Text-based speech synthesis method containing synthetic speech comparisons and updates

US6546369B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Nokia · FI

Inventors

• Peter Buth · Bochum, DE
• Frank Dufhues · Bochum, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 5, 2000
• Grant date: Apr 8, 2003
• Expiry date: May 5, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G10L13/04
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

The invention specifies a simple reproduction method with improved pronunciation for voice-controlled systems with text-based speech synthesis even when the stored train of characters to be synthesized does not follow the general rules of speech reproduction. According to the invention, the method of “copying” the original spoken input text into the otherwise synthesized reproduction text, which is the current state of the art, is avoided, which will significantly increase the acceptance of the user of the voice-controlled system due to the process invented. More specifically, when there is actual spoken speech input that corresponds to a stored train of characters, the converted train of characters is compared to the speech input before reproduction of the train of characters described phonetically according to general rules and converted to a purely synthetic form. When the converted train of characters is found to deviate from the speech input by a value above a threshold value, at least one variation of the converted train of characters is created. This variation is then output instead of the converted train of characters as long as this variation deviates from the …