Patent ID: 7212966

Claim:
A voice recognition apparatus for a vehicle that recognizes a voice input from a user via a voice input device, comprising: a response output device for outputting a response to said voice input; a recognition possible/impossible determining device for determining whether said voice input can be recognized; a response change executing device that is operable, when recognition is determined to be impossible, to output a response having a different expression from said response output device depending on a number of times it has been determined that recognition would be impossible by said recognition possible/impossible determining device; a voice recognition device for carrying out recognition of said input voice through said voice input device depending on a predetermined recognition threshold value, said predetermined recognition threshold value being used by said voice recognition device during recognition of said input voice to select a candidate corresponding to said input voice; and, a recognition threshold value updating device for updating, when the recognition is determined to be impossible by said recognition possible/impossible determining device, said recognition threshold value to be referred to by said voice recognition device to a lower threshold value, by subtracting a predetermined value, and thereby increasing a possibility of determining the corresponding candidate upon subsequent receipt of the voice input to said voice recognition device.