Abstract: A communication system has a controller for transmitting data to be played back by a plurality of playback devices corresponding to a plurality of channels, and a plurality of adapters required for executing playback by the playback devices. The controller has a setting unit which sets data to be played back by the playback devices and control information required to control playback of the data in time slots of a sync transmission frame, and a transmission unit which transmits the sync transmission frame the by the setting unit to the adapters. Each adapter has a reception unit which receives the transmitted sync transmission frame, and a playback control unit which extracts data corresponding to the channel to be played back by the adapter from the sync transmission frame, and controls the playback timing of the data based on control information corresponding to the data.

Abstract: An acoustic field correction device corrects effect of frequency characteristics by indoor standing waves, determines a frequency range in which resonance due to standing waves occur, and adjusts an attenuation amount of a filter which suppresses the determined frequency range. In this adjustment, adjustment is made to reduce the amount of attenuation at the time of initial rise of the signal in the frequency range of the standing wave.

Abstract: A communication system has a controller for transmitting data to be played back by a plurality of playback devices corresponding to a plurality of channels, and a plurality of adapters required for executing playback by the playback devices. The controller has a setting unit which sets data to be played back by the playback devices and control information required to control playback of the data in time slots of a sync transmission frame, and a transmission unit which transmits the sync transmission frame the by the setting unit to the adapters. Each adapter has a reception unit which receives the transmitted sync transmission frame, and a playback control unit which extracts data corresponding to the channel to be played back by the adapter from the sync transmission frame, and controls the playback timing of the data based on control information corresponding to the data.

Abstract: Detecting an unknown word in input speech data reduces the search space and the memory capacity for the unknown word. For this purpose, an HMM data memory stores data describing a state transition mode for the unknown word, defined by a number of states and the transition probability between the states. An output probability calculation unit acquires a state of the maximum likelihood at each time of the speech data, among the plural states employed in the state transition mode for a known word, employed in the speech recognition of the known word. The obtained result is applied to the state transition mode for the unknown word, stored in the HMM data memory, to obtain a state transition mode of the unknown word. A different output probability calculation unit determines the likelihood of the state transition mode for the known word.

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 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 speech synthesis apparatus for outputting synthesized speech on the basis of a parameter sequence of a speech waveform includes a parameter generation unit which generates a parameter sequence for speech synthesis on the basis of a character sequence input by a character sequence input unit, and stores the generated parameter sequence in a parameter storage unit. A waveform generation unit is also provided that generates pitch waveforms each for one pitch period on the basis of synthesis parameters and pitch scales included in the parameter sequence, and generates a speech waveform by connecting the generated pitch waveforms in accordance with frame lengths set by a frame length setting unit.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for speech recognition includes a device and a step for obtaining a mean of the time of a speech portion in the Cepstrum dimension from the speech portion of the input speech, a device and step for obtaining a mean of a time of the non-speech portion in the Cepstrum dimension from the non-speech portion of the input speech, a device and step for converting each mean time from a Cepstrum region to a linear region, and after that, subtracting it on a linear spectrum dimension, converting the subtracted mean into a Cepstrum dimension, subtracting a mean of a time of a speech portion in a Cepstrum dimension in a speech database for learning from the converted result, and adding the subtracted result to a speech model expressed by Cepstrum. By this arrangement, even when noise is large, the presumed precision of a line fluctuation is raised and the recognition rate can be improved.

Abstract: A speech information processing apparatus includes a statistical processing unit for extracting features by performing statistical processing of a feature file formed by extracting features of speech, such as the fundamental frequency and its variations, and the power and its variations of speech, from a speech file, and a label file in which a phoneme environment, comprising the accent type, the number of moras, the mora position, phonemes and the like, is considered, and a pitch pattern forming unit for forming a pitch pattern, in which phoneme environment is considered, based on the result of the statistical processing.

Abstract: A method of designing a state transition model capable of high speed voice recognition and a voice recognition method and apparatus using the state transition model is provided. The methods provide a state transition model in which a state shared structure of the state transition model is designed. The method includes a step of setting the states of a triphone state transition model in an acoustic space as initial clusters, a clustering step of generating a cluster containing the initial clusters by top-down clustering, a step of determining a state shared structure by assigning a short distance cluster among clusters generated by the clustering step, to the state transition model, and a step of learning a state shared model by analyzing the states of the triphones in accordance with the determined state shared structure.

Abstract: A document inputting apparatus or speech outputting apparatus inputs and displays document data, specifies accent information, pronunciation information and syllable-length information of words or characters of the document data. The apparatus displays the document data in accordance with the specified information so that information such as the accent positions or accent intensities can be recognized. Thus formed document data is stored in a memory with the accent information, the pronunciation information or the syllable-length information. Upon reading the document data from the memory and outputting it as speech, the specified information is referred to for speech synthesizing, thus outputting speech corresponding to the correct pronunciation.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus for synchronized audiovisual output has synchronizing signal bits which are assigned to bits of each sound data, represented by a 16-bit PCM code. A predetermined bit of the assigned bits having the least influence upon the human auditory sense is extracted as a synchronizing signal bit for synchronization of the image data output and sound output.

