Patent · US Active

Text-to-speech with emotional content

US9824681B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by

6References

20Claims

0Family size

Assignee

MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC · US

Inventors

Jian Luan · Irvine, US
Lei He · Moraga, US
Max Leung · Beijing, CN

Key dates

Filing date	Sep 11, 2014
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Jan 5, 2035

Classification

Technology area (CPC G)Physics
CPC primaryG10L13/033
WIPO fieldComputer technology
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Techniques for converting text to speech having emotional content. In an aspect, an emotionally neutral acoustic trajectory is predicted for a script using a neutral model, and an emotion-specific acoustic trajectory adjustment is independently predicted using an emotion-specific model. The neutral trajectory and emotion-specific adjustments are combined to generate a transformed speech output having emotional content. In another aspect, state parameters of a statistical parametric model for neutral voice are transformed by emotion-specific factors that vary across contexts and states. The emotion-dependent adjustment factors may be clustered and stored using an emotion-specific decision tree or other clustering scheme distinct from a decision tree used for the neutral voice model.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.