Abstract: An image processing device includes: a character region detecting unit which detects a character region including a character from an input image; a feature amount detecting unit which detects a feature amount indicating a level of deformation of an image in the character region detected by the character region detecting unit; a correction gain calculating unit which calculates a correction gain based on the feature amount detected by the feature amount detecting unit; and a correcting unit which corrects the input image by performing image processing on the image in the character region such that the image processing has an effect which decreases with a decrease in the correction gain calculated by the correction gain calculating unit.

Abstract: A video link type illuminating control system and video link type illuminating control method allow a signal containing the idea of the content creator to be added to an airwave signal or a video content signal so that the audio-visual space is illuminated based on the control signal generated from the signal. As a result, illumination can be controlled in linkage with video, thus increasing visual realism.

Abstract: An image signal processing apparatus includes an output unit that outputs an image, a detection unit that detects that the output unit is outputting a 3D image, and a light modulation control unit that causes a light emitting apparatus to reduce luminance of a light emitting unit thereof, in response to the detection by the detection unit that the output unit is outputting a 3D image.

Abstract: There is provided an image signal processing device for receiving an image signal using a first color signal, and converting the image signal to image data using a second color signal to output the image data, the image signal processing device including an image signal input unit for receiving the image signal using the first color signal; a clip determination unit for determining whether or not the first color signal is a domain end of the relevant signal or a neighboring color of a specific color gamut end; a distance calculation unit for calculating a distance to a closest pixel that is not clipped with respect to a pixel determined as the signal domain end or the neighboring color of the specific color gamut end; an adjustment amount determination unit for determining a color signal adjustment amount with respect to a color signal in each pixel; a color signal adjustment unit for adjusting the color signal in each pixel by the color signal adjustment amount to obtain the second color signal; and an image

Abstract: The normal vector information generating device generates normal vector information on the surface of an object, and includes: an image information obtaining unit obtaining information about an image of the object, the information including luminance information about luminance of light from the object and polarization information about polarization of the light; a shadow area extracting unit extracting an attached shadow area and a cast shadow area from the image based on the luminance information and the polarization information, the attached shadow area appearing on the surface of the object depending on an angle of incidence light, and the cast shadow area appearing on the surface of a material body when the light is blocked by the object; and a normal vector information generating unit generating normal vector information identifying a normal vector on the surface of the object in the attached shadow area using the polarization information.

Abstract: A voice synthesis device for generating synthetic voice having great freedom in voice quality and good sound quality from text data is provided.

Abstract: The normal vector information generating device generates normal vector information on the surface of an object, and includes: an image information obtaining unit obtaining information about an image of the object, the information including luminance information about luminance of light from the object and polarization information about polarization of the light; a shadow area extracting unit extracting an attached shadow area and a cast shadow area from the image based on the luminance information and the polarization information, the attached shadow area appearing on the surface of the object depending on an angle of incidence light, and the cast shadow area appearing on the surface of a material body when the light is blocked by the object; and a normal vector information generating unit generating normal vector information identifying a normal vector on the surface of the object in the attached shadow area using the polarization information.

Abstract: A speech synthesizer that provides high-quality sound along with stable sound quality, including: a target parameter generation unit; a speech element DB; an element selection unit; a mixed parameter judgment unit which determines an optimum parameter combination of target parameters and speech elements; a parameter integration unit which integrates the parameters; and a waveform generation unit which generates synthetic speech. High-quality and stable synthetic speech is generated by combining, per parameter dimension, the parameters with stable sound quality generated by the target parameter generation unit with speech elements with high sound quality and a sense of true speech selected by the element selection unit.

Abstract: A speech synthesis apparatus appropriately transforms a voice characteristic of speech. The speech synthesis apparatus includes an element storing unit in which speech elements are stored, and a function storing unit in which transformation functions are stored, an adaptability judging unit which derives a degree of similarity by comparing a speech element stored in the element storing unit with an acoustic characteristic of the speech element used for generating a transformation function stored in the function storing unit. The speech synthesis apparatus also includes a selecting unit and voice characteristic transforming unit which transforms, for each speech element stored in the element storing unit, based on the degree of similarity derived by the adaptability judging unit, a voice characteristic of the speech element by applying one of the transformation functions stored in the function storing unit.

