Abstract: In a pitch conversion method and device which can reduce data throughput while suppressing a degradation of sound quality due to a pitch conversion as much as possible, an input signal pitch pattern per predetermined processing unit and a target pitch pattern are inputted, and a degradation degree indicating how a waveform of the input signal degrades upon pitch conversion from the input signal pitch pattern to the target pitch pattern is calculated. Alternatively, a degradation degree corresponding to a voice state and a phonemic type of the input signal is extracted from a database in which all of combinations of voice states and phonemic types estimated are associated with the degradation degrees to be recorded. Then, a pitch converter which performs a pitch conversion with small data throughput and a pitch converter which performs a pitch conversion with large data throughput are switched over depending on the degradation degree.

Abstract: A speech signal evaluation apparatus includes: an acquisition unit that acquires, as a first frame, a speech signal of a specified length from speech signals; a first detection unit that detects, on the basis of a speech condition, whether the first frame is voiced or unvoiced; a variation calculation unit that, when the first frame is unvoiced, calculates a variation in a spectrum associated with the first frame on the basis of a spectrum of the first frame and a spectrum of a second frame that is unvoiced and precedes the first frame in time; and a second detection unit that detects, on the basis of a non-stationary condition based on the variation in spectrum, whether the variation of the first frame satisfies the non-stationary condition.

Abstract: A computer-readable medium recording a program allowing a computer to execute: setting a plurality of frames on a common time axis between a first waveform of an input to the audio processing and a second waveform of an output from the audio processing, detecting a voice frame and a noise frame in the first and second waveform, calculating a first and second spectrum from the first and second waveform, adjusting the level of the first or second spectrum of the noise frame, and setting the adjusted first and second spectrum of the noise frame as a third and fourth spectrum, calculating a distortion amount of the noise frame from the third and fourth spectrum, estimating a noise model spectrum from the first or second spectrum, and calculating a distortion amount of the voice frame from the first and second spectrum of the voice frame at the selected frequency.

Abstract: To easily detect in a semiconductor device whether a voltage within the specifications of the semiconductor device is obtained. The semiconductor device includes a detecting circuit that detects an output voltage of an inner circuit of the semiconductor device and judges whether the output voltage is within or out of the specifications of the semiconductor device. A signal for determining whether an output voltage is within or out of the specifications is transmitted from the detecting circuit to a digital circuit, and the digital circuit performs or stops circuit operation in accordance with the signal.

Abstract: A voice waveform interpolating apparatus for interpolating part of stored voice data by another part of the voice data so as to generate voice data. To achieve this, it comprises a voice storage unit, an interpolated waveform generation unit generating interpolated voice data, and a waveform combining unit outputting voice data, a part of the voice data is replaced with another part of the voice data, and further comprises an interpolated waveform setting function unit judging if the other part of the voice data is appropriate as interpolated voice data to be generated by the interpolated waveform generation unit.

Abstract: From pulse wave data obtained from change in a blood flow, an average interval of a prescribed number of immediately preceding pulses or pulses in an immediately preceding prescribed time period is calculated. Next, an average-calculation range is determined on the basis of at least one of an amount of fluctuation and an evaluation result. The amount of fluctuation is a value calculated on the basis of a difference between the average interval and an interval of a pulse wave newly detected from the pulse wave data. The evaluation result is a result of evaluating the interval of the newly detected pulse wave by at least one evaluation factor. Thereafter, an average pulse wave interval value is calculated by averaging pulse wave intervals on the basis of the average-calculation range, and a pulse rate is calculated on the basis of the average pulse wave interval value.

Abstract: A pulse rate counting device includes: a short-term average value calculation unit for calculating an average interval of predetermined previous pulses; a fluctuation amount calculation device for calculating the amount of fluctuation on the basis of the difference between the average interval and an actual pulse wave interval; a search range determination unit for calculating the width of the search range, calculating an amount of displacement on the basis of a time change of the average interval, and determining as a search range a range including an appearance prediction value of the next detection point calculated from the average interval and indicated by the width of the search range from a starting point determined on the basis of the amount of displacement; and a pulse wave interval detection unit for detecting the detection point in the determined search range, and outputting a pulse wave interval.

