Abstract: A central processing unit determines whether speech separately uttered as a single syllable is included in input speech. On the basis of the determination result, an output unit is used to notify the user of information prompting the user to input speech again.

Abstract: A bulky sheet material having three-dimensional protrusions 10 is disclosed. The sheet material comprises a first layer 1 and a second layer 2 adjacent to the first layer 1. The first layer 1 and the second layer 2 is partly joined together at joints 3 in a prescribed pattern. The first layer 1 has a number of raised portions which are located among the joints 3. The second layer 2 comprises a material which exhibits elastomeric behavior. The bulky sheet material 10 exhibits elastomeric behavior as a whole and breathability.

Abstract: An apparatus and method to successively extract a proper speech zone from speech inputted in such a fashion that noise is mixed in a speech to be recognized, and to remove noise from the detected speech zone. To this end, a noise position is estimated from an input waveform, a speech zone is detected from a speech inputted subsequently by using power information of speech at the estimated noise position, and noise is removed from the speech in the detected speech zone by using spectrum information of the speech at the estimated noise position. Further, the estimated noise zone is updated as appropriate by using a result of comparison between the power information of the input speech and the power information of the speech in the estimated noise zone so that the noise position is always properly estimated.

Abstract: A speech segment search unit searches a speech database for speech segments that satisfy a phonetic environment, and a HMM learning unit computes the HMMs of phonemes on the basis of the search result. A segment recognition unit performs segment recognition of speech segments on the basis of the computed HMMs of the phonemes, and when the phoneme of the segment recognition result is equal to a phoneme of the source speech segment, that speech segment is registered in a segment dictionary.

Abstract: This invention provides a system that implements high-accuracy speech recognition while suppressing the data transfer amount between the client and server. For this purpose, the client compression-encodes speech parameters by a speech processing unit, and sends the compression-encoded speech parameters to the server. The server receives the compression-encoded speech parameters, a speech processing unit makes speech recognition of the compression-encoded speech parameters, and sends information corresponding to the speech recognition result to the client.

Abstract: Input text data undergoes language analysis to generate prosody, and a speech database is searched for a synthesis unit on the basis of the prosody. A modification distortion of the found synthesis unit, and concatenation distortions upon connecting that synthesis unit to those in the preceding phoneme are computed, and a distortion determination unit weights the modification and concatenation distortions to determine the total distortion. An Nbest determination unit obtains N best paths that can minimize the distortion using the A* search algorithm, and a registration unit determination unit selects a synthesis unit to be registered in a synthesis unit inventory on the basis of the N best paths in the order of frequencies of occurrence, and registers it in the synthesis unit inventory.

Abstract: A speech synthesizing apparatus extracts small speech segments from a speech waveform as a prosody control target and adds inhibition information for inhibiting a predetermined prosody change process to a selected small speech segment in executing prosody control. Prosody control is performed by performing a predetermined prosody change process by using small speech segments of the extracted small speech segments other than small speech segments to which inhibition information is added. This makes it possible to prevent a deterioration in synthesized speech due to waveform editing operation.

Abstract: A sheet which gives an absorbent article improved recovery from distortion is disclosed. The sheet has a recovery force of 0.7 cN or more in the cross direction, a compressive strength of 100 cN or less, and a basis weight of 20 g/m2 or more.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to suppress degradation of the quality in speech synthesis by selecting synthesis units so as to minimize a distortion caused by concatenation distortions and modification distortions. For that purpose, speech synthesis is performed by extracting a plurality of synthesis units corresponding to a phoneme environment from a synthesis-unit holding unit for holding a plurality of synthesis units so as to correspond to a predetermined prosody environment, calculating a distortion of each of the plurality of extracted synthesis units, obtaining a minimum distortion within a predetermined interval determined based on the prosody environment, selecting a series of synthesis units providing a minimum-distortion path, and modifying and concatenating the synthesis units.

Abstract: In a speech recognition process capable of detecting unknown word in input speech data, the present invention is to reduce the search space and the memory capacity for the unknown word.

