Voice-responsive command and control system and methodology for use in a signal measurement system

Abstract

A speech-responsive command and control system and methodology for use in a signal measurement system, enabling an operator to control certain features and functions of the oscilloscope without using manual or graphical controls. A speech-responsive command and control system includes a speech recognition engine constructed and arranged to validate digital voice signals in accordance with an associated grammar file defining command and control utterances for controlling the signal measurement system. A voice controlled measurement system controller is also included. This controller is constructed and arranged to control the signal measurement system in response to text utterances validated by the speech recognition engine. The grammar may include rules defining acceptable command and control utterances suitable for controlling the signal measurement system. The speech recognition engine generates, for valid utterances, a text utterance representing the recognized utterance to the voice-controlled measurement system controller. The text utterance may be an ASCII string. In one embodiment, the system includes a natural language speech application interface. The NLSAI is constructed and arranged to parse the valid text utterances to generate command parameters included in the valid text utterances based upon a predetermined corpus comprising a list of all valid command an control utterances. A method for controlling a signal measurement system in response to voice commands is also disclosed. The method includes the steps of: 1) receiving a command utterance generated by the operator; 2) digitizing the command utterance; 3) determining whether the digitized command utterance is a valid command and control utterance; and 4) generating a system command to cause the signal measurement system to perform a function in response to the valid command and control utterance. Preferably, the method also includes the step of: 5) displaying the command utterance on a display operatively coupled to the signal measurement system.