Abstract: A speech synthesizer for developing a signal representing both voiced and fricative sounds from signals representing blocks of externally generated data, the synthesizer including a period counter for delineating a series of pitch periods each having a duration specified by the data, a source generator for developing an excitation signal having an amplitude specified by the data, the excitation signal being developed at the beginning of each of a series of constant duration sample intervals each with a random sign for fricative sounds, the excitation signal being developed at the beginning of each of the pitch periods for voiced sounds and a time multiplexed digital filter having characteristics specified by the data including circuit switching to control whether the filter functions as a second-order filter or a cascaded pair of first-order filters, the filter being driven by the excitation signal during the beginning of each of the sample intervals and by the output of the filter thereafter so as to develop

Abstract: A computing machine for concurrently executing instructions that have been compiled into a multi-instruction word comprised of a group of n instructions, where n is an integer. The group must not demand more than a predetermined number of data and instruction fetches, or more than one store operation. If a branch instruction occurs, it must always be at the end of the group. Each instruction utilizes a different set of data for purposes of instruction execution.

Abstract: This communication system reduces required data transmission channel capacity by encoding source words into encoded words with usually less binary bits for transmission. Features of the invention include a hashing algorithm which transforms the source words into psuedorandom code words used for both transmission and addresses in a vocabulary memory. Before transmission each source word and its hash code is checked against a pre-recorded vocabulary memory to decide which should be transmitted.

Abstract: In a data processing system which includes one or more common buses to which a plurality of input/output controllers are connected for the transfer of data, blocks of data may be transferred between main memory and an input/output controller (IOC) synchronously with operation of the central processing unit (CPU). Logic is provided for enabling one unit of data to be transferred during a Direct Memory Access (DMA) data transfer operation in which the requesting IOC requests a DMA data transfer of the CPU. Means are provided within the system for: resolving conflicting requests for the one or more common buses, the CPU to acknowledge the DMA request, the IOC to transfer the address of the location where the unit of data is to be written into main memory followed by the unit of data, or the IOC to transfer the address of the location in main memory from which the unit of data is to be read and then receive the unit of data read from main memory.

Abstract: An improved method of verifying the speaker from whom long term spectral characteristics have been derived during a learning phase. Mean values and distance thresholds have been calculated and stored. Improved recognition is obtained by incorporating into the stored values additional values of speech samples in ranges situated outside the distance threshold value. When, during verification, a speech sample not situated within the distance threshold value is encountered its distance from the additionally stored speech samples is successively determined and compared with the separate distance threshold value. The speaker is rejected only if the speech sample to be verified is not situated at a sufficiently small distance from any of the additionally stored speech samples. The method thus increases the recognition range to better approximate the actual distribution of speech samples of the learning phase.

Abstract: Voice pitch is detected by passing a speech signal from a microphone 10 through a filter array 20 to a summing amplifier 22. The summing amplifier 22 provides a composite signal of the acoustic components of the speech signal and this composite signal is input to a multiplier 26 and from the multiplier 26 to a multiplier 36 having an output connected to a comparator 42. The comparator 42 compares the output of the multiplier 36 with a hysteresis signal, then provides an output to a phase locked loop 46. The phase locked loop 46 provides a first voltage output in analog form to a bar graph display 50 and provides a square wave output that is applied to a frequency-to-voltage converter 52 for driving a digital display 54.

Abstract: A system for mailing articles includes an integrated circuit interface between a scale deflection transducer, a processor and an external memory. The interface includes a multifunction shift register array which is adapted to receive count data indicative of the weight of an article. Communication between the shift register array, the processor and the memory is such that the shift registers are selectively utilized for memory address and data transfer without the necessity of clearing prior operands.

Abstract: A microprocessor system having control lines and bus connections to an application dependent logic module having control logic, external registers and external memory for data transfers to/from a specific type of peripheral device. Addressing means are provided in said microprocessor whereby a program counter is used to address program memory and a memory reference register is used to provide addresses for access to external memory, and said memory reference register includes a low order bit field which selects whether the program counter or the memory reference register will be the address source for memory accesses.

Abstract: A tone control arrangement is disclosed which is suitable for use in various sound reproducing instruments and in which the signal-to-noise ratio of the reproduced sound can be improved by controlling the frequency response of the audible signal with a variable d.c. voltage source. Frequency response control by a single d.c. control voltage is achieved by connecting in series and in order a first mixer, passive circuit network having a signal transmission characteristic determined by the desired frequency response of the output sound signal to be reproduced, a multiplier and a second mixer. The inverting inputs of the first and second mixers both receive the output of the multiplier, while the non-inverting input of the first mixer receives the input audio signal. The non-inverting input of the second mixer receives either the output of the first mixer or the input audio signal. Finally, the second input to the multiplier is provided by a variable d.c. voltage source.

Abstract: In an electric monitoring method and apparatus for a secondary battery, a computer is utilized to monitor abnormal phenomena of a terminal voltage across the battery in relation to a load current flowing from the battery to an electric load circuit.

