Speech output system

• US 20050010420A1
• Filed: 05/07/2004
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wietzke, Joachim, Lehmann, Andreas, Russlies, Lars
• Granted Patent: US 7,941,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/277
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/06 Elementary speech units used in speech synthesisers; Concatenation rules

Abstract

A system for outputting speech from speech data that may include an application, an internal speech data module, and an external speech data module is provided. The internal speech module stores default speech data that defines which speech data is compatible with the application. The external speech module, which may include a data carrier, may provide optional speech data, including a sequence identifier, separately from the application. To determine whether optional speech data fits the application, the application generates a sequence of one or more segment designators designating speech segments, and associating with them a sequence identifier. The application may also compare the sequence identifier generated by the application with that of the optional speech data. If a predetermined result occurs, the optional speech data may be used. Otherwise, the default speech data may be used. This method may be used to update default speech data with optional speech data.

Claims

1. A method of outputting speech comprising:

generating a sequence of first segment designators that designate at least one first speech segment of first speech data to define the speech;

generating a first sequence identifier;

associating the first sequence identifier with the sequence of first segment designators to identify the sequence of first segment designators;

providing second speech data comprising at least one second speech segment designated by at least one second segment designator, where the at least one second segment designator are identified by a second sequence identifier;

comparing the first segment identifier with the second segment identifier to generate a result; and

outputting the speech according to the sequence of first segment designators or the at least one second segment designator in accordance with the result.

2. The method of claim 1, where the first sequence identifier and the second sequence identifier each comprise a version identifier.

3. The method of claim 2, where comparing the first segment identifier with the second segment identifier to generate the result comprises comparing a version identifier of the first sequence identifier with a version identifier of the second sequence identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, where comparing the version identifier of the first sequence identifier with the version identifier of the second sequence identifier comprises determining whether the version identifier of the second sequence identifier is greater than the version identifier of the first sequence identifier.

5. The method of claim 3, where outputting speech according to the sequence of first segment designators or the at least one second segment designators in accordance with the result comprises outputting speech according to the sequence of first segment designators if the version identifier of the second sequence identifier is greater than the version identifier of the first sequence identifier.

6. The method of claim 3, where outputting speech according to the sequence of first segment designators or the at least one second segment designator in accordance with the result comprises outputting speech according to the at least one second segment designators if a version identifier of the second sequence identifier is not greater than a version identifier of the first sequence identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, where the first sequence identifier and the second sequence identifier each comprise a root identifier.

8. The method of claim 7, where the root identifier comprises a plurality of root identifiers.

9. The method of claim 7, where comparing the first segment identifier with the second segment identifier to generate the result comprises comparing a root identifier of the first sequence identifier with the root identifier of the second sequence identifier.

10. The method of claim 9, where comparing the root identifier of the first sequence identifier with the root identifier of the second sequence identifier comprises determining whether the root identifier of the second sequence identifier equals the root identifier of the first sequence identifier.

11. The method of claim 10, where outputting speech according to the sequence of first segment designators or the at least one second segment designators in accordance with the result comprises outputting speech according to the sequence of first segment designators if the version identifier of the second sequence identifier is equal to the version identifier of the first sequence identifier.

12. The method of claim 10, where outputting speech according to the sequence of first segment designators or the at least one second segment designators in accordance with the result comprises outputting speech according to the sequence of first segment designators if the version identifier of the second sequence identifier is not equal to the version identifier of the first sequence identifier.

13. The method of claim 7, where second speech data further comprise a composition list that defines a relationship between at least one segment of other speech data with at least one of the at least one second speech segments of the second speech data;

and the root identifier of the second sequence identifier comprises a root identifier of the other speech data.

14. The method of claim 13, where comparing the first sequence identifier with the second sequence identifier to produce a result comprises comparing whether the root identifier of the first sequence identifier is the same as one of the root identifiers of the second sequence identifier.

15. A method for updating speech data supplied with an application, the method comprising:

generating a sequence of first segment designators that designate at least one first speech segment of first speech data to define speech;

generating a first sequence identifier to identify the sequence first segment designators;

providing second data comprising at least one second speech segment, which are designated by at least one second segment designator identified by a second sequence identifier;

comparing the first sequence identifier with the second sequence identifier to produce a result; and

replacing the first speech data with the second speech data in accordance with the result.

