10, and returns to waiting for speech recognition to start. In response to the utterance of a return phrase on the surrounding search display screens S1 and S1a shown in Figures 13 and 14, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "See you from the beginning," and transitions to speech recognition start display screen V1 shown in Figure 11. In this way, even for the same recognized word, the display screen to which the transition is made differs depending on the current display screen and its corresponding phase. In other words, by changing the display screen to which the transition is made for the return phrase, it is possible to prevent the user from going back too many times and reduce the effort required for the user to start over again.

In this embodiment, a release phrase is also provided in addition to the return phrase. When the user utters "online repair," "return," or "current," the display screen M1, which is waiting for voice recognition activation, always returns. At this time, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase, "Call me again," encouraging the next use. In this way, by registering recognition words that return to different positions and recognition words that return to a fixed position depending on the display screen and phase, the user can quickly transition to the desired screen depending on the situation.

Furthermore, depending on the screen or phase, if a recognition word that cannot be processed is spoken, the control unit 18 can prompt the user to speak a different word by outputting a response phrase clearly indicating that the recognition word cannot be processed. For example, on display screen V1a in FIG. 12 and display screens S2, S2a, S2_list, and S2a_list in FIGS. 15 to 18, the response phrase output is "What did you say? I don't know."

《Map scale change》
The control unit 18 changes the map scale, volume, and brightness as a function change process in response to the dialogue. First, the procedure for changing the map scale will be described with reference to Fig. 22. Note that the same applies to the change of map scale when transitioning from the display screen S2 in Fig. 15 to the display screen S2a in Fig. 16, or when transitioning from the display screen R1 in Fig. 19 to the display screen R1a in Fig. 20.

When a user who wants to change the map scale utters "scale" on display screens V1 and V1a in Figures 11 and 12 where voice recognition has begun, the control unit 18 transitions to display screens A1 and A1a in Figure 22. Display screen A1 is the screen transitioned to from display screen V1, and display screen A1a is the screen transitioned to from display screen V1a. On display screen A1, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "Give me some instructions" only when transitioning from another screen (scene). In this way, even when the screen changes, character 100 can speak to prompt instructions, thereby making the user aware that he or she is always nearby. Furthermore, display screen A1a is a screen for changing the map scale during navigation guidance.

On the display screens A1 and A1a, a + button B1a and a - button B1b are displayed to the right of the scale button B1. As described above, when the user touches the + button B1a, the control unit 18 increases the map scale in stages. Furthermore, when the user touches the - button B1b, the control unit 18 decreases the map scale in stages. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the user utters "scale" or "expansion," the control unit 18 recognizes this and increases the map scale in stages. When the user utters "redeem" or "expansion," the control unit 18 recognizes this and decreases the map scale in stages.

The control unit 18 then outputs a response phrase that allows the user to confirm what change has been made, such as "It's enlarged" when scaling up, or "I tried making it a little wider" when scaling down. This allows the user to confirm by voice what processing has been performed. Furthermore, if changing the scale would exceed the upper or lower limit of the scale, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that notifies the user that the change cannot be made, such as "Brrr, it's at its limit." This prevents the user from repeatedly issuing unnecessary change instructions without being able to confirm whether the upper or lower limit has been reached.

In addition, when the user speaks the desired scale value, such as "10 meters" or "1 kilometer," the control unit 18 recognizes this and directly changes the map scale to the spoken value. At this time, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase corresponding to the input value, such as "10 meters" or "1 kilometer," as a response phrase corresponding to the user's speech. This allows the user to confirm the scale level they have specified.

Then, when the user says "scale" or utters a return phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase, such as "Settings complete," indicating that the scale change process is complete. The process for the release phrase is the same as described above.

Furthermore, in the case of display screen A1, a home button is displayed, and when the user touches this button or utters "home," the control unit 18 performs the following process. First, if the user has not registered their home address in advance, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting the user to register their home address, such as "You say home, but you haven't told me yet, have you?" This prompts the user by voice to perform the processing required as a prerequisite for executing a specific function, which is advantageous in that it allows the user to understand what is required to use that function. If the user has registered their home address, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase, "That's right, let's go home," and searches for a route to their home. This advantageously gives the user the impression that the character is walking home with them.

Note that when display screen A1a is being used, certain functions are restricted because navigation guidance is in progress. In other words, surrounding area searches and route guidance to home cannot be performed on display screen A1a. Therefore, even if the user utters "shuuhen," the response phrase "What did you say? I don't know" is output, and a surrounding area search is not performed. Similarly, even if the user utters "jitaku," the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "What did you say? I don't know," and a route search to home is not performed. In this way, the response phrase lets the user know that processing is not possible.

《Volume Change》
The volume change processing procedure will be described with reference to FIG. 23 . When a user who wants to change the volume utters "Onryo"("onryo") on the display screens V1 and V1a of FIGS. 11 and 12 where voice recognition has started, the control unit 18 transitions to the display screens A2 and A2a of FIG. 23 . The display screen A2 is a screen transitioned from the display screen V1, and the display screen A2a is a screen transitioned from the display screen V1a. On the display screen A2, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "Give me some instructions" only when transitioning from another screen (scene). In this way, even when the screen changes, the character 100 can make the user aware that it is always nearby by uttering instructions. Furthermore, the display screen A2a is a volume change screen during navigation guidance.

On the display screens A2 and A2a, a + button B5a and a - button B5b are displayed to the right of the volume button B5. When the user touches the + button B5a, the control unit 18 increases the volume in stages. When the user touches the - button B5b, the control unit 18 decreases the volume in stages. In this embodiment, when the user utters "up" or "loud," the control unit 18 recognizes this and increases the volume in stages. When the user utters "down" or "quiet," the control unit 18 recognizes this and decreases the volume in stages.

The control unit 18 then outputs a response phrase that allows the user to confirm what change has been made, such as "Volume up" when increasing the volume, or "Volume down" when decreasing the volume. This allows the user to confirm by audio what process has been performed. Furthermore, if changing the volume would exceed the upper or lower volume limit, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that notifies the user that the change cannot be made, such as "Buzz, I'm at my limit." This prevents the user from repeatedly issuing unnecessary change instructions without being able to confirm whether the upper or lower limit has been reached.

In addition, when the user speaks the desired volume value, such as "zero," "one," or "two," the control unit 18 recognizes this and directly changes the volume to the spoken value. At this time, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase corresponding to the input value, such as "It's zero," "It's one," or "It's two," as a response phrase in response to the user's speech. This allows the user to confirm the volume level they have specified.

When the user then utters "Volume" or a return phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase such as "Settings complete." to indicate that the volume change process is complete. The process for the release phrase is the same as described above. The other processes are the same as those described for the map scale above.

