Abstract: A voice processing apparatus, which processes a first voice signal, includes: an acoustic analysis part which analyzes a feature quantity of an input second voice signal; a reference range calculation part which calculates a reference range based on the feature quantity; a comparing part which compares the feature quantity and the reference range and outputs a comparison result; and a voice processing part which processes and outputs the input first voice signal based on the comparison result.

Abstract: A guiding sound generating apparatus which generates a guiding sound for guidance from a present location to a destination, the apparatus having a sound source, a variable sound-source attribute unit that changes a sound source attribute depending on a position or a positional change of a present location with respect to a destination, and an attribute-application unit that applies the sound-source attribute generated from the variable sound-source attribute unit to the sound source and generates a guiding sound where a sound-source attribute is changed by the position or positional change of the present location with respect to the destination.

Abstract: A voice band expansion device includes a time-frequency converter that calculates a frequency spectrum of a voice signal having a first frequency band; a separator that extracts, from the frequency spectrum, an envelope amplitude spectrum, a periodic amplitude spectrum, and a random amplitude spectrum; an envelope amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band to a second frequency band that is different from the first frequency band; a periodic amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band to the second frequency band; a random amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band of the random amplitude spectrum to the second frequency band; a broadband spectrum calculator that calculates a broadband frequency spectrum having the first frequency band and the second frequency band; and a frequency-time converter generates a voice signal having the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

Abstract: As optimal candidate as a control signal (y*) for generating a control sound suppressing noise from a speaker is selected from among a plurality of control signal candidates (y1 to yn) by a selection function unit. For this selection, a residual noise estimation function unit receiving as input a residual noise signal (e) from an error microphone is introduced. The function unit first obtains an estimated value of a noise component using a first transfer characteristic simulating filter. Further, this noise component estimated value and filtered outputs from second transfer characteristic simulating filters are used to obtain residual noise estimated values for the control signal candidates (y1 to yn). Further, the single control signal candidate corresponding to the smallest of these residual noise estimated values is selected and used as the above control signal (y*).

Abstract: A voice communication apparatus includes an analysis unit to analyze an outgoing conversation signal transmitted from a user of the voice communication apparatus to another party in communication or an incoming conversation signal from the another party in communication received by the voice communication apparatus, a storage unit to store a voice message to be played back, a mixing unit to perform mixing of the voice message with the incoming conversation signal, and a control unit to control a start timing of the mixing so that the mixing of the voice message with the incoming conversation signal is started between utterances of the user on the basis of an analysis result of the analysis unit.

Abstract: A voice reproduction apparatus includes an ambient sound analysis unit to analyze a characteristic of an ambient sound, a characteristic analysis unit to analyze an acoustic characteristic of a signal for reproduction, a reproduction timing adjusting unit to record the signal for reproduction and to read the signal for reproduction at a reproduction timing of follow-up reproduction, a reproduction speed changing unit to change a reproduction speed of the read signal for reproduction, and a control unit to control the reproduction timing adjusting unit so that the signal for reproduction is reproduced at the reproduction timing corresponding to an analysis result of the ambient sound analysis unit and to control the reproduction speed changing unit so that the signal for reproduction is reproduced at the reproduction speed corresponding to the analysis result of the ambient sound analysis unit and the acoustic characteristic obtained by the characteristic analysis unit.

Abstract: An active silencer includes: a speaker generating control sound which interferes with noise; a microphone detecting noise remaining after the interference as a remaining noise signal; a sound quality evaluation unit evaluating the sound quality of the remaining noise and output a result of the sound quality evaluation; an actuation signal determination unit determining, according to the result of the sound quality evaluation, the detection timing of the frequency component of the remaining noise signal to be used when the control sound is generated for a plurality of bands of the remaining noise, corresponding to the plurality of bands of a reference signal corresponding to the noise; and a control signal generation unit generating and output a control signal for generation of the control sound depending on a plurality of bands of the determined remaining noise signal and a plurality of bands of the reference signal corresponding to the noise.

Abstract: An active noise control apparatus that controls by a control sound a noise which is output from a noise source, includes: a control sound generating section which inputs a control signal, and produce the control sound; a residual noise detecting section which detects, as a residual noise signal, a noise remaining after the noise control by the control sound; a control signal generating section which inputs, as a reference signal, a signal concerning the noise or the generation state of the noise, and generates the control signal; and a controlling section which inputs the control signal and the residual noise signal, detects the components that cannot be identified in the control signal generating section, and controls the generation of the control signal in the control signal generating section.

Abstract: A terminal apparatus configured to obtain positional information indicating a position of another apparatus; to obtain positional information indicating a position of the terminal apparatus; to obtain a first direction, which is a direction to the obtained position of the another apparatus and calculated using the obtained position of the terminal apparatus; to obtain a second direction, which is a direction in which the terminal apparatus is oriented; to obtain inclination information indicating whether the terminal apparatus is inclined to the right or to the left; to switch an amount of correction for a relative angle between the first direction and the second direction in accordance with whether the obtained inclination information indicates an inclination to the right or an inclination to the left; and to determine an attribute of speech output from a speech output unit in accordance with the relative angle corrected by the amount of correction.

