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US 2003/0195747 A1Published application
Systems and methods for concatenating electronically encoded voice
AssigneeQwest Communications International Inc.
InventorEliot M. Case
Life of this patent
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AssigneeQwest Communications International Inc.
InventorEliot M. Case
Estimating the term…
A method for concatenating a series of electronic voice segments encoded according to a source modeled algorithm is provided. The source modeled algorithm includes an excitation function such as a pitch function. The method includes evaluating an excitation function of the segments to be concatenated. The method further includes combining the segments into a sequence. The method further includes altering the excitation function such that the decoded sequence more accurately represents human speech. The alteration may include adjusting the pitch excitation function across one or more concatenation points. The alteration may also include adjusting the pitch excit across the sequence to more accurately reflect the content of the sequence. The source modeled algorithm may be a linear predictive algorithm such as Code Excited Linear Prediction (CELP) or Linear Predictive Coding (LCP). A system for concatenating a series of electronic voice segments is also provided.
A method of concatenating a plurality of electronic voice data segments, the plurality of segments being encoded according to a source modeled algorithm, the algorithm including at least one excitation function, wherein each data segment includes information relating to an excitation function, the method, comprising:
A voice data sequence, comprising:
A system for producing a sequence of concatenated electronic voice data segments, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Elementary speech units used in speech synthesisers; Concatenation rules: concatenation rules
Determination or coding of the excitation function; Determination or coding of the long-term prediction parameters: long term prediction, i.e.…
Speech analysis techniques or speech synthesis
Term end not estimated
The present invention relates generally to digitized speech and more specifically to systems, methods and arrangements for manipulating source modeled concatenated digitized speech to create a more accurate representation of natural speech.
Through the use of computers, innumerable manual processes are being automated. Even processes involving responses in the form of a human voice can be accomplished with a computer. However, when such processes involve the concatenation of multiple, digitized human voice segments, the results can sound unnatural and therefore be less acceptable.
In order to provide more acceptable human voice response systems, methods and systems are needed that more accurately replicated human voice. Further, such systems are needed that operate within present human voice response environments.
A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the drawings wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the several drawings to refer to similar components.
FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a system for concatenating electronic voice segments according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a method of concatenating electronic voice segments according to the present invention that may be implemented on the system of FIG. 1.
An invention is disclosed herein for producing more accurate representations of voices, sounds and/or recordings in digitized voice systems. This description is not intended to limit the scope or applicability of the invention. Rather, this description will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing one or more embodiments of the invention. Various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
The present invention relates to digitized speech. Herein, the phrases “digitized speech”, “electronic voice” and “electronically encoded voice” will be used to refer to digital representations of human voice recordings, as distinguished from synthesized voice, which is machine generated. “Concatenated voice” refers to an assembly of two or more electronic voice segments, each typically comprising at least one syllable of English language sound. However, the present invention is equally applicable to concatenations of voice segments down to the phoneme level of any language.
Voice response systems allow users to interact with computers and receive information and instructions in the form of a human voice. Such systems result in greater acceptance by users since the interface is familiar. However, voice response systems have not progressed to the point that users are unable to distinguish a computer response from a human response. Several factors contribute to this situation.