<<Brightness Change>>
The brightness change process will be described with reference to FIG. 24. When a user who wants to change the brightness utters "kido"("kido") on the display screens V1 and V1a shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, where voice recognition has started, the control unit 18 transitions to the display screens A3 and A3a shown in FIG. 24. The display screen A3 is the screen transitioned to from the display screen V1, and the display screen A3a is the screen transitioned to from the display screen V1a. On the display screen A3, the control unit 18 outputs the response phrase "Please give me some instructions" only when transitioning from another screen (scene). In this way, even when the screen changes, the character 100 can utter instructions to prompt the user, thereby making the user aware that the character 100 is always nearby. Furthermore, the display screen A3a is the brightness change screen used during navigation guidance.

On the display screens A3 and A3a, a + button B6a and a - button B6b are displayed next to the brightness button B6. When the user touches the + button B6a, the control unit 18 increases the brightness in stages. When the user touches the - button B6b, the control unit 18 decreases the brightness in stages. Also, in this embodiment, when the user utters "up" or "brighter," the control unit 18 recognizes this and increases the brightness in stages. When the user utters "down" or "dark," the control unit 18 recognizes this and decreases the brightness in stages.

The control unit 18 then outputs a response phrase that allows the user to confirm what change has been made, such as "Brightness up" when increasing the brightness, or "Brightness down" when decreasing the brightness. This allows the user to confirm by voice what process has been performed. Furthermore, if changing the brightness would exceed the upper or lower brightness limit, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that notifies the user that the change cannot be made, such as "Beep beep, I'm at my limit." This prevents the user from repeatedly issuing unnecessary change instructions without being able to confirm whether the upper or lower limit has been reached.

In addition, when the user speaks the desired brightness value, such as "zero," "one," or "two," the control unit 18 recognizes this and directly changes the brightness to the spoken value. At this time, a response phrase corresponding to the input value, such as "It's zero," "It's one," or "It's two," is output as a response phrase in response to the user's speech. This allows the user to confirm the brightness level they have specified.

When the user then utters "kido" or a return phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase such as "Settings complete.", indicating that the brightness change process is complete. The process for the release phrase is the same as described above. The other processes are the same as those described for the map scale above.

In addition, on display screens A1 and A1a, the control unit 18 transitions to display screens A2 and A2a or display screens A3 and A3a by speaking "onryo" or "kido." On display screens A2 and A2a, the control unit 18 transitions to display screens A3 and A3a or display screens A1 and A1a by speaking "kido" or "scale." On display screens A3 and A3a, the control unit 18 transitions to display screens A1 and A1a or display screens A2 and A2a by speaking "scale" or "onryo." In this way, allowing the screens for quantitative level change processing to transition between each other is convenient for users who want to change settings all at once.

<<Timeout Processing>>
Next, the timeout process will be described. The timeout process is a process in which the control unit 18 terminates a predetermined process when a predetermined time has passed since the start of the process without any voice input from the user. Then, during the period from the start of the predetermined process until the predetermined time has passed, the control unit 18 outputs a voice prompting for voice input as a response phrase for the character.

More specific processing will be described with reference to FIG. 25. Timeout processing includes timeouts V1, S1, S2, R1, A1, and A1a. First, processing for timeout V1 will be described. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after voice recognition is started on the display screen V1 or V1a, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting the user to input voice as timeout status 1. In this case, since this is the voice recognition start screen, the response phrase requesting voice input, "Hey, say something," is output. Then, if there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after output of this response phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying that voice recognition is ending as timeout status 2, and ends voice recognition. In this case, the response phrase output is "Hmm, come on," which sounds a bit annoyed at the lack of voice input.

Timeout S1 is processed as follows. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after transitioning to display screen S1 or S1a, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting voice input as timeout status 1. In this case, since the screen is a nearby search screen, a response phrase asking for a destination, such as "Hey, hey, where are you going?" is output. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after outputting this response phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying that voice recognition is ending as timeout status 2, and ends voice recognition. In this case, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that sounds a little annoyed at the lack of voice input, such as "Hmm, come on."

Timeout S2 is processed as follows. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after transitioning to display screen S2, S2a, S2_list, or S2a_list, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting voice input as timeout status 1. In this case, since the screen is for selecting a facility, a response phrase prompting the user to select a facility, such as "Still not decided?" is output. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after output of this response phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying the end of voice recognition as timeout status 2, and ends voice recognition. In this case, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that sounds a little annoyed at the lack of voice input, such as "Hmm, already."

Timeout R1 is processed as follows. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after transitioning to display screen R1, R1a, or R1b, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting voice input as timeout status 1. In this case, since the screen is for route selection, a response phrase is output notifying that the next process will proceed even if there is no voice input, such as "If you remain silent, we'll give you directions." If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after outputting this response phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying that voice recognition will end as timeout status 2, and ends voice recognition. In this case, a response phrase is output notifying that the next process will begin, such as "Guidance starting. Will you drive as I tell you?"

Timeout A1 is processed as follows. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after transitioning to display screen A1, A2, A3, A1a, A2a, or A3a, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase prompting voice input as timeout status 1. In this case, since the screen is for changing settings, a response phrase such as "Instructions, please" is output to prompt a setting change. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after output of this response phrase, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying that voice recognition will end as timeout status 2, and ends voice recognition without changing the settings. In this case, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase that sounds a bit annoyed at the lack of voice input, saying "Hmm, come on."

Timeout A1a is processed as follows. The control unit 18 transitions to display screens A1, A2, A3, A1a, A2a, and A3a, and if there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after a command to change the settings is input by button selection or voice, it outputs a response phrase prompting voice input as timeout status 1. Here, a response phrase such as "Instructions, please" is output to prompt a command to confirm the setting change by voice input. If there is no voice recognition for 15 seconds after that, the control unit 18 outputs a response phrase notifying that voice recognition is ending as timeout status 2, thereby completing the setting change and terminating voice recognition. Here, it outputs the response phrase "Settings are complete," notifying that the setting change is complete.

Timeout processing can occur frequently, but by changing the content of the response phrases for Timeout Status 1 and Timeout Status 2 to match the display screen and phase, as described above, users will not tire of them.

[Action and effect]
According to the above-described embodiment, the system does not provide information in response to one-sided instructions from the user, who is the occupant of the vehicle, but the user can obtain the information they want by interacting with the character, which increases the enjoyment of operation and driving, and the user does not get bored because they get the feeling that they are communicating with the character. Furthermore, the user is motivated to operate the system in order to interact with the character, so the functions of the system are effectively utilized.

Response phrases are registered so that specific characters can be recognized as speakers with specific personalities through the voices output by the system, giving users the feeling that they are conversing with a real person, creating a sense of familiarity.

