Patent Publication Number: US-2022230640-A1

Title: Apparatus for adaptive conversation

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a continuation application of International Patent Application No. PCT/KR2020/012415, filed on Sep. 15, 2020, which claims priority to Korean patent application No. 10-2019-0125446 filed on Oct. 10, 2019, contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to an adaptive conversation function and, more particularly, to an adaptive conversation apparatus capable of providing a response corresponding to a user utterance based on external information and contents of the user utterance. 
     Description of Related Technology 
     As electronic devices have developed into portable types, a variety of functions to provide information are supported. Nowadays, users can easily search for and obtain necessary information regardless of place or time. Such a portable electronic device is developing into a conversation system capable of understanding a user&#39;s question and providing a corresponding response, beyond a function of simply searching for and displaying information. 
     SUMMARY 
     One aspect of the present disclosure is an apparatus for an adaptive conversation that can provide a more natural and meaningful conversation function by collecting external information of a user conducting a conversation and by generating a response tailored to a user&#39;s situation based on the collected external information. 
     Another aspect of the present disclosure is an apparatus for an adaptive conversation that can provide an adaptive response relying on configuration of external information even for the same user utterance input and, based on neural network learning, minimize the effort for designing additional rules to utilize external information. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a conversation support server device includes a server communication circuit establishing a communication channel with a user terminal and a server processor functionally connected to the server communication circuit. The server processor may be configured to receive, from the user terminal, a user utterance and surrounding external information acquired at a time of collecting the user utterance, to generate one word input by combining input information generated by performing natural language processing on the user utterance with the surrounding external information, to generate a response sentence by applying the word input to a neural network model, and to transmit the response sentence to the user terminal. 
     The server processor may produce formalized information corresponding to the surrounding external information, and then generate the one word input by combining the formalized information with the input information. 
     In addition, the server processor may receive location information of the user terminal as the surrounding external information, and detect a place name or place characteristic information corresponding to the location information mapped to map information. 
     In addition, the server processor may receive sensing information of a sensor included in the user terminal as the surrounding external information, and produce formalized information corresponding to the sensing information. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a user terminal includes a communication circuit establishing a communication channel with a conversation support server device, a sensor collecting sensing information, a microphone collecting user utterances, an output unit outputting response information received from the conversation support server device, and a processor operatively connected to the communication circuit, the sensor, the microphone, and the output unit. The processor may be configured to collect the sensing information as surrounding external information by using the sensor while collecting the user utterances through the microphone, to transmit the user utterances and the surrounding external information to the conversation support server device, to receive, from the conversation support server device, a response sentence generated by applying input information obtained through natural language processing of the user utterances and information obtained by formalizing the surrounding external information to a neural network model, and to output the received response sentence to the output unit. 
     The processor may be configured to collect at least one of external temperature, external illuminance, current location, and current time as the surrounding external information, and transmit the collected surrounding external information to the conversation support server device. 
     According to the present disclosure, an apparatus for adaptive conversation can provide a conversation interface function of a conversational artificial intelligence assistant system by providing a conversation suitable for a user&#39;s utterance and situation. 
     In addition, the present disclosure can improve user satisfaction by providing a natural conversation suitable for a conversation partner&#39;s situation, and implement an adaptive conversation system more simply while efficiently managing resources by utilizing external information. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of an adaptive conversation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a conversation support server device in the configuration of an adaptive conversation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a user terminal in the configuration of an adaptive conversation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary operating method of a user terminal in an operating method of an adaptive conversation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary operating method of a conversation support server device in an operating method of an adaptive conversation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The current conversation system generally provides a conversation based on a predetermined rule rather than offering a natural conversation or, even if it is not rule-based, generates and provides the same answer to the user&#39;s same question. This makes the user feel awkward in the conversation or does not provide the user with an appropriate conversation, so it is difficult to give great satisfaction. 
     In the following description, only parts necessary to understand embodiments of the present disclosure will be described, and other parts will not be described to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present disclosure. 
     Terms used herein should not be construed as being limited to their usual or dictionary meanings. In view of the fact that the inventor can appropriately define the meanings of terms in order to describe his/her own invention in the best way, the terms should be interpreted as meanings consistent with the technical idea of the present disclosure. In addition, the following description and corresponding drawings merely relate to specific embodiments of the present disclosure and do not represent all the subject matter of the present disclosure. Therefore, it will be understood that there are various equivalents and modifications of the disclosed embodiments at the time of the present application. 
