Patent ID: 7240008

Claim:
A speech recognition system for a navigation apparatus, the speech recognition system comprising: a voice input means for inputting a series of phonemes formed by hierarchically coupling a plurality of words to define an address arranged from a low hierarchical level toward a high hierarchical level; a dictionary means for storing a plurality of comparison object pattern candidates; and a recognizing means for outputting a result corresponding to a high degree of matching based on comparison of the series of phonemes inputted via the voice input means with the plurality of comparison object pattern candidates, wherein at least a part of the plurality of the comparison object pattern candidates stored in the dictionary means is formed by hierarchically coupling a plurality of words, wherein the dictionary means is a recognition dictionary of backward tree-structure in which a number of branching points is sequentially reduced depending on a voice input sequence, and wherein the recognizing means utilizes the recognition dictionary of backward tree-structure to execute a backward recognition process in which the series of phonemes inputted via the voice input means is sequentially recognized in a second order that is reversed in comparison with a first order in which the phonemes were spoken.