Reexamination Certificate
1995-05-04
2002-10-29
Dorvil, Richemond (Department: 2641)
C704S250000, C704S258000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06471420
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game apparatus which can be operated by voice, an input device for inputting an image of a mouth or lips and/or voice, and a voice response apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 34
shows an example of a conventional game apparatus. In accordance with this game apparatus, an operator uses a remote controller including a radio transmitter at his/her hand in order to operate an airship
7
including a radio receiver. As shown in
FIG. 34
, such a conventional game apparatus generally employs joy sticks
161
incorporated in the remote controller, with which the operator operates the desired object (airship)
7
. When the operator moves the joy sticks
161
, the respective angles thereof are detected by angle detection sections
162
and
163
, and are converted into electric signals so as to be input to a control section
164
. The control section
164
outputs a radio control signal for controlling the movements of the airship
7
in accordance with the angles of the joy sticks
161
.
However, the use of the joy sticks
161
, as required by conventional game apparatuses, does not allow a natural operation by humans (operators). This has presented problems in that it takes time for an operator to acquire proficiency in the operation and that quick reaction cannot always be achieved as required. In another instance of a game apparatus such that an operator operates a balloon equipped with a driving apparatus rather than an airship, the movements of the balloon are also controlled in the above-mentioned manner so that there is a problem in that the movements become non-animate or inorganic, thereby ruining the “human” feel inherent to balloons.
On the other hand, there has been proposed an apparatus for recognizing the voice of an operator by inputting an image of the mouth or lips of the operator. However, such an apparatus requires sophisticated optical system lenses, thereby increasing the size and scale of the entire apparatus as well as being expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The game apparatus of this invention, includes voice input means for inputting at least one voice set including voice uttered by an operator, for converting the voice set into a first electric signal, and for outputting the first electric signal; voice recognition means for recognizing the voice set on the basis of the first electric signal output from the voice input means; image input means for optically detecting a movement of lips of the operator, for converting the detected movement of lips into a second electric signal, and for outputting the second electric signal; speech period detection means for receiving the second electric signal, and for obtaining a period in which the voice is uttered by the operator on the basis of the received second electric signal; overall judgment mans for extracting the voice uttered by the operator from the input voice set, on the basis of the voice set recognized by the voice recognition means and the period obtained by the speech period detection means; and control means for controlling an object on the basis of the voice extracted by the overall judgment means.
In one embodiment of the invention, the speech period detection means includes: differentiation means for detecting a degree of change in the second electric signal output from the image input means; and means for determining, when the degree of change detected by the differentiation means exceeds a predetermined value, that corresponding voice is uttered by the operator.
In another embodiment of the invention, the overall judgment means includes: means for producing an evaluation period by adding a period having a predetermined length to the period obtained by the speech period detection means; means for detecting a recognition result output time at which the voice set recognized by the voice recognition means is output from the voice recognition means; and means for performing a comparison between the recognition result output time and the evaluation period, and for determining that voice of which the recognition result output time falls within the evaluation period in the voice set is the voice uttered by the operator.
Alternatively, the game apparatus of this invention includes: image input means for optically inputting a movement of lips of an operator, for converting the input movement of lips into an electric signal, and for outputting the electric signal; lip reading means for obtaining the movement of lips on the basis of the electric signal, for recognizing a word corresponding to the obtained movement of lips, and for outputting the recognition result; and control means for controlling an object in accordance with a control signal based on the recognition result.
In one embodiment of the invention, the lip reading means includes: storage means for storing a predetermined number of words; and matching means for selecting one word from the predetermined number of words on the basis of the obtained movement of lips, and for determining that the selected word is the word corresponding to the movement of lips.
In another embodiment of the invention, the storage means stores movements of lips corresponding to the predetermined number of words as reference patterns, and the matching means calculates distances from the obtained movement of lips for all of the reference patterns, and selects a word corresponding to a minimum one of the calculated distances for the reference patterns.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the game apparatus further includes: voice input means for inputting voice, for converting the voice into a further electric signal, and for outputting the further electric signal; voice recognition means for recognizing the voice on the basis of the further electric signal output from the voice input means; and overall judgment means for outputting the control signal to be applied to the control means based on both the recognition result by the voice recognition means and the recognition result by the lip reading means.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the game apparatus further includes: means for obtaining a degree of voice recognition reliability for the recognition result by the voice recognition means; and means for obtaining a degree of lip reading reliability for the recognition result by the lip reading means, wherein the overall judgment means selects one of the recognition result by the voice recognition means and the recognition result by the lip reading means, based on the degree of voice recognition reliability and the degree of lip reading reliability, and outputs the selected recognition result as the control signal.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the image input means includes light emitting means for emitting light, and a photodetective means for receiving the light reflected from the lips of the operator and for converting the received light into the second electric signal.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the light is radiated to the lips from the side of the lips.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the light is radiated to the lips from the front of the lips.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the voice input means includes at least one microphone.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the voice input means includes at least one microphone, and the microphone and the light emitting means and the photodetective means of the image input means are provided on a single stage.
The input device of this invention includes: a head set of a headphone type; a supporting bar having one end joined to the head set; a stage joined to the other end of the supporting bar, the stage including at least one light emitting element for generating light with which lips of an operator is irradiated and at least one photodetective element for receiving the light reflected from the lips provided thereon.
In one embodiment of the invention, the stage further includes voice input means for inputting voice provided
Kayashima Kazuhiro
Maekawa Hidetsugu
Matsui Kenji
Matsukawa Yoshihiko
Obara Kazuaki
Dorvil Richemond
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Renner Otto Boisselle & Sklar
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