Abstract: The processing efficiency and estimation accuracy of a voice activity detection apparatus are improved. An acoustic signal analyzer receives a digital acoustic signal containing a speech signal and a noise signal, generates a non-speech GMM and a speech GMM adapted to a noise environment, by using a silence GMM and a clean-speech GMM in each frame of the digital acoustic signal, and calculates the output probabilities of dominant Gaussian distributions of the GMMs. A speech state probability to non-speech state probability ratio calculator calculates a speech state probability to non-speech state probability ratio based on a state transition model of a speech state and a non-speech state, by using the output probabilities; and a voice activity detection unit judges, from the speech state probability to non-speech state probability ratio, whether the acoustic signal in the frame is in the speech state or in the non-speech state and outputs only the acoustic signal in the speech state.

Abstract: A tokenization platform and method is described for accurately tokenizing character strings, including but not limited to non-delimited character strings of the type commonly used in Internet domain names and computer filenames, to accurately identify words and phrases occurring therein. In one embodiment, a phased tokenization approach is used in which the final phase is a lexical analysis-based tokenization using a dictionary. The dictionary may be advantageously created and updated based upon one or more query logs associated with respective information retrieval systems, thereby ensuring that the dictionary accurately reflects currently-used terminology and captures alternative spellings and presentations of words and phrases submitted by users.

Abstract: A speech signal encoding method and a speech signal decoding method are provided. The speech signal encoding method includes the steps of specifying an analysis frame in an input signal; generating a modified input based on the analysis frame; applying a window to the modified input; generating a transform coefficient by performing an MDCT (Modified Discrete Cosine Transform) on the modified input to which the window has been applied; and encoding the transform coefficient. The modified input includes the analysis frame and a self replication of all or a part of the analysis frame.

Abstract: A coding apparatus is provided that improves the quality of a decoded signal in a hierarchical coding (scalable coding) scheme in which a coding target band is selected in each hierarchy (layer). The coding apparatus includes a first layer coding section that selects a first quantization target band of inputted spectrum and generates first layer coded information including first band information of the selected band. An adder generates a first layer difference spectrum using a first decoded signal generated using the first layer coded information and the inputted spectrum. A second layer coding section generates second layer coded information including second band information of the selected band, wherein first layer coding section determines a method of quantizing the gain of the inputted spectrum from a plurality of candidates based on the first band information and second band information.

Abstract: An apparatus including at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to select at least two single frequency components; generate an indicator, the indicator being configured to represent the at least two single frequency components and is configured to be dependent on the frequency separation between the two single frequency components.

Abstract: Systems and method for managing and/or mitigating the impact of bit errors on encoded frames received by an LC-SBC (Low Complexity Sub-band Coding) decoder are described herein. For example, in one embodiment, the impact of bit errors on an LC-SBC frame received by an LC-SBC decoder is estimated and one of a plurality of bit error management techniques is applied to the LC-SBC frame based on the estimated impact, wherein the bit error management techniques may include performing PLC, performing normal SBC decoding, or performing some other technique for managing and/or mitigating the impact of the bit errors. Techniques for concealing bit errors in LC-SBC frames are also described.

Abstract: An encoder and decoder for processing an audio signal including generic audio and speech frames are provided herein. During operation, two encoders are utilized by the speech coder, and two decoders are utilized by the speech decoder. The two encoders and decoders are utilized to process speech and non-speech (generic audio) respectively. During a transition between generic audio and speech, parameters that are needed by the speech decoder for decoding frame of speech are generated by processing the preceding generic audio (non-speech) frame for the necessary parameters. Because necessary parameters are obtained by the speech coder/decoder, the discontinuities associated with prior-art techniques are reduced when transitioning between generic audio frames and speech frames.

Abstract: A speaker state detecting apparatus comprises: an audio input unit for acquiring, at least, a first voice emanated by a first speaker and a second voice emanated by a second speaker; a speech interval detecting unit for detecting an overlap period between a first speech period of the first speaker included in the first voice and a second speech period of the second speaker included in the second voice, which starts before the first speech period, or an interval between the first speech period and the second speech period; a state information extracting unit for extracting state information representing a state of the first speaker from the first speech period; and a state detecting unit for detecting the state of the first speaker in the first speech period based on the overlap period or the interval and the first state information.

Abstract: A system provided herein may perform automatic temporal alignment between music audio signal and lyrics with higher accuracy than ever. A non-fricative section extracting 4 extracts non-fricative sound sections, where no fricative sounds exist, from the music audio signal. An alignment portion 17 includes a phone model 15 for singing voice capable of estimating phonemes corresponding to temporal-alignment features. The alignment portion 17 performs an alignment operation using as inputs temporal-alignment features obtained from a temporal-alignment feature extracting portion 11, information on vocal and non-vocal sections obtained from a vocal section estimating portion 9, and a phoneme network SN on conditions that no phonemes exist at least in non-vocal sections and that no fricative phonemes exist in non-fricative sound sections.

Abstract: The present disclosure involves systems, software, and computer implemented methods for providing a natural language interface for searching a database. One process includes operations for receiving a natural language query. One or more tokens contained in the natural language query are identified. A set of sentences is generated based on the identified tokens, each sentence representing a possible logical interpretation of the natural language query and including a combination of at least one of the identified tokens. At least one sentence in the set of sentences is selected for searching a database based on the identified tokens.