16. The method of claim 15, where the first sequence identifier is generated by the application.

17. A speech output apparatus, comprising:

an internal speech data module that comprises a first speech data comprising at least one first speech segment;

an application operative to generate a sequence of first segment designators that designate at least one first speech segment, and a first sequence identifier that identifies the sequence of first segment designators;

an external speech data module that comprises second speech data, which includes at least one second speech segment designated by a at least one second segment designators that are identified by a second sequence identifier;

a comparator in communication with the application, the internal speech data module, and the external speech data module, where the comparator compares the first sequence identifier with the second sequence identifier to produce a result; and

the application produces the speech output according to the sequence of first segment designators or the at least one second segment designators in accordance with the result.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a speech driver that outputs the speech.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a memory reader configured to read the external memory.

20. Method of outputting speech in which an application generates, with reference to speech data, data relating to speech output in accordance with requirements of the application, comprising:

offering actual speech data for speech output to the application, where the actual speech data comprises a plurality of speech segments associated with a plurality of segment designators, and an actual-speech-data-identifier;

comparing a required-speech-data-identifier with the actual-speech-data-identifier to produce a result; and

accepting the actual speech data as suitable for speech output in accordance with the result.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising replacing a default speech data with the actual speech data if the actual speech data is accepted.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising adding the actual speech data to a list of available speech data.

23. The method of claim 20, where the required-speech-data-identifier and the actual-speech-data-identifier both include a root identifier and a version identifier.

24. The method of claim 23, where the actual speech data are accepted when the result shows that the version identifier in the required-speech-data-identifier is not larger than the version identifier in the actual-speech-data-identifier.

25. The method of claim 24, where the actual speech data are accepted when the result further shows that the root identifier in the required-speech-data-identifier is the same as that in the actual-speech-data-identifier.

26. The method of claim 24, where:

the speech data comprises a composition list that defines a relationship between at least one segment of other speech data with at least one of the plurality of speech segments of the actual speech data;

the root identifier of the actual speech data further comprises the root identifier of the other speech data;

the required-speech-data-identifier comprises a root identifier; and

comparing the required-speech-data-identifier with the actual-speech-data-identifier to produce a result comprises comparing whether the root identifier of the required-speech-data-identifier is the same as one of the root identifiers of the actual-speech-data-identifier.

27. The method of claim 20, where the actual speech data are provided on a data carrier.

28. The method of claim 20, where the actual speech data are provided through wireless data transmission.

29. The method of claim 20, where the actual speech data are provided through a network.

30. The method of claim 20, where the actual speech data comprises speech content that is equivalent to that of default speech data.

31. The method of claim 20, where the actual speech data comprises speech content that has acoustical characteristics different from that of default speech data.

32. A data carrier comprising speech data including at least one speech segment for outputting speech, the data carrier comprising:

a first storage region, where the at least one speech segment is stored in the first storage region;

a first segment designator stored in the first storage region and associated with the at least one speech segment;

a second storage region; and

a second segment identifier stored in the second storage region and identifying a relationship of the speech data to at least one other version of the speech data.

33. The data carrier of claim 32, where the first and second segment identifiers each comprise a version identifier for distinguishing differing versions of speech data.

34. The data carrier of claim 32, where the first and second segment identifiers each comprise a root identifier for distinguishing differing series of speech data.

35. The data carrier of claim 34, where the root identifier identifies roots to which the speech data are compatible.

36. The data carrier of claim 34, further comprising a composition list stored in the first storage region and defining a relationship between at least one segment of other speech data and at least one segment of the speech data.

37. The data carrier of claim 32, where the speech segments comprise computer-readable sound files.

38. The data carrier of claim 32, where the speech segments comprise computer-readable data strings.

39. The data carrier of claim 32, where the speech segments comprise pointers to computer-readable files.

40. The data carrier of claim 32, where the speech segments comprise pointers to computer-readable data strings.