Voice generator, method for generating voice, and navigation apparatus

• US 20040098248A1
• Filed: 07/07/2003
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Otani, Michiaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,555,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation

Abstract

A main controller feeds a spelling translator with a text item representing a place name stored in a map database. The spelling translator translates the spelling of the text item according to rules described in a translation rule table. The spelling translator translates, e.g., a French character or string included in the text item and not included in the English alphabet into an English alphabet character or string having a pronunciation equivalent or similar to the pronunciation of the French character or string. The translated text item is fed into a TTS engine for English. The TTS engine converts the text item into voice, which is output from a speaker.

Claims

1. A voice generator for generating voice corresponding to a text item, comprising:

means for translating an original text item to be converted into voice into a new text item by replacing a first language character or string included in the original text item and not included in a second language with a second language character or string having a pronunciation equivalent or similar to the pronunciation of the first language character or string; and

means for generating voice by pronouncing the new text item according to the pronunciation of the second language.

2. The voice generator according to claim 1, wherein the original text item comprises place name text items assigned to respective places.

3. The voice generator according to claim 1, wherein the first language character or string and the second language character or string are included in a place name text item representing a place name.

4. The voice generator according to claim 1, wherein the first language character or string is in French and the second language character or string is in English.

5. The voice generator according to claim 1, wherein the first language character or string is in Spanish and the second language character or string is in English.

6. The voice generator according to claim 1, wherein the first language character or string is in German and the second language character or string is in English.

7. A voice generator for generating voice corresponding to a text item, comprising:

means for translating an abbreviated original text item to be converted into voice into a new text item by replacing a first language character or string included in a full original text item and not included in a second language with a second language character or string having a pronunciation equivalent or similar to the pronunciation of the first language character or string; and

means for generating voice by pronouncing the new text item according to the pronunciation of the second language.

8. The voice generator according to claim 7, wherein the first language character or string is in French and the second language character or string is in English.

9. The voice generator according to claim 7, wherein the first language character or string is in Spanish and the second language character or string is in English.

10. The voice generator according to claim 7, wherein the first language character or string is in German and the second language character or string is in English.

11. A method for generating voice corresponding to a text item, comprising:

translating an original text item to be converted into voice into a new text item by replacing a first language character or string included in the original text item and not included in a second language with a second language character or string having a pronunciation equivalent or similar to the pronunciation of the first language character or string; and

generating voice by pronouncing the new text item according to the pronunciation of the second language.

12. The method for generating voice according to claim 11, wherein the first language character or string and the second language character or string are included in a place name text item representing a place name.

13. The method for generating voice according to claim 12, wherein the first language character or string is in French and the second language character or string is in English.

14. The method for generating voice according to claim 12, wherein the first language character or string is in Spanish and the second language character or string is in English.

15. The method for generating voice according to claim 12, wherein the first language character or string is in German and the second language character or string is in English.

16. A navigation apparatus for guiding users, comprising:

a map database for storing geographic information containing a place name text item representing each place name;

means for reading out the place name text item from the map database;

means for translating the place name text item into a new text item by replacing a first language character or string included in the place name text item and not included in a second language with a second language character or string having a pronunciation equivalent or similar to the pronunciation of the first language character or string; and

means for generating voice by pronouncing the new text item according to the pronunciation of the second language.