Recognition or synthesis of human-uttered harmonic sounds

A computerized machine comprising:

• one or more electronic processors and one or more computer-readable storage media coupled to the one or more processors,
• the machine being structured and programmed to perform a method for recognizing audible human speech represented by an electronic temporal waveform derived from an utterance of that audible human speech using one or more of the electronic processors, the method comprising:
• (a) for each of a plurality of harmonic acoustic spectra among a temporal sequence of acoustic spectra derived from the electronic temporal waveform, identifying within that harmonic acoustic spectrum two or more fundamental or harmonic components, each identified component having an intensity exceeding a detection threshold, and the identified components having frequencies that are separated by at least one integer multiple of a fundamental acoustic frequency associated with that acoustic spectrum, wherein the detection threshold comprises (i) a selected level;
• (ii) a frequency-dependent level that differs among the identified components;
• or (iii) a level that varies as a function of acoustic frequency;
• (b) for at least some of the plurality of harmonic acoustic spectra, identifying as a primary cap frequency a highest harmonic frequency among the identified components, which highest harmonic frequency is also greater than 410 Hz;
• (c) for each of the harmonic acoustic spectra for which a primary cap frequency is identified in part (b), using the identified primary cap frequency to select as a primary phonetic note at least one phonetic note from among a set of phonetic notes, the selected primary phonetic note corresponding to a subset of phonetic chords from among a set of phonetic chords, wherein each of the phonetic notes correspond to a basic harmonic element and each of the phonetic chords includes one or more phonetic notes;
• and
• (d) for each of the harmonic acoustic spectra of part (c) for which the subset of phonetic chords comprises more than one phonetic chord:
• (i) identifying as a secondary cap frequency a highest harmonic frequency among the identified components within a secondary band of the harmonic acoustic spectrum, wherein the secondary band includes harmonic components at one or more harmonic acoustic frequencies that are greater than the smallest integer multiple of the fundamental acoustic frequency that is above 410 Hz and separated from the primary cap frequency by at least one intervening multiple of the fundamental acoustic frequency for which the acoustic spectrum lacks a harmonic component, and
• (ii) using the identified secondary cap frequency to select one of the phonetic chords from among the subset of phonetic chords of part (c).

A computer-implemented method for synthesizing audible human speech from text representing that speech, the method comprising:

• using one or more of the electronic processors of a programmed computer system:
• (a) for each of a plurality of harmonic phonetic chords of the text, using received, retrieved, or calculated data indicative of a primary phonetic note corresponding to the phonetic chord and a focal frequency of that primary phonetic note to determine a primary cap frequency using the focal frequency and a selected fundamental acoustic frequency, the primary cap frequency being (i) an integer multiple of the selected fundamental acoustic frequency, (ii) greater than 410 Hz, and (iii) closer to the focal frequency of the corresponding primary note than to focal frequencies of other phonetic notes;
• (b) for each of the plurality of phonetic chords of the text, using the primary cap frequency determined in part (a) to form a corresponding harmonic electronic waveform segment that includes a harmonic component at the primary cap frequency, the primary cap frequency being greater than acoustic frequencies of all other harmonic components included in that electronic waveform segment;
• and
• (c) producing an electronic waveform comprising a temporal sequence including the harmonic electronic waveform segments formed in part (b), along with electronic waveform segments corresponding to inharmonic, silenced, or transitional segments of the text, wherein the electronic waveform, when applied to an electroacoustic transducer, is configured to produce sound of the human speech corresponding to the text.

An article comprising a tangible medium that is not a transitory propagating signal encoding computer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more electronic processors of a computer system, instruct the one or more of the electronic processors of the computer system to perform a method of synthesizing audible human speech from text representing that speech, the method comprising:

• (a) for each of a plurality of harmonic phonetic chords of the text, using received, retrieved, or calculated data indicative of a primary phonetic note corresponding to the phonetic chord and a focal frequency of that primary phonetic note to determine a primary cap frequency using the focal frequency and a selected fundamental acoustic frequency, the primary cap frequency being (i) an integer multiple of the selected fundamental acoustic frequency, (ii) greater than 410 Hz, and (iii) closer to the focal frequency of the corresponding primary note than to focal frequencies of other phonetic notes;
• (b) for each of the plurality of phonetic chords of the text, using the primary cap frequency determined in part (a) to form a corresponding harmonic electronic waveform segment that includes a harmonic component at the primary cap frequency, the primary cap frequency being greater than acoustic frequencies of all other harmonic components included in that electronic waveform segment;
• and
• (c) producing an electronic waveform comprising a temporal sequence including the harmonic electronic waveform segments formed in part (b), along with electronic waveform segments corresponding to inharmonic, silenced, or transitional segments of the text, wherein the electronic waveform, when applied to an electroacoustic transducer, is configured to produce sound of the human speech corresponding to the text.