Abstract: A speech coding apparatus and method measures the values of at least first and second different features of an utterance during each of a series of successive time intervals. For each time interval, a feature vector signal has a first component value equal to a first weighted combination of the values of only one feature of the utterance for at least two time intervals. The feature vector signal has a second component value equal to a second weighted combination, different from the first weighted combination, of the values of only one feature of the utterance for at least two time intervals. The resulting feature vector signals for a series of successive time intervals form a coded representation of the utterance. In one embodiment, a first weighted mixture signal has a value equal to a first weighted mixture of the values of the features of the utterance during a single time interval.

Abstract: A speech coding apparatus and method for use in a speech recognition apparatus and method. The value of at least one feature of an utterance is measured during each of a series of successive time intervals to produce a series of feature vector signals representing the feature values. A plurality of prototype vector signals, each having at least one parameter value and a unique identification value are stored. The closeness of the feature vector signal is compared to the parameter values of the prototype vector signals to obtain prototype match scores for the feature value signal and each prototype vector signal. The identification value of the prototype vector signal having the best prototype match score is output as a coded representation signal of the feature vector signal. Speaker-dependent prototype vector signals are generated from both synthesized training vector signals and measured training vector signals.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for finding the best or near best binary classification of a set of observed events, according to a predictor feature X so as to minimize the uncertainty in the value of a category feature Y. Each feature has three or more possible values. First, the predictor feature value and the category feature value of each event is measured. The events are then split, arbitrarily, into two sets of predictor feature values. From the two sets of predictor feature values, an optimum pair of sets of category feature values is found having the lowest uncertainty in the value of the predictor feature. From the two optimum sets of category feature values, an optimum pair of sets is found having the lowest uncertainty in the value of the category feature. An event is then classified according to whether its predictor feature value is a member of a set of optimal predictor feature values.

Abstract: In a speech processor system in which prototype vectors of speech are generated by an acoustic processor under reference noise and known ambient conditions and in which feature vectors of speech are generated during varying noise and other ambient and recording conditions, normalized vectors are generated to reflect the form the feature vectors would have if generated under the reference conditions. The normalized vectors are generated by: (a) applying an operator function A.sub.i to a set of feature vectors x occurring at or before time interval i to yield a normalized vector y.sub.i =A.sub.i (x); (b) determining a distance error vector E.sub.i by which the normalized vector is projectively moved toward the closest prototype vector to the normalized vector y.sub.