     Now, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of an adaptive conversation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an adaptive conversation system  10  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a user terminal  100 , a communication network  50 , and a conversation support server device  200 . 
     The communication network  50  may establish a communication channel between the user terminal  100  and the conversation support server device  200 . The communication network  50  may have various forms. For example, the communication network  50  collectively refers to a closed network such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), an open network such as the Internet, a network based on code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), long term evolution (LTE), or evolved packet core (EPC), next-generation networks to be implemented in the future, and computing networks. In addition, the communication network  50  of the present disclosure may be configured to include, for example, a plurality of access networks (not shown), a core network (not shown), and an external network such as the Internet (not shown). The access network (not shown) performs wired/wireless communication through a mobile communication terminal device and may be implemented with, for example, a plurality of base stations and a base station controller. The base station (BS) may include a base transceiver station (BTS), a NodeB, an eNodeB, etc., and the base station controller (BSC) may include a radio network controller (RNC) or the like. In addition, a digital signal processing unit and a radio signal processing unit, which are integrally implemented in the base station, may be separately implemented as a digital unit (DU) and a radio unit (RU), respectively. A plurality of RUs (not shown) may be installed in a plurality of areas, respectively, and connected to a centralized DU (not shown). 
     In addition, the core network (not shown) constituting the mobile network together with the access network (not shown) connects the access network (not shown) and an external network, for example, the Internet (not shown). The core network (not shown), which is a network system performing main functions for a mobile communication service such as mobility control and switching between access networks (not shown), performs circuit switching or packet switching and manages and controls a packet flow in the mobile network. In addition, the core network (not shown) manages inter-frequency mobility, controls traffic in the access network (not shown) and the core network (not shown), and performs a function of interworking with other networks, for example, the Internet (not shown). The core network (not shown) may be configured to further include a serving gateway (SGW), a PDN gateway (PGW), a mobile switching center (MSC), a home location register (HLR), a mobile mobility entity (MME), and a home subscriber server (HSS). In addition, the Internet (not shown), which is a public network for exchanging information in accordance with TCP/IP protocol, is connected to the user terminal  100  and the conversation support server device  200 , and is capable of transmitting information provided from the conversation support server device  200  to the user terminal  100  through the core network (not shown) and the access network (not shown). Also, the Internet is capable of transmitting various kinds of information received from the user terminal device  100  to the conversation support server device  200  through the access network (not shown) and the core network (not shown). 
     The user terminal  100  may be connected to the conversation support server device  200  through the communication network  50 . The user terminal  100  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be in general a mobile communication terminal device, which may include a network device capable of accessing the communication network  50  provided in the present disclosure and then transmitting and receiving various data. The user terminal  100  may also be referred to as a terminal, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a mobile subscriber station (MSS), a subscriber station (SS), an advanced mobile station (AMS), a wireless terminal (WT), a device-to-device (D2D) device, or the like. However, the user terminal  100  of the present disclosure is not limited to the above terms, and any apparatus connected to the communication network  50  and capable of transmitting/receiving data may be used as the user terminal  100  of the present disclosure. The user terminal  100  may perform voice or data communication through the communication network  50 . In this regard, the user terminal  100  may include a memory for storing a browser, a program, and a protocol, and a processor for executing, operating, and controlling various programs. The user terminal  100  may be implemented in various forms and may include a mobile terminal to which a wireless communication technology is applied, such as a smart phone, a tablet PC, a PDA, or a potable multimedia player (PMP). In particular, the user terminal  100  of the present disclosure is capable of transmitting user utterance information and external information to the conversation support server device  200  through the communication network  50  and also receiving response information corresponding to the user utterance information and external information from the conversation support server device  200 . 
     The conversation support server device  200  provides and manages a conversation function application installed in the user terminal  100 . The conversation support server device  200  may be a web application server (WAS), Internet information server (IIS), or a well-known web server using Apache Tomcat or Nginx on the Internet. In addition, one of devices constituting the network computing environment may be the conversation support server device  200  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition, the conversation support server device  200  may support an operating system (OS) such as Linux or Windows and execute received control commands. In terms of software, program modules implemented through a language such as C, C++, Java, Visual Basic, or Visual C may be included. In particular, the conversation support server device  200  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may install a conversation function application in the user terminal  100 , establish a communication channel with the user terminal  100  under user&#39;s control, and provide, upon receiving user utterance information and external information from the user terminal  100 , corresponding response information to the user terminal  100 . 
