Speech synthesizing apparatus, speech synthesizing method, and recording medium

• US 20010021907A1
• Filed: 12/27/2000
• Published: 09/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamada, Keiichi, Kobayashi, Erika, Shimakawa, Masato, Akabane, Makoto, Kobayashi, Kenichiro, Nitta, Tomoaki, Yamazaki, Nobuhide
• Granted Patent: US 7,379,871 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

Various sensors detect conditions outside a robot and an operation applied to the robot, and output the results of detection to a robot-motion-system control section. The robot-motion-system control section determines a behavior state according to a behavior model. A robot-thinking-system control section determines an emotion state according to an emotion model. A speech-synthesizing-control-information selection section determines a field on a speech-synthesizing-control-information table according to the behavior state and the emotion state. A language processing section analyzes in grammar a text for speech synthesizing sent from the robot-thinking-system control section, converts a predetermined portion according to a speech-synthesizing control information, and outputs to a rule-based speech synthesizing section. The rule-based speech synthesizing section synthesizes a speech signal corresponding to the text for speech synthesizing.

Claims

1. A speech synthesizing apparatus for synthesizing a speech signal corresponding to a text, comprising:

behavior-state changing means for changing a behavior state according to a behavior model;

emotion-state changing means for changing an emotion state according to an emotion model;

selecting means for selecting control information according to at least one of the behavior state and the emotion state; and

synthesizing means for synthesizing a speech signal corresponding to the text according to speech synthesizing information included in the control information selected by the selecting means.

2. A speech synthesizing apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the speech synthesizing information includes at least one of a segment-data ID, a syllable-set ID, a pitch parameter, a parameter of the intensity of accent, a parameter of the intensity of phrasify, and an utterance-speed parameter.

3. A speech synthesizing apparatus according to

claim 1

, further comprising detecting means for detecting an external condition,

wherein the selecting means selects the control information also according to the result of detection achieved by the detecting means.

4. A speech synthesizing apparatus according to

claim 1

, further comprising holding means for holding individual information, and

wherein the selecting means selects the control information also according to the individual information held by the holding means.

5. A speech synthesizing apparatus according to

claim 1

, further comprising counting means for counting the elapsed time from activation, and

wherein the selecting means selects the control information also according to the elapsed time counted by the counting means.

6. A speech synthesizing apparatus according to

claim 1

, further comprising accumulating means for accumulating at least one of the number of times the behavior-state changing means changes behavior states and the number of times the emotion-state changing means changes emotion states, and

wherein the selecting means selects the control information also according to the number of times accumulated by the accumulating means.

7. A speech synthesizing apparatus according to

claim 1

, further comprising substituting means for substituting for words included in the text by using a word substitute dictionary corresponding to selection information included in the control information selected by the selecting means.

8. A speech synthesizing apparatus according to

claim 1

, further comprising converting means for converting the style of the text according to a style conversion rule corresponding to selection information included in the control information selected by the selecting means.

9. A speech synthesizing apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the speech synthesizing apparatus is a robot.

10. A speech synthesizing method for a speech synthesizing apparatus for synthesizing a speech signal corresponding to a text, comprising:

a behavior-state changing step of changing a behavior state according to a behavior model;

an emotion-state changing step of changing an emotion state according to an emotion model;

a selecting step of selecting control information according to at least one of the behavior state and the emotion state; and

a synthesizing step of synthesizing a speech signal corresponding to the text according to speech synthesizing information included in the control information selected by the process of the selecting step.

11. A recording medium storing a computer-readable speech-synthesizing program for synthesizing a speech signal corresponding to a text, the program comprising:

a behavior-state changing step of changing a behavior state according to a behavior model;

an emotion-state changing step of changing an emotion state according to an emotion model;

a selecting step of selecting control information according to at least one of the behavior state and the emotion state; and

a synthesizing step of synthesizing a speech signal corresponding to the text according to speech synthesizing information included in the control information selected by the process of the selecting step.