Speech synthesis method

• US 20060200352A1
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Aizawa, Michio, Okutani, Yasuo
• Application Number:
  US11/355,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20060200352A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/04 Details of speech synthesis systems, e.g. synthesiser structure or memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/07 Concatenation rules

Abstract

In a phoneme-selection-type speech synthesis apparatus, sound quality when a suitable phoneme is not found is prevented from being deteriorated without changing an input sentence. A plurality of pieces of reading prosody information are obtained. The cost when an optimum phoneme sequence is selected with respect to each of the plurality of pieces of reading prosody information is calculated. Speech with respect to the reading prosody information in which the cost is minimized is synthesized.

Claims

1. A speech synthesis method comprising:

an obtaining step of obtaining a plurality of pieces of reading prosody information;

a calculation step of calculating a cost when an optimum phoneme sequence is selected with respect to each piece of the reading prosody information obtained in the obtaining step; and

a speech synthesis step of synthesizing speech with respect to the reading prosody information selected based on the cost calculated in the calculation step.

2. The speech synthesis method according to claim 1, wherein the speech synthesis step selects reading prosody information in which the cost is minimized and synthesizes speech with respect to the reading prosody information.

3. A computer-readable medium storing a control program comprising computer-executable instructions for enabling a computer to execute the speech synthesis method according to claim 1.

4. A speech synthesis method comprising:

an obtaining step of analyzing text information and obtaining a plurality of analysis results;

a calculation step of calculating a cost when an optimum phoneme sequence is selected with respect to each of the analysis results obtained in the obtaining step; and

a speech synthesis step of synthesizing speech for the analysis result selected based on the cost calculated in the calculation step.

5. The speech synthesis method according to claim 4, wherein the speech synthesis step selects an analysis result in which the cost is minimized and synthesizes speech with respect to the reading prosody information.

6. The speech synthesis method according to claim 4, wherein the obtaining step analyzes text information and obtains reading information and prosody information as analysis results;

and

the speech synthesis step synthesizes speech with respect to reading information and prosody information in which the cost is minimized.

7. A computer-readable medium storing a control program comprising computer-executable instructions for enabling a computer to execute the speech synthesis method according to claim 4.

8. A speech synthesis apparatus comprising:

obtaining means for obtaining a plurality of pieces of reading prosody information;

calculation means for calculating a cost when an optimum phoneme sequence is calculated for each piece of the reading prosody information obtained by the obtaining means; and

speech synthesis means for synthesizing speech with respect to the reading prosody information selected based on the cost calculated by the calculation means.

9. The speech synthesis apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the speech synthesis means selects reading prosody information in which the cost is minimized and synthesizes speech with respect to the reading prosody information.

10. A speech synthesis apparatus comprising:

obtaining means for analyzing text information and obtaining a plurality of analysis results;

calculation means for calculating a cost when an optimum phoneme sequence obtained by the obtaining means is selected with respect to each analysis result; and

speech synthesis means for synthesizing speech with respect to an analysis result selected based on the cost calculated by the calculation means.

11. The speech synthesis apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the speech synthesis means selects an analysis result in which the cost is minimized and synthesizes speech with respect to the reading prosody information.

12. The speech synthesis apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the obtaining means analyzes text information and obtains reading information and prosody information as analysis results, and

the speech synthesis means synthesizes speech with respect to reading information and prosody information in which the cost is minimized.