The dialogue is set up so that there is at least one round trip of dialogue, for example, starting a conversation, responding to that, and then replying to that response. This means that rather than the system simply carrying out processing according to the user's commands, the user gets the feeling that a character is acting as an intermediary between them and the system, providing a service.

Using voice recognition allows users to output information more easily or quickly than by manual operation, which encourages them to actively use voice recognition and provides users with more opportunities to interact with characters.

In particular, even when a driver has difficulty obtaining desired information while driving due to difficulty or limitations in manual operation, by using voice recognition, they can obtain the desired information while enjoying a conversation with a character.

When multiple selections must be made to output information, voice input is easier for the user than manual operation required for each selection. Information that is output after multiple selections, such as information with a hierarchical structure or information that cannot be output without multiple operations, places less of a burden on the user than multiple manual operations.

In particular, processes that output information obtained by sequentially narrowing down multiple candidates, such as facility searches and searches around the current location, are difficult to perform directly by hand, unlike operations that move the vehicle itself, such as the brake or accelerator, or operations that notify the outside world for safety while driving, such as turn signals, and are therefore well suited to operation by voice recognition.

The user can proceed sequentially through a specified process by making a selection prompted by the character's voice. For example, if the user's voice "surrounding area" is recognized during a nearby search, a voice asking about the destination, such as "Hey, where are you going?", will be output as a response phrase to guide the user to the next selection, so the user will know clearly what to say next.

If there is no next option, a character's voice will be output to indicate this, so the user will know that there is no need to proceed further and can decide to end the instruction or perform another process. For example, if the user's voice saying "family restaurant" is recognized during a nearby search as a character's voice indicating that there is no next option, the character could say something like "Are you going to a family restaurant alone?", prompting the user to make a new decision.

Users can obtain information about facilities around their current location or other desired locations while enjoying conversations with characters, without the need for tedious manual operations.

Icons indicating nearby facilities found through a search are highlighted relative to the map, making the information about facilities that users need more prominent on the map, making it easier for users to understand the location of facilities and providing a guide when selecting desired facilities by voice. In particular, the icons are displayed in color and the map is displayed in grayscale, making the icons very clear.

The facility icons display a ranking based on proximity to the current location, which can be used as a guide for users when selecting a facility. In particular, since the information used inherently indicates ranking, such as numbers and letters, the meaning of the ranking can be easily understood.

The system recognizes the user's voice as they select one of the facilities based on the displayed icon, and searches for and displays a route to the selected facility, allowing users to easily select based on the displayed icon rather than by facility name. In particular, since they only need to speak the displayed number, they can select a facility using words that are easier to remember than the facility name.

If the user does not want the route that has been explored, they can interact with the character and instruct them to search again, reducing the hassle and boredom of having to start over.

When users see the character they will be interacting with on the display screen, they will feel a sense of familiarity with the character and will be more inclined to actively use the system in order to see that character.

Furthermore, the character is displayed in a position that does not obstruct the display of the searched route on the map, so the display of the character is enjoyable while maintaining the visibility of the searched route.
When the character moves to the opposite side of the searched route, the display area of the item may overlap with the searched route, but since each item is smaller than the character and the display area of the item has a portion through which the image behind it is visible, it is easier to see the image behind it than if the searched route overlapped with the character.

The character's voice is randomly selected from a set of different pre-set response phrases, excluding those that have already been output, so the same phrases are not output over and over again, preventing users from getting bored.

A list of different response phrases is set up for common recognition words, so even if the user speaks the same thing, the character can respond with different expressions. This means that even if you perform the same process multiple times, you can enjoy seeing what kind of response the character will give.

Although the character is the same person, there are multiple display forms - standard Rei, transformed Rei, and mini Rei - and different phrases are registered for the output audio for each of the multiple display forms. This means that even the same character will speak differently depending on the multiple display forms, allowing users to enjoy the changes even while interacting with the same person. In particular, since there are standard forms, forms transformed with different clothing, hairstyles, etc., and forms with different head and body proportions, users are given a variety of impressions, such as adult-like, child-like, cute, beautiful, etc., and will never get bored.

Recognition words are displayed as items on buttons, etc., so users can see what to say to execute a specific process by looking at the displayed items.

There are recognition words that can be recognized universally regardless of the display screen, and recognition words that are limited to what is displayed on the display screen. Commonly recognizable recognition words maintain the convenience of functions required regardless of the display screen, while recognition words that are limited to recognition reduce the possibility of misrecognition. Recognition words that are commonly used on multiple display screens are less likely to have functions limited depending on the display screen, maintaining convenience. In particular, because they are phrases that transition to other display screens, such as back phrases and cancel phrases, they are phrases that need to be used on all screens. On the other hand, there is little need to recognize other words and phrases for recognition words displayed on the display screen and those that are search targets, so there is a strong need to reduce the number of recognition words to prevent misrecognition.

The state of a quantitatively changing function can be directly set to the desired quantitative level using voice recognition, so compared to changing it stepwise between small and large values, the desired value can be achieved instantly, reducing the user's effort and the time spent on operations. In particular, it eliminates the need to select buttons for volume, brightness, scale, etc. to display +/- or scale marks, and then select +/- or slide the scale to increase or decrease the value step by step.

The recognition words are set to demonstrative words corresponding to quantitatively changing functions and numbers indicating the quantitative level. When a user speaks the demonstrative word and number corresponding to the desired function, the quantitative level of that function can be directly raised or lowered to the level of that number. In particular, demonstrative words such as "onryo," "kido," and "sukeru" are used, and numbers such as "ichi," "ni," and "nikiro" are used, allowing users to input function names and numbers that are intuitively easy to understand.

The buttons used to select functions display the instructions corresponding to those functions, so users can select a function simply by saying the instructions displayed on the button, making it easy for users to understand.

This is a button for selecting a function, and the current quantitative level value of that function is displayed. By looking at the value displayed on the button, the user can confirm the current quantitative level and decide whether to increase or decrease it to the desired value. For example, if a small scale value is displayed on the button for a map scale, and the user speaks a larger value, the scale value displayed on the button will change directly to that value, allowing the user to instantly view a wider area of the map. Also, for example, if a large scale value is displayed on the button, and the user speaks a smaller value, the scale value displayed on the button will change directly to that value, allowing the user to instantly view a more detailed map.

If a certain amount of time has passed since the start of a specific process without any voice input from the user, a timeout process is performed to terminate the process. This is advantageous in that it prevents erroneous operations that may occur due to voice recognition continuing for a long period of time.

From the time a specific process starts until a specific amount of time has passed, the character will output a voice prompting the user to input voice information, so if the user forgets to start a process, they can be prompted to input voice information.

Other Embodiments
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various forms can be configured, including the forms exemplified below.

