Advanced tools for speech synchronized animation

For a programmed computer having a memory and a real-time random access animation and vivification engine driver, an apparatus for providing a voice sound for a synactor for sound-animation synchronization, the apparatus comprising:

• a voice synthesizer coupled to the computer for producing synthesizer phonemes, the voice synthesizer including:
• first means for receiving speech samples derived from input audio data and for providing a sample speech signal representing the speech samples;
• first segmentation means coupled to the first means for extracting from the sample speech signal the speech samples in accordance with a predetermined speech segmentation plan, the first segmentation means for providing constituent speech segments;
• second means for receiving speech text and for providing a speech text signal representing the speech text;
• second segmentation means coupled to the second means for segmenting the speech text signal to provide constituent text segments in accordance with the predetermined speech segmentation plan;
• encoding means for encoding the constituent speech segments to provide encoded constituent speech segments;
• and
• combining means for combining the encoded constituent speech segments to provide a speech signal representative of animated speech corresponding to the speech text where each of the constituent speech segments corresponds to at least one of the constituent text segments;
• means for creating a voice reconciliation phoneme table, the voice reconciliation phoneme table including the synthesizer phonemes;
• means for providing a synactor model phoneme table, the synactor model phoneme table including synactor phonemes for the voice sound of the synactor;
• means for determining which of the synthesizer phonemes are unrecognized as compared to the synactor model phoneme table;
• means for finding substitute phonemes from the synactor model phoneme table for the unrecognized phonemes in the voice reconciliation phoneme table;
• means for creating a generic phoneme table, the generic phoneme table including recognized synthesizer phonemes from the voice reconciliation phoneme table and the substitute phonemes;
• and
• means for using the generic phoneme table, the voice reconciliation phoneme table and the synactor model phoneme table to provide a runtime reconciled phocode table for using the voice synthesizer to provide voice sound for the synactor without modifying the synactor model phoneme table.