Control method for household electrical appliance, household electrical appliance control system, and gateway

Abstract

A gateway (103) determines whether or not voice information collected by a sound collecting device (102) needs to be subjected to voice recognition by a server apparatus (101), and only voice information that is determined to need to be subjected to voice recognition by the server apparatus (101) is transmitted by the gateway (103) to the server apparatus (101). The server apparatus (101) recognizes the received voice information, decides a control instruction, and transmits the control instruction to a household electrical appliance (104) via the gateway (103).

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A control method for a household electrical appliance in a household electrical appliance control system including a server apparatus, a household electrical appliance, and a gateway, and a sound collecting device, wherein:
 the sound collecting device, the gateway, and the household electrical appliance are connected so as to be capable of communicating with each other via a local area network, and the gateway and the server apparatus are connected via the Internet to be capable of communicating with each other, 
 the gateway receives acquires voice information of a user from the sound collecting device via the local area network a voice uttered by a user, analyzes the received acquired voice information, and when judging that the analyzed voice information is voice information related to control of the household electrical appliance, transmits the voice information to the server apparatus via the Internet; 
 the server apparatus recognizes the voice information received from the gateway, and when judging that the recognized voice information is voice information related to control of the household electrical appliance, transmits a control instruction corresponding to the voice information to the gateway houshold electrical appliance; and 
 the household electrical appliance receives the control instruction from the server apparatus via the gateway and executes the control instruction; 
 when judging that the acquired voice information indicates a fixed phrase related to control of the household electrical appliance, the gateway transmits a control instruction corresponding to the fixed phrase to the household electrical appliance instead of transmitting the voice information to the server apparatus; and 
 when judging that the acquired voice information does not indicate the fixed phrase, the gateway determines whether or not the acquired voice information includes a word related to control of the household electrical appliance, when the acquired voice information includes the word related to control of the household electrical appliance, the gateway transmits the voice information to the server apparatus, and when the acquired voice information does not include the word related to control of the household electrical appliance, the gateway does not transmit the voice information to the server apparatus. 
 
     
     
       2. The control method according to  claim 1 , wherein when judging that the voice information received from the sound collecting device indicates a fixed phrase related to control of the household electrical appliance, the gateway transmits a control instruction corresponding to the fixed phrase to the household electrical appliance instead of transmitting the voice information to the server apparatus. 
     
     
       3. The control method according to claim  2  1, wherein when judging that the received acquired voice information indicates the fixed phrase, the gateway causes contents of a control instruction corresponding to the fixed phrase to be output to an input apparatus connected via a network, and when a confirmation input by the user signifying that the contents are correct is accepted by the input apparatus, the gateway transmits the control instruction corresponding to the fixed phrase to the household electrical appliance. 
     
     
       4. The control method according to  claim 3 , wherein the network is the local area network. 
     
     
       5. The control method according to claim  2  1, wherein the gateway decides a control instruction corresponding to the fixed phrase using a control information table in which the fixed phrase and a control instruction corresponding to the fixed phrase are stored in association with each other. 
     
     
       6. The control method according to claim  2  1, wherein the fixed phrase is a phrase including a household electrical appliance to be a control object and a control instruction with respect to the household electrical appliance, and the voice information related to control of the household electrical appliance is voice information that does not correspond to the fixed phrase but includes a word related to control of the household electrical appliance. 
     
     
       7. The control method according to  claim 1 , wherein the gateway causes contents of the control instruction received from the server apparatus to be output to an input apparatus connected via a network, and when a confirmation input by the user signifying that the contents are correct is accepted by the input apparatus, the gateway transmits the control instruction received from the server apparatus to the household electrical appliance. 
     
     
       8. The control method according to  claim 7 , wherein the network is the local area network. 
     
     
       9. The control method according to  claim 1 , wherein the server apparatus transmits an inquiry notification for making an inquiry to the user regarding whether or not a recognition result of the voice information transmitted from the gateway is correct, and
 the gateway causes the recognition content indicated by the inquiry notification to be output to an input apparatus connected via a network, and when voice information which indicates an answer from the user with respect to the recognition content and which is accepted by the input apparatus is received from the input apparatus, the gateway transmits the accepted voice information to the server apparatus without analyzing the voice information. 
 
     
     
       10. The control method according to  claim 9 , wherein the network is the local area network. 
     
     
       11. The control method according to  claim 1 , wherein when transmitting the voice information to the server apparatus, the gateway outputs an inquiry notification for making an inquiry to the user regarding whether or not the transmission is to be permitted, to an input apparatus connected via a network, and when a confirmation input by the user that permits the transmission is accepted by the input apparatus, the gateway transmits the voice information to the server apparatus. 
     
     
       12. The control method according to  claim 11 , wherein the network is the local area network. 
     
     
       13. The control method according to  claim 1 , wherein when transmitting the voice information to the server apparatus, the gateway acquires environmental information on surroundings of the gateway and transmits the environmental information to the server apparatus, and
 the server apparatus decides the control instruction using the voice information and the environmental information transmitted from the gateway. 
 