<Genre registration>
The following describes a genre registration function that allows a user to display only desired items in the genre of a nearby search on the display screen of the display unit 5. This allows the user to create an original nearby search screen by creating a table of genres that the user is likely to use frequently. More specifically, the control unit 18 displays a table of items on the display unit 5 that allows the user to select which items, among those corresponding to genre recognition words, should function as recognition words. When the user selects a desired item from this table, the control unit 18 sets the selected item on a page that displays a button on the display unit 5.

An example of such a display screen will be described with reference to Figure 26. First, on display screen (1), as in the above embodiment, the control unit 18 displays the character 100 superimposed on the bottom right of the map screen displayed on the display unit 5, and also displays a surrounding area button B3 superimposed on the left of the map screen, allowing users to select and search for surrounding facilities by category.

On this display screen (1), when the user touches the surrounding area button B3 or speaks the two words "rei" and "shuhen" that are registered as recognition words to activate voice recognition and instruct a surrounding area search, the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to the one-click genre selection screen shown on display screen (2).

In this way, the display screen (2) displayed by activating two-word voice recognition displays a table consisting of multiple items by arranging multiple buttons displaying genre names. When the user selects a button or speaks the genre name in this table of genre items, the control unit 18 searches for facilities in that genre, as shown on display screen (3), and displays the found facilities on a map, numbered in order of proximity to the current location 51.

When the user touches the desired facility icon displayed on the display screen (3) or speaks the number displayed on the desired facility icon, the control unit 18 performs a route search from the current location to the selected facility and displays the searched route 53 in different colors, as shown on the display screen (4).

At this time, the character 100 moves to a position on the map that will not obstruct the route guidance direction. In other words, the character 100 is displayed in a position that will not obstruct the display of the searched route, including the current position, on the map. Furthermore, when the user utters a command to start guidance, the control unit 18 starts route guidance, as shown on the display screen (5). Even during this route guidance, the character 100 is displayed in a position that will not obstruct the display of the searched route 53, including the current position 51, on the map.

At the bottom of the table on display screen (2), three buttons are displayed: "Back," "Change," and "Current Location." Of these, the "Back" button is a button that the control unit 18 recognizes when the user touches it or speaks "back" and transitions to the previous screen. The "Current Location" button is a button that the control unit 18 recognizes when the user touches it or speaks "current location" and transitions to a display screen that displays the current location 51. In this case, whether the "Back" button or the "Current Location" button is selected, the display screen (1) is transitioned to.

When the user touches the "Change" button or speaks "Change," the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to the one-click genre change screen shown on display screen (6). This one-click genre change screen displays the genres currently registered as one-click genre selection screens in the same order as this one. Here, when the user touches one of the genre buttons or speaks the genre name, the control unit 18 recognizes this and transitions to one of the display screens (7) to (10) for the major category to which the respective genre name belongs.

For example, if the user selects "Station," the screen transitions to display screen (7), which displays the genre names belonging to the major category "Hotels, Public Facilities, Other," to which "Station" belongs. On display screen (7), genre names displayed on display screen (2) are displayed in a specific dark color, while genre names not displayed on display screen (2) are displayed in a lighter color. For example, "Station," displayed on display screen (2), is displayed in blue text, while "Parking Lot," not displayed on display screen (2), is displayed in gray text.

Here, when the user touches a genre name displayed on the display screen (7) or speaks the genre name, the control unit 18 recognizes this and sets the selected genre name to a genre name that is not displayed on the display screen (7). At this time, the genre name is displayed in a lighter color. For example, if the user selects "Station," the word "Station" turns gray.

For example, when the user touches or speaks a genre name displayed on the display screen (7), the control unit 18 recognizes this and sets the selected genre name as the genre name to be displayed on the display screen (2). At this time, the genre name is displayed in a specific dark color. For example, if the user selects "Parking lot," the word "Parking lot" turns blue.

Furthermore, when a genre name belonging to hospitals and clinics, such as "General Hospital," is selected on display screen (6), the screen transitions to display screen (8). When a genre name belonging to shopping, such as "Convenience Store," is selected, the screen transitions to display screen (9). When a genre name belonging to restaurants, such as "Family Restaurant," is selected, the screen transitions to display screen (10). For each display screen, the selection of genre names to be displayed on display screen (2) and the selection of genre names not to be displayed are as described above.

Also, when the user selects the "▽" button on display screen (7) to go to the next page, the display screen transitions to the next display screen (8). When the user selects the "△" button on display screen (8) to go back to the previous page, the display screen transitions to display screen (7). In this way, "▽" and "△" function as buttons to switch pages between display screens (7) to (10).

After changing the genre name on each display screen (7) to (10) as described above, if the user touches the "Back" button or says "Go back," the screen will transition to display screen (6), where the genre name selected as the one to be displayed will be displayed, and the genre name selected as the one not to be displayed will disappear. Then, if the user touches the "Back" button or says "Go back," the screen will transition to display screen (2), which reflects the display of the changed display screen (6). In the above example, "Parking Lot" will be displayed in place of "Station," and "Station" will no longer be displayed.

To return to the default display, the user selects the "Return to default" button on display screen (6) or speaks "Return to default." The control unit 18 recognizes this and returns to the default genre names and their arrangement. Then, when the user touches the "Back" button or speaks "Back," the display transitions to display screen (2) with the default settings restored.

As described above, genre names can be selected for each display position on display screen (6) and display screen (2) where they are reflected. In other words, when "Station" in the upper left corner of display screen (6) is selected, control unit 18 recognizes the selected genre name and its display position on the display screen. Control unit 18 can then display any genre name selected on display screens (7) to (10) in that display position, i.e., the upper left position. Therefore, if you want to change the order of genre names on display screen (2), you can do so by selecting the genre name in the desired display position on display screen (6) and then changing it to the genre name you want to display in that display position. In this case, it is also possible to select the same genre name to be displayed in different positions. For example, the genre name "Station" can be displayed in the upper left corner, with "Station" displayed next to it. In this way, for frequently used genre names, displaying the same genre name in multiple locations on display screen (2) makes it easier to select the genre name by touching it.

In addition, changing the display position may be made easier if the control unit 18 allows the user to touch and drag a desired genre name on the display screen (6) and release it at the desired position, thereby allowing the control unit 18 to change the display position of the genre name to the desired position.

In addition, the number of genre names that can be displayed on the display screen (2) is limited to a predetermined number. For example, in this case, it is 25. Therefore, if 25 genre names have already been registered as displayable genre names, no more genre names can be displayed.

As described above, if the user selects only frequently used items from the displayed table of items, the recognition words are limited, thereby reducing misrecognition. The selected recognition words are registered in a specified memory area, for example, by overwriting the default state, entering them into an empty area, or rearranging existing entries. In this way, limited memory area can be used effectively.

