Mobile communication terminal and text-to-speech method

• US 20080045199A1
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Lee, Yong Seok
• Granted Patent: US 8,326,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.4
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

A mobile communication terminal and text-to-speech method. The mobile communication terminal includes a display unit for displaying at least one object on a screen; a controller for identifying a depth of an activated object on the screen and finding a speech data set mapped to the identified depth; a speech synthesizer for converting textual contents of the activated object into audio wave data using the found speech data set; and an audio processor for outputting the audio wave data in speech sounds. As a result, textual contents of different objects are output in different voices so the user can easily distinguish one object from another object.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal capable of text-to-speech synthesis, the terminal comprising:

a display unit for displaying at least one object on a screen;

a controller for identifying a depth of an activated object on the screen and finding a speech data set mapped to the identified depth;

a speech synthesizer for converting textual contents of the activated object into audio wave data using the found speech data set; and

an audio processor for outputting the audio wave data in speech sounds.

2. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, further comprising an input unit for inputting a command of object addition or removal from a user, and wherein the controller activates, in response to a command of object addition or removal input through the input unit, a newly selected object, identifies the depth of the newly activated object, and finds a speech data set mapped to the identified depth.

3. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, further comprising a memory unit for storing a plurality of speech data sets and information regarding mappings between depths of objects and the speech data sets.

4. The mobile communication terminal of claim 3, further comprising a pitch modifier for creating a plurality of pitch-modified speech data sets by applying pitch modification to one of the stored speech data sets, and wherein the memory unit stores mapping information in which the depths of objects are mapped to the pitch-modified speech data sets in a one-to-one manner according to a user selection.

5. The mobile communication terminal of claim 3, wherein the memory unit stores mapping information in which the depths of objects are mapped to the stored speech data sets in a one-to-one manner according to a user selection.

6. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller obtains information on the attached object, and identifies depths of the activated object and the attached object when the activated object includes an attached object.

7. The mobile communication terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller finds speech data sets mapped to the identified depths of the activated and attached objects, and controls output of audible signals corresponding to textual contents of the activated and attached objects using corresponding mapped speech data sets.

8. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller controls, in response to a request for state information input through an input unit, output of an audible signal corresponding to current state information of the mobile communication terminal using a preset speech data set.

9. The mobile communication terminal of claim 8, wherein the state information is related to at least one of the current time, received signal strength, remaining battery power, and message reception.

10. The mobile communication terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller periodically checks preset state report times, and, at each state report time, controls output of an audible signal corresponding to the current state information of the mobile communication terminal using the preset speech data set.

11. A text-to-speech method for a mobile communication terminal that is capable of displaying multiple objects on a screen in an overlapping manner, the method comprising:

identifying a depth of an activated object on the screen;

finding a speech data set mapped to the identified depth; and

outputting an audible signal corresponding to textual contents of the activated object using the found speech data set.

12. The text-to-speech method of claim 11, further comprising identifying the depth of a newly activated object, and finding a speech data set mapped to the identified depth when the activated object is replaced in response to input of a command of object addition or removal.

13. The text-to-speech method of claim 11, further comprising storing a plurality of speech data sets and information regarding mappings between depths of objects and the speech data sets.

14. The text-to-speech method of claim 13, further comprising creating a plurality of pitch-modified speech data sets by applying pitch modification to one of the stored speech data sets, and wherein the storing information regarding mappings step stores mapping information in which the depths of objects are mapped to the pitch-modified speech data sets in a one-to-one manner.

15. The text-to-speech method of claim 13, wherein the storing information regarding mappings step stores mapping information in which the depths of objects are mapped to the stored speech data sets in a one-to-one manner.

16. The text-to-speech method of claim 11, wherein the identifying a depth step comprises obtaining information on the attached object, and identifying the depths of the activated object and the attached object when the activated object includes an attached object, and wherein the finding a speech data set step comprises finding speech data sets mapped to identified depths of activated and attached objects, and outputting audible signals corresponding to textual contents of the activated and attached objects using corresponding mapped speech data sets.

17. The text-to-speech method of claim 11, further comprising outputting, in response to input of a request for state information, an audible signal corresponding to current state information of the mobile communication terminal using a preset speech data set.

18. The text-to-speech method of claim 17, wherein the state information is related to at least one of the current time, received signal strength, remaining battery power, and message reception.

19. The text-to-speech method of claim 17, wherein the outputting an audible signal step comprises periodically checking preset state report times, and outputting an audible signal corresponding to the current state information of the mobile communication terminal using the preset speech data set at each state report time.