Abstract: A process for removing additive noise due to the influence of ambient circumstances in a real-time manner in order to improve the precision of speech recognition which is performed in a real-time manner includes a converting process for converting a selected speech model distribution into a representative distribution, combining a noise model with the converted to generate speech model a noise superimposed speech model, performing a first likelihood calculation to recognize an input speech by using the noise superimposed speech model, converting the noise superimposed speech model to a noise adapted distribution that retains the relationship of the selected speech model, and performing a second likelihood calculation to recognize the input speech by using the noise adapted distribution.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and storage medium for eliminating the influence of line characteristics in a real-time manner in order to raise recognition precision of input speech and to enable the speech to be recognized in a real-time manner, includes a device and step for obtaining, an estimate value of a long-time mean of a parameter from speech feature parameters which are sequentially inputted by using the speech feature parameters which have already been inputted, and a device and step for normalizing the speech feature parameter inputted at that time point by using the obtained estimate value. Each time the speech feature parameter is inputted, the latest estimate value is obtained by using the already inputted parameters including the inputted speech feature parameter, and the latest input speech feature parameter is normalized by using the updated estimate value.

Abstract: A sheet pack having a multi-layer moisture-permeable support including a hydrophobic layer and a hydrophilic layer, and a cosmetic substance, and a method for applying the sheet pack, including the steps of supplying moisture to skin and applying the sheet pack to the moisture-supplied skin.

Abstract: A high-speed speech recognition method with a high recognition rate, utilizing speaker models, includes the steps of executing an acoustic process on the input speech, calculating a coarse output probability utilizing an unspecified speaker model, and calculating a fine output probability utilizing an unspecified speaker model and clustered speaker models, for the states estimated, by the result of coarse calculation, to contribute to the results of recognition. Candidates of recognition are then extracted by a common language search based on the obtained result, and a fine language search is conducted on the thus extracted candidates to determine the result of recognition.

Abstract: A viewpoint of a user is detected in a viewpoint detecting process, and how long the detected viewpoint has stayed in an area is determined. The obtained viewpoint and its trace is displayed on a display unit. In a recognition information controlling process, the relationship between the viewpoint (in an area) and/or its movement, and recognition information (words, sentences, grammar, etc.) is obtained as weight P(). When the user pronounces a word (or sentence), the speech is inputted and A/D converted via a speech input unit. Next, in a speech recognition process, a speech recognition probability PS() is obtained. Finally, speech recognition is performed on the basis of a product of the weight P() and the speech recognition probability PS(). Accordingly, classes of the recognition information are controlled in accordance with the movement of the user's viewpoint, thereby improving the speech recognition probability and the speed of recognition.

Abstract: A sheet pack having a multi-layer moisture-permeable support including a hydrophobic layer and a hydrophilic layer, and a cosmetic substance, and a method for applying the sheet pack, including the steps of supplying moisture to skin and applying the sheet pack to the moisture-supplied skin.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for performing pattern recognition on given information such as speech data or image data with a reduced amount of calculations of the degree of matching associated with reference patterns. The method and apparatus provides a high speed operation without an increase in the amount of calculations of the degree of matching even when there are a great number of reference patterns.

Abstract: The invention relates to a skin cleansing sheet obtained by impregnating (c) a sheet with an aqueous composition containing (a) 1-50 wt. % of a nonionic surfactant having an HLB of 10-16 and (b) 1-30 wt. % of a polyhydric alcohol or glycol ether. The cleansing sheet has high detergency and detergent speed to smears of makeup and sebum, and low irritativeness to the skin, gives users a pleasant feeling upon use, and moreover has good handling property and stability.

Abstract: Hitherto, when speech data is quantized, since a quantum is determined irrespective of a deviation of a distribution of the speech data, an error of an output probability calculation by quantization is large and a recognition rate deteriorates. According to the invention, to solve the subject of the prior art, a quantization range of speech data is obtained, an integral value of an output probability of the quantization range is obtained by using an output probability distribution of statistic models of speech data which has previously been obtained, a quantum is determined so as to equally divide the integral value, and a quantization code book is formed, thereby reducing an error of an output probability due to the quantization and enabling a recognition rate to be improved.

Abstract: A speech processing apparatus includes a noise model production device for extracting a noise-speech interval from input speech data and producing a noise model by using the data of the extracted interval. The apparatus also includes a composite distribution production device for dividing the distributions of a speech model into a plurality of groups, producing a composite distribution of each group, and determining the positional relationship of each distribution within each group. In addition, the apparatus includes a memory for storing each composite distribution and the positional relationship of each distribution within the group, and a PMC conversion device for PMC-converting each produced composite distribution. Also provided is a noise-adaptive speech model production device for producing a noise-adaptive speech model on the basis of the composite distribution which is PMC-converted by the PMC conversion device and the positional relationship stored by the memory.