Adaptation of symbols

• US 20040138893A1
• Filed: 01/13/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ART Advanced Recognition Technologies, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ART Advanced Recognition Technologies, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mochary, Ran, El-Hay, Tal, Solomon, Sasi, Yadid, Tal, Bartur, Itamar
• Granted Patent: US 7,676,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/277
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/04 Segmentation; Word boundary detection

Abstract

A speaker adaptation system and method for speech models of symbols displays a multi-word symbol to be spoken as a symbol. In another embodiment of the invention, the adaptation system and method has unsupervised adaptation for multi-word symbols, limited to the set of words associated with each multi-word symbol.

Claims

1. An adaptation system comprising:

a storage unit which stores at least reference speech models of symbols; and

a network generator in communication with said storage unit which generates a network of models for adaptation corresponding to a series of symbols to be said, said network of models comprising multiple models for at least one multi-word symbol.

2. A system according to claim 1 and also comprising a recognizer which matches a speech signal of a user saying said series of symbols with a portion of models in said network and a model adapter which adapts at least said portion of models using at least a portion of said speech signal.

3. A system according to claim 2 and also comprising a second model adapter which adapts models not adapted by said first model adapter using at least a portion of said models stored in said storage unit.

4. A system according to claim 1 and wherein said network of models includes models from more than one language.

5. A speaker adaptation system comprising:

a storage unit which stores at least reference speech models of symbols; and

a symbol string generator which generates a series of symbols to be said, where a multi-word symbol is presented as a symbol.

6. A system according to claim 5 and also comprising an adaptation network generator which generates a network of models corresponding to a series of symbols to be said, said network of models comprising multiple models for at least one multi-word symbol.

7. A system according to claim 6 and also comprising a recognizer which matches a speech signal of a user saying said series of symbols with a portion of models in said network and a model adapter which adapts at least said portion of models using at least a portion of said speech signal.

8. A system according to claim 7 and also comprising a second model adapter which adapts models not adapted by said first model adapter using at least a portion of said models stored in said storage unit.

9. A system according to claim 6 and wherein said network of models includes models from more than one language.

10. A speaker adaptation system for speech models of symbols which displays a multi-word symbol to be spoken as a symbol.

11. A system according to claim 10 and also comprising an adaptation network generator which generates a network of models corresponding to a series of symbols to be said, said network of models comprising multiple models for at least one multi-word symbol.

12. A system according to claim 11 and also comprising a recognizer which matches a speech signal of a user saying said series of symbols with a portion of models in said network and a model adapter which adapts at least said portion of models using at least a portion of said speech signal.

13. A system according to claim 12 and also comprising a second model adapter which adapts models not adapted by said first model adapter using at least a portion of said models stored in said storage unit.

14. A system according to claim 11 and wherein said network of models includes models from more than one language.

15. A speaker adaptation system for speech models of symbols having unsupervised adaptation for multi-word symbols, limited to the set of words associated with each multi-word symbol.

16. A system according to claim 15 and comprising a symbol string generator which generates a series of symbols to be said, where a multi-word symbol is presented as a symbol.

17. A system according to claim 15 and comprising an adaptation network generator which generates a network of models corresponding to a series of symbols to be said, said network of models comprising multiple models for at least one multi-word symbol.

18. A system according to claim 17 and also comprising a recognizer which matches a speech signal of a user saying said series of symbols with a portion of models in said network and a model adapter which adapts at least said portion of models using at least a portion of said speech signal.

19. A system according to claim 18 and also comprising a second model adapter which adapts models not adapted by said first model adapter using at least a portion of said models stored in said storage unit.

20. A system according to claim 15 and wherein said set of words includes words from more than one language.

21. A speaker adaptation method comprising:

for adaptation, generating a network of reference speech models corresponding to a series of symbols to be said, said network of models comprising multiple models for at least one multi-word symbol.

22. A method according to claim 21 and also comprising matching a speech signal of a user saying said series of symbols with a portion of models in said network and adapting at least said portion of models using at least a portion of said speech signal.

23. A method according to claim 22 and also comprising adapting models not adapted in said first step of adapting using at least a portion of otherwise available models.

24. A method according to claim 21 and wherein said network of models includes models from more than one language.

25. A speaker adaptation method comprising:

generating a series of symbols to be said, where a multi-word symbol is presented as a symbol.

26. A method according to claim 25 and also comprising generating a network of models corresponding to a series of symbols to be said, said network of models comprising multiple models for at least one multi-word symbol.

27. A method according to claim 26 and also comprising matching a speech signal of a user saying said series of symbols with a portion of models in said network and adapting at least said portion of models using at least a portion of said speech signal.

28. A method according to claim 27 and also comprising adapting models not adapted in said first step of adapting using at least a portion of otherwise available models.

29. A method according to claim 26 and wherein said network of models includes models from more than one language.