     As described above, in the adaptive conversation system  10  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the user terminal  100  and the conversation support server device  200  establish a communication channel therebetween through the communication network  50 , and when the conversation function application related to the use of the adaptive conversation function is installed and executed in the user terminal  100 , the conversation support server device  200  generates response information based on user utterance information and external information received from the user terminal  100  and provides the response information to the user terminal  100 . As such, the adaptive conversation system  10  of the present disclosure generates the response information based on the external information around the user who owns the user terminal  100  as well as the user utterance information, and thereby provides the response information more suitable for the user&#39;s situation. This may increase the user&#39;s satisfaction with the conversation function and also improve the reliability of providing information needed to the user. 
       FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a conversation support server device in the configuration of an adaptive conversation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the conversation support server device  200  may include a server communication circuit  210 , a server memory  240 , and a server processor  260 . 
     The server communication circuit  210  may establish a communication channel of the conversation support server device  200 . The server communication circuit  210  may establish a communication channel with the user terminal  100  in response to a request for execution of a user conversation function. The server communication circuit  210  may receive user utterance information and external information from the user terminal  100  and provide them to the server processor  260 . The server communication circuit  210  may transmit response information corresponding to the user utterance information and the external information to the user terminal  100  under the control of the server processor  260 . 
     The server memory  240  may store various data or application programs related to the operation of the conversation support server device  200 . In particular, the server memory  240  may store a program related to support for a conversation function. The conversation function support application stored in the server memory  240  may be provided to and installed in the user terminal  100  at a request of the user terminal  100 . In addition, the server memory  240  may store a word DB related to the conversation function support. The word DB may be used as a resource required to generate the response information to be provided based on the user utterance information and the external information. The word DB may store the degrees of relevance to various words as scores and store a word map in which the degrees of relevance to respective words are classified according to high scores. In addition, the server memory  240  may store a neural network model. The neural network model may select words with the highest selection probability when selecting words contained in the word DB based on the user utterance information and the external information, and then support generating a sentence through an arrangement. Also, the server memory  240  may store user information  241 . The user information  241  may include the user utterance information and the external information both received from the user terminal  100 . Also, the user information  241  may temporarily or semi-permanently include the response information previously provided to the user terminal  100 . The user information  241  may be used as a personalized response information DB for each user terminal  100  and used to construct the word DB by integrating a plurality of user information. 
     The server processor  260  may receive a user utterance in the form of voice and text and perform preprocessing such as morpheme analysis and tokenization while processing the text as natural language. The server processor  260  may use a preprocessed sentence and the external information (e.g., various kinds of information such as a place, time, weather, etc. where the utterance is being made currently) as an input for generating a sentence. In this case, the server processor  260  may formalize the external information entered into the system through an external API and then use it as an input for sentence generation. In the sentence generation process, the server processor  260  may generate the response information (or response sentence) by applying a specific type of neural network model (e.g., a sequence-to-sequence model) that inputs and outputs a word arrangement. In this regard, the server processor  260  may include a natural language processing module  261 , a user interface module  262 , a sentence generation module  263 , and an external information processing module  264 . 
     The natural language processing module  261  may preprocess the user utterance information received from the user terminal  100 . For example, the natural language processing module  261  may generate input information for generating a sentence by performing morpheme analysis, tokenization, etc. on a user utterance. In addition, the natural language processing module  261  may generate a more natural sentence by performing natural language processing on the response information (or sentence) generated by the sentence generation module  263 . 
     The user interface module  262  may provide a designated access screen to the user terminal  100  in response to an access request from the user terminal  100 . In this process, the user interface module  262  may establish a communication channel for operating a conversation function with the user terminal  100  based on the server communication circuit  210 . The user interface module  262  may perform interfacing to transmit the response information to the user terminal  100  through the server communication circuit  210  and receive the user utterance information and the external information from the user terminal  100 . 
     The external information processing module  264  may process the external information received from the user terminal  100 . For example, the external information processing module  264  may collect information such as external temperature, external humidity, external weather, and current location, based on sensing information received from the user terminal  100 . For example, the external information processing module  264  may determine, based on the sensing information about the external temperature, whether a current external situation is hot weather or cold weather, and formalize the corresponding external information into hot, cold, etc. In addition, the external information processing module  264  may detect a latitude/longitude value of the current location and obtain a place name or information corresponding to the latitude/longitude value through a map. In a process of extracting a place name or information, the external information processing module  264  may collect formalized information related to city, town, village, etc. or an amusement park, a theme park, an amusement facility, a park, etc. The external information processing module  264  may provide the above formalized information to the sentence generation module  263 . 
