APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR GENERATION OF PROSODY ADJUSTED SOUND RESPECTIVE OF A SENSORY SIGNAL AND TEXT-TO-SPEECH SYNTHESIS

• US 20140122082A1
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: VivoText Ltd.
• Original Assignee: VivoText Ltd.
• Inventors: SILBERT, Gershon, BEN-EZRA, Yossef, NISSIM, Shai
• Application Number:
  US13/729,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20140122082A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/10 Prosody rules derived from text; Stress or intonation

Abstract

A method for generation of a prosody adjusted digital sound. The method comprises receiving at least a sensory signal from at least one sensor; generating a digital sound respective of an input text content and a text-to-speech content retrieved from a memory unit; and modifying the generated digital sound respective of the at least the sensory signal to create the prosody adjusted digital sound.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating prosody adjusted sound, comprising:

a memory unit for maintaining at least a library that contains information to be used for text-to-speech conversion, the memory unit further maintains exactable instructions;

at least one sensor; and

a processing unit connected to the memory unit and to the at least one sensor, the processing unit is configured to execute the instructions, thereby causing the apparatus to;

convert a text content into speech content respective of the library, and generate a prosody adjusted digital sound respective of the speech content and at least a sensory signal received from the at least one sensor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprises:

a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to receive the prosody adjusted digital sound and to generate an analog signal therefrom.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is any one of:

a physical sensor, a virtual sensor.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the physical sensor is any one of:

a temperature sensor, a global positioning system (GPS), a pressure sensor, a light intensity, an image analyzer, a sound sensor, an ultrasound sensor, a speech recognizer, a moistness sensor.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the virtual sensor is a data receiving component communicatively connected to a global network through an interface.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the interface is further configured to provide connectivity through a local network between the apparatus and at least one of:

at least one user node and at least another apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the local network is one of:

WiFi, ZigBee, Bluetooth, ANT.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least another apparatus further includes at least a second library containing information to be used for text-to-speech conversion.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprises:

a database of at least possible events, expression, sounds, text content and difference equation communicatively connected to the processing unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

collect data accessible via the interface; and

save the collected data in the database.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing unit is further configured to adjust the prosody respective of at least one of:

data received through the interface and data stored in the database.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is embodied in an electro-mechanical device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the electro-mechanical device is any one of:

a toy, a robot.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to generate a motion of the electro-mechanical device respective of the generated prosody adjusted digital sound.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to generate an ultrasound respective of text content and text-to speech content retrieved from the memory unit as a means of communication between the apparatus and the at least another apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein generation of the prosody adjusted sound is performed with respect of musical parameters.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein each of the musical parameters is at least one of:

a pitch of a signal, a duration of a signal, an intensity of a signal, an accent, a dialect, pronunciation, a language, and a speaker.

18. A method for generation of a prosody adjusted digital sound, comprising:

receiving at least a sensory signal from at least one sensor;

generating a digital sound respective of an input text content and a text-to-speech content retrieved from a memory unit; and

modifying the generated digital sound respective of the at least the sensory signal to create the prosody adjusted digital sound.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

generating an analog signal by a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) respective of the prosody adjusted digital sound.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one sensor is any one of:

a physical sensor, a virtual sensor.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the physical sensor is any of:

a temperature sensor, a global positioning system (GPS), a pressure sensor, a light intensity, an image analyzer, a sound sensor, an ultrasound sensor, a speech recognizer, a moistness sensor.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the virtual sensor is a data receiving component communicatively connected to a global network through an interface.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

communicating with at least one of;

at least one user node and at least another apparatus, wherein the communication is achieved through a local network.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the local network is one of:

WiFi, ZigBee, Bluetooth, ANT.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

causing a motion of an electro-mechanical device respective of the generated prosody adjusted digital sound.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the electro-mechanical device is any one of:

a toy, a robot.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the memory unit is further comprised at least one of:

a library of information to be used for text-to-speech conversion and a database, wherein the database further comprises at least one of;

possible events, expression, sounds, text content, difference equations.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

collecting data accessible via the interface into the database.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

modifying a generated digital sound respective of at least one of;

the data received through the interface and a data stored in the database.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein generating the digital sound further comprising:

generating an ultrasound respective of the input text content and the text-to speech content.

31. The method of claim 18, wherein modifying the generated digital sound further comprising one of:

replacing the sounds from a database, modifying sounds using a digital signal processor (DSP), and changing the mathematical model of difference equations.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the DSP further performs at least one of:

speech signal processing, digital image processing, and signal processing for communications.

33. The method of claim 18, wherein the prosody adjusted digital sound is created with respect of musical parameters.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein each of the musical parameters is any of:

a pitch of a signal, a duration of a signal, an intensity of a signal, an accent, a dialect, pronunciation, a language and a speaker.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein modifying the generated digital sound further comprising:

modifying the musical parameters respective of possible events and an intensity of the at least a sensory signal.

36. A computer software product embedded in a non-transient computer readable medium containing instructions that when executed on the computer perform the method of claim 18.