Synthesising speech by converting phonemes to digital waveforms
US6502074B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 2, 1997 |
| Grant date | Dec 31, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 2, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG10L13/07
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
This invention relates to the generation of synthetic speech and specifically to the production of a digital waveform from a text in phonemes. The invention uses a linked database which comprises an extended text in phonemes and its equivalent in the form of a digital waveform. The two portions of the database are linked by a parameter which establishes equivalent points in both the phoneme text and the digital waveform. The input text (in phonemes) is analyzed to locate matching portion in the phoneme portion of the database. This matching utilises exact equivalence of phonemes where this is possible; otherwise relation between phonemes is utilised. The selection process identifies input phonemes in context whereby improved conversions are obtained. Having analyzed the input text into matching strings in the input form of the database beginning and ending parameters for the sections are established. The output text is produced by abutting sections of the digital waveform and defined by the beginning and ending parameters.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.