Abstract: A speech synthesizer that provides high-quality sound along with stable sound quality, including: a target parameter generation unit; a speech element DB; an element selection unit; a mixed parameter judgment unit which determines an optimum parameter combination of target parameters and speech elements; a parameter integration unit which integrates the parameters; and a waveform generation unit which generates synthetic speech. High-quality and stable synthetic speech is generated by combining, per parameter dimension, the parameters with stable sound quality generated by the target parameter generation unit with speech elements with high sound quality and a sense of true speech selected by the element selection unit.

Abstract: To provide a speech synthesis apparatus which can prevent user confusion and deterioration of the quality of synthesized speech resulting from incompleteness of the sentences to be read out, and thus can read out speech which is easily understandable to the user.

Abstract: A voice synthesis device for generating synthetic voice having great freedom in voice quality and good sound quality from text data is provided.

Abstract: To provide a speech synthesis method of reading out units of synthesized speech without fail and in an easy to understand manner, even when playback of the units of synthesized speech are simultaneously requested. The duration prediction unit predicts the playback duration of synthesized speech to be synthesized based on text. The time constraint satisfaction judgment unit judges whether a constraint condition concerning the playback timing of the synthesized speech is satisfied or not, based on the predicted playback duration. If it judged that the constraint condition is not satisfied, the content modification unit shifts the playback starting timing of the synthesized speech of the text forward or backward, and modifies the contents of the text indicating time and distance in accordance with the shifted time. The synthesized speech generation unit generates synthesized speech based on the text having the modified contents and plays it back.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for speech recognition of the present application has a process to collate, with an input utterance, an acoustic model corresponding to a hypothesis to be expressed by the connection of utterance segments, such as phonemes or syllables, and developed according to a length of an input utterance by an inter-word connection rule thereby obtaining a recognition score. Within a word of the hypothesis, the similar hypotheses high in utterance score within a predetermined threshold from the maximum value of the score are all held to a word end irrespectively of the number of hypotheses. Meanwhile, at a word end of the hypotheses, the hypotheses are narrowed to a predetermined number of upper ranking in the order of higher score.

Abstract: A speech synthesis apparatus which can appropriately transform a voice characteristic of a speech is provided. The speech synthesis apparatus includes an element storing unit in which speech elements are stored, a function storing unit in which transformation functions are stored, an adaptability judging unit which derives a degree of similarity by comparing a speech element stored in the element storing unit with an acoustic characteristic of the speech element used for generating a transformation function stored in the function storing unit, and a selecting unit and voice characteristic transforming unit which transforms, for each speech element stored in the element storing unit, based on the degree of similarity derived by the adaptability judging unit, a voice characteristic of the speech element by applying one of the transformation functions stored in the function storing unit.

Abstract: To provide a speech synthesis apparatus which can prevent confusing its users and deteriorating the quality of synthesized speech resulting from incompleteness of the sentences to be read out, and thus can read out speech which is easily understandable to the user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for speech recognition of the present application has a process to collate, with an input utterance, an acoustic model corresponding to a hypothesis to be expressed by the connection of utterance segments, such as phonemes or syllables, and developed according to a length of an input utterance by an inter-word connection rule thereby obtaining a recognition score. Within a word of the hypothesis, the similar hypotheses high in utterance score within a predetermined threshold from the maximum value of the score are all held to a word end irrespectively of the number of hypotheses. Meanwhile, at a word end of the hypotheses, the hypotheses are narrowed to a predetermined number of upper ranking in the order of higher score.

Abstract: A sentence or text based input utterance is prepared into word-string candidates each based on one to several words, starting from the beginning of a sentence. The candidates are displayed. A user is allowed to successively select and fix a candidate, to prepare a candidate for the following utterance on the basis of the selected candidate. The present invention is a text input method and apparatus adapted to repeat these processes. This eliminates the necessity to keep a memory space for search taking account of a number of combinations of word-string candidates, thus greatly reducing the storage capacity. Reduction is also possible in speech-recognition process amount. These makes possible apparatus size reduction. Furthermore, the user who is allowed to input one or more continuous utterances is free from troublesomeness as encountered in word-based input.