Such user item settings may be performed by setting the items selected by the user for each of multiple pages displayed on the display unit 5, as shown in Figures 13 and 14 of the above embodiment. Therefore, even if the number of items that can be displayed on one page of the display screen is limited, by placing frequently used items on the top page, the user can avoid the trouble of switching pages to display the items they want to use.

Major items corresponding to recognition words that include multiple concepts and medium items corresponding to recognition words that correspond to those multiple concepts can be displayed on the same page, so when a user wants to search for a medium item, they can directly select the desired item without having to change levels or pages.

For example, a broad category with a large number of candidates, such as "hospital," is a convenient category for users who want to search from as many candidates as possible. Subcategories such as "internal medicine" and "pediatrics," which are included within the concept of "hospital," are convenient for users who want to quickly obtain information about the desired facility from a limited number of candidates.

Information regarding facility classifications is categorized into levels and hierarchies, such as major and medium categories, to allow for efficient specification. In other words, one or more medium categories belong to one major category.

Examples of major categories include "Hotels, Public Facilities, Other," "Hospitals, Clinics," "Shopping," and "Restaurants." Examples of medium-level categories under "Hotels, Public Facilities, Other" include "Station," "IC (Interchange)/JCT (Junction)," "Post Office," "Government Office," "Toilet," "Parking Lot," "Hotel," "Bank/Credit Union," "School," and "Gas Station." Examples of medium-level categories under "Hospitals/Clinics" include "General Hospital," "Internal Medicine," "Pediatrics," "Surgery," "Obstetrics/Gynecology," "Dentistry," "Ophthalmology," "ENT," "Orthopedics," "Dermatology," "Urology," "Internal Medicine," "Neurology," "Proctology," and "Veterinary Clinic." Examples of medium-level categories under "Shopping" include "Convenience Store," "Drugstore," "Department Store," "Shopping Mall," "Supermarket," "Car Accessories," "Home Improvement Center," and "Home Appliances." Examples of medium-level categories under "Restaurants" include "Family Restaurant," "Fast Food," "Japanese Food," "Western Food," "Chinese Food," "Ramen," "Yakiniku," "Sushi," "Tonkatsu," "Udon," "Curry," and "Beef Bowl."

Note that each medium-level item may further have one or more small items. By classifying items into stages/hierarchies such as large items, medium items, and small items, it is possible to efficiently select items from a large number of items. Note that if only one item belongs to a large-level item, it is equivalent to there being no items at that level. In other words, if there is only one medium item belonging to a large-level item, it may be considered that only the large item exists, and that there are no medium or small items. Also, if there is only one small item belonging to a medium item, it may be considered that only the medium item exists, and that there are no small items. When a large-level item is specified, all of the medium items belonging to it are considered to have been specified, and when a medium item is specified, the control unit 18 processes it as if all of the small items belonging to that medium item have been specified.

Note that recognition words may also include words that are related to words displayed as items but are not displayed as items themselves. For example, instead of speaking the recognition word displayed as an item, a user can simply say a word related to that recognition word, allowing for searches even if the user has a vague memory of the item name or is unfamiliar with the operation.

For example, even if the page displays the main category "hospital" as an item and does not display the sub-categories "internal medicine" or "pediatrics," "internal medicine" and "pediatrics" can still be registered as recognition words that can be recognized by voice. In this way, even if the sub-categories are not displayed, if the user speaks the more specific sub-categories "internal medicine" or "pediatrics" that are associated with the main category "hospital," those sub-categories will be searched, allowing the user to quickly obtain information about the facility they need.

As described above, the user may set or the default setting may be set so that items of recognition words that may be confused are displayed on a separate page. For example, words that contain similar sounds or words that are likely to be confused when actually recognized are not displayed side by side on the same page as candidates for recognition, thereby reducing misrecognition. Examples of words that contain similar sounds include words that contain the same sounds in the Japanese syllabary or the same kanji, such as "family restaurant" and "fast food," "hospital" and "beauty salon," and "Western food" and "Japanese food."

In this way, recognized phrases with similar sounds, even from the characters, will not be displayed on the same page, so the user will be forced to enter one of them, reducing misrecognition. Phrases that are likely to be confused when actually recognized are, for example, different phrases that have been recognized for the same utterance based on records of past recognition results. In this way, it is possible to prevent combinations that actually cause misrecognition from appearing on the same page.

Character Display
Various modes are also possible for displaying the character. In the display screens (4) and (5) of FIG. 26 above, the control unit 18 moves the character 100 displayed on the screen left and right so that the character 100 does not overlap with the current location or the searched route 53. For example, it is preferable that the character 100 and the searched route 53 are displayed on opposite sides of the display screen. This makes the user feel that the character 100 is being considerate and not interfering with the route search service, which may be more favorable.

The character 100 may move by disappearing once and then reappearing at the new location, or by continuing to be displayed as it moves. Frequent movement may be annoying to the user, but this allows the character 100 to make its presence known to the user, and users who want to continue watching the character 100 can enjoy the movements of the character 100 as it moves.

The control unit 18 may cause the display unit 5 to display whether or not voice recognition has been activated and is being accepted. This allows the user to visually determine whether or not voice operation is possible. Whether or not voice recognition is being accepted is indicated by changing the color of the display screen. In this way, for example, the user can instantly sense the status of voice recognition through their vision. In particular, when voice recognition is being accepted, the display is in normal color, and when it is not being accepted, the display is in grayscale. This allows the user to intuitively know whether or not voice recognition is being accepted.

The control unit 18 may have the character display whether or not voice recognition is being accepted. In this way, the user can easily notice whether or not voice control is possible by looking at the character.

The manner in which the character's appearance is displayed can be, for example, a manner in which the character's appearance clearly changes. This allows the user to immediately sense the state of voice recognition, for example. The manner in which the character's appearance clearly changes can be, for example, by adding an object to the character, changing the character's color or form, having the character take a specific pose or gesture, or displaying dialogue in a speech bubble. In this way, a user who is familiar with the character's normal state can immediately notice the change by comparing it with the normal state.

As a way to add objects to a character, for example, the character can be equipped with sound-related equipment such as a headset, headphones, earphones, or microphone. This will remind the user of voice recognition, a sound-related function. As a way to change the character's color or appearance, for example, the character's hairstyle or color, or a different costume can be used. This makes it easier to see the difference from the normal state. In particular, making the character's ears larger will indicate that the character is trying to listen carefully to the sound. Furthermore, as a pose or gesture, for example, having the character place their hands behind their ears will also indicate that the character is trying to listen carefully to the sound.

《Use of nicknames》
The control unit 18 may insert the voice of the user's name, which is registered in advance in the database 19, into the response phrase, which is the voice output by the character. In other words, the control unit 18 may cause the character to call the user by a nickname during a conversation with "Kirishima Rei." For example, the control unit 18 may cause the character to call the user by a nickname, such as "Kei-kun" or "Yu-kun."