Abstract: A method for executing a fully mixed initiative dialogue (FMID) interaction between a human and a machine, a dialogue system for a FMID interaction between a human and a machine and a computer readable data storage medium having stored thereon computer code for instructing a computer processor to execute a method for executing a FMID interaction between a human and a machine are provided. The method includes retrieving a predefined grammar setting out parameters for the interaction; receiving a voice input; analyzing the grammar to dynamically derive one or more semantic combinations based on the parameters; obtaining semantic content by performing voice recognition on the voice input; and assigning the semantic content as fulfilling the one or more semantic combinations.

Abstract: Provided are, among other things, systems, methods and techniques for detecting whether a transient exists within an audio signal. According to one representative embodiment, a segment of a digital audio signal is divided into blocks, and a norm value is calculated for each of a number of the blocks, resulting in a set of norm values for such blocks, each such norm value representing a measure of signal strength within a corresponding block. A maximum norm value is then identified across such blocks, and a test criterion is applied to the norm values. If the test criterion is not satisfied, a first signal indicating that the segment does not include any transient is output, and if the test criterion is satisfied, a second signal indicating that the segment includes a transient is output. According to this embodiment, the test criterion involves a comparison of the maximum norm value to a different second maximum norm value, subject to a specified constraint, within the segment.

Abstract: A method and mobile device for awareness of language ability are provided. “Repeated pattern index”-related properties, such as, a vocabulary usage amount, a vocabulary type, or a ratio, a time point, a time length or repeated contents of a repeated voice segment, and “community interaction index”-related properties, such as, a number of persons who speak with a user, a conversation time length, or whether the user talks alone during each time interval, are extracted according to voice data collected by a voice collection element worn on the user. Then, a language ability of the user is further calculated, so as to provide evaluation of the language ability of a dementia patient for reference.

Abstract: A voice recognition dictionary generation apparatus and method for suppressing reduction of processing speed at the time of updating. The apparatus includes an input unit configured to receive a text subjected to voice recognition, a storage unit configured to store the text with respect to each file of a predetermined item, a reading data generation unit configured to analyze the text and generate a reading data, and a voice recognition dictionary configured to include content dictionaries that store therein the reading data of the text with respect to each file of the predetermined item. When the file of the predetermined item including the text stored in the storage unit is updated, a control unit detects a total number of the content dictionaries, and when the total number is smaller than a predetermined limit, the control unit generates the content dictionaries with respect to each updated predetermined item.

Abstract: A method for performing a frame erasure concealment for a higher-band signal involves calculating a periodic intensity of the higher-band signal with respect to pitch period information of a lower-band signal; comparing the periodic intensity to a preconfigured threshold and, if the periodic intensity is greater or equal to the preconfigured threshold, performing the frame erasure concealment with a pitch period repetition based method. If the periodic intensity is less than the preconfigured threshold, performing the frame erasure concealment with a previous frame data repetition based method. A device for performing a frame erasure concealment includes a periodic intensity calculation module, a pitch period repetition module, and a previous frame data repetition module.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for predicting write failure resulting from flying height modulation and initiating re-writing of data upon occurrence of the predicted write failure is disclosed. According to the present invention, if the slider or transducer flying height modulates during the write process, such modulation is detected, and a rewrite of the same data is forced. A write reassign may be initiated when a thermal signal exceeding the predetermined threshold is detected during the rewrite and/or a read/verify may be initiated after the rewrite.

Abstract: An information display control apparatus capable of searching for an example sentence suitable for words input as a search phrase and displaying the example sentence. The information display control apparatus has: an example sentence storage means for storing an example sentence and an entry word thereof; an example sentence and word storage means for storing a word and the example including the word; an input means for inputting a plurality of words; an extraction means for extracting the example sentence including the plurality of words among the example sentence stored in the example sentence and word storage means; and a display control means for performing control of extracting the example sentence stored with the entry word which corresponds to any word or an altered form of any word among the plurality of words among the example sentence extracted by the extraction means, and displaying the extracted example sentence.

Abstract: In the invention, words in f-structure are represented as illustrations that can be understood by any persons regardless of what languages they use, whereby it is made possible to make the f-structure completely language-independent representation. Accordingly, two translation systems of a translation system from one language L into f-structure using illustration representation and a translation system from f-structure using illustration representation into language L are simply constructed, whereby communication support among persons using every language can be provided.

Abstract: A computer-readable medium stores a first lexicon data structure for lexicon words. The first data structure includes a host form variant field containing a host form variant such as a clitic host form variant, a host form field containing the host form of the host form variant (only present if the forms differ) such as a clitic host verbal form, and a verification field indicative of whether the host form variant is a valid word. The first data structure also includes a segment association field containing data or segmentation bits associating the host form variant with certain types of attachment entries in the lexicon, which also contain data or segmentation bits, to define valid combinations between the host form variant and at least one of the attachment entries in the lexicon. A second lexicon data structure for each of the attachment entries in the lexicon is also stored.

Abstract: A system for indexing displayed elements that is useful for accessing and understanding new or difficult materials, in which a user highlights unknown words or characters or other displayed elements encountered while viewing displayed materials. In a language learning application, the system displays the meaning of a word in context; and the user may include the word in a personal vocabulary to build a database of words and phrases. In a Japanese language application, one or more Japanese language books are read on an electronic display. Readings (‘yomi’) for all words are readily viewable for any selected word or phrase, as well as an English reference to the selected word or phrase. Extensive notes are provided for difficult phrases and words not normally found in a dictionary. A unique indexing scheme allows word-by-word access to any of several external multi-media references.