Abstract: A terminal device includes an orientation calculating unit that calculates the orientation of a device with respect to the target. Furthermore, the terminal device also includes a degree-of-processing determining unit that determines the degree of processing related to an attribute of a sound that indicates the target in accordance with the orientation calculated by the orientation calculating unit. Furthermore, the terminal device also includes an output control unit that controls an output of a sound in accordance with the degree of processing determined by the degree-of-processing determining unit.

Abstract: A voice processing apparatus includes a voice signal acquiring unit that acquires a voice signal converted to plural frequency bands from an input signal having a narrowed band; an expanding unit that generates based on a narrowband component of the voice signal acquired by the voice signal acquiring unit, an expansion band component expanding the band of the voice signal; a correcting unit that corrects the power of the expansion band component by a correction amount determined based on a noise component included in the voice signal acquired by the voice signal acquiring unit; and an output unit that outputs the voice signal of which the band has been expanded based on the expansion band component corrected by the correcting unit and based on the narrowband component of the voice signal acquired by the voice signal acquiring unit.

Abstract: A voice band enhancement apparatus is used that includes a frequency transform unit to perform frequency transform on an input signal to calculate a spectrum, a mapping function calculating unit to calculate, by use of the spectrum, a mapping function for generating high-range components from low-range components of the spectrum, a wide-band spectrum generating unit to generate, in a higher range than a band of the spectrum, a high-range spectrum based on the mapping function and to integrate the generated high-range spectrum and the spectrum calculated by the frequency transform unit, thereby generating a wide-band spectrum wider than the band of the spectrum calculated by the frequency transform unit, and an inverse frequency transform unit to perform inverse frequency transform on the wide-band spectrum to calculate an output signal.

Abstract: A communication apparatus includes an image capturing unit configured to capture a face image of a user; a contour extraction unit configured to extract a face contour from the face image captured by the image capturing unit; an ear position estimation unit configured to estimate positions of ears of the user on the basis of the extracted face contour; a distance estimation unit configured to estimate a distance between the communication apparatus and the user on the basis of the extracted face contour; a sound output unit configured to output sound having a directivity; and a control unit configured to control an output range of sound output from the sound output unit on the basis of the positions of ears of the user estimated by the ear position estimation unit and the distance between the communication apparatus and the user estimated by the distance estimation unit.

Abstract: A data decryption apparatus that decrypts encrypted data, includes a first data-receiving unit that receives a first data set, in which information on an encryption specification is embedded, through a first communication path; a time-information obtaining unit that obtains time information on a reception of the first data set by the first data receiving unit; a time-information storage unit that stores the time information with the information on the encryption specification associated therewith; a second data-receiving unit that receives a second data set through a second communication path, the second data set being encrypted based on the encryption-specification and appended by time information on performing data encryption; and an encryption-specification selecting unit that selects an encryption specification for use in decryption of the second data set based on the time information stored in the time-information storage unit and the time information appended to the second data set.

Abstract: In an apnea detecting apparatus, a respiratory pace analyzer determines a respiratory pace of a user based on an ambient noise (including a breathing sound, a snore, and the like of the user) generated in a surrounding area and on information of a posture of the user in determining whether or not the user suffers from the apnea syndrome. Then, an apnea time extracting unit in the apnea detecting apparatus determines whether or not a silent time is included in a time period during which the user is estimated to be breathing based on the respiratory pace and the silent time in the ambient noise.

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 voice band expansion device includes a time-frequency converter that calculates a frequency spectrum of a voice signal having a first frequency band; a separator that extracts, from the frequency spectrum, an envelope amplitude spectrum, a periodic amplitude spectrum, and a random amplitude spectrum; an envelope amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band to a second frequency band that is different from the first frequency band; a periodic amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band to the second frequency band; a random amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band of the random amplitude spectrum to the second frequency band; a broadband spectrum calculator that calculates a broadband frequency spectrum having the first frequency band and the second frequency band; and a frequency-time converter generates a voice signal having the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

Abstract: A portable radio communication device includes a sound input unit that acquires a sound and converts the sound into an electrical signal, a situation detecting unit that detects the situation of the portable radio communication device, and a control unit that controls the sound input unit in accordance with the detection result of the situation detecting unit. For example, the situation detecting unit detects the inclination of the portable radio communication device and the control unit controls the directivity of the sound input unit in accordance with the inclination detected by the situation detecting unit.

Abstract: In a wireless communication apparatus, an ambient apparatus number measurement unit measures the number of wireless apparatuses existing around. A movement amount measurement unit detects acceleration at the time when its own apparatus moves and measures the movement amount of its own apparatus. An ambient sound analysis unit records ambient sounds and analyzes the recorded ambient sounds to generate ambient sound analysis information. A communication controller estimates surroundings of its own apparatus based on at least one of the number of the measured wireless apparatuses, the measured movement amount, and the ambient sound analysis information, and autonomously performs a communication control of its own apparatus according to the estimated surroundings.

Abstract: A noise reduction apparatus includes an analysis unit for converting input into a signal of a frequency area, a suppression unit for suppressing the signal, and a synthesis unit for synthesizing a signal of a time area. The apparatus further includes an estimation unit for estimating, using the output of the analysis unit, information corresponding to at least pure voice element excluding noise element in an input voice signal as voice information which is the basic voice information for calculation of a suppression gain of a signal, and a unit for calculating a suppression gain corresponding to the output of the estimation unit and the analysis unit and providing it for the suppression unit.