For example, if "Rei, Shuhen" is registered as the activation word for launching voice recognition and nearby searches, and a user with the nickname "Yu-kun" registers a nearby search for "Kirishima Rei" on the map display screen, the following is an example of a dialogue. The phrase spoken is shown in " ".

Yu-kun: "Rei, nearby" → Voice recognition starts → Moves to nearby search genre screen Rei: "What's up, Yu-kun? I'm busy."
Yu-kun: "Internal Medicine" → Go to the map screen and display icons of nearby internal medicine clinics. Ray: "What's wrong? Are you OK? Which doctor are you going to?"
Yu-kun: "Ni" (the number 2)
Ray: "Okay, number 2." → Information about the internal medicine clinic 2 is displayed on the map. Yu: "Search" → Search for a route and display it on the map. Ray: "What do you think? Shall we go this way?"
Yu-kun: "Please."
Ray: "Got it, leave it to me." → Guidance begins

In this way, the user can feel a greater sense of familiarity with the character by being called by his or her nickname in conversation.
Furthermore, since the nickname is included in the voice output at the start of the conversation, the user is called by his or her own name, which may attract the user's attention.
Furthermore, when a voice including the character's nickname is recognized, the voice of the user's nickname is inserted into the output voice, so that the users can call each other by their nicknames, giving them a sense of greater intimacy.

It is also possible to reduce the frequency with which the character uses the user's nickname in the voice output as the dialogue progresses. In this way, for example, the character may initially use the user's nickname, but then use it less frequently, creating a conversation that gives the impression of the two characters becoming more familiar with each other.
Furthermore, voice data corresponding to the Japanese syllabary may be registered in advance in the database 19, and the voice of a name selected by the user from this Japanese syllabary may be inserted into the conversation. This arrangement is advantageous in that it can save memory capacity compared to, for example, the case where multiple names are registered in advance.

Post
When the user finds a police or checkpoint location, the control unit 18 can execute a posting function by transmitting location information about the police or checkpoint location to the information collection server in response to a user's voice input corresponding to a recognition word previously registered in the database 19. The control unit 18 can also receive the posted location information about the police or checkpoint location from the information collection server and display it together with a map on the display unit 5. For this purpose, the navigation device includes a communication unit connected to the control unit 18 and configured to send and receive information to and from the outside.

This communication unit is connected wirelessly or via a wired connection to an in-vehicle communication device equipped with Internet connection capabilities. For example, this can be achieved by connecting the communication unit to a mobile phone such as a smartphone with tethering capabilities or a wireless LAN router via Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or USB. Such communication devices may also be built into the navigation device.

First, the process for posting using a touch operation is as follows.
1. The user discovers a police or checkpoint location while driving 2. Touches the button on the display screen that instructs them to set the posting location 3. The current location on the map at the time the button was touched is set as the posting location, and an icon is displayed at the corresponding location 4. Touches the posting button on the standby screen while parked or stopped 5. A list of multiple posting locations set in steps 1 to 3 is displayed 6. Touches one of the locations you want to post 7. Touches the posting button for final confirmation 8. Information about the selected posting location is sent to the server that collects posting locations 9. The server that collects posting locations registers the received information as a police location 10. The server that collects posting locations distributes the registered information 11. Receives and displays the distributed information

Between 6 and 7, you can also select whether the target is an Orvis, N system, enforcement, checkpoint, etc., select the target direction (traffic lane, opposite lane, right direction, left direction, etc.), and select the implementation period.

When posting using button operations like this, after discovering the posting location while driving, multiple hierarchical steps are required, requiring multiple button operations.

However, in this embodiment, posts can be made in response to user voice input. In other words, when a user speaks a recognition word that has been registered in advance in database 19, control unit 18 recognizes this and causes the communication unit to transmit the user's current location at the time of the utterance to the server via the communication device as the posting location. The server registers the received information as a traffic enforcement location and distributes the registered information. The communication unit receives the distributed information via the communication device, and control unit 18 displays the traffic enforcement location on a map based on the received information. This makes it easy and quick to do without the hassle of button operation.

As mentioned above, enforcement locations include Orbis and N systems, but it is particularly effective to use enforcement and checkpoint areas, where the location and time of enforcement changes. In this way, information about enforcement locations, where it is difficult to register the location in advance, can be collected through posts.

The location information may be, for example, the current location or the coordinates of the center of the map. In this way, the enforcement location can be identified using information that is reliably and easily obtained, and because voice recognition is used, there is little deviation from the actual enforcement location.

It is preferable that the recognition words registered are phrases that activate voice recognition and phrases that start accepting posts. In this way, the user can easily perform the multi-step operation of voice recognition and accepting posts by speaking the phrases that activate voice recognition and the phrases that start accepting posts.

The phrase that activates voice recognition and the phrase that starts accepting posts may be registered as separate phrases, for example. This may prevent, for example, post acceptance from starting at the same time as voice recognition begins, which could result in erroneous recognition. Furthermore, the phrase that activates voice recognition and the phrase that starts accepting posts may be set as a series of phrases, for example. This may allow, for example, post acceptance to start immediately at the same time as voice recognition begins, making it possible to immediately start posting.

If the recognition words are registered as phrases that activate voice recognition and phrases that cause posts, users can easily perform the multi-step operation of voice recognition and posting by speaking the phrases that activate voice recognition and the phrases that cause posts.

The phrase that triggers voice recognition and the phrase that is to be posted may, for example, be registered as separate phrases. This may prevent, for example, a post from being made as soon as voice recognition begins, thereby preventing an erroneous post. Also, the phrase that triggers voice recognition and the phrase that is to be posted may, for example, be set as a series of phrases. This may, for example, allow a post to be made in one go as soon as voice recognition begins, allowing for instant posting and minimizing the discrepancy between the enforcement location and the posting location.

Note that the recognition words for posts may be shorter than other recognition words. This may allow instructions to be given in a short amount of time, for example, for posts with high urgency.

In addition, the recognition words for posting may be more redundant than other recognition words. This reduces the possibility of using other recognition words when using normal voice recognition, for example, and can prevent accidental posting. "Redundant" may mean, for example, that the word has a large number of characters or is divided into multiple parts. This can reduce the possibility of a user who does not intend to post speaking by mistake.

In addition, the recognition words for posts may be words that the user is unlikely to normally say. This can prevent frequent misrecognitions due to words that the user frequently uses in their car, for example, and can prevent posts that the user did not intend.

When a recognition word for posting is recognized, the control unit 18 may output the voice of a pre-registered character in response, thereby realizing a dialogue function like that of the above embodiment. In this case, the voice of the character in the dialogue for posting may be shorter than the voice in other dialogues. This may, for example, shorten the dialogue time and allow for quick posting.