Abstract: A voice communication method includes the steps of inputting speech into an apparatus, recognizing the input speech using a first dictionary, predicting the category of an unrecognized word included in the input speech based on the recognition of the input speech in the recognition step, outputting a question to be asked to an operator requesting the operator to input a word which is included in the first dictionary and which can specify a second dictionary for recognizing the unrecognized word, based on the predicted category, and re-recognizing the unrecognized word with the second dictionary specified in response to the word inputted by the operator. The invention also relates to an apparatus performing these functions and to a computer program product instructing a computer to perform these functions.

Abstract: A speech recognition method uses continuous mixture Hidden Markov Models (HMM) for probability processing including a first type of HMM having a small number of mixtures and a second type of HMM having a larger number of mixtures. First output probabilities are formed for inputted speech using the small number of mixtures type HMM and second output probabilities are formed for the input speech using the large number of mixtures type HMM for selected states corresponding to the highest output probabilities of the first type HMM. The input speech is recognized from both the first and second output probabilities.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a speech pattern memory, a microphone, an utterance length detector circuit, an utterance length selector circuit, switches, and a pattern matching unit. The speech pattern memory stores a plurality of standard speech patterns grouped in units of utterance lengths. The utterance length detector circuit detects an utterance length of speech data input at the microphone. The utterance length selector circuit and the switches cooperate to read out standard speech patterns from a speech pattern memory corresponding to the utterance length detected by the utterance length detector circuit. The pattern matching unit sequentially compares the input speech pattern with the standard speech patterns sequentially read out in response to a selection signal from the utterance length selector circuit and performs speech recognition.

Abstract: A speech synthesis method and apparatus for synthesizing speech from a character series comprising a text and pitch information. The apparatus includes a parameter generator for generating power spectrum envelopes as parameters of a speech waveform to be synthesized representing the input text in accordance with the input character series. The apparatus also includes a pitch waveform generator for generating pitch waveforms whose period equals the pitch specified by the pitch information. The pitch waveform generator generates the pitch waveforms from the input pitch information and the power spectrum envelopes generated by the parameter generator. Also provided is a speech waveform output device for outputting the speech waveform obtained by connecting the generated pitch waveforms.

Abstract: A speech synthesis method and a speech synthesis apparatus includes a system for synthesis by rule that prevents the quality of synthesized speech from deteriorating and for reducing the number of calculations that are required for the generation of a speech waveform. The speech synthesis apparatus includes a character series input section, for inputting a character series as phonetic text, a pitch waveform generator, for generating a pitch waveform by calculating a product of a matrix, which has been acquired for each pitch, and the character series, which is input by the character series input section, and a device for connecting pitch waveforms that are generated by the pitch waveform generator and for providing a speech waveform. The calculation method for the generation of such a pitch waveform provides a great reduction in the number of calculations that are required.

Abstract: In a speech synthesizer, each frame for generating a speech waveform has an expansion degree to which the frame is expanded or compressed in accordance with the production speed of synthetic speech. In accordance with the set speech production speed, the time interval between beat synchronization points is determined on the basis of the speed of the speech to be produced, and the time length of each frame present between the beat synchronization points is determined on the basis of the expansion degree of the frame. Parameters for producing a speech waveform in each frame are properly generated by the time length determined for the frame. In the speech synthesizer for outputting a speech signal by coupling phonemes constituted by one or a plurality of frames having phoneme vowel-consonant combination parameters (VcV, cV, or V) of the speech waveform, the number of frames can be held constant regardless of a change in the speech production speed.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing vocal information includes an extractor for extracting a plurality of spectrum information from parameters for vocal information, a vector quantizer for vector-quantizing the extracted spectrum information and for producing a plurality of parameter patterns therefrom, a memory for storing the plurality of parameter patterns so obtained, and a memory for storing positional information indicating the positions at which the plurality of parameter patterns are stored and for storing code information specifying parameter patterns and corresponding to the positional information. The parameter patterns and code information can be used to synthesize speech. Because a small number of parameter patterns are used, only a small memory capacity is needed and efficient processing of vocal information can be performed.

Abstract: A speech synthesizer includes a first indicator for indicating the amplitude of a waveform by using a random number, a second indicator for indicating the superposition period for waveforms by using a random number, a waveform generator for generating first and second waveforms having an amplitude indicated by the first indicator, and a waveform superposition device for synthesizing an unvoiced speech waveform by superposing the second waveform generated by the waveform generator onto a waveform obtained by delaying the first waveform by a superposition period indicated by the second indication means. The speech synthesizer is capable of making the frequency characteristic of unvoiced speech analogous to that of white noise, and generating synthesized speech which is natural and analogous to an actual human voice.