Abstract: A continuous speech recognition system utilizes a format memory (14) which specifies a sequence of word sets and a plurality of words, or reference patterns, which may be included in each word set. The input pattern sequence is divided into all possible partial patterns having start points p and end points q, and each of these partial patterns is compared with all reference patterns to derive elementary similarity measures. The elementary similarity measures for each combination of a partial pattern and a permitted word in a word set under the specified format are then examined to determine the optimum input pattern segmentation points and corresponding sequence of reference patterns which will yield a maximum similarity result. The maximum similarity is represented by ##EQU1## where S(p(x-1), p(x),n(x)) indicates the degree of similarity between an input partial pattern having a start point p(x-1) and an n point p(x) and a reference word unit n(x) within a word set f.sub.

Abstract: Sounds produced by human or mechanical sources are recognized by comparison of certain waveform characteristic ratios with prestored ratios. Transitions and transition glides of characteristics are used to select certain stored groups of ratios for comparing.

Abstract: An audiometric testing system containing a processor and programmable analog circuitry for controlling frequency and intensity of audiometric test tones communicates with a remote data processing system via a communications link. The remote data processing system stores prior audiometric records for a large number of subjects. Each day, the audiometric records of a number of selected persons are transmitted from the remote data processing system to a memory of the audiometric testing system in response to identification numbers entered by an operator. The audiometric responses of each person to patterns of sounds of varying frequencies and intensities are determined. The varying frequencies and intensities are determined by a bracketing subroutine of an algorithm stored in and executed by a processor of the audiometric testing system. A person's responses to such test tones are utilized by the bracketing subroutine to determine his threshold levels at the respective frequencies for each ear.

Abstract: Signal-to-noise is enhanced by including the upper sideband of a sampled-speech signal with the original baseband signal for further signal processing. The invention features shifting both bands to form a continuum from 0 Hz to the sampling frequency. Application in a speech recognition is shown.

Abstract: A system for graphic representation of a vessel's position on the Mercator map, comprising a velocity and drift angle sensor and a heading sensor which are connected to a computer to compute the longitudinal and latitudinal velocity components. The computer has its outputs connected to respective binary multipliers which, in turn, are connected via a storage to a nonlinear converter and, via respective circuits incorporating frequency dividers, to integrating drives of a plotter intended to indicate the position of the vessel on the Mercator map. The nonlinear converter is intended to reproduce electric signals in the form of trigonometric functions and has its correction input connected to an output of an approximator of the correction for the meridional minute length at the location of the vessel. An information input of the nonlinear converter is connected to an output of an adder.

Abstract: An AC electric energy meter includes a metering sequence logic control circuit for receiving pulses responsive to an AC energy quantity to be measured. Electric energy parameters are measured by the control circuit as it concurrently registers clock time and calendar data. A programmable rate selection table controls variable time intervals for accumulating different parameters during predetermined daily time measuring categories corresponding to different billing rates. The rate selection table includes plural rate switch control points defining daily measuring times nominally on a day of the week basis. A programmable yearly date code table designates days during the year for still different daily code times. The measured parameters are stored in separate electronic registers so as to have coded values of kilowatthours and/or kilowatt demand for direct electronic display in a multiplexed and reoccurring sequential order.

Abstract: A system for detecting the pitch of a voice signal, in which a plurality of pitch searching periods are determined so that pitch components of multiple relationship are not included in each of the pitch searching periods, and in which after detecting a pitch searching period including the pitch from the pitch searching periods, the pitch searching periods are adaptively shifted in a mannger to follow the change direction of the pitch predicted from the result of detection of the detected pitch.

Abstract: In a pattern recognition device according to pattern matching, one or more specific dimensions of vector components are memorized for each reference pattern feature vector sequence in a reference pattern memory for the reference pattern feature vector sequences. A warping function for time-normalizing input pattern feature vectors of a sequence and the vectors of each reference pattern feature vector sequence is determined so as to minimize the difference between a pattern represented by the specific vector components of the specific dimension or dimensions and another pattern represented by the vector components corresponding in the input pattern feature vector sequence to the specific reference pattern feature vector components as regards the dimensions of a space in which each input or reference pattern feature vector is defined. The input pattern feature vector sequence and each reference pattern feature vector sequence are subjected to nonlinear pattern matching with reference to the warping function.

Abstract: A speech analyzer with improved pitch period extraction and improved accuracy of voiced/unvoiced decision comprises circuits for calculating autocorrelation coefficients forwardly and backwardly with respect to time. Reference members for the forward and the backward calculation are those successively prescribed ones of windowed samples of a signal representative of speech sound which are placed in each window period farther from a trailing and a leading end thereof, respectively. Members to be joined to the respective reference members for forward and backward calculation of each autocorrelation coefficient are displaced therefrom by a joining interval farther from the leading and the trailing ends, respectively. The joining interval is varied between a shortest and a longest pitch period of the speech sound stepwise by a spacing between two successive windowed samples.

Abstract: Upon analyzing grammatically and phonetically a printed text for accents, pauses, intonations and influences of adjacent voice elements in a sentence to be synthesized, a computer loads a plurality of registers including an address counter with instructions for addressing a read-only memory, these instructions specifying rates of counting, numbers or counts, whether counting is to be decremental or incremental and initial addresses of sequences of binary bits coding successive magnitudes of noise signals or of voice-frequency functions. The output of the read-only memory is fed to a loudspeaker via a digital/analog converter and an amplifier whose output is modulated by a signal transmitted from the computer through another d/a converter. The durations of noise and voice-frequency speech elements read out from the memory and the modulation of their amplitudes by the amplifier are randomly modified within .+-.3% for the frequency and .+-.