VOICE SYNTHESIZING METHOD USING INDEPENDENT SAMPLING FREQUENCIES AND APPARATUS THEREFOR

• US 20070016424A1
• Filed: 09/22/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: KONDO, Reishi
• Granted Patent: US 7,418,388 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/268
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/02 Methods for producing synthetic speech; Speech synthesisers

Abstract

A method and a system of producing a synthesized voice is provided. A voice sound waveform is provided at a voice sampling frequency based on pronunciation informations. A voice-less sound waveform is produced at a voice-less sampling frequency based on the pronunciation informations. The voice sampling frequency is converted into an output sampling frequency to produce a frequency-converted voice sound waveform with the output sampling frequency, wherein each of the voice sampling frequency and the voice-less sampling frequency is independent from the output sampling frequency. The voice-less sampling frequency is converted into the output sampling frequency to produce a frequency-converted voice-less sound waveform with the output sampling frequency.

Claims

1. A method of producing a synthesized voice, said method including producing a voice sound waveform at a voice sampling frequency based on pronunciation informations;

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producing a voice-less sound waveform at a voice-less sampling frequency based on said pronunciation informations;

converting said voice sampling frequency into an output sampling frequency to produce a frequency-converted voice sound waveform with said output sampling frequency, wherein each of said voice sampling frequency and said voice-less sampling frequency is independent from said output sampling frequency; and

converting said voice-less sampling frequency into said output sampling frequency to produce a frequency-converted voice-less sound waveform with said output sampling frequency.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including

synthesizing said frequency-converted voice sound waveform and said frequency-converted voice-less sound waveform to produce a synthesized voice with said output sampling frequency.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, further including:

producing said pronunciation informations based on an externally inputted information.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further including

managing, over said output sampling frequency, a first voice production timing of producing said voice sound waveform and a first voice-less production timing of producing said voice-less sound waveform for each sample;

converting said first voice production timing into a second voice production timing over said voice sampling frequency to produce said voice sound waveform at said second voice production timing for every samples; and

converting said first voice-less production timing into a second voice-less production timing over said voice-less sampling frequency to produce said voice-less sound waveform at said second voice-less production timing for every samples.

5. A system of producing a synthesized voice, said system including

means for producing a voice sound waveform at a voice sampling

frequency based on pronunciation informations;

means for producing a voice-less sound waveform at a voice-less sampling frequency based on said pronunciation informations;

means for converting said voice sampling frequency into an output sampling frequency to produce a frequency-converted voice sound waveform with said output sampling frequency, wherein each of said voice sampling frequency and said voice-less sampling frequency is independent from said output sampling frequency; and

means for converting said voice-less sampling frequency into said output sampling frequency to produce a frequency-converted voiceless sound waveform with said output sampling frequency.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, further including

means for synthesizing said frequency-converted voice sound waveform and said frequency-converted voice-less sound waveform to produce a synthesized voice with said output sampling frequency.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, further including

means for producing said pronunciation informations based on an externally inputted information.

8. The system as claimed in claim 5, further including

means for managing, over said output sampling frequency, a first voice production timing of producing said voice sound waveform and a first voice-less production timing of producing said voice-less sound waveform for each sample;

means for converting said first voice production timing into a second voice production timing over said voice sampling frequency to produce said voice sound waveform at said second voice production timing for every samples; and

means for converting said first voice-less production timing into a second voice-less production timing over said voice-less sampling frequency to produce said voice-less sound waveform at said second voiceless production timing for every samples.

9. A voice synthesizer including

a voice sound producing unit for producing a voice sound waveform at a voice sampling frequency based on pronunciation informations;

a voice-less sound producing unit for producing a voice-less sound waveform at a voice-less sampling frequency based on said pronunciation informations;

a voice sound sampling conversion unit for converting said voice sampling frequency into an output sampling frequency to produce a frequency-converted voice sound waveform with said output sampling frequency, wherein each of said voice sampling frequency and said voiceless sampling frequency is independent from said output sampling frequency; and

a voice-less sound sampling conversion unit for converting said voice-less sampling frequency into said output sampling frequency to produce a frequency-converted voice-less sound waveform with said output sampling frequency.

10. The voice synthesizer as claimed in claim 9, further including

an output unit for synthesizing said frequency-converted voice sound waveform and said frequency-converted voice-less sound waveform to produce a synthesized voice with said output sampling frequency.

11. The voice synthesizer as claimed in claim 10, further including an input unit for producing said pronunciation informations based on an externally inputted information.

12. The voice synthesizer as claimed in claim 9, further including

a timing control unit for managing, over said output sampling frequency, a first voice production timing of producing said voice sound waveform and a first voice-less production timing of producing said voiceless sound waveform for each sample;

and said timing control unit further converting said first voice production timing into a second voice production timing over said voice sampling frequency to produce said voice sound waveform at said second voice production timing for every samples;

as well as converting said first voice-less production timing into a

second voice-less production timing over said voice-less sampling frequency to produce said voice-less sound waveform at said second voiceless production timing for every samples.

13. A semiconductor device integrating a voice synthesizer as claimed in any one of claims 9-12.

14. A computer-readable program to be executed by a computer to implement a method of producing a synthesized voice, said program including

producing a voice sound waveform at a voice sampling frequency based on pronunciation informations;

producing a voice-less sound waveform at a voice-less sampling

frequency based on said pronunciation informations;

converting said voice sampling frequency into an output sampling frequency to produce a frequency-converted voice sound waveform with said output sampling frequency, wherein each of said voice sampling frequency and said voice-less sampling frequency is independent from said output sampling frequency; and

converting said voice-less sampling frequency into said output sampling frequency to produce a frequency-converted voice-less sound waveform with said output sampling frequency.

15. The program as claimed in claim 14, further including

synthesizing said frequency-converted voice sound waveform and said frequency-converted voice-less sound waveform to produce a synthesized voice with said output sampling frequency.

16. The program as claimed in claim 15, further including

producing said pronunciation informations based on an externally inputted information.

17. The program as claimed in claim 14, further including

managing, over said output sampling frequency, a first voice production tinning of producing said voice sound waveform and a first voice-less production timing of producing said voice-less sound waveform for each sample;

converting said first voice production timing into a second voice production timing over said voice sampling frequency to produce said voice sound waveform at said second voice production timing for every samples; and

converting said first voice-less production timing into a second voice-less production timing over said voice-less sampling frequency to produce said voice-less sound waveform, at said second voice-less production timing for every samples.