Voice synthesis apparatus and method

• US 20060015344A1
• Filed: 07/13/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Kemmochi, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 7,552,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/267
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/033 Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/04 Details of speech synthesis systems, e.g. synthesiser structure or memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/06 Elementary speech units used in speech synthesisers; Concatenation rules

Abstract

A plurality of voice segments, each including one or more phonemes are acquired in a time-serial manner, in correspondence with desired singing or speaking words. As necessary, a boundary is designated between start and end points of a vowel phoneme included in any one of the acquired voice segments. Voice is synthesized for a region of the vowel phoneme that precedes the designated boundary vowel phoneme, or a region of the vowel phoneme that succeeds the designated boundary in the vowel phoneme. By synthesizing a voice for the region preceding the designated boundary, it is possible to synthesize a voice imitative of a vowel sound that is uttered by a person and then stopped to sound with his or her mouth kept opened. Further, by synthesizing a voice for the region succeeding the designated boundary, it is possible to synthesize a voice imitative of a vowel sound that is started to sound with the mouth opened.

Claims

1. A voice synthesis apparatus comprising:

a phoneme acquisition section that acquires a voice segment including one or more phonemes;

a boundary designation section that designates a boundary intermediate between start and end points of a vowel phoneme included in the voice segment acquired by said phoneme acquisition section; and

a voice synthesis section that synthesizes a voice for a region of the vowel phoneme that precedes the designated boundary in said vowel phoneme, or a region of the vowel phoneme that succeeds the designated boundary in said vowel phoneme.

2. A voice synthesis apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein, when said voice segment acquisition section has acquired a voice segment in which a region having an end point is a vowel phoneme, said voice synthesis section synthesizes a voice for a region of the voice segment preceding the boundary designated by said boundary designation section.

3. A voice synthesis apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein, when said voice segment acquisition section has acquired a voice segment in which a region having a start end point is a vowel phoneme, said voice synthesis section synthesizes a voice for a region of the voice segment succeeding the boundary designated by said boundary designation section.

4. A voice synthesis apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said voice segment acquisition section acquires a first voice segment in which a region having an end point is a vowel phoneme, and a second voice segment which follows said first voice segment and in which a region having a start point is a vowel phoneme,

wherein, for each of said first and second voice segments, said boundary designation section designates a boundary in the vowel phoneme, and

wherein said voice synthesis section synthesizes voices for a region of said first voice segment preceding the boundary designated by said boundary designation section, and for a region of said second voice segment succeeding the designated boundary.

5. A voice synthesis apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said voice segment acquisition section acquires a voice segment divided into a plurality of frames, and

wherein said voice synthesis section interpolates between the frame of said first voice segment immediately preceding the boundary designated by said boundary designation section and the frame of said second voice segment immediately succeeding the boundary designated by said boundary designation section, to thereby generate a voice for a gap between the frames.

6. A voice synthesis apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a time data acquisition section that acquires time data designating a duration time length of a voice, and

wherein said boundary designation section designates a boundary in the vowel phoneme, included in the voice segment, at a time point corresponding to the duration time length designated by the time data.

7. A voice synthesis apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein, when said voice segment acquisition section has acquired a voice segment in which a region having an end point is a vowel phoneme, said boundary designation section designates a boundary at a time point, in the vowel phoneme included in the voice segment, closer to the end point as a longer time length is designated by the time data, and

wherein said voice synthesis section synthesizes a voice for a region of the vowel phoneme that precedes the designated boundary in said vowel phoneme.

8. A voice synthesis apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein, when said voice segment acquisition section has acquired a voice segment in which a region having a start point is a vowel phoneme, said boundary designation section designates a boundary at a time point, in the vowel phoneme included in the voice segment, closer to the start point as a longer time length is designated by the time data, and

wherein said voice synthesis section synthesizes a voice for a region of the vowel phoneme that succeeds the designated boundary in said vowel phoneme.

9. A voice synthesis apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises an input section that receives a parameter inputted thereto, and

wherein said boundary designation section designates a boundary at a time point, of the vowel phoneme included in the voice segment acquired by said voice segment acquisition section, corresponding to the parameter inputted to said input section.

10. A program for causing a computer to perform a voice synthesis procedure, said voice synthesis procedure comprising:

a phoneme acquisition operation for acquiring a voice segment including one or more phonemes;

a boundary designation operation for designating a boundary intermediate between start and end points of a vowel phoneme included in the voice segment acquired by said phoneme acquisition operation; and

a voice synthesis operation for synthesizing a voice for a region of the vowel phoneme that precedes the designated boundary in said voice segment, or a region of the vowel phoneme that succeeds the designated boundary in said voice segment.

11. A voice synthesis method procedure comprising:

a phoneme acquisition step of acquiring a voice segment including one or more phonemes;

a boundary designating step of designating a boundary intermediate between start and end points of a vowel phoneme included in the voice segment acquired by said phoneme acquisition step; and

a voice synthesis step of synthesizing a voice for a region of the vowel phoneme that precedes the designated boundary in said voice segment, or a region of the vowel phoneme that succeeds the designated boundary in said voice segment.