<<Response Phrase Variations>>
The response phrases of the characters pre-registered in the database 19 can be in various forms as follows.
When outputting a voice of a character prompting the selection of a searched facility in accordance with the displayed icon, if the icon is a number, the voice should inquire as to which number is best, if the icon is an alphabet, the voice should inquire as to which alphabet is best, if the icon is a shape, the voice should inquire as to which shape is best, if the icon is a color, the voice should inquire as to which color is best, etc. This allows the user to easily know, for example, what to say to select a facility.

Also, for example, it would be a good idea to use audio that indicates the range of options to be selected, in line with the displayed icon. This would allow the user to understand the range of options to be selected, as well as what to say, by outputting audio such as from number to number.

A voice that indicates the character's situation may be inserted as the voice of a pre-registered character. This allows the user to hear the character's situation, so for example, if the character is in a negative situation, the user may feel concern for the character, and if the character is in a positive situation, the user may feel empathy for the character.

A good statement to indicate the character's situation is, for example, "I'm busy," which indicates whether the character is in a positive or negative state. This way, rather than the system blindly following the user's instructions, it can evoke feelings of consideration and empathy in the user, which is good because it gives the feeling of a conversation with a real person.

Multiple lists may be set, and even within the same list of response phrases, some lists may contain phrases that are different from the other phrases. This allows, for example, a different phrase to be output in response to a similar user comment, giving the user an unexpected impression and changing their impression of the character, preventing boredom. For example, as shown in Ray response phrase 3 in Figure 9(a), a different phrase may be inserted between proactive question phrases such as "Tell me what to do," "What should I do?", "What should we do?", and "How do we change it?" Furthermore, as shown in Ray response phrase 24 in Figure 9(b), a phrase that reads the user's mind, such as "You're testing me in various ways, aren't you?", may be inserted between phrases that indicate a retry, such as "Search again," "Search again," "One more time," or "I'll try again."

A phrase to be output in the event of an incorrect voice recognition may be registered. In this way, even if the recognition is incorrect, the user can be made aware that the dialogue with the character is continuing by returning a phrase of some kind.

It's a good idea to register phrases that can be used as excuses in case there are errors in the voice recognition. This way, for example, there is a possibility that errors will occur in the voice recognition, but even if an error does occur, the character's excuse can ease the user's frustration or anger.

As an excuse, for example, it would be good to use an expression that shows a willingness to recognize accurately, but also that perfect achievement is difficult, such as "I'll do my best with voice recognition, although I may not be able to recognize 100%," as shown in Ray response phrase 1 in Figure 8(a). In this way, rather than simply indicating that recognition is not possible, it is possible to create a psychological tolerance in the user for misrecognition.

It would be ideal if a user's voice input pointed out a discrepancy between what the user wanted in response and what the character's voice output said, and a reply phrase from the character was registered. In this way, for example, if the user pointed out a mistake made by the character, the character would respond, allowing users to enjoy natural human interaction in the event of a misunderstanding.

It would be good to register phrases that serve as promotional advertisements. This would allow you to, for example, direct users to affiliated facilities. For example, phrases that invite users to a specific facility, such as "How about the XX shop?" would be good.

It is a good idea to register phrases that explain the reasons for what the user is doing at the facility they are going to. In this way, by speaking about the reasons for going to a certain facility, users heading to that facility will be more likely to listen. For example, the user's attention can be drawn whether the reasons for going to the destination are favorable or unfavorable for the user.

Facilities that are not desirable for the user as a reason to go to the destination may be facilities related to the user's illness, such as a "hospital," "dentist," or "pharmacy."Facilities that are desirable for the user as a reason to go to the destination may be facilities that are somewhat more challenging than facilities that the user frequently visits on a daily basis, such as a "department store," "sushi restaurant," or "eel restaurant."

Examples of phrases that can be used by the character to evoke various emotions in the user include phrases that make the character feel affectionate by showing concern for the user's condition, such as "Hospital? Is something wrong? Are you OK?" and "Don't push yourself too hard," as shown in response phrase 6-8 in Figure 9(c). Also, examples of phrases that can evoke feelings of regret in the user include "Are you brushing your teeth properly?" as shown in response phrase 6-29 in Figure 9(d).

It is desirable to register phrases that provide positive or negative advice about what the user should do at the facility that is their destination. In this way, for example, the character's advice can help the user determine what they should and should not do at their destination. Positive advice could be a phrase that recommends something, such as "It's a good idea to have your teeth cleaned once in a while," as shown in response phrase 6-29 in Figure 9(d). Negative advice could be a phrase that prohibits something, such as "Don't look like you're in pain. It's manly to keep a cool head and endure." as shown in response phrase 6-23 in Figure 9(e).

It would be good if phrases were registered that represent the character's one-sided impressions of what the user will do at the facility they are going to. In this way, for example, the user can obtain the character's impressions, which can serve as a reference for what to do at their destination.

The character's one-sided impressions may be positive, such as "The black pork char siu melts in your mouth. So wonderful," as shown in response phrase 6-14 in Figure 9(f). This is good because it encourages the user to take similar actions at the facility. Alternatively, the character may express negative impressions, such as "Are you going to a restaurant alone? Aren't you lonely? Leave me alone?" This is good because it encourages the user to change their destination. Furthermore, the character may mix positive and negative impressions, such as "It looks like it would be fun just to look around the shopping mall. But it seems tiring," as shown in response phrase 6-21 in Figure 9(g). This is good because it prepares the user in advance for the situation at the destination.

Phrases that suggest that the character actually exists may also be registered. This allows the user to get the feeling that the character actually exists.

Examples of phrases that suggest the character is actually present include, for example, "I'm so glad you're taking me on your business trip," as shown in response phrase 6-24 in Figure 9(h), and "Where are we staying?" as shown in response phrase 6-25 in Figure 9(i), which suggest that the character is accompanying the user. This gives the user the feeling that the character is always with them, which is good.

It is preferable to register voice data that the character will output when a voice other than a pre-defined recognized phrase is input. This ensures that the character always responds, even when a non-recognized phrase is used. Therefore, the dialogue is not interrupted or an error is reported, preventing the user from being reminded that they are interacting with the system. This maintains the sense of continuing the dialogue with the character. A possible phrase to use when a voice other than a pre-defined phrase is input is an unrecognizable phrase, such as the ray response phrase 50 shown in Figure 9(j). Note that response phrases are not limited to being output randomly from multiple phrases. By setting a predetermined order for multiple phrases to be output, and outputting them in that order, and then returning to the first response phrase after the last response phrase has been output, the same response phrase can be prevented from being output repeatedly. Furthermore, a one-to-one correspondence between each recognized phrase may be established. This advantageously reduces the amount of information that needs to be stored. Even in this case, similar effects can be achieved as long as response phrases with the content described above are set.