Abstract: Detergent compositions each of which comprises (A) at least one phosphate ester or a salt thereof represented by the following formula (1): wherein R1 represents a C8-C18 hydrocarbon group, m stands for a number of from 0 to 10 on weight average, X represents H, an alkali metal atom, ammonium, a basic amino acid residual group, or an alkanolamino group having a hydroxy(C2-C3 alkyl) group, and R2 represents —(CH2CH2O)m—R1 or X, or a mixture thereof, and (B) at least one glyceryl ether having a C4-C12 alkyl or alkenyl group. These detergent compositions are low in skin irritation and are good in foaming performance.

Abstract: To provide a semiconductor device of which a manufacturing process is simplified and which has a boosting circuit in which the area of a capacitor element is reduced. The present invention includes a plurality of rectifying elements which is connected in series and has a rectifying function from a first input terminal portion to an output terminal portion; a first wiring and a second wiring, which are connected to a second input terminal portion, into which a signal and a signal obtained by inverting the signal are respectively input; and a boosting circuit including a plurality of capacitor elements each having a first electrode, an insulating film, and a second electrode and storing a boosted potential. The plurality of capacitor elements includes a capacitor element in which the first electrode and the second electrode are formed using conductive films, and a capacitor element in which at least the second electrode is formed using a semiconductor film.

Abstract: When there are missing voice-transmission-signals, a repetition-section calculating unit sets a plurality of repetition sections of different lengths that are determined to be similar to the voice-transmission-signals preceding the missing voice-transmission-signal, the repetition sections being determined with respect to stationary voice-transmission-signals stored in a normal signal storage unit, the stationary voice-transmission-signals being selected from the previously input voice-transmission-signals. A controller generates a concealment signal using the repetition sections.

Abstract: In a pitch conversion method and device which can reduce data throughput while suppressing a degradation of sound quality due to a pitch conversion as much as possible, an input signal pitch pattern per predetermined processing unit and a target pitch pattern are inputted, and a degradation degree indicating how a waveform of the input signal degrades upon pitch conversion from the input signal pitch pattern to the target pitch pattern is calculated. Alternatively, a degradation degree corresponding to a voice state and a phonemic type of the input signal is extracted from a database in which all of combinations of voice states and phonemic types estimated are associated with the degradation degrees to be recorded. Then, a pitch converter which performs a pitch conversion with small data throughput and a pitch converter which performs a pitch conversion with large data throughput are switched over depending on the degradation degree.

Abstract: To automatically detect and automatically correct in a reproduced speech, defective portions related to plosives such as existence or absence of plosive portions, phoneme lengths of aspirated portions that continue after the plosive portions or defective portions related to amplitude variations of fricatives. Speech wherein consonants and unvoiced vowels are unclear and discordant is input into a speech enhancement apparatus according to the present invention. In the speech enhancement apparatus, the speech is split into phonemes and each phoneme is classified into any one of an unvoiced plosive, a voiced plosive, an unvoiced fricative, a voiced fricative, an affricate, and an unvoiced vowel. Each phoneme is corrected according to a determination of necessity of correction of each phoneme to obtain an output of the speech wherein the consonants and the unvoiced vowels are clear and not discordant.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a technology capable of providing a hearer with an easy-to-hear synthetic speech to the hearer. The speech synthesizer includes an input unit receiving an input of a sentence, a generation unit generating synthetic speech data from the sentence inputted to the input unit, an accumulation unit accumulating the sentence inputted to the input unit, a collation unit acquiring, when a sentence is newly inputted to the input unit, a collation target sentence that should be collated with this new sentence from the accumulation unit, and calculating a variation degree of the new sentence from the collation target sentence through the collation between the new sentence and the collation target sentence, a calculation unit calculating a variation coefficient corresponding to the variation degree, and a correction unit correcting the synthetic speech data with the variation coefficient.

