Patents by Inventor Sachiko Kurihara

Sachiko Kurihara has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11924368
    Abstract: To improve accuracy of an evaluation in an acoustic quality evaluation test performed by comparing an evaluation target sound and a reference sound. A data correction apparatus 3 compares, in a call performed between a near-end terminal 1 and a far-end terminal 2, an evaluation target sound in which a voice output from the near-end terminal 1 is recorded and a reference sound in which a voice spoken by a call partner using the far-end terminal 2 to correct test data used in a listening test for evaluating acoustic quality of the call. A correction target determination unit 31 determines, as a correction target section, a voiced section that does not include the voice of the call partner detected from an acoustic signal representing the reference sound. A correction execution unit 32 updates the correction target section of the acoustic signal representing the reference sound with a non-voice signal predetermined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sachiko Kurihara, Noboru Harada
  • Patent number: 11699458
    Abstract: To obtain an appropriate evaluation value in an acoustic quality evaluation by a conversational test. An acoustic quality evaluation apparatus 3 evaluates the acoustic quality of a call performed between a near-end terminal 1 and a far-end terminal 2 via a voice communication network 4. An evaluation value presenting unit 31 displays, on a display unit 13, evaluation categories obtained by classifying each of a plurality of evaluation viewpoints into a predetermined number of levels. An input unit 14 transmits the evaluation category selected by the evaluator for each of the evaluation viewpoints, to an evaluation value determination unit 32. The evaluation value determination unit 32 determines the lowest evaluation value among evaluation values assigned to the evaluation category received from the input unit 14 as a subjective evaluation value for acoustic quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sachiko Kurihara, Noboru Harada
  • Publication number: 20230076338
    Abstract: The number of conversational tests needed for the evaluation of acoustic quality of the ICC system is reduced. An evaluation value conversion device 3 evaluates the quality of communication between a near-end acoustic region 100 and a far-end acoustic region 200 inside a vehicle for which a plurality of acoustic regions are predetermined. A voice signal picked up by a microphone M2 disposed in the far-end acoustic region 200 is emitted from a speaker S1 disposed in the near-end acoustic region 100.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Applicant: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sachiko KURIHARA, Noboru HARADA, Masahiro FUKUI, Akira NAKAGAWA
  • Publication number: 20220279066
    Abstract: To improve accuracy of an evaluation in an acoustic quality evaluation test performed by comparing an evaluation target sound and a reference sound. A data correction apparatus 3 compares, in a call performed between a near-end terminal 1 and a far-end terminal 2, an evaluation target sound in which a voice output from the near-end terminal 1 is recorded and a reference sound in which a voice spoken by a call partner using the far-end terminal 2 to correct test data used in a listening test for evaluating acoustic quality of the call. A correction target determination unit 31 determines, as a correction target section, a voiced section that does not include the voice of the call partner detected from an acoustic signal representing the reference sound. A correction execution unit 32 updates the correction target section of the acoustic signal representing the reference sound with a non-voice signal predetermined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Publication date: September 1, 2022
    Applicant: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sachiko KURIHARA, Noboru HARADA
  • Publication number: 20220277765
    Abstract: To obtain an appropriate evaluation value in an acoustic quality evaluation by a conversational test. An acoustic quality evaluation apparatus 3 evaluates the acoustic quality of a call performed between a near-end terminal 1 and a far-end terminal 2 via a voice communication network 4. An evaluation value presenting unit 31 displays, on a display unit 13, evaluation categories obtained by classifying each of a plurality of evaluation viewpoints into a predetermined number of levels. An input unit 14 transmits the evaluation category selected by the evaluator for each of the evaluation viewpoints, to an evaluation value determination unit 32. The evaluation value determination unit 32 determines the lowest evaluation value among evaluation values assigned to the evaluation category received from the input unit 14 as a subjective evaluation value for acoustic quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Publication date: September 1, 2022
    Applicant: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sachiko KURIHARA, Noboru HARADA
  • Publication number: 20220263933
    Abstract: The number of conversational tests required for evaluation of acoustic quality of the ICC system is reduced. An evaluation value converting device 3 evaluates the quality of a conversation made across a near-end acoustic area 100 and a far-end acoustic area 200 inside a vehicle in which a plurality of acoustic areas are predetermined. A voice signal collected by a microphone M2 disposed in the far-end acoustic area 200 is emitted from a speaker S1 disposed in the near-end acoustic area 100.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2019
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Applicant: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sachiko KURIHARA, Noboru HARADA
  • Patent number: 5970444
    Abstract: An ACELP speech coding method according to ITU-T Recommendation G.729. When coding a random component vector, each of random component vector forming together the random codebook is formed of three or less pulses having a unit amplitude for each 6f a pair of subframes which form together a frame. The positions of the pulses are determined from a plurality of predetermined positions which a pulse can assume in a subframe so that distortion is minimized. The method allows speech coding at a lower bit rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
    Inventors: Shinji Hayashi, Sachiko Kurihara, Akitoshi Kataoka