<<Timing of voice output and voice recognition>>
The timing of voice output and voice recognition can be set in various ways as follows:
The control unit 18 may suspend voice recognition while the character's voice is being output until the voice output is completed. This may prevent other processing from being executed by voice recognition, for example, when a voice input from the user occurs during the character's voice. The other processing may be, for example, low-urgency processing such as volume, brightness, scale, and surrounding search. This may prevent processing that does not necessarily need to be executed immediately from being executed by voice recognition.

The control unit 18 may accept voice recognition even while the character's voice is being output. This is advantageous because, for example, if the user inputs voice while the character is speaking, other processing other than voice recognition is not interrupted. The other processing may be, for example, a highly urgent processing such as sending location information about a police station to an information collection server. This ensures that processing that the user wants to execute immediately is not interrupted.

The control unit 18 may stop the output of the character's voice if there is voice input from the user while the character's voice is being output. In this way, for example, it is possible to give the impression that the character's speech has been interrupted by the user's voice. If the output of the stopped character's voice is not output again, for example, the same speech will not be repeated from the beginning, which would give the impression of being unnatural. Furthermore, if the output of the stopped character's voice is restarted from where it was stopped, it may be possible to give the impression that the character was waiting while the user was speaking.

The control unit 18 may stop the character's voice when a predetermined input operation is performed while the character's voice is being output. In this way, for example, when you do not want a third party to hear your conversation with the character, you may be able to stop the character's voice by performing a predetermined input operation. The predetermined input operation may be, for example, the operation of a physical key. In this way, you only need to operate a fixed location that is always present, making it easier to operate in an emergency.

<<Voice recognition activation timing>>
The timing of starting the voice recognition can be varied in various ways as follows.
The control unit 18 may start a predetermined process for outputting information that the user wants to know in response to the dialogue, when the user inputs a voice corresponding to a predetermined recognition word. In this way, for example, the predetermined process is started when the user inputs a voice, so that the system does not start and execute the process on its own.

The control unit 18 may start a predetermined process for outputting information the user wants to know in response to the dialogue when a predetermined character's voice is output and the user inputs a voice corresponding to a predetermined recognition phrase. In this way, for example, the character's voice output can serve as a trigger for the user to decide whether or not to start the predetermined process, which is advantageous as it can increase opportunities to use the system.

The character's voice may, for example, be output to inquire about whether a specific process has started. This may, for example, be to prompt the user to use the process. The timing of the character's voice output may, for example, be periodically, to increase the frequency with which the process is used. Furthermore, the timing may be set to when a specified condition is met, to prompt the user to use the process at a time that is appropriate for the process.

"others"
Icons representing nearby facilities can be highlighted relative to the map in a way that makes the location of the facility clear. For example, changing at least one of the brightness, saturation, and hue of the icons and the map can create a striking contrast between the two.

When the icons indicating nearby facilities are displayed in a distinguishable order according to a predetermined criterion, the predetermined criterion may be, for example, the order of importance to the user. In this way, the facilities that the user most wants to know about are displayed preferentially. The importance to the user may be, for example, whether the user has been there in the past, whether the user has been there frequently in the past, whether the facility matches the user's preferences, etc. In this way, the user can quickly find facilities that they would like to visit. It is also possible to exclude facilities that are of low importance to the user, such as places that the user has been to in the past but does not want to go again. In this way, it is possible, for example, to display only facilities that the user is likely to visit.

Indications that allow the ranking to be distinguished may include visual information indicating the ranking, such as ◎, ○, △, ×, or gradual changes in brightness, saturation, or hue. This allows the ranking to be intuitively grasped visually, for example.

When recognizing a user's voice to select a facility based on the content of the displayed icon, for example, if the voice is alphabetic, the alphabet of the icon for the desired facility may be used; if the voice is a shape, the shape of the icon for the desired facility may be used; and if the voice is a color, the color of the icon for the desired facility may be used. This is advantageous as it allows users to select a facility using words that are easier to remember than the facility name.

In the display area of the button-displayed item, the portion through which the image behind it can be seen may be, for example, a transparent portion. This allows the background image to be seen more clearly while still maintaining the visibility of the item display, for example.

The recognition words pre-registered for recognizing the user's voice may include those that are displayed on the display screen and those that are not. In this way, even if the user utters a word that is not displayed on the display screen, if it is a pre-set recognition word, some kind of reaction from the character may be obtained, which will be a surprise for the user and give them the joy of discovery.

When using demonstrative words corresponding to quantitatively changing functions as recognition words and numbers indicating the quantitative level, the name and quantitative level can be combined into a single recognition phrase, such as "onryo-san," "kidony," or "sukeru nikiro." This allows for only one utterance.

The button on which the instruction word corresponding to the function is displayed may be a button that executes the function without transitioning to another display screen. In this way, for example, the function can be executed interactively without transitioning to another display screen, so the current screen display is not interrupted.

In this embodiment, the example of a navigation device has been described, but the present invention can be implemented as a function of various electronic devices. For example, it may be incorporated as a function of a radar detector, a drive recorder, or a car audio device. Furthermore, the quantitative level values described in this embodiment, the screen size of the display unit 5, and various time settings may be any value as long as the effects of the present invention are achieved. Furthermore, the control unit 18 may be provided with a function for setting the priority of each function and alarm based on instructions from the user via the remote control 17, etc., and the control unit 18 may be configured to perform processing according to this set priority.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the device is provided with a database 19 storing various types of information, and the control unit 18 accesses the database 19 to read the necessary information and perform various processes, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, some or all of the information to be registered in the database 19 may be registered on a server. Then, the navigation device, radar detector, and other electronic devices and devices may be equipped with the function to communicate with the server, and the control unit 18 may access the server as appropriate, obtain the necessary information, and execute the processing. Furthermore, the system may be such that at least some of the functions of the control unit 18 are stored on the server, and the server executes those functions, with the user's electronic device obtaining the execution results.

The functions of the control system in the above-described embodiment are configured as a program to be implemented by a computer provided in the control unit 18, but this is not limiting and the program may be distributed across multiple computers for distributed processing.

2 Device body 3 Cradle 4 Case body 5 Display unit 6 Cradle body 7 Base unit 8 Touch panel 10 Alarm lamp 11 Microwave receiver 12 GPS receiver 13 Wireless receiver 18 Control unit 19 Database 20 Speaker 21 SD memory card slot 22 SD memory card 51 Current location 52 Destination 53 Route

Claims (2)

A system for performing processing to output information in a vehicle in response to a dialogue between recognition information based on a result of recognizing a user's voice and outputting a voice of a predetermined character indicating that the user's voice has been recognized,
The system is characterized by having a statement output by the character in the dialogue , such as "I'm busy," which indicates whether the character is in a positive or negative state. A program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the system according to claim 1 .