     The sentence generation module  263  may perform sentence generation, based on input information corresponding to the user utterance information received from the natural language processing module  261  and the external input information formalized by the external information processing module  264 . In this process, the sentence generation module  263  may construct one arrangement of words from the input including the input information generated through the user utterance and the external information, generate words through a neural network model (e.g., model that sequentially generates probabilistically most probable words) designated for the input, and generate the response information by combining the sequentially generated words. As such, in a sentence generation structure of the response information of the present disclosure, the probabilistic calculation value of sentence generation may vary depending on how the external context information is configured for the same user utterance. Therefore, the conversation model can adaptively generate different responses depending on the situation. In addition, because the neural network model of the sentence generation module  263  can learn based on data without the need for an additional design for applying external context information, it is possible to reduce the effort for establishing rules. 
       FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a user terminal in the configuration of an adaptive conversation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the user terminal  100  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a communication circuit  110 , an input unit  120 , a sensor  130 , a memory  140 , an output unit (e.g., at least one of a display  150  and a speaker  180 ), a microphone  170 , and a processor  160 . 
     The communication circuit  110  may establish a communication channel of the user terminal  100 . For example, the communication circuit  110  may establish a communication channel with the communication network  50  based on at least one of communication schemes of various generations such as 3G, 4G, and 5G. The communication circuit  110  may establish a communication channel with the conversation support server device  200  under the control of the processor  160  and transmit user utterance information and external information to the conversation support server device  200 . The communication circuit  110  may receive response information from the conversation support server device  200  and deliver it to the processor  160 . 
     The input unit  120  may support an input function of the user terminal  100 . The input unit  120  may include at least one of a physical key(s), a touch key, a touch screen, and an electronic pen. The input unit  120  may generate an input signal based on a user&#39;s manipulation and provide the generated input signal to the processor  160 . For example, the input unit  120  may receive a user&#39;s request for execution of a conversation function application and provide an input signal corresponding to the user&#39;s request to the processor  160 . 
     The sensor  130  may collect at least one kind of external information about the surrounding external situation of the user terminal  100 . The sensor  130  may include, for example, at least one of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an illuminance sensor, an image sensor (or camera), a proximity sensor, and a location information acquisition sensor (e.g., global positioning system (GPS)). Sensing information collected by the sensor  130  may be provided as external information to the conversation support server device  200 . 
     The memory  140  may temporarily store a user utterance. Alternatively, the memory  140  may store a model for converting the user utterance into text. The memory  140  may temporarily store text corresponding to the user utterance. The memory  140  may store response information received from the conversation support server device  200  in response to user utterance information and external information. In addition, the memory  140  may store external information (or sensing information) received from the sensor  130  or external information (e.g., web server information, etc.) received from an external server through the communication circuit  110 . The memory  140  may store a conversation function application related to the adaptive conversation function support of the present disclosure. 
     The display  150  may output at least one screen related to the operation of the user terminal  100  of the present disclosure. For example, the display  150  may output a screen related to the execution of the conversation function application. The display  150  may output at least one of a screen corresponding to a state of collecting user utterances, a screen corresponding to a state of collecting external information, a screen indicating transmission of user utterances and external information to the conversation support server device  200 , a screen indicating reception of response information from the conversation support server device  200 , and a screen displaying the received response information. 
     The microphone  170  may collect user utterances. In this regard, when the conversation function application is executed, the microphone  170  may be automatically activated. When the conversation function application is terminated, the microphone  170  may be automatically deactivated. 
     The speaker  180  may output an audio signal corresponding to the response information received from the conversation support server device  200 . When the conversation support server device  200  provides an audio signal corresponding to the response information, the speaker  180  may directly output the received audio signal. When the conversation support server device  200  provides text corresponding to the response information, the speaker  180  may output a voice signal converted from the text under the control of the processor  160 . 