     
     
       14. A household electrical appliance control system comprising a server apparatus, a household electrical appliance, and a gateway, and a sound collecting device, wherein
 the sound collecting device, the gateway, and the household electrical appliance are connected so as to be capable of communicating with each other via a local area network, and the gateway and the server apparatus are connected via the Internet to be capable of communicating with each other, 
 the sound collecting device gateway includes: 
 a sound collecting unit that collects acquires voice information of a user from a voice uttered by a user; and 
 a transmitting unit that transmits the collected voice information to the gateway via the local area network, 
 
       the gateway includes:
 a first transmitting/receiving unit that receives the voice information from the sound collecting unit; and 
 an analyzing unit that analyzes the received acquired voice information, and  
 the first transmitting/receiving unit transmitting the voice information to the server apparatus via the Internet when the analyzing unit judges that the voice information is related to control of the household electrical appliance, 
 the server apparatus includes: 
 a second transmitting/receiving unit that receives the voice information from the gateway; and 
 a recognizing unit that recognizes the received acquired voice information, 
 the second transmitting/receiving unit transmitting a control instruction corresponding to the voice information to the gateway household electrical appliance when the recognizing unit judges that the voice information is voice information related to control of the household electrical appliance, and 
 the household electrical appliance includes: 
 a receiving unit that receives the control instruction from the server apparatus via the gateway; and 
 an executing unit that executes the received control instruction, wherein 
 when the gateway judges that the acquired voice information indicates a fixed phrase related to control of the household electrical appliance, the gateway transmits a control instruction corresponding to the fixed phrase to the household electrical appliance instead of transmitting the voice information to the server apparatus, and 
 when the gateway judges that the acquired voice information does not indicate the fixed phrase, the gateway determines whether or not the acquired voice information includes a word related to control of the household electrical appliance, when the acquired voice information includes the word related to control of the household electrical appliance, the gateway transmits the voice information to the server apparatus, and when the acquired voice information does not include the word related to control of the household electrical appliance, the gateway does not transmit the voice information to the server apparatus. 
 
     
     
       15. The household electrical appliance control system according to  claim 14 , wherein when judging that the voice information received from the sound collecting device indicates a fixed phrase related to control of the household electrical appliance, the gateway transmits a control instruction corresponding to the fixed phrase to the household electrical appliance instead of transmitting the voice information to the server apparatus. 
     
     
       16. The household electrical appliance control system according to claim  15  14, wherein when judging that the received acquired voice information indicates the fixed phrase, the gateway causes contents of a control instruction corresponding to the fixed phrase to be output to an input apparatus connected via a network, and when a confirmation input by the user signifying that the contents are correct is accepted by the input apparatus, the gateway transmits the control instruction corresponding to the fixed phrase to the household electrical appliance. 
     
     
       17. The household electrical appliance control system according to  claim 14 , wherein the gateway causes contents of the control instruction received from the server apparatus to be output to an input apparatus connected via a network, and when a confirmation input by the user signifying that the contents are correct is accepted by the input apparatus, the gateway transmits the control instruction received from the server apparatus to the household electrical appliance. 
     
     
       18. A gateway in a household electrical appliance control system including a server apparatus, a household electrical appliance, and the gateway, and a sound collecting device, wherein the sound collecting device, the gateway, and the household electrical appliance are connected so as to be capable of communicating with each other via a local area network, and the gateway and the server apparatus are connected via the Internet to be capable of communicating with each other,
 the gateway comprising: 
 a sound collecting unit that acquires voice information from a voice uttered by a user; 
 a first transmitting/receiving unit that receives the voice information from the sound collecting unit via the local area network; and 
 an analyzing unit that analyzes the received acquired voice information, wherein 
 the first transmitting/receiving unit transmits the voice information to the server apparatus via the Internet when the analyzing unit judges that the voice information is related to control of the household electrical appliance, and the first transmitting/receiving unit transmits, to the household electrical appliance, a control instruction wherein transmitted by the server apparatus, 
 when the gateway judges that the acquired voice information indicates a fixed phrase related to control of the household electrical appliance, the gateway transmits a control instruction corresponding to the fixed phrase to the household electrical appliance instead of transmitting the voice information to the server apparatus; and 
 when the gateway judges that the acquired voice information does not indicate the fixed phrase, the gateway determines whether or not the acquired voice information includes a word related to control of the household electrical appliance, when the acquired voice information includes the word related to control of the household electrical appliance, the gateway transmits the voice information to the server apparatus, and when the acquired voice information does not include the word related to control of the household electrical appliance, the gateway does not transmit the voice information to the server apparatus. 
 
     
     
       19. The gateway according to  claim 18 , wherein when judging that the voice information received from the sound collecting device indicates a fixed phrase related to control of the household electrical appliance, the gateway transmits a control instruction corresponding to the fixed phrase to the household electrical appliance instead of transmitting the voice information to the server apparatus. 
     
     
       20. The gateway according to claim  19  18, wherein when judging that the received acquired voice information indicates the fixed phrase, the gateway causes contents of a control instruction corresponding to the fixed phrase to be output to an input apparatus connected via a network, and when a confirmation input by the user signifying that the contents are correct is accepted by the input apparatus, the gateway transmits the control instruction corresponding to the fixed phrase to the household electrical appliance. 
     
     
       21. The gateway according to  claim 18 , wherein the gateway causes contents of the control instruction received from the server apparatus to be output to an input apparatus connected via a network, and when a confirmation input by the user signifying that the contents are correct is accepted by the input apparatus, the gateway transmits the control instruction received from the server apparatus to the household electrical appliance. 
     
     
       22. The control method according to claim 1, the household electrical appliance control system further including a sound collecting device connected to the local area network, wherein:
 the gateway receives voice information of the user from the sound collecting device via the local area network, and   the household electrical appliance receives the control instruction from the server apparatus via the gateway.