Abstract: Waveform data is extracted by referring to an existing waveform dictionary. Regarding the waveform data, a use frequency used for speech synthesis is accumulated and stored. A compression method is gradually changed in accordance with the use frequency, whereby the waveform data is compressed and stored in the waveform dictionary. Furthermore, information on a compression method for each compressed waveform data is stored, and the compressed waveform data is expanded based on information regarding the compression method. Regarding the use frequency of the waveform data, one or a plurality of predetermined threshold values are determined, and in a plurality of use frequency ranges partitioned with threshold values, the waveform data belonging to a use frequency range with a lower use frequency is compressed at a correspondingly increased compression ratio.

Abstract: Speech data containing waveform data is extracted from an existing speech waveform dictionary and input. A part used for speech synthesis in the waveform data is specified, and a starting point and an ending point for compression are set before and after the part. The waveform data is compressed with respect to a compression interval specified by the starting point and the ending point for compression. The compressed waveform data is expanded, and the compression interval, in which an expansion result of the compressed waveform data has highest quality, is determined as a compression/expansion position. The compressed waveform data, and the starting point and the ending point for compression are registered in a database as waveform data used for speech synthesis.

Abstract: Detergent compositions each of which comprises (A) at least one phosphate ester or a salt thereof represented by the following formula (1): wherein R1 represents a C8-C18 hydrocarbon group, m stands for a number of from 0 to 10 on weight average, X represents H, an alkali metal atom, ammonium, a basic amino acid residual group, or an alkanolamino group having a hydroxy(C2-C3 alkyl) group, and R2 represents —(CH2CH2O)m—R1 or X, or a mixture thereof, and (B) at least one glyceryl ether having a C4-C12 alkyl or alkenyl group. These detergent compositions are low in skin irritation and are good in foaming performance.

Abstract: Detergent compositions each of which comprises (A) at least one phosphate ester or a salt thereof represented by the following formula (1): wherein R1 represents a C8-C18 hydrocarbon group, m stands for a number of from 0 to 10 on weight average, X represents H, an alkali metal atom, ammonium, a basic amino acid residual group, or an alkanolamino group having a hydroxy(C2-C3 alkyl) group, and R2 represents —(CH2CH2O)m—R1 or X, or a mixture thereof, and (B) at least one glyceryl ether having a C4-C12 alkyl or alkenyl group. These detergent compositions are low in skin irritation and are good in foaming performance.

Abstract: Disclosed is a detergent composition characterized by low skin irritation, good foamability, easy handling at the time of manufacture, and excellent stability when stored as a product. The detergent composition is a composition which contains a specific amount of (A) a specific amide alcohol and (B) at least one surfactant selected from an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, and an amphoteric surfactant, wherein the pH (25° C.) of the 20-fold diluted aqueous solution of the composition is 4.5 to 6.8.

Abstract: Disclosed is a detergent composition characterized by low skin irritation, good foamability, easy handling at the time of manufacture, and excellent stability when stored as a product. The detergent composition is a composition which contains a specific amount of (A) a specific amide alcohol and (B) at least one surfactant selected from an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, and an amphoteric surfactant, wherein the pH (25° C.) of the 20-fold diluted aqueous solution of the composition is 4.5 to 6.8.

Abstract: Waveform data is extracted by referring to an existing waveform dictionary. Regarding the waveform data, a use frequency used for speech synthesis is accumulated and stored. A compression method is gradually changed in accordance with the use frequency, whereby the waveform data is compressed and stored in the waveform dictionary. Furthermore, information on a compression method for each compressed waveform data is stored, and the compressed waveform data is expanded based on information regarding the compression method. Regarding the use frequency of the waveform data, one or a plurality of predetermined threshold values are determined, and in a plurality of use frequency ranges partitioned with threshold values, the waveform data belonging to a use frequency range with a lower use frequency is compressed at a correspondingly increased compression ratio.