     The processor  160  may transmit and process various signals related to the operation of the user terminal  100 . For example, the processor  160  may execute a conversation function application in response to a user input and establish a communication channel with the conversation support server device  200 . The processor  160  may activate the microphone  170  to collect user utterances, and collect external information by using at least one of the sensor  130  and the communication circuit  110 . For example, using the sensor  130 , the processor  160  may collect at least one of external humidity, temperature, illuminance, location, and time information. Alternatively, the processor  160  may access a specific server by using the communication circuit  110 , and collect external weather and hot issue information from the specific server. The processor  160  may provide the collected user utterance information and external information to the conversation support server device  200  through the communication circuit  110 . The processor  160  may receive the response information corresponding to the user utterance information and external information from the conversation support server device  200 , and output the received response information through at least one of the display  150  and the speaker  180 . 
     Although it is described above that the user terminal  100  accesses the conversation support server device  200  through the communication network  50 , transmits the collected user utterance information and external information to the conversation support server device  200 , and receives the corresponding response information, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In an alternative example, the above-described operations of the adaptive conversation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be all processed in the user terminal  100 . Specifically, the processor  160  of the user terminal  100  may execute the conversation function application stored in the memory  140  in response to a user input, and activate the microphone for collecting user utterances. When the conversation function application is executed, the processor  160  may activate the sensor  130  and collect the external information. For example, the processor  160  may collect the external information including at least one of external temperature, external illuminance, current location, and time information. Alternatively, the processor  160  may access a specific server through the communication circuit  110  and collect external weather information, season information, hot issue information, and the like from the specific server as the external information. When the user gives utterance, the processor  160  may collect utterance information and convert the collected utterance information into text. The processor  160  may provide at least a part of the converted text and at least a part of the external information as input information for generating the response information. In this process, the processor  160  may generate the response information by applying user utterance-based input information and external input information formalized from the external information to neural network modeling. The processor  160  may output the generated response information to at least one of the display  150  and the speaker. In this regard, the processor  160  may include a natural language processing module, an external information processing module, a sentence generation module, and a user interface module, and may generate and provide the response information based on the user utterance information and the external information. As described above, the adaptive conversation system of the present disclosure may support to generate and provide the response information suitable for a user&#39;s situation only with device components equipped in the user terminal  100 . 
       FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary operating method of a user terminal in an operating method of an adaptive conversation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , in the operating method of the user terminal  100  for adaptive conversation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor  160  of the user terminal  100  may determine at step  401  whether a user conversation function is executed. For example, the processor  160  may provide a menu or icon related to the user conversation function and identify whether the provided menu or icon is selected. Alternatively, the user terminal  100  may preset a command related to the execution of the user conversation function and identify whether a voice utterance corresponding to the command is received. When a specific user input is not related to the execution of the user conversation function, the processor  160  may perform other particular function corresponding to the user input at step  403 . For example, the processor  160  may provide a camera function, a music playback function, or a web surfing function in response to a user input. 
     When an input related to the execution of the user conversation function is received, the processor  160  may collect external information at step  405 . In this operation, the processor  160  may operate the user terminal  100  to collect user utterance information by activating the microphone  170  upon receiving the input related to the execution of the user conversation function. In addition, the processor  160  may collect the external information around the user by using at least one sensor  130 . For example, the processor  160  may collect, as the external information, external temperature, humidity, illuminance, and current location through the at least one sensor. Alternatively, the processor  160  may collect, as the external information, weather information of a current location, a current time, and the like through a web browser. The external information collection may be performed in real time at a request for the execution of the user conversation function or performed at regular intervals. 
     At step  407 , the processor  160  may determine whether a user utterance is received. When the user utterance is received, the processor  160  may transmit the user utterance information and the external information to a designated external electronic device, for example, the conversation support server device  200 . In this transmission process, the processor  160  may establish a communication channel with the conversation support server device  200  and transmit unique identification information, user utterance information, and external information of the user terminal  100  through the communication channel. 
     At step  411 , the processor  160  may determine whether a response is received from the conversation support server device  200 . When the response is received from the conversation support server device  200  within a specified time, the processor  160  may output the received response at step  413 . In this process, the processor  160  may output the response through the speaker  180 . Alternatively, the processor  160  may output text corresponding to the response on the display  150  while outputting the response through the speaker  180 . 
