Speaker-independent label coding apparatus

A speech coding apparatus comprising:

• means for storing a plurality of prototypes representative of a plurality of classes, each class having an identifier represented by at least two of the plurality of prototypes, each of the plurality of prototypes having at least one prototype value;
• transducer means for extracting from an utterance a feature vector signal having at least one feature value;
• means for establishing a match between the feature vector signal and at least one class by comparing the feature value of the feature vector signal against the respective prototype values of the prototypes;
• means for coding the feature vector signal with the identifier of the class represented by any of the prototypes having a prototype value most closely matching the feature value of the feature vector signal.

A method of coding speech comprising the steps of:

• (a) storing in a memory means a plurality of classes each having an identifier represented by at least two of a plurality of prototypes, each of the plurality of prototypes having at least one prototype value;
• (b) using transducer means to extract from an utterance a feature vector signal having at least one feature value;
• (c) establishing a correspondence between the feature vector signal and at least one class of the plurality of classes by selecting from among a plurality of prototypes at least one prototype whose prototype value most closely matches the feature value of the feature vector signal;
• and
• (d) coding the feature vector signal with the identifier of class represented by the selected at least one prototype.

A method of coding speech comprising the steps of:

• (a) storing in a memory means a plurality of prototype vectors representative of a plurality of classes, each class having an identifier represented by at least one of the plurality of prototype vectors, each of the plurality of prototype vectors having at least one prototype value;
• (b) using transducer means to extract from an utterance a feature vector signal having a feature value;
• (c) establishing a correspondence between the feature vector signal and at least one class by comparing the feature value of the feature vector signal against the respective prototype values of the prototype vectors;
• (d) coding the feature vector signal with the identifier of the class represented by any of the prototype vectors having a prototype value that most closely matches the feature value of the feature vector signal.

A speech coding apparatus comprising:

• means for storing two or more prototype vector signals, each prototype vector signal representing a prototype vector having an identifier and at least two partitions, each partition having at least one partition value;
• transducer means for measuring value of at least one feature of an utterance during a time interval to produce a feature vector signal representing the value of the at least one feature of the utterance;
• means for calculating a match score for each partition, each partition match score representing the value of a match between the partition value of the partition and the feature value of the feature vector signal;
• means for calculating a prototype match score for each prototype vector, each prototype match score representing a function of the partition match scores for all partitions in the prototype vector;
• and
• means for coding the feature vector signal with the identifier of the prototype vector signal having a best prototype match score.

A speech coding method comprising the steps of:

• storing two or more prototype vector signals, each prototype vector signal representing a prototype vector having an identifier and at least two partitions, each partition having at least one partition value;
• using transducer means to measure a value of at least one feature of an utterance during a time interval to produce a feature vector signal representing the value of the at least one feature of the utterance;
• calculating a match score for each partition, each partition match score representing the value of a match between the partition value of the partition and the feature value of the feature vector signal;
• calculating a prototype match score for each prototype vector, each prototype match score representing a function of the partition match scores for all partitions in the prototype vector;
• and
• coding the feature vector signal with the identifier of the prototype vector signal having the a prototype match score.

An article for configuring a machine to perform a method of speech coding comprising the steps of:

• storing two or more prototype vector signals, each prototype vector signal representing a prototype vector having an identifier and at least two partitions, each partition having at least one partition value;
• using transducer means to measure a value of at least one feature of an utterance during a time interval to produce a feature vector signal representing the value of the at least one feature of the utterance;
• calculating a match score for each partition, each partition match score representing the value of a match between the partition value of the partition and the feature value of the feature vector signal;
• calculating a prototype match score for each prototype vector, each prototype match score representing a function of the partition match scores for all partitions in the prototype vector;
• and
• coding the feature vector signal with the identifier of the prototype vector signal having a best prototype match score.