     At step  415 , the processor  160  may determine whether an input signal related to termination of the user conversation function is received. When the input signal related to the termination of the user conversation function occurs, the processor  160  may terminate the user conversation function. In this operation, the processor  160  may deactivate the microphone  170  and release the communication channel with the conversation support server device  200 . In addition, the processor  160  may output guide text or guide audio related to the termination of the user conversation function. If there is no input related to the termination of the user conversation function, the processor  160  may return to the previous step  405  of collecting the external information and then wait for reception of the user utterance. Alternatively, the processor  160  may return to the previous step of waiting for reception of the response after transmitting the user utterance information and the external information. In this case, if the response is not received for a given time, the processor  160  may output an error message indicating a response reception failure and proceed to the step  415 . In addition, if the user utterance is not received for a given time at the step  407 , the processor may proceed to the step  415  to determine whether an event related to the termination of the user conversation function (e.g., an event that automatically requests the termination of the conversation function when there is no user utterance for a given time, or a user input event related to the termination of the conversation function) occurs. Also, if there is no response for a given time at the step  411 , the processor  160  may skip the step  413  and perform the subsequent step. 
       FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary operating method of a conversation support server device in an operating method of an adaptive conversation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , in the operating method of the conversation support server device related to adaptive conversation function support according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the server processor  260  of the conversation support server device  200  may determine at step  501  whether a user conversation function is executed. For example, the server processor  260  may determine whether a message of requesting the establishment of a communication channel related to the use of the user conversation function is received from the user terminal  100 . Alternatively, the server processor  260  may determine whether a time for executing the user conversation function with the user terminal  100  has arrived according to scheduling information or settings. When the scheduled or set time arrives, the server processor  260  may establish a communication channel with the user terminal  100  in order to execute the user conversation function. If an event related to the execution of the user conversation function does not occur at the step  501 , the server processor  260  may perform other particular function at step  503 . For example, the server processor  260  may update a neural network model, based on responses provided to previous user utterances and external information. Updating the neural network model may be performed in real time in the process of supporting the conversation function with the user terminal  100 . In another example, the server processor  260  may update a word DB by collecting new words and information defining the meaning of words from other portal servers or news servers. Words contained in the word DB may be used to generate a response. 
     When the communication channel is established with the user terminal  100  for executing the user conversation function, the server processor  260  may receive user utterance information and external information from the user terminal  100  at step  505 . When there is no reception of user utterance information and external information for a given time, the server processor  260  may release the communication channel with the user terminal  100  and terminate the user conversation function. 
     At step  507 , the server processor  260  may perform preprocessing of the user utterance information and formalization of the external information. In relation to the preprocessing of the user utterance information, the server processor  260  may convert the user utterance into text and then rearrange sentences contained in the text in units of words. The server processor  260  may perform morpheme analysis and tokenization on the rearranged words and thereby generate input information to be used for generating a sentence. Also, the server processor  260  may select at least one external information as input information to be used for generating a sentence. In this process, the server processor  260  may detect, from the word DB, a word highly related to the input information generated based on the user utterance from among the external information. In this regard, the word DB may store a map in which the degrees of relevance of respective words are recorded. 
     At step  509 , the server processor  260  may perform a neural network modeling on the preprocessed sentence and formalization information. That is, the server processor  260  may apply input information (e.g., input information acquired through a user utterance and external input information acquired from external information) to a specific neural network model (e.g., a sequence-to-sequence model). Here, the input information through the user utterance and the external input information may be configured as one arrangement of words and provided as an input for generating a sentence. The neural network model is not limited to the exemplified model and may sequentially generate words with the highest probability. 
     At step  511 , the server processor  260  may generate response information based on the neural network modeling and transmit the generated response information to the user terminal  100 . In this process, the server processor  260  may perform post-processing, such as natural language processing, on the response information generated through the neural network modeling. 
     Next, at step  513 , the server processor  260  may determine whether an event related to termination of the user conversation function occurs. When there is no event related to the termination of the user conversation function, the server processor  260  may return to the previous step  505  and perform again the subsequent operations. When an event related to the termination of the user conversation function occurs, the server processor  260  may terminate the user conversation function. For example, the server processor  260  may release the communication channel with the user terminal  100  and transmit a message indicating the termination of the user conversation function to the user terminal  100 . 
     As described hereinbefore, the adaptive conversation system  10  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and the operating method thereof can provide the conversation model capable of interacting with the user by utilizing the external context information of the user who uses the conversation function, thereby supporting adaptive conversation that allows various utterance configurations depending on the external information. In addition, the present disclosure proposes a technique capable of utilizing data-based external information by using the neural network model. 
     While the present disclosure has been particularly shown and described with reference to an exemplary embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.